Anti-lock Braking System

• Anti-lock Braking system is a closed loop control device that prevents

wheel lock-up during braking and as a result vehicle stability and
steering is maintained.

• This system uses the principle of cadence braking and threshold

braking.
• The purpose of Anti-lock Braking system (ABS) is to control the rate at
which individual wheels accelerate and de-accelerate through the
regulation of the line pressure applied to each foundation brake.

• The control signals, generated by the controller and applied to the brake
pressure modulating unit, are derived from the analysis of the outputs
taken from wheel speed sensors.

• Thus, when active, the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) makes optimum use
of the available friction between the tyres and the road surface.
Brake caliper (1) and wheel speed sensor (2)
 Components of Anti-Lock Breaking System(ABS)
There are four main components of the ABS:
 Speed sensor
 Valves
 Pump
 Controller

VALVES
The function of the valves is to regulate the air pressure to brakes during Anti-Lock
Braking System (ABS) action. They are placed in the brake line of the each brake
controlled by the ABS. In most of the cases ,the valve has three positions:
• In position one, the valve is open and the pressure from the master cylinder is passed through
the brake.
• In position two, the valve blocks the line resulting in isolating the brake from master cylinder.
• In position three, the valve releases some of the pressure from brakes.
SPEED SENSOR
The purpose of the speed sensor is to monitor speed of each wheel and then to
determine the acceleration and de-acceleration of the wheels.
It consist of exciter(a ring with notched teeth)and a wire coil/magnet assembly which
generates the pulses of electricity as teeth of exciter pass in front of it.
PUMP
The purpose of the pump is to regulate or restore the pressure back to the brakes that
has been released by the valves.
CONTROLLER
The controller of the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) consists of Electronic Control
Unit(ECU) which processes all the ABS information and signal functions.
The ECU gets the information from all the wheels and then control or limit the brake
force to the each wheel.
Anti-lock breaking system or ABS has different types of brakes based on
number of channels used.
TWO CHANNEL
This system works with four sensors and two valves.
It uses a speed sensors at each wheel, with one control valve for both of
the front wheels and the other one for the rear wheels.
ONE CHANNEL
This system is found on pickup trucks which uses rear wheel ABS.
It has one valve and one sensor for both of the rear wheels.
This system is not very effective because as there is a possibility that one
of the rear wheel will lock, reducing the effectiveness of brakes.
FOUR-CHANNEL
This scheme is employed in most of the modern cars like Ferrari’s California T.
In this scheme all the four wheels have there own individual speed sensors and
valves.
This gives best result as all the four wheels can be controlled individually which
ensures the maximum braking force.
THREE CHANNEL
In three channel and four sensor scheme, along with the four sensors on the
each wheel there is a separate valve for each of the front wheels and a common
valve for the rear wheels.
The three channel and three sensor scheme is mostly employed in pickup trucks.
There are individual sensors and valves for both the front wheels with a
common valve and sensor for both of the rear wheel.
Depending on the ABS application, there are several typical
layouts.
 Working of ABS
• When the brakes are applied ,fluid is forced from the master cylinder to the
HCU inlet ports with the help of open solenoid valves that are contained in the
HCU, then through the outlet ports of HCU to the each wheel.
• The rear part of the master cylinder feeds the front brakes and vice-versa.
• After the fluid in inserted in each wheel, the wheel starts locking-up.
• When the control module senses that wheel is going to lock up, it closes the
normally open solenoid valves for that wheel.
• The anti-lock break control module then looks at anti-lock break sensor signal
from the affected wheel.
• Once the affected wheel comes back up to the speed, then the control
module returns the solenoid valve to there normal condition.
With ABS enabled
In the diagram above, the driver hits the brakes hard on
a slippery surface (1), then steers (2), and successfully
manages to avoid the obstacle.
ABS prevents the wheels from locking, and this allows
you steer.
Without ABS enabled
Without ABS, as the driver applies the brakes the wheels
lock (1). Despite applying steering lock, the car continues
straight ahead due to the loss of steering control (2) and
a collision results.
Traction Control System
• A traction control system (TCS), also known as ASR (Anti slip regulation), is
typically (but not necessarily) a secondary function of the electronic
stability control (ESC) on production motor vehicles, designed to prevent
loss of traction of driven road wheels.

• TCS is activated when throttle input and engine torque are mismatched to
road surface conditions.
Intervention consists of one or more of the following:
Brake force applied to one or more wheels

Reduction or suppression of spark sequence to one or more cylinders

Reduction of fuel supply to one or more cylinders

Closing the throttle, if the vehicle is fitted with drive by wire throttle

In turbocharged vehicles, a boost control solenoid is actuated to reduce

boost and therefore engine power.
When the traction control computer detects one or more driven wheels
spinning significantly faster than another, it invokes the ABS electronic control
unit to apply brake friction to wheels spinning with lessened traction.
 Braking action on slipping wheel(s) will cause power transfer to wheel axle(s)
with traction due to the mechanical action within the differential.
All-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles often have an electronically controlled
coupling system in the transfer case or transaxle engaged (active part-time
AWD), or locked-up tighter (in a true full-time set up driving all wheels with
some power all the time) to supply non-slipping wheels with torque.
Electronic Brake force Distribution
EBD is Electronic Brake force Distribution.
 This systems monitors each of the individual brakes and wheels.

Under braking, it decides which wheel to brake more and which to brake less
depending on many conditions like road friction (less priority) and body weight
(higher priority) of the car.
Typically most of the braking force is distributed at the front to as the front is
heavier than the rear half of the car.
 In a few systems, immediately after braking more pressure is applied on rear
brakes before the effects of weight transfer become apparent and then the brake
force is redistributed.