Systems and methods for calculating trailer brake control parameters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9440627-B2
Application number	US-201414288737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 28, 2014
Priority date	May 28, 2014
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

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

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Eng & Mfg North America Inc

Inventors

• Kurtovic Kenan
• White Chelsea R
• Sitarski Nicholas S

Classifications

• B60T8/1708 Primary

  for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations · CPC title

• B60T8/172

  Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters {(B60T8/17551 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60T8/171

  Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation · CPC title