# US 2022/0032891 A1 · Electronically controlled pneumatic brake system comprising an electronically controlled trailer control module > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2022/0032891 A1 - Document ID: US20220032891A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/983,150 - Filed: 2020-08-03 - Published: 2022-02-03 - Earliest claimed: 2020-08-03 - Assignees: Zf Cv Systems Europe BV - Applicants: WABCO Europe BVBA - Inventors: Joachim Amtsfeld; Henning Förster; Thilo Klostermann; Florian Schwagmeyer - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220032891A1 ## CPC - B60T 7/20: specially for trailers, e.g. in case of uncoupling of {or overrunning by} trailer (inertia-actuated overrun brakes B60T13/08) - B60T 13/683: {in pneumatic systems or parts thereof (in vacuum systems B60T13/72)} - B60T 7/042: {by electrical means, e.g. using travel or force sensors} - B60T 13/385: {Control arrangements therefor} - B60T 13/662: {characterised by specified functions of the control system components} - B60T 15/027: {in pneumatic systems} - B60T 2270/413: Plausibility monitoring, cross check, redundancy - 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 ## Abstract An electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) for a vehicle 100, with a supply coupling head (24), a control coupling head (26), and an electronically controlled trailer control module (28) includes a first supply port (28.1), a trailer supply connection (28.2) for providing a trailer supply pressure (pT) to the supply coupling head (24), a trailer control connection (28.3) for providing a trailer control pressure (pB) to the control coupling head (26), an electro-pneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (40) for providing the trailer control pressure (pB), and a tractor protection valve electronic control unit (42). The electro-pneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (40) is configured to only supply a trailer control pressure (pB) to the trailer control connection (28.3) when compressed air is supplied to the trailer supply connection (28.2). ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) for a vehicle (100), in particular a commercial vehicle (200), comprising: a first brake circuit (4) including a first brake actuator (20a) and a second brake actuators (20b), a second brake circuit (6) including a third brake actuator (20c) and a fourth brake actuator (20d), a first compressed air supply (10), and a trailer control circuit (8) comprising a supply coupling head (24) and a control coupling head (26), and an electronically controlled trailer control module (28), comprising: a first supply port (28.1) for receiving supply pressure (pS) from the first compressed air supply (10), a trailer supply connection (28.2) for providing a trailer supply pressure (pT) at the supply coupling head (24), a trailer control connection (28.3) for providing a trailer control pressure (pB) at the control coupling head (26), an electro-pneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (40) in fluid connection with the first supply port (28.1) for receiving the supply pressure (pS) and adapted to provide the trailer control pressure (pB) at the trailer control connection (28.3), and an electronic trailer control unit (42) for controlling the electro-pneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (40) such that the trailer control pressure (pB) can be modulated, wherein the electro-pneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (40) is configured to provide the trailer control pressure (pB) at the trailer control connection (28.3) only while the supply pressure (pS) is supplied to the trailer supply connection (28.2). ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 1, wherein the trailer supply connection (28.2) is directly connected to the first supply port (28.1). ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 1, wherein the electro-pneumatic trailer control valve arrangement (40) includes a relay valve (88), comprising a relay valve supply port (88.1) in fluid connection with the first supply port (28.1), a relay valve working port (88.3) in fluid connection with the trailer control connection (28.3) and a relay valve control port (88.2). ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 3, wherein the relay valve (88) is configured to provide the trailer control pressure (pB) at the relay valve working port (88.3) only while compressed air is supplied to the relay valve supply port (88.1). ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 3, wherein the electro-pneumatic valve arrangement (40) of the electronically controlled trailer control module (28) comprises a first electro-pneumatic control valve (90) for providing a relay valve control pressure (pRC), wherein a first electro-pneumatic working port (90.2) of the first electro-pneumatic control valve (90) is in fluid connection with the relay valve control port (88.2). ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 5, wherein a first electro-pneumatic supply port (90.1) of the first electro-pneumatic control valve (90) is in directly connected to the first supply port (28.1). ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 3, wherein the electronically controlled trailer control module (28) further comprises a redundancy connection (126) for receiving a redundancy pressure (pR), and a redundancy valve arrangement (128) for adjusting the trailer control pressure (pB) when the electro-pneumatic trailer valve arrangement (40) is de-energized, wherein the redundancy valve arrangement (128) is in fluid connection with the redundancy connection (126) and the relay valve control port (88.2). ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 7, wherein the redundancy valve arrangement (128) comprises an electro-pneumatic redundancy valve (130) which is open in a de-energized state. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 1, further comprising a parking brake circuit (36) with a first parking brake valve (38) having a first parking brake supply port (38.1) in fluid connection with the first compressed air supply (10), and a first parking brake working port (38.2) in fluid connection with the first supply port (28.1) of the electronically controlled trailer control module (28) for providing the supply pressure (pS) at the first supply port (28.1). ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 9, wherein the first parking brake valve (38) automatically closes when a pressure at the first supply port (28.1) of the electronically controlled trailer control module (28) is lower than a predetermined protection threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 10, wherein the first parking brake valve (38) is formed as a spring biased parking brake valve (66), which is automatically closed by a first spring (82) when a pressure of at least one of the first parking brake supply port (38.1) and the first parking brake working port (38.2) is lower than the predetermined protection threshold. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 9, wherein the parking brake circuit (36) is an electronically controlled parking brake circuit (134). ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 1, further comprising a foot brake module (50) for providing at least a first axle brake pressure (pBFA) for the first brake circuit (4) or a second axle brake pressure (pBRA) for the second brake circuit (6) at a first foot brake module control port (50.1), wherein a redundancy connection (126) of the electronically controlled trailer control module (28) is connected to the first foot brake module control port (50.1). ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 13, wherein the foot brake module (50) is an electronic foot brake module (54) connected to a main electronic control unit (14) of the electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) and configured to provide a brake signal (SB) to the main electronic control unit (14) or the electronic trailer control unit (42). ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A commercial vehicle (100, 200), comprising a front axle (FA), a rear axle (RA) and an electronically controlled pneumatic brake system (2) according to claim 1.