Brake controller for a towed vehicle
First Claim
1. A trailer brake controller apparatus for use in a passenger vehicle for controlling braking of a towed trailer comprising:
- a processor positioned within the passenger vehicle and in communication with a vehicle braking system;
a pressure sensor mounted between the vehicle braking system and said processor; and
a trailer brake output, said trailer brake output controlled by said processor in response to said vehicle brake pressure input.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A trailer brake controller for controlling a towed trailer braking system through the use of an independent processor mounted for communication between a towing vehicle braking system and a towed trailer braking system. The brake controller receives a signal indicative of the brake pressure applied by a user and relays the signal to the processor for processing and communication to the towed trailer braking system. A visual display positioned within visual range of the user allows the user to observe the status of the brake controller operations and adjust the output signal where necessary. A manual override allows the user to override the output signal generated by the controller and apply full braking power of the trailer to stop the trailer and the vehicle. A number of automatic overrides facilitate smooth operation of the brake controller by detecting abnormal conditions in the system connections and relaying the diagnosed conditions to the processor.
57 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A trailer brake controller apparatus for use in a passenger vehicle for controlling braking of a towed trailer comprising:
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a processor positioned within the passenger vehicle and in communication with a vehicle braking system; a pressure sensor mounted between the vehicle braking system and said processor; and a trailer brake output, said trailer brake output controlled by said processor in response to said vehicle brake pressure input. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of controlling a towed trailer braking system comprising the steps:
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determining a towing vehicle braking value through a connection to the towing vehicle braking system; relaying data about the towing vehicle braking value to an independent processor mounted in operational communication with the towing vehicle braking system; providing a display means for providing visual data about status of the relayed data to the user; processing the relayed data to determine a trailer brake output signal; and sending said trailer brake output signal to the towed trailer braking system. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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Specification