What Is An Electronic Brake Force Distribution System

Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) is an additional braking control system that is provided to augment the functionality of Anti Lock Braking Systems. There are many different types of Electronic Brake Force Distribution systems out there; however, all EBD systems make use of the following common components:

• Brake force modulators
• Speed sensors
• Electronic Control Units (ECUs)
• Steering wheel angle sensors
• Yaw sensors

Working of Electronic Brake Force Distribution Systems
Electronic Brake Force Distribution makes use of the data from the speed sensors to know if all the wheels are rotating at the same speed. This system is also capable of comparing the data from a yaw sensor and the steering wheel angle sensor to find out if the vehicle is under or over steering. These data are then processed by the ECU of the braking system to find the load on each of the wheels of the vehicle.

If the unit finds that one or more wheels of the vehicle are under decreased load than the other wheels, the system will make use of brake force modulators to decrease the braking force that particular wheel. All these things happen dynamically, meaning that the brake force can be modulated with respect to the conditions.

Purpose of EBD
EBD systems serve similar purposes as the related brake technologies, such as traction control and Anti Lock Braking System, do. The focus of all these brake technologies is to prevent locking up of the wheels of a vehicle. Yet unlike other braking systems, EBD is capable of dynamically modulating the brake force applied to each of the wheels of the vehicle.

The working idea of EBD is that wheels of a vehicle lock up easily when they are under light loads. It is true that the traditional proportioning valves of the braking system deal with this issue by applying different levels of brake force to the rear and front wheels of the vehicle. However, these hydraulic proportioning valves are not capable of reacting to the varying conditions and circumstances.

Under normal situations, the weight of a moving vehicle will shift towards the front when the brakes are applied. This will put a heavy load on the front wheels of the vehicle and Electronic Brake Force Distribution systems can respond to the situation by reducing the brake force on the rear wheels. However, if the vehicle is loaded heavily on the rear side the braking system will behave differently, as the EBD system is capable of sensing the increase in load.

EBD system brake service is offered by most of the established car mechanics shop and it is important to service these systems periodically to ensure effective brake force distribution.