ABS, EBD, BA: Car Braking Technology Explained!

ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution system)
BA (Braking Assistance)
What do all of these have in common? It’s the “Brakes”.
Brakes in a car are something everybody is familiar with, but mind you! Brakes are not just two pads clamping onto a disc; there are some fantastic active and passive safety systems working round the clock to help a car pull up more effectively.
You may have seen ABS, EDB, BA mentioned somewhere in a brochure or a car advertisement, these are all the cutting-edge car braking technology, and we are here to explain it all.

Read more on brakes here: Enhance the life of your brakes

Let’s “brake” (pun intended) it down, shall we?

ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)

As the name suggests, ABS prevents the wheels from locking up in the situation of hard braking under tricky conditions. In a car without an anti-lock braking system (ABS), if you slam the brakes hard for too long, it’s likely that one, or more, of the wheels, will lock up and screech all the way before the car comes to a halt. When a wheel begins to drag or skid, the driver has effectively lost directional control of the vehicle.

In a car equipped with ABS, what mostly happens is the system applies the brakes in small pulses to prevent sudden brake locking that is why you can feel vibrations and juddering at the brake pedal when ABS is activated. You can even hear faint brake squealing and grinding noises.
A 4-channel ABS consists of three main components: Speed sensors for each wheel, Computer-controlled valves on the hydraulic lines leading to each brake pump for restoring hydraulic braking pressure, a Control module.

Advantages of ABS

1. Helps in stopping the car in a shorter distance under emergency braking
2. Prevents wheel lock-up
3. Increases control over the vehicle
4. Better braking performance in diverse conditions
5. Dramatically reduces “skidding” effect

EBS (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution)

An extension of the ABS responsible for diverting equal brakeforce to the respective wheel.

Electronic Brake Distribution system uses the vehicle’s ABS to adjust the braking force between all the wheels depending on tyre grip. It automatically adjusts the brake force depending on conditions to make sure that the front and rear axles yield the best braking force possible without the wheel locking up. This systems work in tandem with ABS using an electronically controlled valve which diverts hydraulic pressure to the front and rear axles. EBD offers significant braking durability under any conditions and is not dependent on ABS to operate.

The hardware of EBD comprises the following components which are: Wheel Speed sensors, load sensors, Brake force modulators /Valves, Electronic Control Unit (ECU)

Advantages of EBD System

1. EBD enhances stability and reduces stopping distance
2. Makes braking more predictable
3. Improves traction on the road
4. Maximises braking efficiency

BA (Braking Assist)

Also known as Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) is another piece of car braking technology. As the name suggests is responsible to assist the driver in emergency stop situation.

If you have been through a situation where you had to attempt an emergency stop, you might have felt like jamming the brake pedal all through the floor. However, an average driver isn’t actually fast enough for a situation like this, where a millisecond of delay can translate to catastrophe. This is where Braking Assist steps in.

Brake assist converts that mild pedal pushes to a complete halt. A sensor attached to the brake pedal triggers the brake assist system to detect when the driver is attempting to stop in an emergency situation and applies full braking pressure until the car comes to a complete halt.

Advantages of Brake Assist

1. Reduces stopping distance upto 45%
2. Helps engage the brakes during an emergency.
   

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