Truck brake control system

In a truck comprising a tractor and a trailer connected with and towed by the tractor, the trailer having brakes actuatable by air pressure for service braking and at least some of said trailer brakes being also actuatable by force storage means for parking brakes in response to a predetermined decrease in air pressure supplied thereto and being releasable by air pressure selectively supplied thereto, the tractor having an engine compartment, a chassis, brakes actuatable by air pressure for service braking and at least some of said tractor brakes being also actuatable by force storage means for parking brakes in response to a predetermined decrease in air pressure supplied thereto and being releasable by air pressure selectively supplied thereto, a source of air under pressure, front and rear air pressure reservoirs normally pressurized by air pressure from said source, air pressure control means controlling air actuating pressures for said brakes, other means powered by air pressure, and a cab mounted on said chassis, said cab having truck operator's station therein and an instrument panel;

• a truck air brake system comprising:
• an air pressure distribution manifold having air passages therein and a plurality of control modules mounted thereon and connected to appropriate ones of said manifold air passages for receiving and controlling and directing the air pressures in said manifold, said manifold and said control modules defining a central controller mounted in said tractor remotely from said engine compartment and said instrument panel and readily accessible for diagnostic and servicing operations;
• said instrument panel having mounted thereon air pressure gauges having air lines connecting said gauges with appropriate air passages in said central controller and indicating air pressure conditions in different portions of said system, condition indicating means electrically connected with said central controller and indicating certain conditions existing in said system, and electrical tractor and trailer parking brake controls electrically connected with said central controller for independently and selectively actuating the tractor and trailer parking brakes by releasing air pressure at the selected parking brakes under control of said central controller and allowing said force storage means to exert parking brake actuating forces and for releasing the selected parking brakes by supplying air pressure to the selected parking brakes under control of said central controller;
• one of said control modules comprising a supply valve module receiving pressurized air from said pressure source and distributing pressurized air to said front and rear reservoirs and said other means powered by air pressure, said supply valve module including means isolating said reservoirs and said other means from each other upon pressure failure of any of said reservoirs and said other means, said supply valve module having means receiving pressures from said front and rear air pressure reservoirs and selecting the higher received pressure for trailer brake supply pressure for actuation of the trailer service brakes;
• another of said control modules comprising a parking brake valve module receiving signals from one of said electrical parking brake controls and acting selectively in response thereto to direct parking brake release pressure to the tractor parking brakes to release the tractor parking brakes by releasing the parking brake release pressure from the tractor parking brakes to permit application of the tractor parking brakes by said force storage means, said another module having means receiving pressures from said front and rear air pressure reservoirs and selecting the higher received pressure for parking brake release.

In a vehicle having an engine compartment, a cab for the vehicle operator with an instrument panel therein, and a plurality of air sub-systems including air operated accessory and brake sub-systems, and more particularly including vehicle air supply systems, vehicle service brakes and vehicle parking brakes operated by pressurized air and having control valves for distributing and controlling the pressures in the sub-systems, said control valves including a service brake application valve adapted for operation under control of the foot of the vehicle operator, an air pressure supply control valve establishing and controlling the supply air pressures for the air operated accessory and brake sub-systems, and a park control valve under control of the vehicle operator to release and apply vehicle parking brakes, the improved vehicle air brake system comprising:

• a central controller including a manifold with air passages provided therein, said air pressure supply control valve and said park control valve being mounted on said manifold and having appropriate air passages connected with appropriate air passages in said manifold for receiving and sending pressurized air therethrough, said vehicle air supply systems and said vehicle service brakes and said vehicle parking brakes being connected with appropriate air passages of said manifold via air lines, said service brake application valve being connected via air lines to the vehicle front service brakes and to appropriate air passages of said manifold via air lines;
• said central controller being mounted on said vehicle remotely from said engine compartment and said instrument panel, said park control valve having electrical controls mounted on the instrument panel and electrically connected to said park control valve mounted on said manifold, whereby said instrument panel has space behind and on it normally crowded with air lines and control valves but available for mounting other devices requiring a benign environment with temperature and contaminant limits normally within the comfort range provided in the cab for the vehicle operator, and said central controller being readily accessible for diagnostics and servicing.