Patent ID: 6923514

Claim:
An electronic brake control system for a vehicle having front wheels and rear wheels mounted upon a rear axle, the brake control system comprising: a master brake cylinder; a hydraulic control valve connected to said master brake cylinder, said control valve including a plurality of solenoid valves; a plurality of front and rear wheel brakes connected to said hydraulic control valve, with one of said front wheel brakes associated with each front wheel and one of said rear wheel brakes associated with each rear wheel, said front and rear wheel brakes being responsive to operation of said solenoid valves in said hydraulic control valve to brake the associated wheel; a pair of front wheel speed sensors associated with the vehicle front wheels, each of said front wheel speed sensors operative to generate a speed signal that is representative of a rotational speed of one of the front wheels; a single rear wheel speed sensor associated with the vehicle rear wheels, said rear wheel speed sensor operative to generate a speed signal that is representative of a rear axle speed; and an electronic control unit electrically connected to said control valve and said wheel speed sensors, said electronic control unit operative to monitor said front wheel speed signals and said rear axle speed signal, said electronic control unit being further operative, upon detecting excessive slippage of one of the vehicle front wheels and the rear axle while the vehicle is launching, to cause said control valve to apply the front and rear wheel brakes on a first side of the vehicle corresponding to the slipping front wheel, whereby engine torque is transferred to the rear wheel on a second side of the vehicle that is opposite from said first side.