ES-P - What is it and how does it function?

For a number of years, Vehicle manufacturers have been focusing their vehicle designs around integral safety systems.
With NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) testing on vehicles becoming more stringent, particular for vehicles built in
and imported into Europe, safety features have become paramount.

The original ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) was a major breakthrough for manufacturers and quickly became widespread
throughout automotive design. As with any of the developing safety features now deployed, it is developments in the
truck industry which has set the standard for the passenger car producers. The singuarly most alarming event that
stimulated a greater need for ESP was the Mercedes A class that was easily flipped over on cornering.

With the introduction of multiplexing within vehicles, it was possible to design a braking system which would incorporate
A wider operating specification of the braking mechanism. The introduction of EBCMs (Electronic Braking Control
modules) which were able to enhance the ABS system to include systems such as ASR (Anti-Slip Regulator) and
ASD (Adjustable Speed Drive). Mercedes Benz were the first car company to incorporate these technologies into the
nominal ABS system. Traction Control was also incorporated at this time.

With the wide spread use of CANbus systems, manufacturers were now able to add the new safety braking system we now
call ESP. Various manufacturers have named their systems accordingly:

Audi: Electronic Stability Program (ESP).

BMW: Dynamic Stability Control (DSC).
Jaguar: Dynamic Stability Control (DSC).
Lexus: Vehicle Skid Control (VSC)
Porsche: Porsche Stability Management (PSM).
Volkswagen: Electronic Stability Program (ESP).
Volvo: Dynamic Stability Traction Control (DTSC).

The principal of ESP

I have made a short algorithm here to give an idea the sequence when the EBCM receives a signal down the network. Of
course, all of this sequence happens within a split second!

Electronic Stability
Program

Measurement of Measurement of Measurement of

Steering angle Lateral acceleration Yaw velocity
and wheel speed

Recording of the Recording of the

intended vehicle vehicles actual
direction behaviour

Calculation of the deviation

between desired and actual
vehicle behaviour

Decision whether the Electronic

Stability Program should intervene
to stabilise the vehicle

To counteract oversteer - To counteract understeer -

Braking is applied to the front Braking is applied to the rear
axle... axle...

In this algorithm, there is a mention of a Yaw velocity. This function is the crucial part of an ESP system and it is explained
on the next page.
Layout in the car - E.g MB E class

Lateral acceleration
sensor

SAM unit
(Signal Aquisition Module)

Yaw sensors

EBCM

Steering angle sensor

How the ESP system operates.

When the car moves into a position which is determined by the yaw sensors to be outside of the parameter set by the
system, the ESP will activate. For the driver, certain functions in the car will activate which the driver has no control over.
Depending on the manufacturer of the system (Bosch, Continental Teves, Delphi), there will functions in the car which are
linked together and will operate together to bring the car back under control.
If the car begins to skid, the driver will usually attempt to brake and hopefully try to drive into the direction of the skid. In
practice, this does not always happen, so the car will do it itself.

The vehicle will:

- take over the accelerator and operate this independently
- apply pressure through the braking system regardless of how much pressure the driver applies.
- alter the steering angle (if the vehicle is equipped with electronic steering wheel control - e.g VW, BMW)

During this time, it is usual to see the ESP lamp light and can be accompanied by a continuous pinging noise.

The duration that ESP operates is variable and dependent on how quickly the car comes back under control.

I mentioned the Yaw Velocity on the previous page. This is measured by the Yaw sensor(s) and in principal, it operates like
a gyroscope. Thereby monitoring the rotational angle of the car. The sensors convert movement into electrical data current
and thereby send information through the bus to the EBCM

We now move forward into understanding the additional feature of:

T-ESP - Trailer Stability Program

TSPs are really an extended software application for the existing ESP system. You cannot have a T-ESP system without
having an ESP system.
This feature has be borne out of the truck industry where manufacturers had been trying to combat the
Jack knifing effect of trailers. With additional yaw sensors and software applications, they were able to create a trailer
stability program using the existing ESP.
T-Esp is known under a number of different titles.

For example:-

TSP - Trailer Stability Program - (VW, BMW)

TSA - Trailer Stability Assist - (Honda, Mercedes)
TSM - Trailer Sway Mitigation - ( product brand produced by Bosch)
TSC - Trailer Sway Control - (Chrysler USA, Jeep USA - currently on US models but will be on UK models from 2008!)

