Abstract:
A brake testing device include a remote operated control module which is installed on a towing vehicle to remotely actuate the brake and turn signal lights for testing purposes. When installed on a truck with air brakes and a connection to air brakes on a connected trailer, auxiliary valves are installed on the truck brake pneumatic control line and the trailer brake pneumatic control line which are controlled remotely through the control module to test activation of the air brakes on the truck and trailer respectively.

Description:
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.119(e) of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/671,391, filed Jul. 13, 2012. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a brake testing device including a control module connected to wiring circuits of a towing vehicle and a remote controller arranged to generate right turn, left turn and brake signals arranged to be received by the control module for actuating the respective right turn indicator, left turn indicator and brake indicator of a trailer connected to the towing vehicle. 
     BACKGROUND 
     When connecting a trailer to a towing vehicle it is commonly desirable to check that the turn and brake indicator signals to the trailer are functioning properly prior to use for safety concerns. Inspection typically requires two persons such that one person can activate the signals from the vehicle operator cab while the other person can visually inspect the indicator on the rear of the trailer. In commercial trucking in particular, routinely inspecting the operation of the indicators is generally part of a required safety inspection by the operator before each trip. Due to the difficulty in a single person both activating and inspecting the condition of the indicators, it occasionally leads to some operators not properly checking the condition of the trailer such that the safety of the operation of the trailer may be compromised. 
     US Patent Application Publication 2009/0056432 by Steininger discloses a remotely operated brake tester in the form of an actuator which physically depresses the brake pedal in the operator cab when activated by remote. While this permits checking of the brake indicators by a single operator, the actuator is cumbersome to install for each test as it must be removed for normal operation of the vehicle. Furthermore the operator must still make several trips between the operator cab and the rear of the trailer for checking other indicators such as the turn indicators in addition to the brake indicators. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,530,261 by Foster, U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,035 by Aguirre et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,482 by Gutierrez and U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,314 by Jones disclose various brake test devices including their own respective power and compressed air supplies for direct connection to a trailer with air brakes to test various conditions of the trailer. Testing is limited to the trailer such that there is no testing provided for the connections between the vehicle and the trailer as required for a safety inspection prior to each trip with a towing vehicle and trailer connected thereto. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,234 by Maresko and U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,645 by Skorupski et al. disclose additional examples of brake testing systems, however neither permit remote checking of all indicators on a trailer connected to a towing vehicle prior to operation of the vehicle. 
     Overall no prior art device readily allows a single operator to check all turn and brake indicators on a vehicle and a connected trailer in a single pass about the vehicle during a pre-trip safety inspection. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a brake testing device in combination with a towing vehicle for connection to a trailer having a left turn indicator, a right turn indicator and air brakes, wherein the vehicle comprises:
         a left turn indicator circuit for actuating a left turn indicator of the vehicle;   a right turn indicator circuit for actuating a right turn indicator of the vehicle;   a trailer connector including a left turn indicator output in connection with the left turn indicator circuit for actuating the left turn indicator of the trailer and a right turn indicator output in connection with the right turn indicator circuit for actuating the right turn indicator of the trailer;   an air braking system comprising a trailer brake connector arranged for connection to the air brakes of the trailer, a supply line for supplying air at a supply pressure, an exhaust line for exhausting compressed air, a trailer control line connected to the trailer brake connector, and a trailer brake controller arranged to selectively couple the trailer control line to either one of the supply line or the exhaust line to control operation of the air brakes of the trailer;       

     and wherein the brake testing device comprises:
         a remote controller arranged to generate a left turn signal, a right turn signal and a brake signal;   a trailer auxiliary valve in communication between the trailer control line, the supply line and the exhaust line so as to be operable between a first position in which the trailer control line communicates with the supply line corresponding to releasing of the air brakes of the trailer and a second position in which the trailer control line communicates with the exhaust line corresponding to actuation of the air brakes of the trailer; and   a control module including:
           a receiver arranged to receive the left turn signal, the right turn signal and the brake signal from the remote controller;   a left turn output connected to the left turn indicator circuit so as to be arranged to activate the left turn indicator of the trailer in response to receipt of the left turn signal by the receiver;   a right turn output connected to the right turn indicator circuit so as to be arranged to activate the right turn indicator of the trailer in response to receipt of the right turn signal by the receiver; and   a trailer brake output connected to the trailer auxiliary valve so as to be arranged to displace the trailer auxiliary valve from the first position to the second position in response to receipt of the brake signal by the receiver.   
