Patent ID: 11891038
Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A method for finding an optimum trailer brake gain, comprising:
applying trailer brake pulses to a trailer while a vehicle is coasting using a trailer brake of a trailer, wherein the trailer is coupled to the vehicle, each of the trailer brake pulses has an activation brake time and a trailer brake gain, the trailer brake is commanded by a trailer brake controller to apply the trailer brake pulses, the trailer brake pulses have a waiting time, and the trailer brake gain is proportional to an amount of braking force applied to the trailer by the trailer brake;
monitoring an average deceleration of the vehicle and the trailer brake gain of the trailer brake pulses applied to the trailer while the vehicle is coasting;
generating a graph of the average deceleration of the vehicle versus the trailer brake gain, wherein the graph includes a curve that illustrates a relationship between the average deceleration of the vehicle and the trailer brake gain of the trailer brake pulses applied to the trailer while the vehicle is coasting; and
finding a bend point of the curve in the graph to determine the optimum trailer brake gain.