Automated gain and boost for a brake controller

• US 10,363,910 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2017
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Horizon Global Americas Inc. (Horizon Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Horizon Global Americas Inc. (Horizon Global Corporation)
• Inventors: Kulkarni, Chandrakumar D., Jegadeeson, Muthukumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan Q
• Application Number:
  US15/834,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20180154874A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 701 70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/08 Overrun brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 17/18 Safety devices; Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/04 Pedal travel sensor, stroke sensor; Sensing brake request
• 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 8/00 Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force by changing number of effective brake cylinders in power brake systems B60T17/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17 Using electrical or electronic regulation means to control braking detecting or indicating faulty operation B60T8/885
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1708 for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/3205 acceleration B60T8/34, B60T8/52, B60T8/54, B60T8/56, B60T8/58, B60T8/72, B60T8/86, B60T8/88 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/323 Systems specially adapted for tractor-trailer combinations
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/3255 Systems in which the braking action is dependent on brake pedal data
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8814 Temporary supports, e.g. decal
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8817 Treatment of supports before application of the catalytic active composition coated porous composites H01M8/0245
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8882 Heat treatment, e.g. drying, baking
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8896 Pressing, rolling, calendering membrane electrode assemblies H01M8/1004
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0276 Sealing means characterised by their form H01M8/0273 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1004 characterised by membrane-electrode assemblies [MEA] H01M8/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1039 halogenated, e.g. sulfonated polyvinylidene fluorides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/106 characterised by the chemical composition of the porous support
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1062 : characterised by the physical properties of the porous support, e.g. its porosity or thickness
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/1093 : mechanical, e.g. pressing, puncturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 : Fuel cells

Abstract

The present disclosure includes a system, method, and device related to controlling brakes of a towed vehicle. A brake controller system includes a brake controller that controls the brakes of a towed vehicle based on acceleration. The brake controller is in communication with a speed sensor. The speed sensor determines the speed of a towing vehicle or a towed vehicle. The brake controller automatically sets a gain or boost based on the speed and acceleration.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one sensor operatively determining a parameter associated with a braking event; and

a brake controller comprising an accelerometer and a processor, the processor in operative communication with the at least one sensor and configured to receive data from the at least one sensor,

wherein the processor determines at least one of a gain level or a boost level based on the data received from the at least one sensor; and

wherein the processor initiates a calibration process to determine at least one of the gain level or the boost level based on an occurrence of a triggering event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor is operatively disposed proximal to at least one of an axle or a wheel of a vehicle or a trailer and operatively measures a change in the vehicle speed or the trailer speed.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a speed sensor.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the speed sensor is an accelerometer.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the speed sensor is operatively coupled to a lug nut of the vehicle or the trailer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the triggering event comprises at least one of a passage of time, button press, weather condition, sensed speed, or rake peddle depression.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor determines the weather condition based on at least one of activation or deactivation of windshield wipers, or input from a user device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a sensor disposed generally proximal to a brake peddle of a vehicle to measure forces applied to the brake peddle.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor operatively overrides the determined gain level or boost level in response to receiving a user request to override the determined gain level or boost level.

10. A brake controller comprising:

a hardware processor and a memory storing computer executable instructions;

a wireless communication device coupled to the hardware processor and in operative communication with a speed sensor;

wherein the processor conducts a calibration process to automatically determine at least one of a gain setting, boost setting, or transfer function as a function of information received from the speed sensor.

11. The brake controller of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor determines whether a brake peddle of a towed vehicle is not depressed and initiates the calibration process when the brake peddle is not depressed.

12. The brake controller of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor determines whether the brake peddle of a towed vehicle is not depressed and initiates the calibration process in response to determining that the brake peddle is depressed.

13. The brake controller of claim 10, wherein the hardware processor ramps an output from the hardware processor to brakes of a trailer in response to initiating the calibration process.

14. The brake controller of claim 13, wherein the hardware processor monitors for a wheel lock-up based on an input received from the speed sensor as the output is ramped.

15. The brake controller of claim 14, wherein the hardware processor terminates the ramping in response to detecting the wheel lock-up, reduces the output until the wheel lock-up terminates, and sets a gain value based on a value of the output at the time when the wheel lock-up terminates.

16. A method for automatically determining a gain setting for a brake controller, comprising:

monitoring, by the brake controller, for a triggering event and initiating a calibration of the gain setting in response to the triggering event;

ramping output of the brake controller to brakes of a trailer;

receiving input from a sensor operatively attached to at least one of a wheel or an axle of the trailer;

determining whether the wheels of the trailer are locked based on the input received from the sensor;

terminating, in response to determining that the wheels of the trailer are locked, the ramping of the output of the brake controller to the brakes of the trailer;

reducing the output of the brake controller to the brakes of the trailer to a value until the wheels are no longer locked; and

determining the gain setting based on the value.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether a speed of the trailer is within a predetermined range of speeds;

allowing initiation of the calibration process when the speed is determined to be within the predetermined range; and

at least one of disabling or notifying a user that the speed is determined to be not within the predetermined range.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the gain setting is further based on at least one of a weather condition, road grade, or trailer load.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating a suggested modification of a setting of a brake controller based a history of calibrations.

20. A system comprising:

at least one sensor operatively determining a parameter associated with a braking event; and

a brake controller comprising an accelerometer and a processor, the processor in operative communication with the at least one sensor and configured to receive data from the at least one sensor,

wherein the processor determines at least one of a gain level or a boost level based on the data received from the at least one sensor; and

wherein the processor operatively overrides the determined gain level or boost level in response to receiving a user request to override the determined gain level or boost level.