Systems and vehicles for determining an operational status of at least one trailer brake
AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorNicholas Scott Sitarski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and vehicles for determining an operational status of at least one trailer brake are provided. A system for determining an operational status of at least one trailer brake includes machine readable instructions stored in one or more memory modules that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the system to command a trailer brake current output circuit to intermittently supply a diagnostic current to the at least one trailer brake during a trailer brake activation period, receive a sensed current signal from a trailer brake current sensing circuit in response to the command to supply the diagnostic current, and determine the operational status of the at least one trailer brake based on the sensed current signal.
Claims20
A system for determining an operational status of at least one trailer brake comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake current output circuit electrically coupled to the at least one trailer brake and communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake current sensing circuit electrically coupled to the at least one trailer brake and communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake activation input circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:
- command the trailer brake current output circuit to intermittently supply a diagnostic current to the at least one trailer brake during a trailer brake activation period and during a non-activation period, wherein a trailer brake activation signal is received from the trailer brake activation input circuit during the trailer brake activation period;
- receive a sensed current signal from the trailer brake current sensing circuit in response to the command to supply the diagnostic current;
- and
- determine the operational status of the at least one trailer brake based on the sensed current signal.
A system for determining an operational status of at least one trailer brake comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake current output circuit electrically coupled to the at least one trailer brake and communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake current sensing circuit electrically coupled to the at least one trailer brake and communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake activation input circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the system to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:
- command the trailer brake current output circuit to intermittently supply a diagnostic current to the at least one trailer brake during a trailer brake activation period, wherein a trailer brake activation signal is received from the trailer brake activation input circuit during the trailer brake activation period;
- receive a sensed current signal from the trailer brake current sensing circuit in response to the command to supply the diagnostic current;
- and
- determine the operational status of the at least one trailer brake based on the sensed current signal.
A vehicle for determining an operational status of at least one trailer brake of a trailer towed by the vehicle, the vehicle comprising:
- one or more processors;
- one or more memory modules communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake current output circuit electrically coupled to the at least one trailer brake and communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake current sensing circuit electrically coupled to the at least one trailer brake and communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- a trailer brake activation input circuit communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;
- machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the vehicle to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors:
- command the trailer brake current output circuit to intermittently supply a diagnostic current to the at least one trailer brake during a trailer brake activation period and during a non-activation period, wherein a trailer brake activation signal is received from the trailer brake activation input circuit during the trailer brake activation period;
- receive a sensed current signal from the trailer brake current sensing circuit in response to the command to supply the diagnostic current;
- and
- determine the operational status of the at least one trailer brake based on the sensed current signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.