BMW’s newest patent will make your foot blind

For decades, BMW has built up its reputation around the slogan “The Ultimate Driving Machine”, which appealed to both the driver of the driver and the masses. It was more than a slogan in the sense that BMW is able to design a car with a direct, visceral connection between the driver and the machine. But the more vehicles are automated, even something similar as brakes are no longer immune for digital mediation.

A recently published BMW patent outlines a new braking system that not only reinforces the input of a driver; It interprets and connects it actively. The innovation promises greater safety and reliability, but it also makes us ask how many control modern drivers will really retain behind the wheel.

A braking system that thinks for itself

BMW

We will admit that the Verbiage for the patent It is pretty close, but the idea is remarkably simple. It is a braking system that maintains constant braking pressure, regardless of how the driver moves the pedal or lever along his path. The brake pressure in a system is normally directly determined by the power of the driver on the pedal, which transfers hydraulic pressure to the calipers. The design of BMW introduces a control device that automatically adjusts the liquid volume in the system, so that the pressure remains stable, even if the driver’s entrance is uneven.

This means more flexible and more predictable braking. This also means that even if the driver presses harder on the brake pedal when he comes to a halt and at the end decreases somewhat, which creates inconsistent pressure, the new braking system that balances variations in real time. In essence, the car thinks for the driver and the smoothing of human imperfections to create a seamless braking experience.

Redundancy that keeps people out of the loop

BMW

Given the way the braking system is designed, it is a no-brainer that creates it, but that is not a bad thing. Redundancy can turn out to be a fail-safe, as in the new BMW system, if the hydraulic circuit failed, the control device can regulate the pressure through a different route. The result is better reliability, especially under demanding circumstances such as emergency stops or downhill brakes. The Sae Remarks: “This applies in particular to the fault tolerance of the braking system. Since drivers cannot form a fallback layer of brake functions due to the mechanical decoupling of the brake pedal, well-known brake-for-wire concepts offer a redundant system layer.”

This type of system also works well in autonomous and semi-autonomous braking systems, whereby the driver has to intervene in some situations to stop the car. Although the system can apply the brakes itself, the redundant system can be lifted the brake pedal if necessary for reliability and safety, reports, reports Automotive IQ. This also translates into fewer surprises, which does not suddenly mean “soft pedal” and no irregular changes in the brake feeling. But there is a subtle assessment.

BMW

With a computer -controlled correction between the driver’s foot and the braking system, BMW moves one step further from the traditional, mechanical bond that once defined the action of driving, hence the “ultimate driving machine”. With this system, the driver is no longer the final authority, because the system modulates and delivers the braking force.

Fail-Safe Tech for an autonomous future

BMW

Although the patent does not mention autonomous cars, it is difficult to miss that this system can be used for them. Autonomous vehicles need brake systems that are not completely dependent on human input. This would be a system that can independently regulate the braking pressure, corrects inconsistencies and retain predictable braking performance without trusting a human foot that presses the pedal, which is crucial for both completely autonomous and semi-autonomous systems.

Take into account a scenario in which the sensors of a car detect a danger and brakes in triggering before the driver has time to respond. In this case the consistency of the brake pressure is not about comfort; It is about life -saving protection. The ability to maintain predictable braking performance without trusting a human foot that presses on the pedal is important in situations like this.

As such, the BMW patent reflects this futuristic vision. Even if the German brand brings the system to the market as a refined system for daily driving, the technology will meet self-driving and semi-autonomous advanced driving systems in the future, where the computer systems of the vehicle make critical safety decisions in real-time.

The fine line between help and control

BMW

This brings us to the most important question: how much of the driving experience is lost when the machine takes over the tasks that people have to do? BMW has also appealed to the unfiltered connection between the driver and the car for driving enthusiasts. Every press of the brake pedal, every modulation of your foot pressure, is part of that experience. By smoothing out those inputs, the system reduces that real experience, even if you just inhibit to come to a complete stop.

On that comment it is worthwhile to show that most drivers do not hunt for the racing track level. Instead, most drivers want to be safe and have a consistent braking pressure when they hit the pedal. In that case, the new BMW braking system can be a welcome protective layer, because it reduces the capacity for human errors without the driver having to think about it.

BMW

Ultimately, the innovative BMW braking system is both practical and symbolic. It is practical in the sense that it is a meaningful progress in safety and consistency, with future applications for autonomous driving. But it is also symbolic in the sense that it undermines human control in the comparison, so that the driving experience can feel muted.

For some drivers, this new technology can feel like a natural progression when it comes to controlling safety. For others it is a memory that the connection between people and machine is always changing, where machines are becoming increasingly self -sufficient. Anyway, BMW clearly changes from the brand -oriented brand.