Towing vehicle controller using trailer braking strategy and trailer braking control method
First Claim
1. A braking control device for use in an associated towing vehicle towing one or more associated towed vehicles as an associated combination vehicle for providing brake control enhancement to the one or more towed vehicles relative to a level of braking applied to the towing vehicle, the braking control device comprising:
- a processor;
a deceleration command input operatively coupled with the processor, the deceleration command input receiving a deceleration command signal comprising deceleration command data representative of a deceleration command value;
a non-transient memory device operatively coupled with the processor, the non-transient memory device storing braking deceleration threshold data representative of a predetermined threshold deceleration rate value related to a predetermined threshold deceleration rate of the combination vehicle for operating the combination vehicle in a non-enhanced braking mode applying a first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in a predetermined reduced proportion relative to the level of braking being applied to the towing vehicle; and
control logic stored in the non-transient memory device, the control logic being executable by the processor to;
perform a comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value; and
determine a braking mode of the one or more towed vehicles of the combination vehicle as a one of;
the non-enhanced braking mode applying the first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in accordance with a first result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, oran enhanced braking mode applying a second level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles greater than the first level of braking in accordance with a second result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, the second result of the comparison being different than the first result of the comparison.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A braking controller and method in a towing vehicle towing one or more towed vehicles as a combination vehicle provides brake control of the one or more towed vehicles based on a level of braking force applied to the towing vehicle. A non-enhanced braking mode applies a first level of braking force to the towed vehicles in a predetermined reduced proportion relative to the level of braking force applied to the towing vehicle, and an enhanced braking mode applies a second level of braking force to the towed vehicles greater than the first level of braking force. A controller deceleration command input receives a deceleration command signal which is compared against predetermined threshold deceleration rate value or against a current deceleration value being executed by the combination vehicle and, based on a result of the comparisons, either the enhanced or the non-enhanced braking modes are implemented by the controller.
34 Citations
54 Claims
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1. A braking control device for use in an associated towing vehicle towing one or more associated towed vehicles as an associated combination vehicle for providing brake control enhancement to the one or more towed vehicles relative to a level of braking applied to the towing vehicle, the braking control device comprising:
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a processor; a deceleration command input operatively coupled with the processor, the deceleration command input receiving a deceleration command signal comprising deceleration command data representative of a deceleration command value; a non-transient memory device operatively coupled with the processor, the non-transient memory device storing braking deceleration threshold data representative of a predetermined threshold deceleration rate value related to a predetermined threshold deceleration rate of the combination vehicle for operating the combination vehicle in a non-enhanced braking mode applying a first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in a predetermined reduced proportion relative to the level of braking being applied to the towing vehicle; and control logic stored in the non-transient memory device, the control logic being executable by the processor to; perform a comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value; and determine a braking mode of the one or more towed vehicles of the combination vehicle as a one of; the non-enhanced braking mode applying the first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in accordance with a first result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, or an enhanced braking mode applying a second level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles greater than the first level of braking in accordance with a second result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, the second result of the comparison being different than the first result of the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A braking control device for use in an associated towing vehicle towing one or more associated towed vehicles as a combination vehicle for providing brake control enhancement to the one or more towed vehicles relative to a level of braking applied to the towing vehicle, the braking control device comprising:
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a processor; a current deceleration input operatively coupled with the processor, the current deceleration input receiving a current deceleration signal comprising current deceleration data representative of a current deceleration value being executed by the combination vehicle; a deceleration command input operatively coupled with the processor, the deceleration command input receiving a deceleration command signal comprising deceleration command data representative of a deceleration command value; a non-transient memory device operatively coupled with the processor; and control logic stored in the non-transient memory device and executable by the processor to; perform a comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value; and determine a braking mode of the one or more towed vehicles of the combination vehicle as a one of; a non-enhanced braking mode applying a first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in a predetermined reduced proportion relative to the level of braking being applied to the towing vehicle in accordance with a first result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value, or an enhanced braking mode applying a second level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles greater than the first level of braking in accordance with a second result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value, the second result of the comparison being different than the first result of the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A braking control device for use in an associated towing vehicle towing one or more associated towed vehicles as a combination vehicle for providing brake control enhancement to the one or more towed vehicles relative to a level of braking applied to the towing vehicle, the braking control device comprising:
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processor means; deceleration command input means operatively coupled with the processor means, the deceleration command input means receiving a deceleration command signal comprising deceleration command data representative of a deceleration command value; memory means operatively coupled with the processor means, the memory means storing braking deceleration threshold data representative of a predetermined threshold deceleration rate value related to a predetermined threshold deceleration rate of the combination vehicle for operating the combination vehicle in a non-enhanced braking mode applying a first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in a predetermined reduced proportion relative to the level of braking being applied to the towing vehicle; and control logic means stored in the memory means, the control logic means being executable by the processor means to; perform a comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value; determine a braking mode of the one or more towed vehicles of the combination vehicle as a one of; the non-enhanced braking mode in accordance with a first result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, or an enhanced braking mode applying a second level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles greater than the first level of braking in accordance with a second result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, the second result of the comparison being different than the first result of the comparison; selectively generate, based on the first result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, a first brake control transmission signal to effect the deceleration command value in accordance with the non-enhanced braking mode; and selectively generate, based on the second result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, a second brake control transmission signal to effect the deceleration command value in accordance with the enhanced braking mode. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45)
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46. A braking control method for use in an associated towing vehicle towing one or more associated towed vehicles as a combination vehicle for providing brake control enhancement to the one or more towed vehicles relative to a level of braking applied to the towing vehicle, the braking control method comprising:
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receiving at a deceleration command input operatively coupled with a processor, a deceleration command signal comprising deceleration command data representative of a deceleration command value; storing in a non-transient memory device operatively coupled with the processor braking deceleration threshold data representative of a predetermined threshold deceleration rate value related to a predetermined threshold deceleration rate of the combination vehicle for operating the combination vehicle in a non-enhanced braking mode applying a first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in a predetermined reduced proportion relative to the level of braking being applied to the towing vehicle; and performing by control logic stored in the non-transient memory device and executable by the processor a comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value; determining by the control logic stored in the non-transient memory device and executable by the processor a braking mode of the one or more towed vehicles of the combination vehicle as a one of; the non-enhanced braking mode applying the first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in accordance with a first result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, or an enhanced braking mode applying a second level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles greater than the first level of braking in accordance with a second result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, the second result of the comparison being different than the first result of the comparison; selectively generating by the control logic stored in the non-transient memory device and executable by the processor based on the first result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, a first brake control transmission signal to effect the deceleration command value in accordance with the non-enhanced braking mode; and selectively generating by the control logic stored in the non-transient memory device and executable by the processor based on the second result of the comparison between the predetermined threshold deceleration rate value and the deceleration command value, a second brake control transmission signal to effect the deceleration command value in accordance with the enhanced braking mode. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
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49. A braking control device for use in an associated towing vehicle towing one or more associated towed vehicles as a combination vehicle for providing brake control enhancement to the one or more towed vehicles relative to a level of braking applied to the towing vehicle, the braking control device comprising:
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processor means; current deceleration input means operatively coupled with the processor means, the current deceleration input means receiving a current deceleration signal comprising current deceleration data representative of a current deceleration value being executed by the combination vehicle; deceleration command input means operatively coupled with the processor means, the deceleration command input means receiving a deceleration command signal comprising deceleration command data representative of a deceleration command value; memory means operatively coupled with the processor means; and control logic means stored in the memory means and executable by the processor means to; perform a comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value; determine a braking mode of the one or more towed vehicles of the combination vehicle as a one of; a non-enhanced braking mode applying a first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in a predetermined reduced proportion relative to the level of braking being applied to the towing vehicle in accordance with a first result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value, or an enhanced braking mode applying a second level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles greater than the first level of braking in accordance with a second result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value, the second result of the comparison being different than the first result of the comparison; selectively determine, based on the first result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value, a first brake control transmission signal to effect the deceleration command value in accordance with the non-enhanced braking mode; and selectively determine, based on the second result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value, a second brake control transmission signal to effect the deceleration command value in accordance with the enhanced braking mode. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51)
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52. A braking control method for use in an associated towing vehicle towing one or more associated towed vehicles as a combination vehicle for providing brake control enhancement to the one or more towed vehicles relative to a level of braking applied to the towing vehicle, the braking control method comprising:
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receiving at a current deceleration input operatively coupled with a processor a current deceleration signal comprising current deceleration data representative of a current deceleration value being executed by the combination vehicle; receiving at a deceleration command input operatively coupled with the processor a deceleration command signal comprising deceleration command data representative of a deceleration command value; storing control logic in a non-transient memory device operatively coupled with the processor; performing by the processor executing the control logic stored in the non-transient memory device a comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value; determining by the processor executing the control logic stored in the non-transient memory device a braking mode of the one or more towed vehicles of the combination vehicle as a one of; a non-enhanced braking mode applying a first level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles in a predetermined reduced proportion relative to the level of braking being applied to the towing vehicle in accordance with a first result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value, or an enhanced braking mode applying a second level of braking to the one or more towed vehicles greater than the first level of braking in accordance with a second result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value, the second result of the comparison being different than the first result of the comparison; selectively determining by the control logic based on the first result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value a first brake control transmission signal to effect the deceleration command value in accordance with the non-enhanced braking mode; and selectively determining by the control logic based on the second result of the comparison between the current deceleration value and the deceleration command value a second brake control transmission signal to effect the deceleration command value in accordance with the enhanced braking mode. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54)
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Specification