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In late 1996, Daimler-Benz together with WABCO and Scania together with Bosch presented the first electronically controlled brake systems (EBS) in their towing vehicles. Since then roughly 2000 ACTROS per month have been produced with EBS. Other vehicle manufacturers will introduce EBS in the near future [5]. The technical advantages of EBS combined with the increased application of disc brakes, are: improved safety through shortened stopping distance better vehicle stability and brake comfort optimized brake monitoring and higher profitability However, with this first step the technical possibilities are limited to towing vehicles combined with conventionally braked trailers. The overall braking performance of the combination unit can be further improved when the trailers are equipped with an electronically controlled brake system.

Vehicle and traffic safety improvement is one of the most important targets in the vehicle industry. The introduction of ABS for commercial vehicles, meanwhile standard in various countries, was one of the major safety improvements. This system, based on electronics, sensors and actuators shows what is achievable by controlling brakes of such heavy vehicles at the physical limits under various road conditions. With EBS (brake-by-wire) further safety features are integrated including active access of each wheel brake that allows, independent from the driver to apply the brakes to keep the vehicle stable. Electronic stability control as the overall vehicle control system integrated into EBS leads to a new generation of driver assistance concepts. The concept of Electronic Stability Control (ESC) integrated into EBS, simulation studies of vehicle behavior in critical situations, the control strategies and discussion of test results are the main content of this paper.