TSPs have been an exciting application for the avid towing consumer. Likewise, as with most manufacturers, they
designate a particular vehicle model to be marketed as their tow car. For example, VW choose the Passat. GM choose
the Vectra. Honda have the CR-V and so on.

It is on these marketable vehicles that TSP will be installed.

This application is dependent on the operating system of the car. If the vehicle uses a CANbus network system, then
the application is activated usually by the connection of a towing plug. (See vehicle specific towbar wiring later on..)
In the case of the Honda, the TSP is activated when the vehicle detects the fishtailing action of the caravan and if this
movement transferred to the car, falls within the set parameter and actual vehicle motion (i.e side to side rear end
movement), then the TSP will operate until the vehicle comes back under control within the acceptable movement. I
must stress that the CR-V cannot be steered into making the caravan snake to activate the TSP. It has to occur
naturally.

For the CANbus vehicles, T-Esp operates differently.

To enable the system to function or activate, the car MUST know when it is towing. This information is through the
towing socket. Therefore, the use of by-pass electrical installations will NOT under any circumstances, allow this
system to operate. The use of *vehicle specific CANbus wiring kits will allow this feature to be active provided the
towing module is a module which the car can communicate with and recognises. There are a number of CANbus
towing modules which are termed read only and in this case, they are not visible to the car.

How do these work?

When the vehicle is determined to be towing, then the yaw sensors that would normally operate with the ESP system,
allow for an additional movement which is detected when fishtailing occurs. A separate software application has
been entered into the brake electronics to allow T-Esp to function. In a number of cases, this needs to be activated
using *diagnostic equipment (see next page). In the case of the VW systems, when the T-Esp system activates, it is
applied for maximum 30 seconds or until the vehicle/caravan combination is back under control. If it still remains out
of control, then the system re-energises for another 30 seconds. In the case of the Mercedes system (ML class), the T-
Esp system activates for initially 10 second in a reduced or gentle fashion. If the vehicle is brought under control, then
the system reverts back to standard ESP. If, however, within 10 seconds, the vehicle/caravan is still out of control, then
the system upgrades to a 2nd stage, more aggressive approach which again, activates for a further 10 seconds. Once
again, the driver is informed the system is in operation by the dash warning lamp and/or pinging tone.

What is happening when T-Esp operates?

When the system activates, the driver really has to concentrate on steering the vehicle within as straight a line as
possible. While he is engaged in this, the vehicle is automatically decelerating and braking individual wheels to control
the snake. It is also possible that it will have to accelerates marginally to help control the snake. The driver has no
control over the brakes or accelerator during this phase, but when the vehicle has been corrected, control will be
passed back to the driver.

IMPORTANT!! It is essential that any owner of vehicles with T-Esp that have a wiring installation which allows for this
to be an active system, must be informed what will happen should the system engage.
It could be that vehicle dealers have informed them, but it will most likely come from the individual towbar technician.
Diagnostic Equipment

T-Esp is currently pre-installed into BMWs, Mercedes Benz, Honda, GM

For VAG vehicle derivatives, this feature is coded into the vehicle using diagnostic equipment.
This is a relatively simple operation and entails the changing of one of the number sequences in the relevant control
module.
It is hoped that a bespoke diagnostic tool will be available in early 2008 to allow towbar technicians to code the
vehicle for this feature as well as other trailer associated functions.

T-Esp is currently available on:

Audi
A4 - NEW 2008 model
A5
A6
Q7

BMW
3 ser (E90/91/92)
5 ser (E60/61)
7 ser (E65/66)
X3 (E83)
X5 (E53)
X5 (E70)

Ford
No T-Esp as yet. Will be introduced soon.. (Mondeo, S-Max)

Honda Jaguar
CR-V II 2006 >> XF Saloon 2007 >> ( will be introduced during 2008)

Land Rover Mercedes Benz

Freelander II (to be introduced during/late 2008) C class (S204/W204) 2007 >>
Range Rover E class (S211/W211) 2005 >> models
GL class
ML class
R class
Vauxhall
Astra - only on vehicles with ESP plus (NOTE: it is not certain if this function is pre-ordered at factory only)
Vectra - Only on vehicles with ESP plus

VW
Golf V - late 2007 >> models
Jetta
Passat (B6) - 2005 >> models ( No need to code from July 2007 >>)
Tiguan SUV - 2008 >>
Touran - facelifted 2007 >> models
Touareg - from 2003

NOTE: T-Esp to be introduced into Skoda & Seat during 2008.