ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAMME (ESP)

INTRODUCTION:

Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) is fitted to every new car on sale, along with
most models sold over the past decade, and can also be referred to as Electronic
Stability Control (ESC). Hailed with saving thousands of lives, this clever
technology has been one of the biggest leaps in automotive safety and was made
mandatory for every car sold in the EU in 2014.

Having ESP fitted can reduce your chance of being in a fatal crash by up to 25%,
according to UK-based research. In Sweden, ESP is said to have accounted for a
32% drop in wet-weather collisions. 
The electronic stability control system doesn't work all alone -- it uses the car's
other safety and regulatory devices, like anti-lock braking and traction control, to
correct problems before they become accidents.

The center of the ESC system is also the center of the car: the yaw control sensor.
It's almost always located as close to the very center of the car as possible. If you
were sitting in the driver's seat, the yaw control sensor would be under your right
elbow, somewhere between you and the passenger.

Using all the modern electronic systems at its disposal, the ESC can activate one or
more individual brakes, depending on which wheel can increase driving safety the
most, and control the throttle to lessen the speed at which the car is traveling. The
sensor is looking for differences between the direction of the steering wheel and
the direction the car is headed; the car's computer then makes the necessary
corrections to bring the vehicle's direction of travel in line with what the driver
wanted.

Imagine you are driving a car at high-speed and suddenly come across an obstacle.
In such a scenario, you will be forced to take a sharp turn or apply brakes to avoid
a possible collision. While doing so, you might lose control and skid off the road.
Thus, it may lead to an untoward incident such as an accident. Also, the car you are
driving may tip over. So, to avoid this situation, the manufacturers employ
Electronic Stability Program or Electronic Stability Control system. It is one of
the active safety systems in a modern car.

The term ESP stands for Electronic Stability Program while the ESC for Electronic
Stability Control. It is an intelligent safety system which can predict driving
intentions. Firstly, the ESP helps the driver to maintain the wheel trajectory. It does
so by applying brakes to the individual wheels. Secondly, it can also adjust
the engine performance in critical maneuvers. However, the ultimate purpose of
the ESP is to enhance vehicle stability. Thus, ESP improves stability by avoiding
skidding.

COMPONENTS OF THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM

OR ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:

The Electronic Stability Program consists of the following components which are:

1. Hydraulic Unit
2. Wheel speed sensors
3. Steering angle sensor
4. Yaw rate and lateral acceleration sensor
5. Engine Control Unit

Components of Electronic Stability Program, Electronic Stability Control .

WORKING:

The wheel speed sensors detect the speed of each wheel. Furthermore, they send
this data to ECU continuously. The steering angle sensor determines the position of
the steering wheel by measuring the actual steering angle. Additionally, the Yaw
rate and lateral acceleration sensors determine the exact location of the vehicle
with reference to the driver's input.

Afterward, the ECU processes this input data. However, if the sensor data varies
suddenly, the ESP detects that the vehicle is facing a difficult driving condition.
Thus, the system can detect that if there is an obstacle in the path or a very sharp
turn. In such cases, the system applies the desired braking force only on the wheels
in need. And thus, it restores the driver control over the vehicle.

This system has more advantage compared to the ABS and TCS systems. This is

because it can actually predict the driving behavior of the vehicle. When the
Electronic Stability Program comes into action, it gives an indication in the form of
a glowing indicator in the instrument cluster. In most of the cases, the driver does
not feel any difference in the vehicle except the enhanced control when the ESP
starts working.

While referring to the Electronic Stability Program or Electronic Stability Control,

the majority of vehicle manufacturers use term ESP. However, some
manufacturers use the following custom acronyms.

Sr.No. Abbreviation Full Form Used By

1 DSC Dynamic Stability Control BMW
2 VSA Vehicle Stability Assist Honda
3 VSC Vehicle Stability Control Toyota

Before the 1990s, drivers were taught to pump the brake pedal to keep the brakes
from locking up and causing a slide. With the invention of anti-lock brakes, driving
safely became much easier. ABS electronically pumped the brakes faster than the
driver could, which kept them from locking and causing understeer or oversteer.
ESC uses this system to correct the problem almost before it can start by activating
the ABS for as many wheels as needed, from one individual wheel to all four. The
nature of ABS keeps the over- or understeer from getting worse while slowing the
car to a controllable speed.

