Brake Demand Sensors for Control of Electric Brakes

Two types of inexpensive brake demand sensors have been developed to provide linearly proportional synchronization between towing vehicle hydraulic brakes and trailer electric brakes. Brake pressure or brake pedal force are converted to electrical signals used to modulate electric brake current via a solid state electronic controller. This paper discusses the application and development of these sensors which use a potentiometer as the basic element to reliably provide a high level signal at low cost.