Microprocessor-based control for trailer brakes

• US 6,068,352 A
• Filed: 01/20/1998
• Issued: 05/30/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cequent Performance Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tekonsha Engineering Company
• Inventors: Zavodny, Stephen A., Smith, Bruce E., Albright, Marcia S., Kulkarni, Chandrakumar D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz, Chris
• Application Number:
  US09/011,125
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 303/3, 303/7, 303/15, 303/20, 303/124, 188/112 R, 364/426.01
• US Class Current: 303/20
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/74 with electrical assistance or drive
• 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

An electronic brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle in response to commands from the towing vehicle. The controller implements a microcontroller (10) that works in conjunction with analog circuit technology. In a preferred embodiment, the brake controller includes an input circuit (16) for generating a brake level signal representing the braking force to be applied by the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes, a display circuit (22) including a plurality of indicator lights, a power switching circuit (24) adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle and to the power supply of the towing vehicle, for selectively supplying power from the towing vehicle power supply to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a switching control signal supplied to a control input terminal, a current sensing circuit (26) for sensing a level of braking current supplied to the brakes of the towed vehicle through the power switching circuit (24), and for generating a current level signal representing the sensed level of braking current, and a microcontroller (10) for generating and supplying a switching control signal to the control input terminal of said power switching circuit (24) thereby causing the power switching circuit (24) to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that is related to the brake level signal supplied to the microcontroller (10) by the input circuit (16), the microcontroller (10) illuminates one or more of the indicator lights of the display circuit (22) to indicate a relative level of braking of the towed vehicle brakes and controls one or more of the indicator lights to indicate that the towed vehicle brakes are or are not properly connected to the power switching circuit (24).

Claims

1. A brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle, said brake controller comprising:

an input circuit for generating a brake level signal representing the braking force to be applied by the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes;

a display circuit including a plurality of indicator lights;

a power switching circuit and adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle and to the power supply of the towing vehicle, for selectively supplying power from the towing vehicle power supply to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a switching control signal supplied to a control input terminal;

a current sensing circuit for sensing a level of braking current supplied to the brakes of the towed vehicle through said power switching circuit, and for generating a current level signal representing the sensed level of braking current; and

a microcontroller coupled to said input circuit, said display circuit, said current circuit, and to said power switching circuit, said microcontroller generating and supplying a switching control signal to said control input terminal of said power switching circuit thereby causing said power switching circuit to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that is related to the brake level signal supplied to said microcontroller by said input circuit, said microcontroller illuminating one or more of said indicator lights of said display circuit to indicate a relative level of braking of the towed vehicle brakes and controlling one or more of said indicator lights to indicate that the towed vehicle brakes are or are not properly connected to said power switching circuit.

2. The brake controller as defined in claim 1, wherein one of said plurality of indicator lights is of a particular selected color different from others thereof, and wherein said microcontroller illuminates said different-colored light whenever braking current is supplied to the towed vehicle brakes.

3. The brake controller as defined in claim 2, wherein, during periods during which no braking is demanded, said microcontroller periodically causes said power switching circuit to supply a low level braking current to the towed vehicle brakes while monitoring the sensed braking current to determine whether an abnormality exists.

4. The brake controller as defined in claim 3, wherein said microcontroller continuously illuminates said different-colored light at a low intensity when no abnormality exists and no towed vehicle braking is demanded, and illuminates said different-colored light at a higher intensity when braking current is supplied to the towed vehicle brakes in response to a brake level signal.

5. The brake controller as defined in claim 3, wherein said microcontroller intermittently illuminates said different-colored light when no abnormality exists and no towed vehicle braking is demanded, and continuously illuminates said different-colored light when braking current is supplied to the towed vehicle brakes in response to a brake level signal.

6. The brake controller as defined in claim 3 and further including:

a manual input circuit for generating a display mode input signal in response to an actuation thereof by an operator of the towing vehicle,

wherein, in a first display mode, said microcontroller continuously illuminates said different-colored light at a low intensity when no abnormality exists and no towed vehicle braking is demanded, and illuminates said different-colored light at a higher intensity when braking current is supplied to the towed vehicle brakes in response to a brake level signal, and in a second display mode, said microcontroller intermittently illuminates said different-colored light when no abnormality exists and no towed vehicle braking is demanded, and continuously illuminates said different-colored light when braking current is supplied to the towed vehicle brakes in response to a brake level signal, and

wherein said microcontroller operates in the first or second display mode in response to a display mode input signal received from said manual input circuit.

