# US 12,759,489 B2 · Smart trailer power supply > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,759,489 B2 - Document ID: US12759489B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 19/195,366 - Filed: 2025-04-30 - Published: 2025-08-14 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2022-11-03 - Assignees: Phillips Connect Technologies LLC - Applicants: Phillips Connect Technologies LLC - Inventors: Gerard DiNardo; Jim Epler; Clifford Creech - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759489B2 ## CPC - B60R 16/033: characterised by the use of electrical cells or batteries (for propulsion puposes B60K1/04; supplying batteries to, or removing batteries from, vehicles B60S5/06; testing of charge state G01R31/36) - B60C 23/009: {having wheels on a trailer} - B60R 16/0238: {Electrical distribution centers} - B60T 8/1708: {for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations} - H02J 1/086: {for providing alternative feeding paths between load or loads and source or sources when the main path fails} - G07C 5/02: Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only (apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00) - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60C: VEHICLE TYRES; TYRE INFLATION; TYRE CHANGING; CONNECTING VALVES TO INFLATABLE ELASTIC BODIES IN GENERAL; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS RELATED TO TYRES - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract A smart battery box is provided that includes a battery for selectively powering a trailer main harness coupled to an ABS controller. The smart battery box includes a controller configured to respond to a command to control a switch to close to power the ABS controller through the battery. In this fashion, the ABS controller may be tested through the smart battery box while the trailer is disconnected from a tractor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A trailer power system for a trailer, comprising: a battery; a charger configured to charge the battery using a tractor power supply voltage; a detection circuit configured to detect whether the tractor power supply voltage is greater than a threshold value; a first switch coupled between a lead carrying the tractor power supply voltage and a trailer main power lead for powering an ABS controller in the trailer; a second switch coupled between the battery and the trailer main power lead; and a controller configured to control the first switch to couple the lead carrying the tractor power supply voltage to the trailer main power lead in response to a detection by the detection circuit that the tractor power supply voltage is greater than the threshold value, and wherein the controller is configured to respond to a first command to control the second switch to couple the battery to the trailer main power lead while the trailer is disconnected from a tractor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The trailer power system of claim 1, further comprising: a motion detector configured to detect whether the trailer is in motion, wherein the controller is further configured to control the second switch to couple the battery to the trailer main power lead in response to a detection that the tractor power supply voltage is less than the threshold value while the motion detector has detected that the trailer is in motion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The trailer power system of claim 1, wherein the first switch and the second switch comprise a single switch configured to select between the battery and the lead carrying the tractor power supply voltage. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The trailer power system of claim 1, wherein the battery, the first switch, the second switch, the detection circuit, and the controller are all contained within a housing. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The trailer power system of claim 1, further comprising: a third switch coupled between the battery and a trailer lead for a trailer sensor, wherein the controller is further configured to respond to a second command to control the third switch to couple the battery to the trailer lead to power the trailer sensor while the trailer is disconnected from the tractor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The trailer power system of claim 4, further comprising: a nose box including a 7-way interface for coupling to a 7-way connector from the tractor, wherein the trailer main power lead is routed from the housing to the nose box and routed from the nose box to the ABS controller. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The trailer power system of claim 4, further comprising: a nose box including a 7-way interface for coupling to a 7-way connector from the tractor, wherein the trailer main power lead is routed from the housing directly to the ABS controller. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The trailer power system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to respond to a third command to control the second switch to couple the battery to the trailer main power lead so that a test may be performed on an automatic tire inflation system (ATIS) coupled to the trailer main power lead. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The trailer power system of claim 5, wherein the trailer sensor comprises a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The trailer power system of claim 6, wherein the nose box contains a telematics unit for the trailer, and wherein the battery is configured to provide a backup power to the telematics unit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The trailer power system of claim 5, wherein the trailer sensor comprises a cargo sensor. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) The trailer power system of claim 5, wherein the trailer sensor comprises a camera. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The trailer system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to respond to wireless commands, and wherein the first command is a wireless command. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The trailer power system of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to respond to Bluetooth wireless commands. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The power trailer system of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to respond to WiFi wireless commands. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The trailer power system of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to respond to cellular wireless commands. ### Claim 17 A method of powering a trailer, comprising: while the trailer is connected to a tractor through a 7-way connection: routing a tractor power supply voltage through a housing including a first battery to power an ABS controller in the trailer in response to a detection that the tractor power supply voltage satisfies a threshold value; powering the ABS controller using the first battery in response to a detection that the tractor power supply voltage does not satisfy the threshold value; and while the trailer is disconnected from the tractor and the 7-way connection: responding to a first command to couple the first battery to the ABS controller to power the ABS controller. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: while the trailer is disconnected from the tractor and the 7-way connection: responding to a second command to couple the first battery to a sensor in the trailer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, wherein the sensor is a TPMS sensor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, further comprising: powering a telematics unit in the trailer using a second battery during a normal operation of the second battery; and powering the telematics unit using the first battery in response to a fault condition of the second battery.