Electronic trailer brake controller with pendulum zero adjust

• US 5,785,393 A
• Filed: 02/19/1997
• Issued: 07/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hayes Brake Controller Co. LLC (Syncro Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hayes Wheels International Incorporated
• Inventors: Stockford, Brian J., Groleau, Wayne M., Sullivan, David, McGrath, Michael C., Hedding, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Lee W.
• Application Number:
  US08/802,379
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• Field of Search: 303/7, 303/20, 303/181, 303/199, 303/9.67, 303/24.1, 200/64.49, 200/64.51, 514/514.31, 514/514.36, 514/514.37
• US Class Current: 303/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/66 Electrical control in fluid-pressure brake systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/74 with electrical assistance or drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 15/14 influencing electric control means
• 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: B60T 8/1708 for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/323 Systems specially adapted for tractor-trailer combinations

Abstract

An electronic brake controller for actuating electric wheel brakes of a towed vehicle which includes a zero adjusting circuit for a pendulum in an inertia sensor.

Claims

1. An electronic brake controller for actuating electric wheel brakes of a towed vehicle, the towed vehicle being associated with a towing vehicle having a set of wheel brakes, the electronic brake controller comprising:

a sensor for producing a brake control signal which is representative of the desired braking of the towed vehicle said brake control signal including a sensor bias component; and

a control device responsive to said brake control signal for generating an output signal for actuating the electric wheel brakes of the towed vehicle, said control device responsive to the actuation of a zero adjust switch for measuring the voltage level of said brake control signal and for generating a zero adjust signal in response thereto, said control device further responsive to actuation of said zero adjust switch to subtract said zero adjust signal from said brake control signal whereby zero adjust signal cancels said bias component of said brake control signal.

2. An electronic brake controller for actuating electric wheel brakes of a towed vehicle, the towed vehicle being associated with a towing vehicle having a set of wheel brakes, the electronic brake controller comprising:

a control device having first and second input terminals and an output terminal, said control device responsive to a brake control signal applied to said first input terminal to generate an output signal at said output terminal for actuating the electric wheel brakes of the towed vehicle;

a sensor having an output terminal electrically coupled to said first input terminal of said control device, said sensor having a rest position, said sensor generating a rest position bias component while in said rest position and being responsive to deceleration of the towing vehicle to generate a brake control signal at said sensor output terminal, said brake control signal including said rest position bias component; and

a null signal generator having an output terminal electrically coupled to said second input terminal of said control device, said null signal generator continuously generating a null signal, said control device combining said null signal and said brake control signal whereby said null signal cancels said rest position bias component of said brake control signal.

3. An electronic brake controller according to claim 2 wherein said null signal corresponds to said rest position bias component of said brake control signal.

4. An electronic brake controller according to claim 3 wherein said control device includes a comparitor which is operative to subtract said null signal from said brake control signal to cancel said rest position bias component of said brake control signal.

5. An electronic brake controller according to claim 4 wherein said control device includes a microprocessor, said microprocessor sensing said rest position bias component and cooperating with said null signal generator to generate said null voltage.

6. An electronic brake controller for actuating electric wheel brakes of a towed vehicle, the towed vehicle being associated with a towing vehicle having a set of wheel brakes, the electronic brake controller comprising:

a control device having first and second input terminals and an output terminal, said control device responsive to a brake control signal applied to said first input terminal to generate an output signal at said output terminal for actuating the electric wheel brakes of the towed vehicle, said control device including a comparitor and a microprocessor having a plurality of output pins;

a sensor having an output terminal electrically coupled to said first input terminal of said control device, said sensor responsive to deceleration of the towing vehicle to generate a brake control signal at said sensor output terminal, said brake control signal including a bias component; and

a null signal generator having an output terminal electrically coupled to said second input terminal of said control device, said null signal generator including a resistance array, said resistance array being electrically coupled to said plurality of output pins of said microprocessor, said microprocessor sensing said bias component and being responsive thereto to cause said resistor array to continuously generate a null signal, said null signal corresponding to said bias component and said comparitor in said control device being operative to combine said null signal and said brake control signal whereby said null signal cancels said bias component.

7. An electronic brake controller according to claim 6 wherein said microprocessor includes a plurality of output pins connected to said resistor array and a memory portion, said memory portion storing a table correlating bias component magnitudes to said microprocessor output pins, said microprocessor responsive to said bias component magnitude to select a particular one of said output pins from said memory corresponding to said bias component magnitude, said microprocessor operative to energize a selected output pin to cause said resistance array to generate said null signal corresponding to said bias component magnitude.

8. An electronic brake controller according to claim 7 further including a visual display connected to said control device, said control device responsive to generation of said null signal to actuate said visual display to indicate that said bias component is canceled.

9. An electronic brake controller according to claim 8 wherein said visual display includes a plurality of light emitting diodes.

10. An electronic brake controller according to claim 6 further including a vehicle operator actuated device coupled to said microprocessor, said operator actuated device operable by the vehicle operator to cause said microprocessor to sense said bias component and generate a corresponding null signal.

11. An electronic brake controller according to claim 10 wherein said operator actuated device is a push-button.

12. An electronic brake controller according to claim 10 wherein said sensor includes a pendulum having a rest position, said pendulum generating said bias component when in said rest position and further generating said brake control signal when displaced from said rest position with said brake control signal including said bias component.

13. An electronic brake controller according to claim 6 wherein said microprocessor is responsive to the brake controller being energized to sense said bias component and generate a corresponding null signal.

14. An electronic brake controller according to claim 13 wherein said sensor includes a pendulum having a rest position, said pendulum generating said bias component when in said rest position and further generating said brake control signal when displaced from said rest position with said brake control signal including said bias component.

15. An electronic brake controller for actuating electric wheel brakes of a towed vehicle, the towed vehicle being associated with a towing vehicle having a set of wheel brakes, the electronic brake controller comprising:

a sensor having an output terminal, said sensor having a rest position, said sensor generating a rest position bias component while in said rest position and being responsive to deceleration of the towing vehicle to generate a brake control signal at said sensor output terminal, said brake control signal including said rest position bias component; and

a control device having an input terminal and an output terminal, said control device input terminal electrically coupled to said sensor output terminal, said control device being responsive to said brake control signal being applied to said input terminal to remove said rest position bias component from said brake control signal to generate a modified brake control signal, said control device being responsive to said modified brake control signal to generate an output signal at said control device output terminal for actuating the electric wheel brakes of the towed vehicle.

16. An electronic brake controller according to claim 15 wherein said control device includes a null signal generator, said null signal generator continuously generating a null signal, said control device combining said null signal and said brake control signal such that said null signal cancels said bias component of said brake control signal.