Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) is an electro-hydraulic brake system developed by Daimler and

Bosch. The SBC system was introduced on the R230 SL-class, which went on sale in Europe in
October 2001

How it works:
In a hydraulic brake system, the driver applies force by a mechanical link from the pedal to the
master brake cylinder. In turn the master brake cylinder develops hydraulic pressure in the wheels.
In contrast, the electro-hydraulic brake SBC provides the brakes with a brake fluid supply from the
hydraulic high-pressure reservoir, which is sufficient for several braking events. A piston pump
driven by an electric motor supplies a controlled brake fluid pressure between 140 and 160 Bar in
the gas diaphragm reservoir.

When the driver presses the brake pedal - or when ESP intervenes to stabilize the vehicle - the SBC
control unit calculates the desired target brake pressures on each individual wheel. Through the use
of independent pressure modulators the system regulates the hydraulic pressure at each wheel.
These four pressure modulators consist of one inlet and one outlet valve, controlled by electronic
output stages.

The system employs a travel sensor and a pressure sensor at the pedal to measure the speed and
force of the driver's command. The control unit processes this information and generates the control
signals for the wheel pressure modulators. Normally, the master brake cylinder is detached from the
brake circuit. A pedal travel simulator creates normal pedal feedback. If ESP intervenes, the high-
pressure reservoir supplies the required brake pressure quickly and precisely to selected wheels,
without any driver involvement.

Advantages and disadvantages:

With fine-grained control of pressure at each wheel, SBC offers a unique platform in which to
implement skid protection and traction control compared to cf. Anti-lock braking system (ABS) and
Electronic Stability Control (ESC), respectively. Moreover, the system offers innovative functions
to reduce the driver's workload. These include Traffic Jam Assist, which brakes the vehicle
automatically in stop-and-go traffic once the driver takes his or her foot off the accelerator. The
Soft-Stop function - another first - assists with smooth stopping in town traffic.

In case of computer failure, SBC reverts to an hydraulic master cylinder, but driver effort and
stopping distance is reported to increase. In case of pump failure the high-pressure reservoir is
capable of retaining enough pressure to stop the vehicle electronically. Information on other types
of failure remain an open question.Problems:
In May 2004, Mercedes recalled 680000 vehicles equipped with the system; in March 2005 a total
of 1.3 million vehicles were recalled. In 2006 high volume models such as the E-class returned to
conventional hydraulic brake systems. Low-volume luxury models such as the SL, the Maybach
and the SLR continued to use SBC due to the prohibitive cost of redesign.t