Patent ID: 6935707

Claim:
An anti-lock brake system for a vehicle having at least three axles including a first rear axle and a second rear axle, wheels and wheel brakes, wheel speed sensors and four modulators for adjusting brake pressure, the system comprising an electronic control unit having six channels and means for electrically coupling with said four modulators, four of said six channels being adapted to jointly actuate two of said four modulators, said two jointly-actuated modulators being associated with said first and second rear axles and being at least one of axle modulators for controlling the supply of brake pressure to a set of said wheels associated with the same one of said at least three axles and side-by-side modulators for controlling the supply of brake pressure to a set of said wheels on the same side of said vehicle, each of said four modulators including an electrical inlet valve input and an electrical outlet valve input, each of said six channels including an end stage, each of said end stages including a first amplifier associated with said electrical inlet valve input and a second amplifier associated with said electrical outlet valve input of an individual one of said four modulators associated therewith, said end stage for a first of said six channels associated with said first rear axle including an inlet valve output and an outlet valve output, said end stage for a first of said six channels associated with said second rear axle including an inlet valve output and an outlet valve output, said end stage for a second of said channels associated with said first rear axle including an inlet valve output, and said end stage for a second of said channels associated with said second rear axle including an outlet valve output.