               

     By providing a control module having outputs connected to vehicle systems in connection with a trailer, quick activation of all indicators by a single operator can be accomplished remotely to allow an operator to visually inspect the indicators during activation thereof. The addition of an auxiliary valve further allows testing of all air brake components between the vehicle activation point and the trailer reaction with a similar ease of use by a single operator. 
     The auxiliary valve preferably comprises a solenoid actuator which is arranged to locate the auxiliary valve in the second position to actuate the air brakes of the trailer when the solenoid actuator is de-energized. 
     Typically the air braking system of the vehicle further comprises air brakes of the vehicle, a vehicle control line connected to the air brakes of the vehicle, and a vehicle brake controller arranged to selectively couple the vehicle control line to either one of the supply line or the exhaust line to control operation of the air brakes of the vehicle. Accordingly the brake testing device may further comprise: i) a vehicle auxiliary valve in communication between the vehicle control line, the supply line and the exhaust line so as to be operable between a first position in which the vehicle control line communicates with the supply line corresponding to releasing of the air brakes of the vehicle and a second position in which the trailer control line communicates with the exhaust line corresponding to actuation of the air brakes of the vehicle; and ii) a vehicle brake output on the control module which is connected to the vehicle auxiliary valve so as to be arranged to displace the vehicle auxiliary valve from the first position to the second position in response to receipt of the brake signal by the receiver. 
     Preferably an override sensor is in communication with the control module which is arranged to detect normal driving mode of the towing vehicle and trailer combination. In this instance the control module is preferably arranged to interrupt the trailer brake output and the truck brake output of the control module when the normal driving mode is detected by the override sensor. 
     When the towing vehicle further comprises a trailer brake release arranged to supply pressure to the air brakes of the trailer to release the brakes when activated and a vehicle brake release arranged to supply pressure to brakes of the towing vehicle to release the brakes when activated, preferably the override sensor of the brake testing device is arranged to detect when both the trailer brake release and the vehicle brake release are activated. The override sensor may comprise a pair of air switches in communication with the trailer brake release and the vehicle brake release respectively. 
     In further embodiments the brake testing device may further comprise a logging device in communication with the control module so as to be arranged to log each signal received by the receiver of the control module. 
     The left turn output and the right turn output may each comprise a splice connector in spliced connection with the respective indicator circuit. Alternatively, the left turn output and right turn output may comprise plug-in connectors in modular connection with a wiring harness of the indicator circuits. 
     According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a brake testing device in combination with a towing vehicle for connection to a trailer having a left turn indicator, a right turn indicator and brake lights, wherein the vehicle comprises:
         a left turn indicator circuit for actuating a left turn indicator of the vehicle;   a right turn indicator circuit for actuating a right turn indicator of the vehicle;   a braking indicator circuit for actuating a brake light of the vehicle;   a trailer connector including a left turn indicator output in connection with the left turn indicator circuit for actuating the left turn indicator of the trailer, a right turn indicator output in connection with the right turn indicator circuit for actuating the right turn indicator of the trailer, and a braking output in connection with the braking indicator circuit for actuating the brake lights of the trailer;       

     and wherein the brake testing device comprises:
         a remote controller arranged to generate a left turn signal, a right turn signal and a brake signal;   a control module including:
           a receiver arranged to receive the left turn signal, the right turn signal and the brake signal from the remote controller;   a left turn output connected to the left turn indicator circuit so as to be arranged to activate the left turn indicator of the trailer in response to receipt of the left turn signal by the receiver;   a right turn output connected to the right turn indicator circuit so as to be arranged to activate the right turn indicator of the trailer in response to receipt of the right turn signal by the receiver; and   a brake output connected to the braking indicator circuit so as to be arranged to activate the brake lights of the trailer in response to receipt of the brake signal by the receiver.   
