By ATN Editorial Team
Summary: BWI Group has launched its integrated Dynamic Brake Control (iDBC) 1-Box brake system in Europe, the company’s first European brake programme. The electro-hydraulic unit replaces the conventional brake actuator and vacuum booster, bringing brake actuation, stability control and regenerative blending into a single software-controlled package.
Key engineering takeaway: The Dynamic Brake Control system builds hydraulic pressure around three times faster than a vacuum-boosted actuator. A pedal travel sensor and a pressure sensor pass driver intention to the ECU, which drives a motorised pressure supply unit, while a direct hydraulic path from the pedal pushrod provides an ASIL-D mechanical backup. The full software stack, from ABS and stability control to regen blending and one-pedal drive, is developed in-house.
Why it matters: A decoupled pedal gives OEMs a tunable brake feel they can match to their brand, removes ABS pedal vibration and enables full brake energy regeneration on hybrids and EVs. BWI Group has validated the Dynamic Brake Control system across service conditions, including a winter programme on ice and snow at Arjeplog, and the architecture provides the redundancy foundation that highly automated driving will require.
- BWI Group launches its first European brake programme, the iDBC 1-Box system.
- The integrated brake system enables full brake energy regeneration for hybrids and EVs and gives OEMs a tunable pedal feel to improve brake feel.
- By bringing brake actuation, stability control and regen blending into a single software-controlled unit, the iDBC reflects the wider digitisation of the chassis and provides a flexible platform for software-defined vehicle architectures.
BWI Group, a leader in advanced suspension and braking systems, has launched its integrated Dynamic Brake Control (iDBC) 1-Box system in Europe. The integrated electro-hydraulic system replaces the conventional brake actuator and vacuum booster with a single compact unit, delivering faster pressure build, fully tunable regen-to-friction blending and a decoupled brake pedal that gives OEMs precise control over the feel of their electric vehicle brakes.
“The vehicle chassis is becoming a digitised, software-controlled system, and the brakes are no longer a discrete mechanical assembly but a programmable subsystem,” said Andrea Ciavolino, TPL and Product Manager at BWI Group. “That shift opens up a level of tunability and refinement that simply was not available with conventional vacuum-boosted hardware. Pedal feel can be calibrated to an OEM’s preference, regenerative and friction braking can be smoothly blended, and the system can be refined further across the lifecycle of the vehicle.”
The iDBC replaces the conventional brake actuator and vacuum booster of traditional braking systems. When the driver presses the brake pedal, the pressure does not transfer directly to the calipers. A pedal travel sensor and a pressure sensor pass driver intention to the electronic control unit (ECU), which commands a motor in the pressure supply unit (PSU) to build the required hydraulic pressure for the calipers.
Dynamic Brake Control With A Full In-House Software Stack
The iDBC is delivered as a turnkey package. The hydraulic unit, valves, electronics, base software and every control function have been developed by BWI Group. This includes the stability functions (ABS, electronic stability control, traction control), the advanced driver assistance functions (hill holder, electric parking brake, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go), and the regenerative braking, one-pedal drive and driver brake alert algorithms.
The iDBC builds brake pressure around three times faster than a conventional vacuum-boosted brake actuator, which is particularly valuable for the rapid interventions required by automatic emergency braking and other advanced driver assistance functions. Decoupling the pedal from the calipers also eliminates the pedal vibration drivers feel under ABS activation, supports a tunable pedal feel that OEMs can match to their brand, improves overall NVH and provides the architectural foundation for the system redundancy that highly automated driving will require.
ASIL-D Safety Case And Winter Validation
As an ASIL-D system, the iDBC has been designed from the outset around fail-safe operation. A direct hydraulic path from the brake pedal pushrod to the calipers acts as a mechanical backup, ensuring that braking remains available to the driver in the event of an electronic system failure. Every engineering function, from implementation through application to validation, is built around that requirement.
“Brakes are one of the most safety-critical systems on any vehicle, so every engineering decision flows from that,” continues Ciavolino. “We designed the iDBC so that the driver always retains the ability to stop the car, even under a fault condition that disables every electronic system on the vehicle. The mechanical hydraulic path is the final line of defence.”
BWI Group has validated the iDBC across the operating conditions a passenger vehicle is expected to encounter in service, including high- and low-temperature testing and a full winter programme on ice and snow at BWI Group’s low-adherence facility in Arjeplog, northern Sweden.
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