Trailer Brake ECU Control for Safe Remote Usage Restriction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The separation of trailer ownership from operation leads to issues like late or non-payment of leasing invoices, increasing costs for leasing companies, as trailer owners lack technical control over trailers, and existing anti-theft solutions can lead to legal claims.
Innovation Solution
A trailer vehicle control system utilizing the trailer electronic brake system ECU as a central intelligence unit to receive requests via a telematics unit, verify trailer status, and implement annoyance features like ramp distance control to facilitate communication and payment collection without creating safety critical situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If anti-theft solutions are used to disable the trailer, then the trailer owner can prevent unauthorized use, but it could lead to legal claims from the trailer operator and creates safety critical situations
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of control intervention based on the situation. Instead of permanent disabling, it applies temporary braking interventions only when specific conditions are met (unauthorized use detected + safe operating conditions), making the control adaptive rather than static
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic brake system acts as an intermediary between the owner's control request and the trailer's operation. Rather than directly disabling the trailer (which creates safety hazards), the ECU mediates by applying controlled braking interventions that achieve control objectives while maintaining safety
2Ease of operation
If the electronic brake system is used for remote control, then the owner can influence trailer usability without permanently disabling it, but it requires complex communication systems and verification protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The ECU is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both the standard electronic brake control unit and the remote control interface. By making the ECU multi-functional, the system avoids adding separate control hardware, thus reducing overall system complexity while enabling remote control capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the remote control functionality with the existing ECU and brake system. Instead of creating a separate control system, it combines the owner's remote requests with the ECU's existing verification and control functions, simplifying the overall architecture
Data Source
AI summary
A trailer vehicle control system has a trailer electronic brake system ECU, which ECU is configured to receive a request, via a CAN bus, from a telematics unit or from a trailer access point. The trailer vehicle control system can verify a status or position of the trailer, in particular using ramp distance control. The trailer vehicle control system can then execute an annoyance feature in response to the request when the control system has determined that the status or position of the trailer meets a defined safe condition.