Electronic trailer brake controller with sleep mode

• US 5,800,025 A
• Filed: 02/19/1997
• Issued: 09/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hayes Brake Controller Co. LLC (Syncro Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hayes Lemmerz International Incorporated (Iochpe-Maxion SA)
• Inventors: Sullivan, David, McGrath, Michael C., Hedding, Michael A., Stockford, Brian J., Groleau, Wayne M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Young, Lee W.
• Application Number:
  US08/802,378
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 303/20, 303/7, 303/199, 303/3, 364/707, 364/426.01, 364/426.021, 364/426.038, 701/78
• 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 sleep mode.

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 automatic braking of the towed vehicle;

a control device adapted to be connected to a vehicle power source and responsive to said brake control signal for generating an output signal for actuating the electric wheel brakes of the towed vehicle; and

a switch included in said control device for disconnecting the vehicle power source from selected portions of said control device, said control device being operative, following an elapse of a pre-determined time period during which the towing vehicle wheel brakes are released, to cause said switch to disconnect the vehicle power source from said portions of said control device.

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 wheel brake system which controls a set of towing vehicle wheel brakes, the electronic brake controller comprising:

a control device responsive to actuation of the towing vehicle wheel brakes to generate an output signal for actuating the electric wheel brakes of the towed vehicle; and

a switching device having conducting and non-conducting states coupled to said control device, said switching device adapted to be connected to a vehicle power source to supply electric energy to portions of said control device, said switching device electrically coupled to said control device and selectively switched thereby between said conducting and non-conducting states to control the supply of electrical energy to said portions of said control device with said control device being operative, following an elapse of a predetermined time period during which the towing vehicle wheel brakes are released, to cause said switching device to be in said non-conducting state.

3. An electronic brake controller according to claim 2 wherein said control device is coupled to a vehicle operator actuated device and further wherein said control device is responsive to the vehicle operator actuating said operator actuated device to cause said switching device to be in said conducting state.

4. An electronic brake controller according to claim 3 wherein said vehicle operator actuated device is a push-button.

5. An electronic brake controller according to claim 2 wherein said control device is coupled to the towing vehicle wheel brake system and responsive to actuation of the towing vehicle wheel brake system to cause said switching device to be in said conducting state.

6. An electronic brake controller according to claim 5 wherein the towing vehicle brake system includes a brake light switch which is closed upon actuation of the towing vehicle wheel brakes and further wherein said brake light switch is electrically coupled to said control device and said control device is responsive to closure of said brake light switch to cause said switching device to be in said conducting state.

7. An electronic brake controller for actuating electric wheel brakes of a towed vehicle, the towed vehicle being associated with a towing vehicle having a wheel brake system which controls a set of towing vehicle wheel brakes, the towing vehicle wheel brake system including a brake light switch which is closed upon actuation of the towing vehicle wheel brake system, the electronic brake controller comprising:

a control device including a microprocessor, said microprocessor being electrically coupled to the towing vehicle brake system and responsive to actuation thereof to generate an output signal for actuating the electric wheel brakes of the towed vehicle; and

a switching device having conducting and non-conducting states, said switching device electrically coupled to said microprocessor and adapted to be connected to a vehicle power source to supply electric energy to portions of said control device, said switching device selectively switched by said microprocessor between said conducting and non-conducting states to control the supply of electrical energy to said portions of said control device, said microprocessor being electrically coupled to the brake light switch and responsive to the closure thereof to cause said switching device to be in said conducting state, said microprocessor further being operative, following an elapse of a predetermined time, during which the towing vehicle brakes are released, to cause said switching device to be in a non-conducting state.

8. An electronic brake controller according to claim 7 wherein said switching device is an electronic switch.

9. An electronic brake controller according to claim 8 further including a visual display, said visual display being connected to said electronic switch, said electronic switch being operative when in said conducting state to supply electric power to said visual display and further being operative when in said non-conducting sate to block the supply of power to said visual display.

10. An electronic brake controller according to claim 8 further including a brake driver for supplying electric power to the towed vehicle brakes, said brake drive being connected to said electronic switch, said electronic switch being operative when in said conducting state to supply electric power to said brake driver and further being operative when in said non-conducting sate to block the supply of power to said brake driver.

11. An electronic brake controller according to claim 8 further including a brake light driver for supplying electric power to the towed vehicle brake lights, said brake light driver being connected to said electronic switch, said electronic switch being operative when in said conducting state to supply electric power to said brake light driver and further being operative when in said non-conducting sate to block the supply of power to said brake light driver.

12. An electronic brake controller according to claim 8 further including an analog to digital converter which is connected to said electronic switch, said electronic switch being operative when in said conducting state to supply electric power to said analog to digital converter and further being operative when in said non-conducting sate to block the supply of power to said analog to digital converter.

13. An electronic brake controller according to claim 8 further including a brake control signal generator for supplying a brake control signal to said control device, said brake control signal generator being connected to said electronic switch, said electronic switch being operative when in said conducting state to supply electric power to said brake control signal generator and further being operative when in said non-conducting sate to block the supply of power to said brake control signal generator.

14. An electronic brake controller according to claim 8 further including a manual switch which is actuated by the vehicle operator to generate a brake control signal for said control device, said manual remote switch generator being connected to said electronic switch, said electronic switch being operative when in said conducting state to supply electric power to said manual remote switch and further being operative when in said non-conducting sate to block the supply of power to said manual remote switch.

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 wheel brake system which controls a set of towing vehicle wheel brakes, the electronic brake controller comprising:

a control device responsive to actuation of the towing vehicle wheel brakes to generate an output signal for actuating the electric wheel brakes of the towed vehicle, said control device including a microprocessor; and

a switching device having conducting and non-conducting states coupled to said microprocessor, said switching device adapted to be connected to a vehicle power source to supply electric energy to portions of said control device, said microprocessor being operative to selectively switch said switching device between said conducting and non-conducting states to control the supply of electrical energy to said portions of said control device, said microprocessor further being operative, following an elapse of a predetermined time period during which the towing vehicle brakes are released, to cause said switching device to be in said non-conducting state.