JSAE Review 23 (2002) 459–464

Development of vehicle dynamics management system for hybrid

vehicles: ECB system for improved environmental and vehicle
dynamic performance
Masayuki Soga, Michihito Shimada, Jyun-Ichi Sakamoto, Akihiro Otomo
Toyota Motor Corporation, 1200 Mishuku Susomo, 410-1193 Shizuoka, Japan
Received 5 February 2002; received in revised form 7 March 2002

Abstract

In anticipation of the increased needs to further reduce exhaust gas emissions and improve fuel consumption, a new brake-by-wire
system called an ‘‘electronically controlled brake’’ system (hereafter referred to as ‘‘ECB’’) has been developed. With this brake
system, which is able to smoothly control the hydraulic pressure that is applied to each of the four wheel cylinders on an individual
basis, functional enhancements can be added by appropriately modifying its software. This paper discusses the necessity of the ECB,
the system configuration and the results of its application on hybrid vehicles.
r 2002 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. and Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Foreword the driver’s brake force requirement by utilizing the

maximum possible amount of regenerative brake force
The development of hybrid vehicles is being promoted and resorting to the friction brakes for the amount of
out of concerns for environmental protection. In this brake force that is lacking.
regard, the Estima Hybrid, which was announced in To make this possible, the system must:
June 2001, has adopted the world’s first brake-by-wire
system called ECB (electronically controlled brake
* be able to linearly control the hydraulic brake force
system) [1], in order to achieve the three requirements over the normal operating range,
at high levels: environmental technology, safety and
* be able to generate the required brake force, without
driving pleasure. Through the use of the Vehicle allowing the driver to feel the coordination functions
Dynamic Management, which was developed under a of the regenerative and friction brakes.
new concept to comprehensively control the braking and Furthermore, out of concerns for preventive safety,
driving functions of the hybrid system, a high level of the system is required to independently control the
dynamic performance has been realized. This paper
gives an outline of the ECB system, which manages
comprehensive control, as well as the improvements
realized in the vehicle dynamics and environmental
performance through the adoption of the comprehensive
Vehicle Dynamics Management System.

2. Outline of the ECB system

2.1. Functional requirements of a brake system

This hybrid vehicle uses a regenerative brake system

that recovers the braking energy in order to improve fuel Fig. 1. Example of coordination functions of the regenerative and
consumption. As Fig. 1 shows, the vehicle responds to friction brakes.

0389-4304/02/$ 22.00 r 2002 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. and Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 3 8 9 - 4 3 0 4 ( 0 2 ) 0 0 2 2 6 - 6 JSAE20024667
460 M. Soga et al. / JSAE Review 23 (2002) 459–464

brake force of each wheel in a highly responsive and
precise manner.
2.2. ECB system configuration
To satisfy the aforementioned requirements, the ECB
is configured as shown in Fig. 2. It consists of mainly two
parts, one that electrically detects the pedal operation of
the driver and one that controls the hydraulic pressure to
the wheel cylinders, in order to achieve a so-called by-
wire system that electrically controls the hydraulic
pressure that is applied to the wheel cylinders. Further-
more, the ECB uses linear valves that are arranged in
pairs, to control the hydraulic pressure of the brakes in
all ranges, for normal braking or vehicle dynamic
control, such as the vehicle stability control (VSC).
2.3. Linear hydraulic pressure control
Fig. 3 shows the basic configuration of the linear
hydraulic pressure control of the ECB.
The linear hydraulic pressure control consists of the
difference between the actual hydraulic pressure and the
target hydraulic pressure (which is added to the feed-
back term) and the valve-opening current that varies
with the difference in pressure upstream and down-
stream of the valve (which is added to the feed-forward
term).
Fig. 4 shows a control example of the linear hydraulic
pressure control. It controls the responsiveness and the
controllability of the actual hydraulic pressure against
the target hydraulic pressure within a range that satisfies
the requirements of the various types of control
applications, which will be discussed later.
2.4. Outline of the failsafe function of the ECB system
For the purpose of sustaining the friction brake
function in case of various types of system failures that
could occur, the failsafe function of the ECB system
provides ample brake force by detecting a failure, and
ultimately applying the hydraulic pressure generated by

Fig. 2. Configuration of ECBG hydraulic circuits.

Fig. 3. Configuration of hydraulic pressure control.