7. The brake controller as defined in claim 1, wherein said microcontroller illuminates one or more of said indicator lights of the display device when a current overload is sensed in the towed vehicle brakes.

8. The brake controller as defined in claim 7, wherein a current overload is found to exist when a short circuit is sensed.

9. The brake controller as defined in claim 1, wherein, during periods during which no braking is demanded, said microcontroller periodically causes said power switching circuit to supply a low level braking current to the towed vehicle brakes while monitoring the sensed braking current to determine whether an abnormality exists.

10. The brake controller as defined in claim 1, wherein said power switching circuit includes at least one MOSFET, and wherein said current sensing circuit senses the current flowing through said power switching circuit by sensing the voltage across the drain and source of said MOSFET.

11. The brake controller as defined in claim 1, wherein said microcontroller is adapted to illuminate one or more of said indicator lights of the display device when a short circuit is sensed in the towed vehicle brakes.

12. The brake controller as defined in claim 1, wherein said microcontroller is adapted to determine that the towed vehicle brakes are not properly connected to said power switching circuit when said microcontroller applies the switching control signal to said power switching circuit and no braking current is sensed by said current sensing circuit.

13. A brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle, said brake controller comprising:

an input circuit for generating a brake level signal representing the braking force to be applied by the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes;

a power switching circuit having a control input terminal and adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle and to the power supply of the towing vehicle, for selectively supplying power from the towing vehicle power supply to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a switching control signal supplied to said control input terminal; and

a microcontroller coupled to said input circuit and to said power switching circuit, said microcontroller being operable in a set-up mode and an operating mode, wherein, in said set-up mode, said microcontroller determines a number of axles of the towed vehicle and stores the number of axles, and in said operating mode, said microcontroller generates and supplies a switching control signal to said control input terminal of said power switching circuit thereby causing said power switching circuit to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that is related to the brake level signal supplied to said microcontroller by said input circuit and that is adjusted by said microcontroller to account for the number of axles of the towed vehicle.

14. The brake controller as defined in claim 13 and further including:

a display circuit coupled to said microcontroller for receiving display signals and for displaying information to the operator in response to said display signals that represents the relative braising force applied to the towed vehicle brakes,

wherein said microcontroller scales the display signals that are supplied to said display circuit based upon the input number of axles of the towed vehicle.

15. The brake controller as defined in claim 14 and further including:

a current sensing circuit coupled to said microcontroller for sensing a level of braking current supplied from said power switching circuit to the brakes of the towed vehicle, and for generating a current level signal representing the sensed level of braking current,

wherein the display signals generated by said microcontroller represent the current level sensed by said current sensing current and said display circuit displays the sensed current level to the operator.

16. The brake controller as defined in claim 13 and further including:

a display circuit coupled to said microcontroller for receiving display signals and for displaying information to the operator in response to said display signals that represents the relative braking force applied to the towed vehicle brakes,

wherein said switching control signal is a pulse width modulated signal having a duty cycle that is varied by said microcontroller to correspond to the desired level of braking, and wherein the display signals generated by said microcontroller are representative of the duty cycle of the switching control signal and said display circuit displays information representative of the duty cycle to the operator.

17. The brake controller as defined in claim 13, wherein, in said set-up mode, said microcontroller prompts the operator of the towing vehicle to input data representative of the number of axles of the towed vehicle and determines the number of axles based upon the operator input.

18. A brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle, said brake controller comprising:

an input circuit for generating a brake level signal representing the braking force to be applied by the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes;

a power switching circuit and adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle and to the power supply of the towing vehicle, for selectively supplying power from the towing vehicle power supply to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a switching control signal supplied to a control input terminal; and

a display circuit for receiving display signals and for displaying information to the operator in response to said display signals that represents the relative braking force applied to the towed vehicle brakes;

a microcontroller coupled to said input circuit, to said display circuit, and to said power switching circuit, said microcontroller being operable in a set-up mode and an operating mode, wherein, in said set-up mode, said microcontroller determines a number of axles of the towed vehicle and stores the number of axles, and in said operating mode, said microcontroller generates and supplies a switching control signal to said control input terminal of said power switching circuit thereby causing said power switching circuit to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that is related to the brake level signal supplied to said microcontroller by said input circuit, wherein said microcontroller scales the display signals that are supplied to said display circuit based upon the input number of axles of the towed vehicle.

