rGSBC Redundant Braking System for Highly Automated Commercial Vehicles

The shift of responsibility for driving dynamics from the driver to the vehicle requires fail-active system architectures in highly automated commercial vehicles. Knorr-Bremse addresses this need with the market launch of a redundant braking system, which, in combination with redundant steering technologies and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), ensures functional safety in automated hub-to-hub transport and helps fleet operators optimize total cost of ownership (TCO).

Redundant Brake Control Architecture and Fallback Strategies
The new rGSBC (redundant Global Scalable Brake Control) braking system is based on a unified brake control platform that consolidates the previous variety of components while reducing installation space and weight. On the hardware side, the architecture is expanded by a second, completely independent functional path. In the event of a primary system failure, this secondary path takes over vehicle deceleration without delay while maintaining full ABS functionality. Driving stability is preserved in critical situations through wheel-specific brake pressure control. Via standardized interfaces, the system supports automated operating strategies ranging from a safe emergency stop (minimum-risk maneuver) to the continuation of the journey with reduced functionality (mission-complete), while manual intervention remains possible at all times.

Fail-Active Steering Systems and Sensor Fusion for ADAS
To realize a comprehensive Level 4 architecture, Knorr-Bremse complements the braking system with redundant steering solutions. The fully electric rEPS (redundant Electric Power Steering) features duplicated actuator and control components. In addition, a steer-by-brake function acts as a further independent redundancy level to guide the vehicle in a controlled manner even in the event of critical system failures. Alongside the actuators, the Fusion Front ADAS uses combined radar and camera sensors for environment perception. The integrated advanced emergency braking and lane keeping assistants (AEBS, PAEBS, LKA, LDW) comply with the European GSR II regulations and support close-range systems such as the Blind Spot Information System (BSIS) and the Moving Off Information System (MOIS), which significantly contributes to meeting the strict Euro NCAP requirements for commercial vehicles.

Additional Context
This section details technical specifications and competitive benchmarking not included in the original product announcement

In the market for commercial vehicle braking systems and Level 4 architectures, Knorr-Bremse primarily competes with suppliers such as ZF (particularly through the integration of WABCO technologies) and Bosch, who are also developing redundant X-by-wire solutions for heavy-duty trucks. A crucial technical challenge in highly automated vehicles is the seamless handover between the primary and secondary control circuits within milliseconds to prevent the vehicle combination from swerving or jackknifing at high speeds. While conventional pneumatic braking systems often rely on a purely pneumatic, unregulated fallback level in the event of an electronics failure, the electronic redundancy of the rGSBC system enables the maintenance of safety-critical driving dynamic control interventions. Furthermore, meeting future Euro NCAP protocols requires an ever-deeper integration of ADAS sensors into the braking and steering actuators, accelerating the industrial shift from isolated electronic control units (ECUs) to centralized, software-defined vehicle (SDV) concepts.

Edited by Maria Brueva, Induportals editor – adapted by AI.

www.knorr-bremse.com