Force diagnostic for force-sensor-less electromechanical brake systems

An electromechanical brake (EMB) system comprising:

• a brake rotor configured to be rotatable with a wheel of a vehicle;
• a brake pad assembly configured to be engageable with the brake rotor;
• an actuator assembly comprising an electric motor configured to mechanically move the brake pad assembly toward or away from the brake rotor;
• and
• an electronic control unit (ECU) comprising a processor associated with a memory that stores instructions that when executed by the processor causes the ECU to perform operations comprising:
• obtaining a primary path force estimate, a diagnostic path force estimate, and a force command;
• determining whether the EMB system has failed using the primary path force estimate, the diagnostic path force estimate, and the force command;
• and
• generating a force fault flag and initiating one or more brake safety protocol processes in response to failure of the EMB system, wherein the EMB system is a force-sensor-less EMB system that is configured without any force sensors.