Patent ID: 7396089

Claim:
An electro-pneumatic system for controlling the parking and emergency brakes of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle includes a tractor portion and a trailer portion, comprising: (a) a driver interface subsystem, wherein the driver interface subsystem further comprises: (i) a first electrical switch for operating the pneumatic brakes on the tractor portion; and (ii) a second electrical switch in communication with the first electrical switch for operating the brakes on the trailer portion; and (b) a brake control subsystem in electrical communication with the driver interface subsystem, wherein the driver interface subsystem further comprises: (i) a remote module, the remote module further comprising a first electro-pneumatic valve unit in communication with the first electrical switch for controlling the supply and exhaust of pressurized air to/from the parking and emergency brakes of the tractor portion, for applying and releasing the parking and emergency brakes of the tractor portion, and a second electro-pneumatic valve unit in communication with the second electrical switch for controlling the supply and exhaust of pressurized air to/from the parking and emergency brakes of the trailer portion, for applying the releasing the parking and emergency brakes of the trailer portion; and (ii) a tractor protection module in pneumatic communication with the remote module, the tractor protection module further comprising a means for controlling the parking and emergency brakes on the trailer and a means for preventing the delivery of pneumatic pressure to the trailer.