Auto gain adjusting trailer brake controller

A system comprising:

• a vehicle comprising one or more motive force devices;
• one or more accelerometers that sense acceleration of the system;
• wherein the system determines filtered data based on a pitch, roll or both of the vehicle, and alters accelerometer data based on the filtered data;
• one or more processors;
• the one or more processors comprising:
• a drive force module that determines a combined drive force of the one or more motive force devices;
• an interface module that retrieves one or more vehicle performance parameters;
• a performance module that determines whether the vehicle performance parameters fall within respective threshold ranges;
• a data module that stores the filtered data and the accelerometer data, and further stores, in response to the vehicle performance parameters being within the respective threshold ranges, a plurality of data pairs, each data pair comprising longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle and the combined drive force for the vehicle, the combined drive force determined according to a calibrated polynomial for a current velocity of the vehicle;
• a weight module that determines a weight being hauled by the vehicle;
• a brake gain module that determines the brake gain signal based on the weight being hauled by the vehicle;
• a detection module that records and compares a combined drive force RPM of the one or more motive force devices to the current vehicle velocity, and uses this ratio to determine the vehicle's axle ratio and tire size, which is then used to correct a calculated mass;
• a brake signal module that transmits the brake gain signal to a brake control module based on data from the drive force module, the interface module, the performance module, the detection module and the data module;
• and wherein the brake control module applies trailer brakes based on the brake gain signal.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing executable instructions thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

• retrieving one or more performance parameters for a vehicle by one of communicating with diagnostic port for the vehicle and communicating with one or more accelerometers providing accelerometer data;
• determining a combined drive force;
• determining filtered data based on a pitch, roll or both of the vehicle;
• altering the accelerometer data based on the filtered data;
• altering the combined drive force based on the filtered data and the altered accelerometer data;
• determining that one or more vehicle performance parameters fall within a threshold range;
• storing, in response to the vehicle parameters being within the respective threshold ranges, a plurality of data pairs, each data pair comprising a longitudinal acceleration and the altered combined drive force, the altered combined drive force determined according to a calibrated polynomial for a current velocity of the vehicle;
• wherein the combined drive force comprises all positive and negative forces from the one or more motive force devices;
• determining a slope of a line that linearly approximates the plurality of data pairs, the slope indicating a total weight, the total weight consisting of a weight of the vehicle and a weight being hauled by the vehicle;
• wherein the weight being hauled by the vehicle comprises weight in the vehicle and weight of a trailer;
• determining a brake gain signal according to a ratio of a current weight being hauled by the vehicle to an original weight being hauled by the vehicle;
• transmitting the brake gain signal to a trailer brake controller;
• and
• applying trailer brakes according to the brake gain signal.

A method comprising:

• providing predetermined calibration settings relating drive force to motor speed for a vehicle travelling at various speeds;
• providing accelerometer data to determine vehicle velocity, acceleration, and direction of travel;
• determining filtered data based on the vehicle pitch, roll or both;
• altering the accelerometer data based on the filtered data;
• determining by use of one or more processors, that one or more vehicle performance parameters fall within threshold ranges;
• determining a total weight of a vehicle and trailer based on the predetermined calibration settings, the altered accelerometer data and the vehicle performance parameters being within threshold ranges;
• determining a trailer weight by subtracting a weight of the vehicle from the total weight;
• providing a gain signal for a trailer brake controller;
• modifying the gain signal based on the trailer weight and the vehicle weight;
• transmitting the gain signal to the trailer brake controller;
• applying trailer brakes according to the gain signal.