Patent ID: 8740317

Claim:
A method of controlling a towing vehicle connected to a vehicle trailer, the method comprising: determining a set of vehicle targets for the towing vehicle, the set of vehicle targets including a plurality of target values each corresponding to a different one of a plurality of vehicle sensors positioned on the towing vehicle; sensing a set of vehicle conditions indicative of movements exhibited by the towing vehicle caused by the vehicle trailer, the set of vehicle conditions including a plurality of condition values each sensed by a different one of the plurality of vehicle sensors; determining a plurality of differences between the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions; determining a trend of the plurality of differences; determining, by a symmetric braking control system, a symmetric force to apply to the vehicle based at least in part on the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions; determining, by an asymmetric braking control system, an asymmetric force to apply to the vehicle based at least in part on the set of vehicle targets and the set of vehicle conditions; selecting between the symmetric control system and the asymmetric control system based on the trend; and actuating a vehicle system according to the selected symmetric control system or the asymmetric control system to apply the symmetric force or the asymmetric force to the towing vehicle to decrease the plurality of differences.