Towed vehicle braking apparatus

• US 8,651,585 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2013
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation (Hoppy Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hopkins Manufacturing Corporation (Hoppy Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Kaminski, Gary, Gray, Jonathan, Sickler, Vicki
• Primary Examiner(s): Siconolfi, Robert A
• Assistant Examiner(s): AUNG, SAN M
• Application Number:
  US13/870,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20130233109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 299 Days
• Field of Search: 303/7, 303/123, 303/124, 303/155, 303/9.61, 303/9.62, 303/20, 303/5, 701/70, 477/182, 340/901, 340/902
• US Class Current: 303/7
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/746 and mechanical transmission of the braking action
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/06 Disposition of pedal
• 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: Y10T 74/20 Control lever and linkage systems

Abstract

An auxiliary braking system and method of controlling the braking a towed vehicle is provided that includes a remote control that is in selective communication with an auxiliary braking unit positioned in a towing vehicle. More specifically, it is often desirable for the operator of the towing vehicle to assess the performance of the auxiliary braking apparatus positioned in a towed vehicle. In addition, it is often advantageous for the operator to perform real time adjustments to the performance parameters of the auxiliary braking apparatus positioned in the towing vehicle without having to cease driving and physically access the auxiliary braking device.

Claims

1. An auxiliary braking system, comprising:

a circuit;

an actuator operably interconnected and controlled by the circuit;

a mechanism interconnected to the actuator and adapted for interconnection to a brake pedal of a towed vehicle;

an activator when used only once causes the actuator to move more than once to deplete the vacuum reservoir of a braking system of the towed vehicle; and

an electrically operated bleed valve that automatically opens to at least partially deplete a fluid reservoir when the auxiliary braking system is turned off.

2. The auxiliary braking apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator is a piston operably associated with the fluid reservoir.

3. The auxiliary braking system of claim 1, further comprising an emergency braking switch that activates the actuator when the towing vehicle is spaced a predetermined distance from the towed vehicle, the auxiliary braking apparatus being inoperable if the emergency braking switch is not operatively associated with the auxiliary braking apparatus.

4. The auxiliary braking system of claim 1, wherein the remote device includes at least one of a braking indicator, a brake sensitivity indicator, an indicator related to the status of the auxiliary braking apparatus, an indicator related to the position of the towed vehicle in relation to the towing vehicle, and an indicator related to the power level of the remote device.

5. The auxiliary braking system of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary braking apparatus includes at least one of a normal operation indicator, low battery indicator, a compressor runtime indicator, an indication of an extension of the actuator, a reminder to bleed the brakes of the towed vehicle, an air pressure display, and a braking sensitivity indication.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein depleting the vacuum reservoir of a braking system of the towed vehicle is automatic.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the activator is a start button wherein depressing the start button directs the actuator to selectively depresses the brake pedal of the towed vehicle a prerequisite amount of times to exhaust the brake vacuum in the towed vehicle.

8. The auxiliary braking system of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary braking system does not operate unless the vacuum reservoir of the braking system is depleted.

9. The auxiliary braking system of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary braking system does not operate unless the activator has been used.

10. A system for braking a towed vehicle comprising:

an actuating means adapted for interconnection to a brake pedal of the towed vehicle;

a control means in the towed vehicle operably interconnected to the actuating means;

a manual system preparation interface in communication with the control means, the manual system preparation interface being activated once to direct the control means to selectively move the actuating means more than once; and

a device that automatically reduces the pneumatic pressure of the system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the actuating means has an extension side and a retraction side that are in communication with one or more sensors.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the actuating means further comprises a compressor in fluidic communication with a reservoir.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a means for releasing pressure in communication with the reservoir that is activated by at least one of automatically and manually.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the communicating means sends a signal to the control means for selectively positioning between proportional braking and non-proportional braking of the towed vehicle.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the activator is a start button wherein depressing the start button directs the actuator means to selectively depresses the brake pedal of the towed vehicle a prerequisite amount of times to exhaust the brake vacuum in the towed vehicle.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein depleting the vacuum reservoir of a braking system of the towed vehicle is automatic.

15. A system for braking a towed vehicle comprising:

an actuating means adapted for interconnection to a brake pedal of the towed vehicle;

a control means in the towed vehicle operably interconnected to the actuating means and for selectively operating the actuating means;

an activator that moves the actuating means more than one times to deplete the vacuum reservoir of a braking system of the towed vehicle, and wherein said system for braking a towed vehicle does not operate unless the vacuum reservoir of the braking system is depleted; and

a device that automatically reduces the pressure of the system.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the activator actuates the actuating means a preselected number of times after a notification is sent that the vacuum reservoir of the towed vehicle'"'"'s braking system has been recharged.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the activator actuates the actuating means a preselected number of times when the vacuum reservoir of the towed vehicle'"'"'s braking system has been recharged.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the activator uses a preselected or varied input.

21. An auxiliary braking system, comprising:

a circuit;

an actuator operably interconnected and controlled by the circuit;

a mechanism interconnected to the actuator and adapted for interconnection to a brake pedal of a towed vehicle; and

an electrically operated bleed valve that automatically opens to at least partially deplete a fluid reservoir when the auxiliary braking system is turned off.

22. The auxiliary braking apparatus of claim 21, wherein the actuator is a piston operably associated with the fluid reservoir.

23. The auxiliary braking system of claim 21, further comprising an emergency braking switch that activates the actuator when the towing vehicle is spaced a predetermined distance from the towed vehicle, the auxiliary braking apparatus being inoperable if the emergency braking switch is not operatively associated with the auxiliary braking apparatus.

24. The auxiliary braking system of claim 21, wherein the remote device includes at least one of a braking indicator, a brake sensitivity indicator, an indicator related to the status of the auxiliary braking apparatus, an indicator related to the position of the towed vehicle in relation to the towing vehicle, and an indicator related to the power level of the remote device.

25. The auxiliary braking system of claim 21, wherein the auxiliary braking apparatus includes at least one of a normal operation indicator, low battery indicator, a compressor runtime indicator, an indication of an extension of the actuator, a reminder to bleed the brakes of the towed vehicle, an air pressure display, and a braking sensitivity indication.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein depleting the vacuum reservoir of a braking system of the towed vehicle is automatic.

27. The auxiliary braking system of claim 21, wherein said auxiliary braking system does not operate unless the vacuum reservoir of the braking system is depleted.