Continental has developed its pioneering generation of the electro-hydraulic brake system MK C1. While it offers higher availability and higher performance, the MK C2 is more compact and lighter so that it is much easier to integrate into smaller vehicle models and complete vehicle platforms with diverse powertrain concepts and varying installation spaces. The vehicle-specific system application has also been simplified. In addition, the number of components was successfully reduced, and the costs were lowered.
By moving on to a multi-logic architecture with two independent partitions and thus a redundant fallback level, system availability is increased, which is relevant particularly in view of Automated Driving. Among other aspects, even the base version of the MK C2 offers the function scope for highly automated valet parking.
Like the MK C1, the MK C2 is a so-called ‘brake-by-wire’ system in which the brake pedal is decoupled from the actual pressure generation. This opens up benefits of rapidly increasing importance: During 80 per cent or more of all deceleration events in an electric car, electric power can be generated through regenerative braking when a normal driving style is applied. Still, the brake pedal should always feel the same to the driver, even though the wheel brakes are not actually used. During Automated Driving, on the other hand, the MK C2 with its high level of dynamics can generate brake pressure within a mere 150 milliseconds whenever the automation or a driver assistance system requires pressure. Again, this happens without unsettling the driver by a tangible pedal reaction. MK C2 is designed for Automated Driving according to SAE Level 3 or higher.
‘Now that vehicle manufacturers are producing hybrid and electric cars on a large scale, we are offering the MK C2 at exactly the right time,’ said Amit Kapoor, Head of Research & Development of the business unit Vehicle Dynamics at Continental. ‘Future Brake Systems must continue to support safety, efficiency, comfort and, in the future, more and more additional functions. The MK C2 is perfectly suited for that. The new system generation is compact and lightweight, powerful, and still highly cost-optimized. With its modularity and scalability, it can be integrated into multi-vehicle platforms’.
Source: Continental
