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An electronic parking brake (EPB), also known as an electric parking brake or electric park brake, is an electronically controlled
parking brake
In road vehicles, the parking brake, also known as a handbrake or emergency brake (e-brake), is a mechanism used to keep the vehicle securely motionless when parked. Parking brakes often consist of a cable connected to two wheel brakes, which is ...
, whereby the driver activates the holding mechanism with a button and the brake pads are electrically applied to the rear wheels. This is accomplished by an
electronic control unit
An electronic control unit (ECU), also known as an electronic control module (ECM), is an embedded system in automotive electronics that controls one or more of the electrical systems or subsystems in a car or other motor vehicle.
Modern vehic ...
(ECU) and an
actuator
An actuator is a component of a machine that is responsible for moving and controlling a mechanism or system, for example by opening a valve. In simple terms, it is a "mover".
An actuator requires a control device (controlled by control signal) a ...
mechanism. There are two mechanisms that are currently in production, ''Cable puller systems'' and ''Caliper integrated systems''.
EPB systems can be considered a subset of
Brake-by-wire
In the automotive industry, brake-by-wire technology is the ability to control brakes through electrical means. It can be designed to supplement ordinary service brakes or it can be a standalone brake system.
This technology is widely used on al ...
technology.
First installed in the 2001
BMW 7 Series (E65)
The fourth generation of the BMW 7 Series consists of the BMW E65 and BMW E66 luxury cars. The E65/E66 was produced from 2001 to 2008 and is often collectively referred to as the E65. The E65 replaced the E38 7 Series and was produced with petro ...
, electronic parking brakes have since appeared in a number of vehicles.
Functionality
Apart from performing the basic vehicle holding function required of park brakes, the EPB systems provide other functions like automatic release of the park brakes when the driver presses the accelerator or slips the
clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...
, and re-clamping using additional force on detection of vehicle motion.
Further, the hill-hold function, which applies brakes to prevent roll-back when pulling away on a gradient, can also be implemented using the EPB.
Implementation
The implementation of the control logic for the actuators is carried out by either using a stand-alone ECU or by integrating it in the ECU for electronic stability control.
Standards
The design of electric park brakes in the United States should be compliant with:
*FMVSS 105
*FMVSS 135
*ECE 13H
References
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Automotive technologies
Vehicle safety technologies