 M. Soga et al. / JSAE Review 23 (2002) 459–464
Fig. 4. Example of linear hydraulic pressure control.
the hydraulic pressure booster to the four wheel
cylinders.
As an example of failure detection, the following is
the basic concept of the input detection area, which is
unique to the ECB. It contains a triple system, which
consists of a pedal stroke sensor and a master cylinder
hydraulic pressure sensor. When a failed sensor is
identified, the system substitutes a normal sensor in
order to eliminate any intrusiveness that could be felt by
the driver, and then transfers the role of applying the
brakes to the hydraulic pressure booster.
If the regenerative function, that is unique to the
hybrid vehicle, fails, the ECB control continues to apply
the hydraulic pressure brake in order to promptly
compensate for the amount of regenerative braking.
3. Outline of the vehicle dynamics management system
The configuration of the entire system, which
comprehensively controls the braking and driving
functions through the combination of the ECB system
and the hybrid system, and an outline of the control
processes, are discussed in the following section.
Fig. 5. Hardware configuration of the system.
461
3.1. Hardware configuration of the system
Fig. 5 shows the hardware configuration. In contrast
to the aforementioned ECB system, the hybrid system is
the drive system that contains front and rear drive
motors to drive the respective axles. In the front unit,
the engine and motor are laid out parallel to each other,
and the drive force is transmitted via the CVT. The rear
unit consists of only a motor and a reduction unit. Thus,
it is an independent four-wheel drive system that does
not require a transfer unit or a propeller shaft.
3.2. Configuration of the comprehensive control process
Fig. 6 shows the control process of this system. The
system detects the requirements of the driver through a
sensor that detects the pedal input and a steering angle
sensor, and computes the vehicle’s dynamic targets. At
the same time, the system detects the driving conditions
of the vehicle through a wheel speed sensor, yaw rate
sensor, and acceleration sensor. In accordance with the
conditions of these sensors, the system selects and
executes the respective control modules in the compre-
hensive braking and driving control logic. The com-
mands for the brake force and the driving force, which
are required by the wheels, are directed to and executed
by the ECB hydraulic pressure control module and the
hybrid computer, respectively.
The advantages of this configuration are described
below. A new concept of comprehensive control that
expands the control range from the limited range of the
previous VSC to the normal operating range, this
configuration improves the peace of mind of the driver
and the environmental performance of the vehicle. This
system is hereafter referred to as ‘‘Vehicle dynamics
management (VDM)’’.
This configuration enables the system to compute
the required brake force and driving force from the
normal operating range represented by the regenerative
462 M. Soga et al. / JSAE Review 23 (2002) 459–464

Fig. 6. Vehicle dynamics management system processing.

coordination control, in order to maximize the regen-

eration of energy. This configuration also facilitates the
execution of continuous control by regulating the brake
hydraulic pressure and the driving torque near the limit
range.
The condition assessment modules, which were
previously computed and executed on a module-by-
module basis by the ABS and VSC brake control
modules, have been integrated and organized. By
implementing the control targets through the wheel
cylinder hydraulic pressure, the actuator driving mod-
ules could be separated from the respective software
Fig. 7. Example of hydraulic-regenerative brake control of the front
applications in order to effect comprehensive control.
wheels.
As a result, the quality of the software has been
improved and the application time has been shortened.

4. Vehicle dynamics control through vehicle dynamics

management

This section gives specific examples of the improve-

ments in the vehicle dynamic performance and environ-
mental performance that have been realized through the
aforementioned system and control.

