Patent ID: 7249809

Claim:
A method for detecting a malfunction of a brake system of a motor vehicle, wherein the motor vehicle includes at least one wheel axle, one of two different operating modes being present during activation of the brake system, the method comprising: detecting a malfunction of the brake system in a first manner when a first operating mode is present; detecting a malfunction of the brake system in a second manner when a second operating mode is present; during activation of the brake system, modifying and detecting brake pressures at at least two wheel brakes of an axle; ascertaining a differential variable that represents a difference of the detected brake pressures; implementing fault detection separately at each wheel axle on the basis of the differential variable exceeding a differential threshold, wherein the differential threshold has different values; determining a differential quotient as a function of a difference of two averaged brake-pressure variable recorded at different times; ascertaining a rate of increase of the brake pressure by estimation based on the differential quotient and based on a maximum value from at least two differential quotients; and upon detection of the first operating mode, setting the different values of the differential threshold on the basis of the rate of increase of the brake pressure averaged with all brake pressure variables of an axle.