Method for Brake Control of a Vehicle Combination and Brake Control Unit for a Tractor Vehicle

A method for controlling the brakes of a vehicle combination having a tractor vehicle equipped with an electronically controlled brake system, at least one front axle and a rear axle, and a trailer vehicle having at least one trailer axle, the method comprising:

• when a brake actuation occurs, determining a deceleration setpoint value, comparing the deceleration setpoint value to a deceleration actual value, and determining a brake-application energy reference value;
• determining brake-application energy setpoint values for the tractor vehicle and the trailer vehicle from the brake-application energy reference value and brake-application energy levels for the tractor vehicle and the trailer vehicle using stored characteristic maps obtained as a function of at least one pre-definable influencing factor and illustrating dependencies of the brake-application energy levels for the tractor vehicle and the trailer vehicle on one of the brake-application energy reference value and axle load distribution of the tractor vehicle;
• and
• from the brake-application energy reference value, the influencing factor, and the axle load distribution of the tractor vehicle, determining a loading state for one of the tractor vehicle, the trailer vehicle, and the vehicle combination, wherein brake force control of the trailer vehicle is carried out by the tractor vehicle and not by separate automatic load-dependent brake-force control.