Steering wheel mounted trailer brake controllers and systems
OwnerCary Ochen Diehl, Russell Allan Simsinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A trailer brake controller for a motor vehicle may include a control unit configured to be mounted behind a spoke of a steering wheel of the vehicle, and a brake lever coupled to the control unit and extending along the control unit such that, when the control unit is mounted behind the spoke of the steering wheel, the brake lever extends above and/or below the spoke in a direction substantially perpendicular to the spoke. The brake lever may be configured to transmit a force applied to the lever by the driver to the control unit. The control unit may be configured to generate a manual trailer brake control signal based on the force applied to the lever.
Claims19
A trailer brake controller for a motor vehicle, comprising:
- a control unit configured to be mounted behind a spoke of a steering wheel of the vehicle, such that, when the control unit is mounted behind the spoke, the control unit has a length along a direction substantially perpendicular to the spoke and a width along a direction substantially parallel to the spoke, wherein the length is greater than the width;
- and
- a brake lever coupled to the control unit and extending along the length of the control unit such that, when the control unit is mounted behind the spoke, the brake lever extends above and/or below the spoke in the direction substantially perpendicular to the spoke,
- wherein the brake lever is configured to transmit a force applied to the lever by a driver to the control unit, and
- wherein the control unit is configured to generate a manual trailer brake control signal based on the force applied to the lever.
A trailer brake control system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
- a steering wheel comprising a rim and at least one spoke, the rim and the at least one spoke defining an open area of the steering wheel;
- at least one control unit mounted behind the at least one spoke;
- a brake lever coupled to the at least one control unit and extending above and/or below the at least one spoke to be at least partially visible to a driver of the vehicle through the open area of the steering wheel;
- and
- a gain input control coupled to a top portion of the brake lever such that the gain input control is visible to the driver of the vehicle through the open area of the steering wheel,
- wherein the at least one control unit is configured to generate a manual trailer brake control signal based on a force applied to the lever by the driver to actuate electronic wheel brakes of a vehicle being towed by the vehicle.
A trailer brake control system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
- a steering wheel comprising a rim and at least one spoke, the rim and the at least one spoke defining an open area of the steering wheel;
- at least one control unit embedded within the at least one spoke;
- and
- a brake lever coupled to the at least one control unit and extending above and/or below the at least one spoke to be at least partially visible to a driver of the vehicle through the open area of the steering wheel;
- wherein the at least one control unit is configured to generate a manual trailer brake control signal based on a force applied to the lever by the driver to actuate electronic wheel brakes of a vehicle being towed by the vehicle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.