4.1. Service brake control and regenerative coordination

control
The service brake, which controls the longitudinal
deceleration of the vehicle, detects and computes the
driver’s brake application. Then, it distributes the target
deceleration between the hydraulic pressure brake and the
regenerative brake. For the purpose of maintaining the
distribution of the front-rear brake force at a constant
level, both the front and rear motors of this vehicle
prioritize fuel efficiency while effecting the regeneration of
Fig. 8. Example of hydraulic-regenerative brake control of the rear
wheels.
energy. Fig. 7 shows an example of the actual regenera-
tive and hydraulic pressure coordination control of the
front brakes, and Fig. 8 shows the rear brakes. The
coordination control alone improves the vehicle’s fuel
efficiency by approximately 20 percent, as verified by the
10–15 mode fuel consumption measurement.
 M. Soga et al. / JSAE Review 23 (2002) 459–464
Fig. 9. Example of braking efficiency improvement during ABS control.
4.2. ABS control
The ABS control is also effected through hydraulic
pressure control with feedback of wheel cylinder
hydraulic pressure values, just as with normal brake
control. Various means of improving the braking
efficiency are incorporated in the control: accelerating
the target hydraulic pressure during pressurization by
referring to the hydraulic pressure value information at
the beginning of the depressurization; and making it
easier to hold the hydraulic pressure, in the vicinity of
the m peak, than in the previous system (see Fig. 9).
4.3. Cornering and startoff performance
As part of dynamic performance improvement
technology that extends from the normal to the limit
range, the driving performance during cornering and the
startoff performance while driving on low-m surfaces are
described below.
4.3.1. Cornering performance
Fig. 10 shows a comparison between the VDM and
the previous VSC, with respect to the vehicle behavior
and the driver’s steering input, while the driving locus is
constrained to the following conditions: m ¼ 0:35;
R ¼ 150 m, and initial speed=19.4 m/s.
In the previous VSC control (Fig. 10a), the hydraulic
pressure control, when control steps in near the limit
and when control is operating, is effected by an ON/
OFF valve through duty cycle control. In contrast, the
control that has recently been realized by the VDM
gradually applies hydraulic pressure to the wheel
cylinders from before the limit. This improves the
follow-up of the hydraulics to the target yaw rate and
463
reduces the amount of steering correction made by the
driver (Fig. 10b). Furthermore, because the amount of
control itself is minimized and the control converges
quickly (Fig. 10c and d), smooth driving is realized,
while the deceleration of the vehicle that occurs when
the control steps in is kept small.
4.3.2. Cornering startoff performance on extremely low-m
surfaces
When a vehicle starts off at an extremely low-m
surface intersection to turn right or left, its startoff
performance is improved if it is a four-wheel-drive
vehicle. However, if the front wheels slip, the drive
torque applies to the rear wheels, causing the occurrence
of the so-called ‘‘push-under’’ phenomenon, which
pushes the rear of the vehicle out.
With respect to the vehicle behavior simulating a left
turn at an intersection with a m ¼ 0:35 surface. Fig. 11
shows the following:
(1) The actual vehicle data using the new system and
control (Fig. 11a)
(2) The responsiveness equivalent to gasoline engine,
with the control logic remaining as is (150 ms lag,
Fig. 11b).
(3) Only the VSC control effected, without the drive
force control (Fig. 11c).
The results are shown in Fig. 11d, according to the
amount of deviation of the actual yaw rate in
comparison to the target yaw rate per the aforemen-
tioned three pieces of data. Although the previous
system can effect drive torque control in accordance
with the deviation between the target yaw rate required
by the driver and the actual yaw rate that is generated by
464 M. Soga et al. / JSAE Review 23 (2002) 459–464
Fig. 10. (a) Steering angle and target yaw rate deviation with the
previous VSC control. (b) Steering angle and target yaw rate deviation
with the vehicle dynamics management. (c) Comparison of control
hydraulic pressure of the inner front wheel. (d) Vehicle deceleration
rate.
the vehicle, the new system realizes a smoother
cornering startoff performance by controlling the motor
(whose torque can be controlled more responsively and
linearly than in vehicles with ordinary engines) starting
at the normal range.
5. Conclusion
For the purpose of improving the environmental
performance (through the coordination with the regen-
erative brakes at the front and rear wheels), active
safety, and vehicle dynamic performance, a brake-by-
wire system called an electronically controlled brake
(ECB) system (which linearly controls the hydraulic
pressure that is applied independently to the four
wheels) was developed, and the VDM (which compre-
Fig. 11. (a) m ¼ 0:35 actual intersection startoff data. (b) Same as
above (150 ms lag). (c) Same as above (no drive force control). (d)
Comparison of yaw rate deviations with different controls.
hensively controls the braking and driving forces) was
incorporated in this system. As a result, excellent brake
feel was realized through regenerative coordination
control, while improving the fuel consumption rate by
approximately 20%.
The driver’s peace of mind has been improved with
respect to the vehicle behavior from the normal range to
the critical range.
Because this technology can also be applied to
ordinary vehicles in addition to hybrid vehicles, it is
believed that this technology can contribute to enhan-
cing the dynamics of the vehicles.
References
[1] W.D. Jonner, et al., Electrohydraulic brake system-the first
approach to brake-by-wire technology, SAE960991.