Clamp-force estimation for a brake-by-wire system: a sensor-fusion approach

The elimination of a clamp-force sensor from brake-by-wire system designs is strongly demanded due to implementation difficulties and cost issues. In this paper, a new method is presented to estimate the clamp force based on other sensory information. This estimator fuses the outputs of two models to optimize the root-mean-square error (RMSE) of estimation. Experimental results show that the estimator can accurately track the true clamp force for high-speed cases as demanded by the antilock braking system controls. A training strategy has been used to ensure that the estimator can successfully adapt to parameter variations associated with wear. This paper is concluded with a discussion on the reliability of the developed clamp-force estimator.