A vehicle includes friction brakes, an axle, and a controller. The axle has an electronic limited-slip differential that includes a variable torque capacity lockup clutch. The controller is programmed to, in response to a difference between desired and actual yaw rates exceeding a first threshold, increase the torque of the lockup clutch to decrease the difference between the desired and actual yaw rates. The controller is further programmed to, in response the difference between desired and actual yaw rates exceeding a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, increase the torque of the friction brakes to decrease the difference between the desired and actual yaw rates.

A control system for a vehicle includes a speed sensor that generates a vehicle speed signal. A sway detection sensor generates an oscillation signal. A brake control is coupled to a vehicle brake and is associated with a trailer brake. A controller is coupled to a stability control system and brakes one or more of the vehicle brake and the trailer brake and in response to the oscillation signal.

A trailer brake controller and system detects absolute deceleration of a trailer by incorporating an electronic gyroscope/accelerometer combination in order to accurately calculate the deceleration subtracting out the component which is due to the force of gravity. The controller and system also receives and reads information from the towing vehicle's speed sensor. The system detects the deceleration of the trailer and sends a signal to a trailer brake activation circuit based upon an acceleration status of the trailer. In some embodiments, the system detects that the trailer is decelerating and the trailer control device sends a signal to the trailer braking system activation circuit to activate the trailer brakes. Particularly, the system is able to detect that the trailer is decelerating at an unsafe rate and to activate the trailer brakes and slow the trailer to a safe speed.

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 method and device for braking a traction vehicle-trailer combination with a traction vehicle and at least one trailer, in which a traction controller is provided for a brake system of the traction vehicle, and for a brake system of the at least one trailer, no traction controller is provided or a traction controller is provided for the axles which are present, but with a brake-slip-determining arrangement on fewer axles than the number of axles, in which (a) the trailer brake system is controlled by the traction vehicle brake system, and (b) during a braking it is determined whether there is a risk of the trailer swinging out as to the traction vehicle, or whether such swinging is imminent or is occurring, and (c) the braking force or the braking of the trailer is reduced if it has been determined in (a) that there is a risk of the trailer swinging out, or is imminent or is occurring, and (d) a risk of the trailer swinging out, or imminent or occurring swinging out of the trailer, as to the traction vehicle, is detected according to (a) by the traction controller.

A method for stabilizing a vehicle combination including a towing vehicle and at least one trailer vehicle includes determining wheel revolution rates of a driven axle of the towing vehicle and a vehicle speed of the towing vehicle, checking, as a first criterion, whether there is braking wheel slip at the driven axle of the towing vehicle without the operation of a wheel brake of the driven axle of the towing vehicle, and actuating, in response to the first criterion being met, at least one wheel brake of the trailer vehicle.

A platooning controller, a vehicle system including the same, and a method thereof perform braking control based on a hitch angle. The platooning controller includes a processor that controls platooning of one or more vehicles, each with a trailer, and includes a storage storing information for controlling the platooning. The processor controls a host vehicle such that a hitch angle of the host vehicle with the trailer meets a predetermined reference angle, when it is necessary to perform braking control, and controls the host vehicle to perform the braking control.

Various examples are directed to systems and methods for operating a vehicle comprising a tractor and a trailer attached for pulling behind the tractor. A center-of-mass system may determine a mass of the trailer and a tractor understeer. The center-of-mass system may determine the tractor understeer using steering input data describing a steering angle of the tractor and yaw data describing a yaw of the tractor. The center-of-mass system may determine a load center of mass using the tractor understeer and a mass of the trailer. The center-of-mass system may further determine that the load center of mass transgresses a center-of-mass threshold and send an alert message indicating that the load transgresses the load center-of-mass threshold.

A vehicle braking system comprising a first braking electronic control unit (ECU) which is operable to control the operation of a first set of vehicle brakes, a second braking electronic control unit (ECU) which is operable to control the operation of a second set of vehicle brakes, and a first connection between the first and second braking ECUs by means of which an electrical braking control signal may be transmitted between the first and second braking ECUs, the first braking ECU being provided with a first wireless signal receiver by means of which data from a further vehicle concerning the braking of the further vehicle may be received, wherein the second braking ECU is provided with a second wireless signal receiver by means of which data from a further vehicle concerning the braking of the further vehicle may be received, and is programmed to, in the event of a failure of the first wireless signal receiver, transmit either the data received from the further vehicle or information or instructions based on the data received from the further vehicle, to the first braking ECU via the first connection.

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.