CNXMotion launches its innovative Brake-to-Steer technology which provides an additional layer of vehicle safety and redundancy by using the electronic brake system to safely steer the vehicle while simultaneously controlling its speed.
CNXMotion’s technology offers a cost-effective way for automakers to achieve safety needs by leveraging the vehicle’s existing systems, enhancing the steering safety net,” said Greg Katch, General Manager, CNXMotion.
In a fully autonomous vehicle without a physical steering wheel present, Brake-to-Steer can be used as a redundancy strategy to facilitate a safe pull-over if the primary and/or secondary steering systems were unavailable. The function would take over lateral control of the vehicle by selectively applying brake commands to individual wheels while maintaining speed through powertrain control.
Brake-to-Steer can also be used as another layer of redundancy in a Steer-by-Wire system by taking the driver’s input through the steering wheel position and maintaining the lateral control of the vehicle in a similar method described in the fully autonomous use case.
Benefits of Brake-to-Steer
– Cost: The Brake-to-Steer technology leverages the vehicle’s existing braking, steering, and propulsion systems. Depending on the vehicle’s architecture, the function itself could also reside on an existing controller, eliminating the cost of any additional hardware.
– Flexibility: Not only can the function exist within the existing hardware architecture, Brake-to-Steer can also be used to provide an additional layer of vehicle safety and redundancy on vehicles with Steer-by-Wire all the way to fully automated vehicles without the presence of a steering wheel.
– Safety: The cost and flexible Brake-to-Steer technology provides for an early adaptation redundant safety layer that otherwise may not be available to those vehicles in the market today.
