Automated Brake Pedal Applier

Lake Superior State University
2013-2014 Engineering Senior Project
Automated Brake Pedal Applier
Company Background
Project Statement
The purpose of this project is to
design and build an automated
brake pedal applier for Continental
Automotive’s hardware-in-loop
system. Currently, Continental uses
this hardware-in-loop system to test
brake systems, but the system must
have a human operator to apply the
brake pedal. Team ABI’s unit will be
used to automate the brake testing
process by controlling the position
of the pedal and how much
force is applied.
Continental is the world’s third
largest automotive supplier with over
168,000 employees world-wide.
The Brakes & Chassis segment of
Continental is primarily concerned
with the individual optimization and
adaptation of existing systems from
brake technology, chassis and driver.
They design brake electronic control
units (ECU) and analyze their
responses to various
driving situations.
Team Members:
Benjamin Newland, ME Riley Lytwynec, CE
Danial Rutkowski, EE Nicholas Sadro, EE
Faculty Advisors: Prof. David McDonald, Prof. David Leach
Industrial Contacts: Mr. Travis Smith and
Mr. Dan Goodrich – Continental
Project Made Possible By:
MATLAB Graphical User Interface
Specifications
Max. Brake Application Force: 2000N
Max. Application Velocity: 1.2 m/s
Max. Pedal Travel: 12 in.
Adjustable for various brake pedals
New System Advantages
• Braking applications can be repeated
for long periods of time.
• More cost-effective than a human
operator applying brake.
• More accurate force and position
applications than human operator.