TOW BRAKE

• US 20110087413A1
• Filed: 10/13/2009
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: D-Brake LLC
• Original Assignee: D-Brake LLC
• Inventors: DeConti, John P., McCrickard, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US12/578,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087413A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• 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

Abstract

A tow brake includes a housing, an actuator mechanism mounted within the housing with the actuator mechanism including an actuator member, a towed vehicle attachment member operatively coupled to the actuator member, a controller operatively connected to the actuator mechanism, and an acceleration sensor operatively coupled to the controller, the acceleration sensor being configured and disposed to detect deceleration forces of a towing vehicle, wherein the controller is configured and disposed to selectively activate the actuator mechanism to apply a force to the vehicle attachment member that is proportional to the deceleration forces of the towing vehicle.

Claims

1. A tow brake comprising:

a housing;

an actuator mechanism mounted within the housing, the actuator mechanism including an actuator member;

a towed vehicle attachment member operatively coupled to the actuator member;

a controller operatively connected to the actuator mechanism; and

an acceleration sensor operatively coupled to the controller, the acceleration sensor being configured and disposed to detect deceleration forces of a towing vehicle, wherein the controller is configured and disposed to selectively activate the actuator mechanism to apply a force to the vehicle attachment member that is proportional to the deceleration forces of the towing vehicle.

2. The tow brake according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured and disposed to selectively activate the actuator mechanism to apply a progressive force to the vehicle attachment member.

3. The tow brake according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position sensor arranged operatively coupled to the actuator member, the position sensor detecting a position of the actuator member relative to the actuator mechanism.

4. The tow brake according to claim 1, further comprising:

a control member configured and disposed in the towing vehicle, the control member including a communication link with the controller.

5. The tow brake according to claim 4, wherein in the communication link is a two-way wireless link.

6. The tow brake according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes an amperage-to-force correlation table, the controller being configured and disposed to apply the force to the towed vehicle attachment member without requiring a load sensor.

7. The tow brake according to claim 1, further comprising:

a clamp element mounted to the towed vehicle attachment member, the clamp element including a first extruded jaw section operatively coupled to a second extruded jaw section, the first and second extruded jaw sections being configured and disposed to fixedly secure the towed vehicle attachment member to a brake pedal of the towed vehicle.

8. The tow brake according to claim 7, further comprising:

at least one compression spring arranged between the first and second jaw sections.

9. The tow brake according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the first and second jaw sections includes a spring housing, the at least one compression spring being arranged entirely within the compression spring housing.

10. The tow brake according to claim 1, further comprising:

a manual override lever, the manual override lever enabling a user to establish a braking force independent of the controller.

11. The tow brake according to claim 1, further comprising:

a braking force break away sensor, the break away sensor signaling the controller to activate a full break mode in the event that the towed vehicle detaches from the towing vehicle.

12. A method of braking a towed vehicle based on acceleration forces of a towing vehicle, the method comprising:

detecting a deceleration force of a towing vehicle;

determining a rate of deceleration of the towing vehicle; and

activating an actuator mechanism to cause an actuation member to apply a braking force proportional to the rate of deceleration of the towing vehicle to a brake pedal in the towed vehicle.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

activating the actuating member to apply a progressive force to the brake pedal in the towed vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, determining a force to apply to the brake pedal in towed vehicle based on a correlation between amperage required for a particular force and a force required to achieve the braking force proportional to the rate of deceleration of the towing vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

extending the actuating member a predetermined distance to apply a required force and retracting the actuating member another predetermined distance to release the required force based upon feedback from a distance sensor.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

varying braking sensitivity of the tow brake from the towing vehicle.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

performing an initial set-up of the tow brake, the initial set-up determining how far the actuating member must move the brake pedal to achieve a desired braking force.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

activating the actuator mechanism to repeatedly pump the brake pedal during the initial set-up.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

creating an amperage-to-distance correlation table based on pumping the brake pedal, the amperage-to-distance correlation table defining the amount of force to applied to the brake pedal without the need for a load sensor.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

communicating between a control member in the towing vehicle and a controller in the tow brake.

21. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

automatically applying a full brake force upon sensing that the towed vehicle has separated from the towing vehicle.