US 12,459,318 B2
Smart cable system for a truck trailer
Sankalp Pampattiwar, Madison, IN (US); Yogesh Kubal, Madison, IN (US); Cesar Perez-Bolivar, Madison, IN (US); and Adam Slade, Madison, IN (US)
Assigned to Grote Industries, Inc., Madison, IN (US)
Filed by Grote Industries, Inc., Madison, IN (US)
Filed on Nov. 22, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/517,153.
Application 18/517,153 is a continuation of application No. 17/989,801, filed on Nov. 18, 2022, granted, now 11,865,884.
Application 17/989,801 is a continuation of application No. 16/691,886, filed on Nov. 22, 2019, granted, now 11,518,205.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/772,825, filed on Nov. 29, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/772,833, filed on Nov. 29, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2024/0123780 A1, Apr. 18, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04W 4/80 (2018.01); B60D 1/64 (2006.01); H01R 13/66 (2006.01); H01R 13/717 (2006.01); H04L 12/40 (2006.01); H04W 76/10 (2018.01)
CPC B60D 1/64 (2013.01) [H01R 13/665 (2013.01); H01R 13/7175 (2013.01); H04L 12/40 (2013.01); H01R 2201/26 (2013.01); H04L 2012/40215 (2013.01); H04L 2012/40273 (2013.01)] 33 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a power cable, a ground cable, and at least one communication cable mounted to a trailer;
a master control circuit that is electrically connected to multiple power terminals of a truck tractor, the power cable, ground cable, and the at least one communication cable, wherein the master control circuit is configured to receive control input from the truck tractor via the power cables, generate commands for controlling at least one trailer component, and send the commands to one of the trailer components;
the at least one trailer component, wherein the at least one trailer component is electrically connected to the power, ground, and the at least one communication cable via a trailer component connector, wherein the trailer component connector includes a slave control circuit that is configured to generate operational status information of the at least one trailer component and communicate the information to the master control circuit via the at least one communication cable and receive the control commands sent by the master control circuit; and
a remote computing device;
wherein the master control circuit is configured to receive the operational status information from the trailer component connector via the at least one communication cable, the master control circuit further comprising a memory configured to store the operational status information of one or more trailer components and a transceiver configured to communicate the information of one or more trailer components to the remote computing device; and
wherein the slave control circuit defines a mode identifier and the control commands include a target mode identifier specifying the trailer component that the control command is intended for such that the slave control circuit only operate when the target mode identifier matches the mode identifier of the slave control circuit.