Parking brake and method for controlling the same

1. Method for controlling a parking brake comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a brake actuator that acts directly upon one or more brake shoes, the brake actuator including an electric motor that is operative to generate a brake application force; and

(b) using current consumption of the electric motor as a measured quantity for adjusting the brake application force, and

(c) adjusting a predetermined brake application force in correction with a compensation of a loss in braking effect such that changes in the predetermined brake application force are counteracted by varying the size of a cutoff current of the electric motor to maintain the same brake application force.

2. Method according to claim 1 , wherein to determine changes in the application force, an event is counted and the cutoff current is varied as a function of an event number.

3. Method according to claim 2 , wherein attainment of a predetermined event number is determined and further wherein on attainment of the event number a measure for changing the cutoff current of the electric motor is triggered.

4. Method according to claim 2 , wherein the counted events include at least one of the actuation of the brake, stopping of the vehicle, locking of the vehicle and other events of this type.

5. Method according to claim 1 , wherein a change in the resistance of the electric motor is taken into account when varying the cutoff current.

6. Method according to claim 5 , wherein conclusions about the change in the resistance of the electric motor are drawn as a function of at least one of the temperature of the electric motor, the temperature of the brake disc, the number of actuations of the brake within a predetermined time interval, the idling speed of the electric motor and the operating voltage.

7. Method according to claim 1 , wherein a change in an idling current of the electric motor is taken into account when varying the cutoff current.

8. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the cutoff current of the electric motor is divided into an idling current component and a current consumption component for generating the brake application force and further wherein the idling current component is not taken into account in decisions relating to cutting off the current to the electric motor.

9. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the cutoff current of the electric motor is varied as a function of variations in the operating voltage of an on-board electrical system.

10. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the cutoff current is increased as one of gradually and continuously.

11. Method according to claim 1 , wherein, if a parameter, which is predefined by a tolerance range and allows a conclusion to be drawn about changes in an idling current, upon a different value being measured, a diagnosis or warning signal is emitted.

12. Electronic unit for controlling a brake actuator, which acts on one or more brake shoes comprising:

a brake actuator that is driven by an electric motor, the actuator acting directly upon one or more brake shoes and being operative to move the brake shoes to develop a brake application force; and

an electronic control unit connected to the electric motor, the control unit constructed to use a current consumption of the electric motor as the measured quantity for adjusting the brake application force and to counteract changes in the brake application force owing to variation in a cutoff current of the electric motor for adjusting a predetermined brake application force in connection with the compensation of a loss in braking effect in order to maintain the same brake application force.

13. Control unit according to claim 12 , wherein the electronic control unit is coupled to sensors for detecting at least one of temperature, time, electrical variables and the number of specific events, and further wherein the cutoff current is varied as a function of the output signals of at least one of the sensor.

14. Control unit according to claim 12 , wherein the control unit comprises a first memory sector in which one of the current size and desired size of the cutoff current is stored.

15. Control unit according to claim 13 , wherein the current sensor values are stored in one of a first memory sector and a second memory sector and predefined reference values of the parameters of the brake actuator are stored in a further memory sector.

16. Control unit according to claim 12 wherein the control unit is included in a parking brake.