               

     In each instance, the control module preferably includes a power input arranged to connect to a battery of the vehicle. 
     In either embodiment, the left turn output and the right turn output may each comprise a splice connector in spliced connection with the respective indicator circuit, or alternatively the left turn output and right turn output may comprise plug-in connectors in modular connection with a wiring harness of the indicator circuits. 
     Various embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of a first embodiment of the brake testing device in connection with a vehicle having a trailer connector for connection to a trailer. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic representation of the brake testing device according to a second embodiment in which the vehicle includes air brakes for connection to the air brakes of a connected trailer. 
     
    
    
     In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to the accompanying figures there is illustrated a brake testing device generally indicated by reference numeral  10 . The device  10  is particularly suited for use with a towing vehicle  12  which includes a trailer connector  34  to be connected to a trailer  16  towed by the vehicle. Although more than one embodiment is shown in the accompanying figures, the common features of the various embodiments will first be described. 
     The towing vehicle  12  generally includes a battery  18  for supplying electrical power to various electrical components of the vehicle. The electrical components include a wiring harness  20  which includes a left turn indicator circuit  22  which controls activation of a left turn indicator  24  of the vehicle and a right turn indicator circuit  26  for controlling a right turn indicator  28  of the vehicle. 
     A brake circuit  30  also controls activation of the brake lights  32  of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a trailer connector  34  which provides output of various indicator signals to various indicators of the trailer connected thereto. More particularly the trailer connector  34  includes a left turn output  36  connected to the left turn indicator circuit  22 , a right turn output  38  connected to the right turn indicator circuit and a brake output  40  connected to the braking circuit of the braking vehicle. 
     The trailer typically includes a left turn indicator  42  in connection to a mating input  44  which mates with the left turn output  36  of the trailer connector. A right turn indicator  46  of the trailer is connected to a mating input  48  which similarly mates with the corresponding right turn output  38  of the trailer connector of the vehicle. Brake lights  50  of the trailer are connected to a mating input  52  which mate with the corresponding brake output  40  of the trailer connector  34 . 
     The brake testing device  10  includes a control module  54  having a power input  56  connected to the vehicle battery. The module further includes a left turn output  58  connected to the left turn indicator circuit  22 , a right turn output  60  connected to the right turn indicator circuit  26  and a brake output  62  for outputting a brake signal therefrom. 
     In some embodiments, the outputs of the control module are connected to corresponding circuits of the vehicle using a splice connector which provides a spliced connection with a respective circuit. 
     In alternative embodiments, the outputs may comprise plug-in connectors arranged for modular connection with corresponding modular components of the wiring harness and indicator circuits of the vehicle. 
     The brake testing device  10  further includes a remote controller  64  (or keyfob) having a respective housing locating a battery and a radio frequency (RF) transmitter therein. The controller further includes a left turn button  66  which generates a left turn signal to be transmitted by the transmitter when actuated, a right turn button  68  arranged to generate a right turn signal transmitted by the transmitter when actuated and a brake button  70  arranged to generate a brake signal to be transmitted by the RF transmitter when actuated. 
     The control module  54  further includes a RF receiver  72  arranged to receive the signals generated and transmitted by the remote controller. The left turn signal, the right turn signal and the brake signal are transmitted by the control module to the respective left turn output  58 , right turn output  60  and brake output  62 . The outputs of the control module are connected to the circuits of the vehicle such that both the corresponding indicators on the vehicle and the corresponding indicators of the trailer can be actuated in response to receipt of the respective signal from the remote controller. 