19. A brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle, said brake controller comprising:

an input circuit for generating a brake level signal representing the braking force to be applied by the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes;

a power switching circuit and adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle and to the power supply of the towing vehicle, for selectively supplying power from the towing vehicle power supply to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a switching control signal supplied to a control input terminal;

a microcontroller coupled to said input circuit and to said power switching circuit, said microcontroller generating and supplying a switching control signal to said control input terminal of said power switching circuit thereby causing said power switching circuit to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that is related to the brake level signal supplied to said microcontroller by said input circuit; and

malfunction monitoring means for monitoring the functioning of said microcontroller and resetting said microcontroller when a malfunction is detected.

20. The brake controller as defined in claim 19, wherein said malfunction monitoring means detects a malfunction when said microcontroller fails to execute a specified interrupt routine within a predetermined time period.

21. A brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle, said brake controller comprising:

a sensor input circuit including a decelerometer for sensing the deceleration of the towing vehicle and for generating a brake level signal representing the desired braking when the brakes of the towing vehicle are actuated and the sensed deceleration exceeds a threshold level, said sensor input circuit including means for adjusting the threshold level of said decelerometer;

a display circuit including an indicator light;

a power switching circuit having a control input terminal and adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle and to the power supply of the towing vehicle, for selectively supplying power from the towing vehicle power supply to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a switching control signal supplied to said control input terminal; and

a microcontroller coupled to said sensor input circuit, said display circuit, and to said power switching circuit, said microcontroller generating and supplying said switching control signal to said control input terminal of said power switching circuit thereby causing said power switching circuit to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that is related to the brake level signal supplied to said microcontroller by said sensor input circuit, said microcontroller illuminating said indicator light of said display circuit when said microcontroller receives a brake level control signal from said sensor input circuit.

22. The brake controller as defined in claim 21, wherein said indicator light is a bicolored LED and said microcontroller illuminates said indicator light at a first color when a brake level signal is received from said sensor input circuit that falls within a first range of levels and illuminates said indicator light at a second color when a brake level signal is received from said sensor input circuit that falls within a second range of levels.

23. The brake controller as defined in claim 22, wherein said microcontroller is adapted to selectively illuminate said indicator light depending upon whether the threshold level of said decelerometer is correctly or incorrectly adjusted.

24. The brake controller as defined in claim 23, wherein, when said means for adjusting the threshold level of said decelerometer is adjusted such that said sensor input circuit generates a brake level signal when the towing vehicle is parked, said microcontroller adapted to determine that the threshold level of said decelerometer is incorrectly adjusted and to extinguish the indicator light in response to such determination.

25. The brake controller as defined in claim 22, wherein said bicolored LED is a green/red LED and said microcontroller illuminates the green LED of said indicator light when a brake level signal is received from said sensor input circuit that falls within said first range and illuminates the red LED of said indicator light when a brake level signal is received from said sensor input circuit that falls within said second range.

26. The brake controller as defined in claim 22, wherein during operation, said microprocessor controls said bicolored LED to provider an indication of the adjusted sensitivity of said decelerometer relative to the braking force of the towing vehicle at the time that said bicolored LED changes color.

27. In an electronic brake control system having a power switching circuit for selectively supplying braking current to the towed vehicle brakes in response to a control signal, a method comprising the steps of:

determining whether the brakes of the towed vehicle are to be activated;

periodically generating and supplying a control signal to the power switching circuit to supply a level of braking current that is too low to cause noticeable braking of the towed vehicle when it is determined that the brakes of the towed vehicle are not to be activated;

sensing the braking current flowing through said power switching circuit when the control signal is periodically generated;

determining whether the braking system is operating abnormally based upon the sensed level of braking current; and

generating a warning signal to warn an operator of the towing vehicle of abnormal operation when the sensed braking current is not at an expected current level.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of determining whether the braking system is operating abnormally includes determining that an abnormality exists resulting from the brakes of the towed vehicle not being connected to the brake controller when the sensed braking current is below an open circuit threshold level.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of determining whether the braking system is operating abnormally includes determining that an abnormality exists resulting from a short circuit in the brakes of the towed vehicle when the sensed braking current is above a short circuit threshold level.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of determining whether the braking system is operating abnormally includes determining that an abnormality exists resulting from an open ground connection.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the brake controller includes a microcontroller and the steps are all executed by the microcontroller.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of determining whether the brakes of the towed vehicle are to be activated includes sensing whether a brake light of the towing vehicle is illuminated.

33. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of determining whether the brakes of the towed vehicle are to be activated includes sensing whether a manual braking input has been actuated.

34. In an electronic brake control system having a power switching circuit for selectively supplying braking current to the towed vehicle brakes in response to a pulse width modulated control signal having a variable duty cycle, a method comprising the steps of:

applying a pulse width modulated control signal to the power switching circuit;

sensing the braking current flowing through the power switching circuit;

determining that a short circuit or current overload condition exists in the brakes of the towed vehicle when the sensed braking current exceeds a threshold current level; and

changing the duty cycle and the frequency of the pulse width modulated control signal applied to the power switching circuit to selectively reduce the supplied braking current when a short circuit or current overload condition is found to exist.

35. The method of claim 34 further including the step of generating a warning signal to an operator of the towing vehicle when a short circuit or current overload condition is found to exist.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the step of generating a warning signal includes illuminating a warning light in the view of an operator of the towing vehicle when a short circuit or current overload condition is found to exist.

37. The method of claim 34 further including the steps of:

sensing the braking current flowing through the power switching circuit in response to the pulse width modulated control signal having the changed duty cycle to determine whether the braking current still exceeds the threshold current level; and

terminating the supply of braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle if the sensed braking current still exceeds the threshold level.

38. The method of claim 34 wherein the step of changing the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal includes changing the duty cycle to cause the level of supplied braking current to be at about 70% of the threshold level.

39. The method of claim 34 further including the step of:

periodically supplying braking current to the towed vehicle brakes after the supply of braking current has been terminated due to said short circuit or current overload condition in order to determine whether a short circuit condition persists, and continuing to periodically supply such braking current while the short circuit or current overload condition persists.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein the step of changing the duty cycle and the frequency of the pulse width modulated control signal includes reducing the supplied braking current to a predetermined level below the threshold current level when the sensed braking current level exceeds the threshold current level.

41. A brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle, said brake controller comprising:

an input circuit for generating a brake level signal representing the braking force to be applied by the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes;

a display circuit including a plurality of indicator lights;

a power switching circuit adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle and to the power supply of the towing vehicle, for selectively supplying power from the towing vehicle power supply to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a switching control signal supplied to a control input terminal;

a microcontroller coupled to said input circuit, to said display circuit, and to said power switching circuit, said microcontroller in an operating mode generating and supplying a switching control signal to said control input terminal of said power switching circuit thereby causing said power switching circuit to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that is related to the brake level signal supplied to said microcontroller by said input circuit while illuminating one or more of said indicator lights to indicate a relative level of towed vehicle braking, and said microcontroller in a self-testing mode gradually and continuously varying the level of the switching control signal while inhibiting power from being supplied through said power switching circuit and illuminating one or more of said indicator lights to reflect the changing levels of the switching control signal.

42. The brake controller as defined in claim 41, wherein said microcontroller gradually and continuously sweeps the level of the switching control signal repeatedly from its highest to lowest levels and back to its highest level during the self-testing mode.

43. The brake controller as defined in claim 41, wherein said microcontroller gradually and continuously sweeps the level of the switching control signal repeatedly from its lowest to highest levels and back to its lowest level during the self-testing mode.

44. A brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle, said brake controller comprising:

a brake light circuit adapted for coupling to a brake light of a towing vehicle for generating an output signal when the brake light is illuminated as a basis for determining that the brakes of the towing vehicle are actuated;

a sensor input circuit coupled to said brake light circuit for sensing the deceleration of the towing vehicle in response to said output signal from said brake light circuit;

a manual input circuit for receiving input from an operator of the towing vehicle of a desired braking force of the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes;

a gain adjustment circuit coupled to said manual input circuit and to said sensor input circuit for receiving brake level signals output therefrom that are indicative of a desired level of braking and for generating a gain-adjusted brake level signal in response to a brake level signal received from either said manual input circuit or said sensor input circuit;

a power control circuit adapted for coupling to a power supply of the towing vehicle for supplying power to the brakes of the towed vehicle;

a power switching circuit coupled to said power control circuit and having a brake terminal adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle, for selectively supplying power from said power control circuit to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a switching control signal supplied to a control input terminal;

a current sensing circuit for sensing a level of braking current supplied from said power control circuit to the brakes of the towed vehicle through said power switching circuit, and for generating a current level signal representing the sensed level of braking current;

a display circuit for displaying information to the operator of the towing vehicle;

a microcontroller coupled to said brake light circuit, said sensor input circuit, said manual input circuit, said gain adjustment circuit, said power control circuit, said power switching circuit, said current sensing circuit, and to said display circuit, said microcontroller adapted to generate and supply a switching control signal to said control input terminal of said power switching circuit thereby causing said power switching circuit to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that is related to the gain-adjusted brake level signal supplied to said microcontroller by said gain adjusting circuit.

45. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said switching control signal is a pulse width modulated signal.

46. The brake controller as defined in claim 45, wherein said pulse width modulated signal has a duty cycle that is varied in inverse proportion to the desired level of braking.

47. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said gain adjusting circuit includes a ramping circuit having a first time constant for gradually increasing the gain of a brake level signal when first applied thereto to gradually apply the towed vehicle brakes.

48. The brake controller as defined in claim 47, wherein said ramping circuit has a second time constant shorter than the first time constant for rapidly responding to a drop in level of a brake signal applied thereto from said sensor input circuit or said manual input circuit.

49. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller disrupts the supply of power from said power control circuit that is delivered to said power switching circuit when no brake level signal is generated by either said sensor input circuit or said manual input circuit.

50. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller disables said sensor input circuit when a brake level signal is received from said manual input circuit.

51. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller monitors the level of current actually supplied to the brakes of the towed vehicle as sensed by said current sensing circuit, and generates and supplies current level display signals to said display circuit for providing an indication to the operator of the towing vehicle of the level of current supplied to the brakes of the towed vehicle.

52. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller controls said power switching circuit to discontinue the supply of current to the towed vehicle brakes when the level of current supplied to the brakes as sensed by said current sensing circuit exceeds a threshold level.

53. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller periodically generates a switching control signal causing said power switching circuit to provide power to the towed vehicle brakes while monitoring the sensed current level after it is determined that the sensed current level has exceeded the threshold level until the sensed current level falls below the threshold level.

54. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller disrupts the supply of power from said power control circuit that is delivered to said power switching circuit when no brake level signal is generated by either said sensor input circuit or said manual input circuit and when no periodic switching control signal is generated by said microcontroller.

55. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller periodically generates a switching control signal causing said power switching circuit to connect said power control circuit momentarily to said brake terminal while monitoring the current flowing through said power switching circuit to determine whether the towed vehicle brakes are connected to said brake terminal, and wherein said microcontroller generates and supplies a warning signal to said display circuit when the towed vehicle brakes are not connected to said brake terminal.

56. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller performs a setup routine by prompting the operator of the towing vehicle to input a number of axles of the towed vehicle and by storing the input number of axles.

57. The brake controller as defined in claim 56, wherein said microcontroller scales the current level display signals that are supplied to said display circuit based upon the input number of axles of the towed vehicle.

58. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said sensor input circuit is normally disabled and is enabled when said brake light circuit determines that the towing vehicle brake switch is activated.

59. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said microcontroller attempts to reduce the level of braking current supplied to the towed vehicle brakes when an overload current condition is present.

60. The brake controller as defined in claim 44, wherein said power switching circuit includes at least one MOSFET, and wherein said current sensing circuit senses the current flowing through said power switching circuit by sensing the voltage across the drain and source of said MOSFET.

61. In an electronic brake control system having a power switching circuit for selectively supplying braking current to the towed vehicle brakes in response to a control signal, a method comprising the steps of:

determining whether the brakes of the towed vehicle are to be activated;

periodically generating and supplying a first control signal to the power switching circuit to supply a level of braking current that is too low to cause noticeable braking of the towed vehicle when it is determined that the brakes of the towed vehicle are not to be activated;

identifying and storing a baseline braking current flowing through the power switching circuit when the first control signal is periodically generated;

generating and supplying a second control signal to the power switching circuit when it is determined that the brakes of the towed vehicle are to be activated, said second control signal having a level corresponding to the desired level of braking;

sensing the braking current supplied to the towed vehicle brakes by the power switching circuit in response to the second control signal; and

displaying an indication of the magnitude of braking current supplied to the towed vehicle brakes by generating a display corresponding to the difference between the magnitudes of the baseline braking current and the sensed braking current.

62. The method of claim 61 further including the steps of:

comparing the magnitude of the baseline braking current to a threshold level to determine whether lamp load is mistakenly connected to a brake magnet terminal through which the power switching circuit supplies power to the towed vehicle brakes; and

generating a warning signal to warn an operator of the towing vehicle that the lamp load is improperly connected when the baseline braking current exceeds the threshold level.

