ESC - Electronic Stability Control

ABS and traction control are not enough in curve situations. ESC, or any other vehicle stability and dynamic control system, corrects for under- and over-steering ands help to keep the car on the road. Yaw rate and centrifugal acceleration measured by an angular rate sensor and lateral acceleration measured by a low-g accelerometer are compared to those calculated from the wheel speed information and the steering wheel angle.

Lateral accelerometers are used either as stand alone units mounted close to the centre of gravity of the vehicle or as part of the sensor cluster as a PCB mountable component. The typical measuring range is ±1.5 to 2.0g and the offset stability is better than 100mg over temperature and life time. The frequency range is between 0 to 50Hz.

The sensitive axis must be always along the lateral measuring of the car with minimum influence of the changes in longitudinal acceleration and deceleration. VTI offers sensors for PCB mounting with sensitive axis either parallel or perpendicular to the assembly plane. Stand alone sensors use additional brackets for a change in sensor position.