Systems and methods for calculating trailer brake control parameters

• US 9,440,627 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kurtovic, Kenan, White, Chelsea R., Sitarski, Nicholas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOYER, DALE S
• Application Number:
  US14/288,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20150344010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1708 for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/171 Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems and vehicles for calculating trailer brake control parameters are disclosed. A system for calculating a trailer brake control parameter includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules. The one or more memory modules include the trailer brake control parameter. The machine readable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to receive an image including a trailer, determine a trailer characteristic from the image using image analysis logic stored in the one or more memory modules, and calculate the trailer brake control parameter based on the trailer characteristic.

Claims

1. A system for outputting a trailer brake output signal, the system comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memory modules include a trailer brake control parameter;

a trailer brake activation input circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

a trailer brake output circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the trailer brake output circuit outputs the trailer brake output signal;

machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors;

receive an image including a trailer;

determine a trailer characteristic from the image using image analysis logic stored in the one or more memory modules;

calculate the trailer brake control parameter based on the trailer characteristic; and

output the trailer brake output signal with the trailer brake output circuit in response to a trailer brake activation signal received from the trailer brake activation input circuit and in accordance with the calculated trailer brake control parameter.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailer characteristic includes at least one of a trailer size, a trailer length, a trailer weight, a trailer shape, a number of trailer axles, and a trailer type.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailer characteristic is a trailer length, and the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to determine the trailer length by:

identifying the trailer in the image;

determining an image length of the trailer;

identifying a towing vehicle in the image;

determining an image length of the towing vehicle; and

determining the trailer length based on the image length of the trailer and the image length of the towing vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailer characteristic is a trailer weight, and the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to determine the trailer weight by:

identifying a towing vehicle in the image;

identifying a belt line of the towing vehicle in the image;

identifying a wheel line of the towing vehicle in the image;

determining an angle between the belt line and the wheel line; and

determining the trailer weight based on the angle between the belt line and the wheel line.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailer characteristic is a number of trailer axles, and the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to determine the number of trailer axles by:

identifying the trailer in the image;

identifying a number of trailer wheels in the image; and

determining the number of trailer axles based on the number of trailer wheels.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailer characteristic is a trailer type, and the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to determine the trailer type by:

identifying the trailer in the image;

determining whether the trailer includes an electric-over-hydraulic brake actuator; and

determining the trailer type based on whether the trailer includes the electric-over-hydraulic brake actuator, wherein the trailer type is a electric trailer when the trailer does not include the electric-over-hydraulic brake actuator, and wherein the trailer type is an electric-over-hydraulic trailer when the trailer includes the electric-over-hydraulic brake actuator.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the trailer characteristic includes at least one of a trailer size, a trailer length, a trailer weight, and a number of trailer axles;

the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain; and

the system gain is calculated as an increasing function of the trailer characteristic.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the trailer characteristic includes a trailer type;

the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain; and

the system gain calculated when the trailer type is an electric trailer is greater than when the trailer type is an electric-over-hydraulic trailer.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules further cause the system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

provide for display a graphical user interface including the trailer characteristic;

prompt a user to adjust the trailer characteristic;

receive an adjustment to the trailer characteristic;

adjust the trailer characteristic based on the received adjustment; and

calculate the trailer brake control parameter based on the adjusted trailer characteristic.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules further cause the system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

provide for display a graphical user interface including the trailer characteristic;

prompt a user to confirm the trailer characteristic; and

receive a confirmation of the trailer characteristic.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

calculate the system gain based on the trailer characteristic determined from the image; and

output the trailer brake output signal as a function of the trailer brake activation signal, scaled by the system gain.

13. A system for calculating a trailer brake control parameter-comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more memory modules include a trailer brake control parameter;

machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors;

receive an image including a trailer;

determine a trailer characteristic from the image using image analysis logic stored in the one or more memory modules;

prompt a user to adjust the trailer characteristic;

receive an adjustment to the trailer characteristic;

adjust the trailer characteristic based on the received adjustment; and

calculate the trailer brake control parameter based on the adjusted trailer characteristic.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules further cause the system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:

provide for display a graphical user interface including the determined trailer characteristic;

prompt a user to confirm the determined trailer characteristic; and

receive a confirmation of the determined trailer characteristic.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the trailer characteristic includes at least one of a trailer size, a trailer length, a trailer weight, and a number of trailer axles; and

the system gain is calculated as an increasing function of the trailer characteristic.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a trailer brake output circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the trailer brake output circuit outputs a trailer brake output signal; and

a trailer brake activation input circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to output the trailer brake output signal with the trailer brake output circuit in response to a trailer brake activation signal received from the trailer brake activation input circuit and in accordance with the calculated trailer brake control parameter.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain, wherein the machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

calculate the system gain based on the trailer characteristic determined from the image; and

output the trailer brake output signal as a function of the trailer brake activation signal, scaled by the system gain.

19. A method for outputting a trailer brake output signal, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer, an image including a trailer;

determining a trailer characteristic from the image with image analysis logic stored in one or more memory modules of the computer;

calculating, by the computer, a trailer brake control parameter based on the trailer characteristic; and

outputting the trailer brake output signal with a trailer brake output circuit in response to a trailer brake activation signal received from a trailer brake activation input circuit and in accordance with the calculated trailer brake control parameter.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the trailer characteristic includes at least one of a trailer size, a trailer length, a trailer weight, a trailer shape, a number of trailer axles, and a trailer type.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the trailer characteristic includes at least one of a trailer size, a trailer length, a trailer weight, and a number of trailer axles;

the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain; and

the system gain is calculated as an increasing function of the trailer characteristic.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein:

the trailer characteristic includes a trailer type;

the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain; and

the system gain calculated when the trailer type is an electric trailer is greater than when the trailer type is an electric-over-hydraulic trailer.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the trailer brake control parameter includes a system gain, the method further comprising:

calculating the system gain based on the trailer characteristic determined from the image; and

outputting the trailer brake output signal as a function of the trailer brake activation signal, scaled by the system gain.