DRAG REDUCING APPARATUS FOR A VEHICLE
First Claim
1. A drag reducing apparatus for a vehicle rear end having adjacent rear doors, each said door including opposed pairs of parallel walls and a substantially flat upwardly extending rear surface intersecting said walls to provide opposed pairs of parallel edges therewith, said drag reducing apparatus comprising:
- a pair of inflatable lobes, each said lobe including opposing top and bottom surfaces, opposing side surfaces, a mounting surface proximal to the rear door, and a substantially planar aft-face distal to the rear door;
each said lobe having a deflated position and a deployed position relative to the rear end of the vehicle;
each said lobe in said deployed position overlying said surface therefrom between said opposed pairs of parallel edges; and
,each said lobe in said deployed position provides an aerodynamic substantially planar contour extending rearwardly of the rear end of the vehicle wherein each of said opposing side surfaces having at least a first slope relative to each of one opposed pair of parallel edges, and each of said opposing top and bottom surfaces having at least a second slope relative to each of another opposed pair of parallel edges.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure comprises a pair of inflatable substantially inelastic lobes. A single lobe can be mounted on each of the rear trailer doors of a standard tractor-trailer unit. Each lobe can be inflated or deployed to provide an aerodynamic substantially planar contour extending rearwardly of the rear end of the vehicle. The aerodynamic shape of the lobes with stable and substantially planar external surfaces for air to pass over can be created by a series of internal cords and flag sets extending substantially horizontally and vertically in an array from one side of the lobe to the other side of each lobe. When the lobes are deflated, the trailer doors can be opened and latched to the side of the trailer in a conventional manner.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A drag reducing apparatus for a vehicle rear end having adjacent rear doors, each said door including opposed pairs of parallel walls and a substantially flat upwardly extending rear surface intersecting said walls to provide opposed pairs of parallel edges therewith, said drag reducing apparatus comprising:
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a pair of inflatable lobes, each said lobe including opposing top and bottom surfaces, opposing side surfaces, a mounting surface proximal to the rear door, and a substantially planar aft-face distal to the rear door; each said lobe having a deflated position and a deployed position relative to the rear end of the vehicle; each said lobe in said deployed position overlying said surface therefrom between said opposed pairs of parallel edges; and
,each said lobe in said deployed position provides an aerodynamic substantially planar contour extending rearwardly of the rear end of the vehicle wherein each of said opposing side surfaces having at least a first slope relative to each of one opposed pair of parallel edges, and each of said opposing top and bottom surfaces having at least a second slope relative to each of another opposed pair of parallel edges. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An inflatable drag reducer adapted to be mounted on the rear doors of a vehicle transport trailer, said drag reducer comprising:
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a pair of flexible enclosed lobes with one lobe mounted onto each of the two trailer rear doors, said lobes having a base surface adjacent to said trailer doors; said lobes having opposing ends, opposing sides, and a terminal aft-face over which air passes during forward motion of said trailer; said lobes containing an array of interior substantially inelastic cords connected to opposing flag sets arranged along an interior surface and extending between said opposing ends and said opposing sides, such that upon inflation each said lobe assumes a truncated substantially pyramidal shape with said ends, said sides, and said aft-face surfaces being substantially planar; and
,said opposing ends and said opposing sides each having sloping surfaces relative to said base surface. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An inflatable drag reducer adapted to be mounted on the rear doors of a vehicle transport trailer, said drag reducer comprising:
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a pair of flexible enclosed lobes with one lobe mounted onto each of the two trailer rear doors, said lobes each having a base surface mounted to said trailer door; said lobes having opposing ends, opposing sides, and a terminal aft-face over which air passes during forward motion of said trailer; said drag reducer further including a mechanism for inflating and deflating said lobes such that upon inflation each said lobe assumes a substantially pyramidal shape with said ends, said sides, and said aft-face surfaces being substantially planar; and
,said opposing ends and said opposing sides each having sloping surfaces relative to said base surface wherein a medial side of one said lobe diverges from a medial side of another said lobe. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification