Brake controller with manually adjustable accelerometer

• US 20060176166A1
• Filed: 10/27/2005
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cequent Electrical Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cequent Electrical Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Eccleston, Larry, Demerly, William A. Jr., Smith, Bruce E.
• Application Number:
  US11/260,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20060176166A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/479
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/305 Indicating devices for towed vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/20 specially for trailers, e.g. in case of uncoupling of or overrunning by trailer inertia-actuated overrun brakes B60T13/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/023 for acceleration measuring devices

Abstract

Brake controllers typically require a microprocessor or some complex digital circuitry to achieve a proportional brake control signal suitable to control electric brakes on a towed vehicle. These components can be difficult to manufacture and can be expensive. Therefore, a brake controller comprises a case, a positioning member held by the case, and an accelerometer attached to the positioning member, wherein the positioning member is moveable to position the accelerometer in an operable position

Claims

1. A brake controller comprising:

a case;

a positioning member held by said case; and

an accelerometer attached to said positioning member, wherein said positioning member is moveable to position said accelerometer in an operable position.

2. The brake controller of claim 1, wherein said positioning member is rotatably attached to said case to position said accelerometer in said operable position.

3. The brake controller of claim 2, wherein said positioning member is one-piece.

4. The brake controller of claim 3, wherein said positioning member further comprises an indicator device to indicate when said accelerometer is in said operable position.

5. The brake controller of claim 4, wherein said positioning member comprises a sensor positioning arm and said indicator device comprises a pointer.

6. The brake controller of claim 5, further comprising:

a clip for attaching said case to a vehicle;

a display included in said case; and

wherein said clip permits said case to be moveable to position said display for viewing.

7. The brake controller of claim 6, wherein said clip is removably attached to said vehicle.

8. The brake controller of claim 7, wherein said case is removably and rotatably attached to said clip.

9. A brake controller comprising:

a clip attachable to a vehicle;

a case attachable to said clip;

a positioning member attached to said case;

a micro-electromechanical system accelerometer or solid state accelerometer attached to said positioning member; and

wherein said positioning member is rotatable to position said micro-electromechanical system accelerometer or said solid-state accelerometer in an operable position.

10. The brake controller of claim 9, further comprising a display included in said case.

11. The brake controller of claim 10, wherein said case is removably and rotatably attached to said clip to position said display for viewing by an operator of said vehicle.

12. The brake controller of claim 11, wherein said positioning member comprises an indicator device to indicate when said micro-electromechanical system accelerometer or said solid state accelerometer is in said operable position.

13. The brake controller of claim 12, wherein said positioning member is one-piece.

14. A method of operating a brake controller, wherein said brake controller comprises a case, a positioning member attached to said case, and an accelerometer attached to said positioning member, said method comprising:

attaching said case to a vehicle; and

positioning said accelerometer to an operable position using said positioning member.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein positioning said accelerometer to said operable condition comprises rotating said positioning member.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said positioning member comprises an indicator device to indicate when said accelerometer is in said operable position.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein positioning said accelerometer to said operable condition comprises rotating said positioning member until said indicator device indicates said accelerometer is in said operable position.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising rotatably attaching said case to a clip and attaching said clip to said vehicle.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising rotating said case in said clip until a display can be viewed by an operator of said vehicle.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said accelerometer is a micro-electromechanical system accelerometer or a solid-state accelerometer.