A traction saddle disposed on a tractor for connection with a traction pin of a trailer, is provided. The traction saddle includes a base, a gear set, and a damper. A gear carrier of the gear set fixes planetary gears of the gear set, the planetary gears are meshed with an inner ring gear of the gear set, and the inner ring gear is fixed to the base. The gear carrier is used for fixing the traction pin to rotate with the traction pin. The planetary gears are meshed with a sun gear of the gear set to drive the sun gear to rotate, and the damper is connected to the sun gear to apply resistance. In addition, a traction pin, a tractor, a trailer, and a truck are also provided.

Various examples of a controller, method and system for monitoring a tractor-trailer vehicle train are disclosed. In one example a tractor controller is manually-initiated or a user-initiated tractor controller and includes an electrical control port for receiving an electrical sync signal and an electrical start signal, and a communications port for receiving data. A processing unit of the tractor controller includes control logic and is in communication with the electrical control port. The control logic is capable of receiving a data signal at the communications port which includes a time value and a unique identification which corresponds to the towed vehicle in response to the electrical start signal. At a predetermined response time, the tractor controller determines the position of the towed vehicle in the tractor-trailer vehicle train based on the data received from the towed vehicles.

A vehicle system includes a head vehicle and a tail vehicle that is towed by the head vehicle. Together the head vehicle and tail vehicle have a control subsystem for controlling among other things braking of the tail vehicle. The control subsystem includes a head unit in the head vehicle and a tail unit in the tail vehicle. The head unit further includes a head Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for measuring orientation and acceleration of the head vehicle, and the tail unit includes a tail IMU for measuring orientation and acceleration of the tail vehicle. With the IMUs, the control subsystem is able to determine relative pitch and orientation of the head vehicle and tail vehicle to control braking and reduce the risk of jackknifing. The tail unit further has wheel speed sensors and a Tire-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) for sensing wheel speed.

A method for mitigating sway of a trailer being towed by a leading vehicle is disclosed. The method may involve using a controller of the vehicle to determine when a trailer sway condition has arisen that requires a mitigating action. The controller may be used to actuate a plurality of brakes of the vehicle, or to increase braking pressure being applied by a driver of the vehicle, when the trailer is detected as swaying toward a centerline of the vehicle from one side or another of the vehicle centerline. The controller may further be used to release the plurality of brakes, or to decrease a braking pressure being commanded by the driver, before the trailer has swayed past the vehicle centerline, and to repeatedly apply and release the vehicle brakes only while the trailer is detected as swaying toward the vehicle centerline, until the trailer sway condition has been mitigated.

A vehicle combination comprising a tractor vehicle and a trailer vehicle, each vehicle including wheels on different sides of the vehicle and wheel brakes associated with the wheels. A method for controlling the vehicle combination includes determining a yaw rate difference between a yaw rate of the tractor vehicle and a yaw rate of the trailer vehicle; determining, on the basis of the yaw rate difference, that an orientation of one of the vehicles deviates from an intended travel direction of the vehicle combination; and activating a wheel brake of the vehicle on only one side of the vehicle in order to counter the orientation deviation of the vehicle relative to the intended travel direction.

Systems for detecting movement of a trailer having a rearward facing camera and linked to a tow vehicle. The systems include taking a first image and a second image with the camera and comparing the images. A first amount of trailer movement is determined between the second image and the first image. The systems may also take additional images and determine a second amount of trailer movement occurring between the additional images. Tracking the first amount and the second amount of trailer movement determines an amount of trailer sway. The determined trailer sway may be compared to a maximum allowable sway and, if the movement is greater than the maximum allowable sway, mitigating sway of the trailer with the tow vehicle.

A device and a method for controlling collision avoidance of a trailer vehicle in platooning include a jackknife induction determination module or operation that determines whether to execute jackknife induction control in a leading vehicle when an emergency braking situation occurs during platooning of the trailer vehicle. The device and method also include a jackknife induction control module or operation that provides an additional braking distance of a following vehicle at the rear of a tractor by inducing pivoting of a trailer while controlling the tractor and trailer of the leading vehicle, respectively, to allow a jackknife phenomenon to occur. Stability of the platooning is improved by reducing a possibility of the occurrence of a collision accident by the following vehicle even during emergency braking.

A system for controlling a trailer brake output circuit includes an input device outputting a signal in response to receiving an input from a user, and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit includes one or more processors, one or more memory modules, the trailer brake output circuit outputting a trailer brake output signal, and machine readable instructions. The electronic control unit receives the signal from the input device, limits the trailer brake output signal to a first value when the trailer brake output circuit outputs the trailer brake output signal in response to the signal received from the input device, and limits the trailer brake output signal to a second value when the trailer brake output circuit outputs the trailer brake output signal not in response to the signal received from the input device. The second value is smaller than the first value.

Method and apparatus are disclosed for vehicle trailer detection. An example vehicle includes an accelerometer and an electronic stability control unit. The electronic stability control unit (a) detects, with the accelerometer, signals indicative of axles traversing a bump (b) when at least three axle signals are detected, generates an axle profile based on a speed of the vehicle and timing of the signals, (c) based on the axle profile, determines whether a trailer is connected to the vehicle, and (d) when the trailer is connected, controls the vehicle stability based on the trailer being connected.

Method and apparatus are disclosed for vehicle trailer detection. An example vehicle includes an accelerometer and an electronic stability control unit. The electronic stability control unit (a) detects, with the accelerometer, signals indicative of axles traversing a bump (b) when at least three axle signals are detected, generates an axle profile based on a speed of the vehicle and timing of the signals, (c) based on the axle profile, determines whether a trailer is connected to the vehicle, and (d) when the trailer is connected, controls the vehicle stability based on the trailer being connected.