Master cylinder pressure control based on piecewise-SMC in electro-hydraulic brake system

Abstract

This paper focuses on enhancing master cylinder pressure control in pressure-sensorless Electro-Hydraulic Brake (EHB) systems. A novel control strategy is developed, integrating a Piecewise Sliding Mode Controller (Piecewise-SMC) with an Extended Sliding Mode Observer (ESMO) based on a newly derived pressure–position–velocity model that accounts for rack position and velocity effects. To handle external disturbances and parameter uncertainties, the ESMO provides accurate pressure estimation. The nonlinear EHB model is approximated piecewise linearly to facilitate controller design. The proposed Piecewise-SMC regulates motor torque to achieve precise pressure tracking. Experimental validation under step-change braking conditions demonstrates that the Piecewise-SMC reduces response time by 31.8%, overshoot by 35.8%, and tracking root mean square error by 9.6% compared to traditional SMC, confirming its effectiveness and robustness for pressure-sensorless EHB applications.