Bendix’s ABS system gets smarter

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has launched ABS with Smart ATC, an automatic traction control system with the ability to distinguish between, and appropriately respond to, situations like accelerating uphill and driving into a curve.

Smart ATC responds with a level of traction control appropriate to each situation, giving more power to the driver when warranted. It also senses curves in the road (through wheel speed sensors) and if wheel slip is detected, will more aggressively modulate braking to control and slow the vehicle. In contrast, standard ATC systems limit engine torque wheel spin when the ATC is activated, often making it more difficult to power uphill, the company says.

Like with standard ATC, the system works wheel-speed sensors instantly detect a spinning wheel, sending a signal to the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to adjust the amount of power to the wheels through engine speed and selective braking. However, with Smart ATC, if the ECU detects that the vehicle is traveling in a straight line and the driver is trying to accelerate, as if in an up-hill situation, the system automatically reduces braking effect, giving more accelerator control back to the driver. The driver can continue to accelerate more to maintain the speed needed to ascend the hill.

Conversely, if a wheel slips while the vehicle is accelerating into a curve, Smart ATC provides the opposite reaction – applying the brakes more aggressively, and further reducing engine torque than with standard ATC – forcing the vehicle to slow to a safe speed as it approaches the curve.