Multiple-gain electronic brake actuator with trigger point inertial sensor

A method of changing the gain of an electronic controller generating current pulses for actuating vehicle brakes of a towed vehicle, comprising the steps of:

• detecting the deceleration of the towed vehicle during braking;
• selecting a first gain for said controller when the deceleration during braking is below a threshold;
• and
• selecting a second gain for said controller when the deceleration during braking is above said threshold.

A controller for actuating towed vehicle brakes, comprising:

• a housing;
• a control circuit positioned in said housing, said control circuit adapted to apply controlled current pulses to said brakes;
• a trigger point inertial sensor mounted in said housing;
• and
• a gain controller coupled to said inertial sensor and said control circuit, said gain controller adapted to provide one of at least two different gains to said control circuit to said trigger point inertial sensor, whereby when said trigger print inertial sensor detects towed vehicle braking deceleration less than a given threshold amount, the gain controller provides said control circuit with a low-level gain, and when said trigger point inertial sensor detects towed vehicle braking deceleration above said threshold, the gain controller provides said control circuit with a high-level gain.

A trigger point inertial sensor for an electronic brake controller including a housing, comprising:

• an axle rotatably supported in the housing;
• a platform connected to said axle which rotates with said axle;
• a handle connected to said axle and accessible from outside of the housing to control the position of said platform and axle;
• and
• a switch adapted to be coupled to the electronic brake controller, said switch positioned on said platform whereby the orientation of said switch is adjusted using said handle.

A controller for selectively actuating vehicle brakes of a towed vehicle, comprising:

• an electronic controller adapted to generate brake excitation pulses;
• a conductor connected to said electronic controller and adapted to be connected to the vehicle brakes wherein said brake excitation pulses are applied to the vehicle brakes through said conductor when said conductor is connected to the vehicle brakes;
• and
• a control coupled to said conductor for holding said conductor at approximately ground potential when the vehicle brakes are not connected to the electronic controller and allowing said conductor to rise to apply said braking current to said towed vehicle brakes when the vehicle brakes are connected to said electronic controller and said brake excitation pulses are output by said electronic controller.

An electronic controller for actuating vehicle brakes of a towed vehicle, comprising:

• a comparator having a first input connected to receive a control signal and a second input connected to receive a reference signal;
• a controller circuit having an input coupled to an output of said comparator and an output adapted to be coupled to the vehicle brakes, said controller circuit generating pulses of current at said output of said controller circuit as a function of an output signal from said comparator;
• a variable impedance device coupled to said controller circuit;
• and
• a selector coupled to said variable impedance device, said selector selecting at least one of said impedances dependent upon the braking deceleration of the towed vehicle, whereby said selected impedance is utilized for generating said reference signal, and said reference signal is varied using said selector.