ESC also uses traction control for driving safety. If ESC is in charge of monitoring
side-to-side motion around a vertical axis, traction control is in charge of front-to-
back motion. If the traction control system is detecting wheel slippage, the
electronic stability control sensor will pick up on the direction of the slide. If
there's a difference between the angle of the steering wheel and the direction the
car is sliding, the ESC will work with the traction control system to engage the
ABS at the proper wheel (or wheels) and control the throttle to reduce the speed of
the vehicle, too.

SENSORS:
ESC information is fed into the car's central computer via three types of sensor:

 Wheel-speed sensors: One wheel-speed sensor at each wheel measures

the speed of the wheel which the computer can then compare to the speed of
the engine.

 Steering-angle sensors:This sensor, in the steering column, measures the

direction the driver intends to aim the car. If it's different than the direction
the car is actually traveling, the ESC system will kick in.

 Rotational-speed sensor:This is also known as the yaw sensor. It's the

one in the middle of the car that measures the side-to-side motion of the
vehicle.

CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM:

If you’re hard on the brakes and the wheels are in danger of locking up, it can tell
the anti-lock brakes to step in and ‘pulse’ the brakes to help the tyres regain grip. It
can also vary the amount of braking force going to each wheel, so if one or more
wheels has more traction than the others, this can be used to maximum effect.

The ESC computer can also tell the traction control system to manage the amount
of power being sent from the engine to the driven wheels. If you’re pressing the
accelerator hard and revving the engine a lot, but the wheels are just spinning
uselessly on ice or mud, the traction control will reduce the amount of power going
to them, giving them more of a chance of finding some grip.

The whole process – from detecting your inputs to deciding something’s wrong,
resolving what to do and then applying the solution – happens in fractions of a
second.
ESP warning light

ESP has a dedicated dashboard warning light, which is a yellow car with two skid
marks beneath it, as pictured above. This warning light will flash if the car is at the
edge of grip and the system activates, which is particularly likely if you drive on a
slippery surface. If the light comes on and stays on, it either indicates that the ESP
system has a fault or has been turned off, so you’ll need to get the system checked
at a garage or turn it back on.

Is traction control the same thing as ESP or ESC?

Traction control is one of the most important tools the overall ESP/ESC system has
at its disposal to help you stay in control of the car – so it’s something that’s
managed by the system, rather than being the same thing as it.
Turning off traction control, ESP or ESC 

Many cars have a button that allows you to partially or completely turn off the
standard electronic safety systems. We would strongly advise against doing this on
public roads, but keen drivers often prefer to turn these functions off for high-
performance driving on race tracks or closed airfields, relying instead on their own
reflexes and car control skill to stop the vehicle from spinning or sliding out of
control in corners.

Some manufacturers fit sophisticated ESP systems which have an intermediate

setting that will allow some degree of ‘slip’ before they intervene to stop the car
going out of control. This enables drivers to explore the limits of their car’s
handling safe in the knowledge that there is still an electronic safety net. These
settings can also be used in snowy or icy conditions to gain traction, though many
are recommended only for use on a racetrack.
BENEFITS

The most important role ESC plays in driving safety is reducing the number and
severity of crashes. Almost everyone ends up in nasty, slippery driving conditions
at some point, whether it's a rainstorm, a sudden patch of ice or a snowy road.
Electronic stability control, along with the other safety and regulatory devices on-
board today's vehicles, can help drivers maintain control on the road.

Electronic stability control will not engage in the event of a fender-bender -- the
kind of accident that typically happens in stop-and-go traffic. However, some cars
have other systems to help with this, including sensors in the front of the car that
measure the distance between your bumper and the bumper of the car in front of
you, but electronic stability control doesn't really come into play at that point. It's
more helpful when slippery conditions mean a loss of control, regardless of
whether there's anyone else on the road or not.

ESC has made driving easier and less likely to end in a serious accident. In fact,
the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) said that ESC could prevent as
many as 9,000 fatal crashes per year, and the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) found that ESC reduces single-vehicle car crashes by 26
percent, and single-vehicle SUV crashes by 48 percent.

These kinds of numbers have prompted the U.S. government to require electronic
stability control on all passenger vehicles by 2012. Consumer Reports found that
by 2009, 73 percent of all cars and a whopping 99 percent of SUVs already had
standard ESC. Another 11 percent offered it as optional equipment on cars. As for
Mercedes-Benz, which first used ESC in 1995, all the cars under its corporate
umbrella (including tiny smart cars and luxurious Maybachs) have electronic
stability control as standard equipment.