     Turning now more particularly to the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , in this instance, the brake lights  32  of the vehicle are actuated by an electrical braking circuit  30  which is in turn activated directly by depressing the brake pedal of the vehicle. The electrical brake signal is transmitted from brake circuit  30  directly to the brake output  40  of the trailer connector to activate the brake lights  50  of the trailer through the mating input  52  on the trailer. During a testing exercise, the control module provides the brake signal to the brake lights  50  of the trailer by the brake output  62  of the control module being in direct connection to the braking circuit  30  of the vehicle. The brake signal transmitted from the control module to the vehicle is thus also communicated through the trailer connector to permit the trailer brakes to be activated in response to the brake button  70  on the remote controller generating a brake signal. 
     Alternatively in the second embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the control module can be adapted for use with a vehicle and trailer including air brakes. Typically, the vehicle in this instance includes a supply tank of compressed air to supply air under pressure therefrom and an exhaust line  76  permitting compressed air to be exhausted to atmosphere therethrough. 
     The vehicle typically includes a primary delivery line  77  and a secondary delivery line  78 . The primary delivery line  77  is arranged for supplying compressed air at a controller pressure to primary brakes  79  of the vehicle using a primary brake controller  81  which selectively couples the primary delivery line to either the supply tanks  74  to deactivate the primary brakes or the exhaust  76  to apply the primary brakes respectively. 
     The secondary delivery line  78  supplies air at a controlled pressure therethrough for delivery to brakes of the trailer to control the activation thereof. A secondary brake controller  80  selectively communicates the secondary delivery line with the exhaust  76  for applying the brakes and with the supply tank  74  for deactivating the brakes. 
     The brake circuit for the trailer in this instance generally includes a pressure sensor  82  coupled to the secondary delivery line  78  so as to be arranged to generate a brake signal when the pressure sensor senses a drop in pressure in the delivery corresponding to the delivery line being communicated with the exhaust  76  which indicates activation of the brakes. The pressure sensor  82  is connected to the brake output  40  of the trailer connector  34  and the brake lights  32  of the vehicle to transmit the brake signal to the brake lights  50  of the trailer through the corresponding mating input  52  and to the brake lights  32  of the vehicle. 
     The secondary delivery line is also provided with mating connectors  84  to permit pressurized air supply lines from the vehicle to be connected with the corresponding lines of the trailer to control activation of the trailer brakes with the secondary controller  80 . 
     The testing device  10  further includes a trailer auxiliary valve  86  in the form of a three-way valve actuated by a solenoid  87 . The valve  86  includes a delivery connector in the form of a tee in connection with the secondary delivery line  78 , a supply connector in the form of a tee connected to the supply line from the supply tank  74  and an exhaust connector which exhausts through the controller  80  to the exhaust  76 . 
     The trailer auxiliary valve  86  is operable from a first position in which the controlled delivery line  78  communicates with the supply line of the supply tank  74  corresponding to releasing of the air brakes of the trailer and a second position in which the controlled delivery line  78  communicates with the exhaust line of the exhaust  76  corresponding to actuation of the air brakes of the trailer. Typically the solenoid actuator  87  is arranged to locate the valve  86  in the second position to activate the air brakes of the trailer when the solenoid actuator is de-energized while releasing the brakes when energized. 
     In this instance, the control module includes a trailer brake output  62 A which is coupled to the solenoid actuator  87  of the auxiliary valve  86  to activate the trailer auxiliary valve from the first position to the second position when the brake signal is received from the remote controller and transmitted by the control module through the trailer brake output  62 A to the trailer auxiliary valve  86 . The trailer brakes and brake indicators can thus be activated in the usual manner using the trailer brake controller under normal operation of the vehicle to produce a pressure drop in the delivery line  78  so that the pressure sensor  82  generates the brake signal for actuating the brake lights. Alternatively the brake signal can be generated by the remote controller and transmitted to the auxiliary valve to produce the pressure drop in the delivery line  78  so that the pressure sensor  82  again generates a brake signal in the braking circuit for actuating the brake indicators on the trailer. 
     The testing device  10  further includes a vehicle auxiliary valve  89  in the form of a three-way valve actuated by a solenoid  91 . The valve  89  includes a delivery connector in the form of a tee in connection with the secondary delivery line  78 , a supply connector in the form of a tee connected to the supply line from the supply tank  74  and an exhaust connector which exhausts through the truck brake controller  81  to the exhaust  76 . 
     The vehicle auxiliary valve  89  is operable from a first position in which the controlled primary delivery line  77  communicates with the supply line of the supply tank  74  corresponding to releasing of the air brakes of the vehicle and a second position in which the controlled delivery line  77  communicates with the exhaust line of the exhaust  76  corresponding to actuation of the air brakes of the vehicle. Typically the solenoid actuator  91  is arranged to locate the valve  89  in the second position to activate the air brakes of the vehicle when the solenoid actuator is de-energized while releasing the brakes when energized. 
     In this instance, the control module also includes a vehicle brake output  62 B which is coupled to the solenoid actuator  91  of the vehicle auxiliary valve  89  to activate the vehicle auxiliary valve from the first position to the second position when the brake signal is received from the remote controller and transmitted by the control module through the vehicle brake output  62 B to the vehicle auxiliary valve  89 . The vehicle brakes and brake indicators can thus be activated in the usual manner using the vehicle brake controller under normal operation of the vehicle. Alternatively the brake signal can be generated by the remote controller and transmitted to the vehicle auxiliary valve for actuating the brakes of the vehicle. 
     Typically, the towing vehicle further comprises a trailer brake release  100  which is coupled to the supply  74  and exhaust  76  and has a controlled output  101  connected to the trailer brakes through a suitable trailer connection. The trailer brake release  100  is located in the operator cab of the towing vehicle and is arranged to supply pressure to the air brakes of the trailer through the controlled output  101  to release the brakes when activated. Alternatively, when deactivated, the air brakes of the trailer are exhausted to apply the trailer brake through the controlled output  101 . 
     Similarly, the towing vehicle typically further comprises a vehicle brake release  102  which is coupled to the supply  74  and exhaust  76  and has a controlled output  103  connected to the vehicle brakes. The controller output of the vehicle brake release  102  is arranged to supply pressure to brakes of the vehicle to release the brakes when the vehicle brake release  102  is activated. Alternatively, when deactivated, the air brakes of the vehicle are exhausted to apply the truck brakes by the controlled output  103 . 
     An override sensor  104  is in communication with the control module which is arranged to detect normal driving mode of the towing vehicle and trailer combination. The control module is then arranged to interrupt the trailer brake output and the truck brake output of the control module when the normal driving mode is detected by the override sensor. 
     The override sensor  104  in the illustrated embodiment takes the form of a first air switch  106  in communication with the controlled output  101  of the trailer brake release using a tee connection  107  and a second air switch  108  in communication with the controlled output  103  of the vehicle brake release using a tee connection  109 . 
     When the first and second air switches of the override sensor of the brake testing device detect when both the trailer brake release and the vehicle brake release are activated, the control module interrupts both brake outputs  62 A and  62 B. 
     Alternatively, when only the first air switch  106  detects that the trailer brake release is activated, but the second air switch  108  detects that the truck brake release is deactivated, receipt of the brake signal by the control module only results in the trailer brakes being activated through the trailer brake output  62 A. 
     Similarly, when only the second air switch  108  detects that the truck brake release is activated, but the first air switch  106  detects that the trailer brake release is deactivated, receipt of the brake signal by the control module only results in the vehicle brakes being activated through the vehicle brake output  62 B. 
     In either of the embodiments of  FIG. 1  or  2 , the control module can further include a logging device  94  in communication therewith which records each turn signal or brake signal received from the remote controller and transmitted to the corresponding circuits of the vehicle and trailer. Typically, the logging device will record the type of signal communicated as well as the time and date of communication to be recorded in a memory for subsequent recall as may be desired. The logging device  94  is particularly suited for use by commercial vehicle management to provide confirmation that an operator of the vehicle followed proper safety features before each trip. 
     Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.