Method and system for mitigating sway of a vehicle trailer by braking the towing vehicle during the correct phase of the sway
First Claim
1. A method for mitigating sway of a trailer being towed by a leading vehicle, the method comprising:
- using a controller of the vehicle to determine when a trailer sway condition has arisen that requires a mitigating action;
using the controller during the mitigating action to apply a plurality of brakes of the vehicle or to increase a braking pressure being applied by a driver of the vehicle only when the trailer is detected as swaying toward a centerline of the vehicle from one side or another of the vehicle centerline;
using the controller during the mitigating action to release the plurality of brakes or to decrease the driver'"'"'s braking effort before the trailer has swayed past the vehicle centerline and to hold the braking at low or zero pressure while the trailer is swaying away from the centerline;
and using the controller during the mitigating action to repeatedly apply or increase the vehicle brakes only while the trailer is detected as swaying toward the vehicle centerline, and release or decrease the brakes before the trailer reaches the vehicle centerline, and hold the brakes at low or zero pressure while the trailer is swaying away from the vehicle centerline.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for mitigating sway of a trailer being towed by a leading vehicle is disclosed. The method may involve using a controller of the vehicle to determine when a trailer sway condition has arisen that requires a mitigating action. The controller may be used to actuate a plurality of brakes of the vehicle, or to increase braking pressure being applied by a driver of the vehicle, when the trailer is detected as swaying toward a centerline of the vehicle from one side or another of the vehicle centerline. The controller may further be used to release the plurality of brakes, or to decrease a braking pressure being commanded by the driver, before the trailer has swayed past the vehicle centerline, and to repeatedly apply and release the vehicle brakes only while the trailer is detected as swaying toward the vehicle centerline, until the trailer sway condition has been mitigated.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for mitigating sway of a trailer being towed by a leading vehicle, the method comprising:
- using a controller of the vehicle to determine when a trailer sway condition has arisen that requires a mitigating action;
using the controller during the mitigating action to apply a plurality of brakes of the vehicle or to increase a braking pressure being applied by a driver of the vehicle only when the trailer is detected as swaying toward a centerline of the vehicle from one side or another of the vehicle centerline; using the controller during the mitigating action to release the plurality of brakes or to decrease the driver'"'"'s braking effort before the trailer has swayed past the vehicle centerline and to hold the braking at low or zero pressure while the trailer is swaying away from the centerline; and using the controller during the mitigating action to repeatedly apply or increase the vehicle brakes only while the trailer is detected as swaying toward the vehicle centerline, and release or decrease the brakes before the trailer reaches the vehicle centerline, and hold the brakes at low or zero pressure while the trailer is swaying away from the vehicle centerline. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
- using a controller of the vehicle to determine when a trailer sway condition has arisen that requires a mitigating action;
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12. A method for detecting and mitigating sway of a trailer being towed by a leading vehicle, the method comprising:
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using a yaw rate sensor carried on the vehicle to provide a yaw rate signal representing a yaw rate of the vehicle; using a yaw angle threshold detector module operably associated with an electronic controller of the vehicle to detect when a magnitude of the yaw rate signal exceeds a preset threshold, and to provide a first output signal; using a yaw angle zero crossing detector module operably associated with the electronic controller to detect when the trailer sways across a vehicle centerline, and to provide a second output signal indicating that the trailer has crossed the vehicle centerline; causing the electronic controller to use the first and second output signals to apply a plurality of brakes of the vehicle as the trailer begins swaying toward the vehicle centerline from a location on one side or the other of the vehicle centerline; causing the electronic controller to use the second output signal to release the plurality of brakes before the second output signal indicates that the trailer has crossed the vehicle centerline; and causing the electronic controller to reapply and release the plurality of brakes during each one of a plurality of sway cycles of the trailer only while the trailer is detected as swaying toward the vehicle centerline. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A system for detecting and mitigating sway of a trailer being towed by a leading vehicle by a selective application with optimal timing of a plurality of brakes of the vehicle, the system comprising:
- an electronic stability control (ESC) subsystem carried on the vehicle;
a yaw rate sensor carried on the vehicle to provide a yaw rate signal representing a yaw rate of the vehicle to the ESC subsystem;
a threshold detector module operably associated with the ESC subsystem to detect when a magnitude of the yaw rate signal exceeds a preset threshold, and to provide a first output signal indicating that the yaw rate signal has exceeded the present threshold;
a yaw angle zero crossing detector module operably associated with an electronic controller of the vehicle to detect when the trailer is about to sway across a vehicle centerline, and to provide a second output signal indicating that the trailer is about to cross the vehicle centerline;
the ESC subsystem configured to;
use the first and second output signals and to apply the brakes of the vehicle as the trailer begins swaying toward the vehicle centerline from a location farthest on one side or the other from the vehicle centerline;
to use the second output signal to release the brakes before the second output signal indicates that the trailer has crossed the vehicle centerline; and
to reapply the plurality of brakes during each one of a plurality of sway cycles of the trailer only while the trailer is detected as swaying toward the vehicle centerline, and to release the brakes before the trailer is detected as having reached the vehicle centerline. - View Dependent Claims (20)
- an electronic stability control (ESC) subsystem carried on the vehicle;
Specification