63. In an electronic brake control system having a power switching circuit for selectively supplying braking current to the towed vehicle brakes in response to a control signal, a method comprising the steps of:

determining whether the brakes of the towed vehicle are to be activated;

periodically generating and supplying a control signal to the power switching circuit to supply a level of braking current that is too low to cause noticeable braking of the towed vehicle when it is determined that the brakes of the towed vehicle are not to be activated;

sensing the braking current flowing through said power switching circuit when the control signal is periodically generated;

determining whether the braking system is operating abnormally based upon the sensed level of braking current; and

generating a signal to advise an operator of the towing vehicle that the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes are connected properly unless an abnormal operation is detected.

64. A brake controller for controlling the brakes of a towed vehicle, said brake controller comprising:

an input circuit for generating a brake level signal representing the braking force to be applied by the towed vehicle'"'"'s brakes;

a power switching circuit adapted for coupling to the brakes of the towed vehicle and to the power supply of the towing vehicle, for selectively supplying power from the towing vehicle power supply to the brakes of the towed vehicle in response to a pulse width modulated control signal supplied to a control input terminal whereby the braking current supplied to the towed vehicle brakes corresponds to a duty cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal; and

a microcontroller coupled to said input circuit and to said power switching circuit, said microcontroller generating and supplying the pulse width modulated control signal to said control input terminal of said power switching circuit, said microcontroller varying the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal in response to the brake level signal supplied to said microcontroller by said input circuit to thereby cause said power switching circuit to deliver a braking current to the brakes of the towed vehicle that corresponds to the desired level of braking.

65. The brake controller as defined in claim 64 and further including:

a display circuit coupled to said microcontroller for receiving display signals and for displaying information to the operator in response to said display signals that represents the relative braking force applied to the towed vehicle brakes.

66. The brake controller as defined in claim 65, wherein display signals generated by said microcontroller correspond to the duty cycle of the switching control signal and said display circuit displays information corresponding to the duty cycle to the operator.

67. The brake controller is defined in claim 66, wherein said display circuit includes a plurality of LEDs that are illuminated to display a relative percentage of the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal.

68. The brake controller as defined in claim 67 and further including:

a current sensing circuit coupled to said microcontroller for sensing a level of braking current supplied from said power switching circuit to the brakes of the towed vehicle, and for generating a current level signal representing the sensed level of braking current,

wherein said microcontroller activates the LEDs of the display circuit only when braking current is sensed by said current sensing circuit.

69. The brake controller as defined in claim 65 and further including:

a current sensing circuit coupled to said microcontroller for sensing a level of braking current supplied from said power switching circuit to the brakes of the towed vehicle, and for generating a current level signal representing the sensed level of braking current,

wherein the display signals generated by said microcontroller represent the current level sensed by said current sensing current and said display circuit displays the sensed current level to the operator.

70. The brake controller as defined in claim 64, wherein said input circuit includes a decelerometer comprising an inertia sensor that determines an extent of deceleration and generates said brake level signal.

71. The brake controller is defined in claim 70, wherein said microcontroller further includes means for detecting a short circuit condition in said power switching circuit and towed vehicle brakes.

72. The brake controller as defined in claim 64, wherein said microcontroller is programmed to execute a first interrupt routine at a periodic interval which causes the pulse width modulation control signal to go from a low to a high voltage level, and wherein said microcontroller is programmed to execute a second interrupt routine at a selected time period following the execution of said first interrupt routine, said second interrupt routine causing the pulse width modulation control signal to go from a high to a low voltage level, said microcontroller adapted to set said selected time period based upon the desired level of braking to achieve a corresponding duty cycle for the pulse width modulated control signal.

73. The brake controller as defined in claim 64, wherein said microcontroller varies the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal at smaller increments for lower levels of demanded braking to allow for fine adjustment of supplied braking current.

74. The brake controller as defined in claim 64, wherein said power switching circuit is adapted for direct coupling to a power source of the towing vehicle.

75. The brake controller as defined in claim 64, wherein said microcontroller further includes means for detecting a short circuit condition in said power switching circuit and towed vehicle brakes.

76. The brake controller as defined in claim 64, wherein said microcontroller varies the duty cycle of the pulse width modulated control signal in inverse proportion to the demand for braking current.