ULTRASONIC DRAG MODULATION
First Claim
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1. A method for controlling drag of a vehicle traveling through an environmental media, comprising:
- directing a transducer, responsive to a signal, to emit an ultrasonic beam rearwards, with respect to a direction of vehicle travel, into a transitional section between a laminar flow and a turbulent flow of a boundary layer adjacent to a surface of the vehicle, to modify the drag exerted on the vehicle.
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Abstract
Drag experienced by a vehicle travelling through an environmental media, such as air, is actively modulated by an energy beam which may either increase or decrease the drag. The energy beam may provide either a chemical, acoustic, or electromagnetic energy at a transition region between turbulent and laminar flow or at the leading edge of a laminar flow, or in the direction of a crosswind, in order to facilitate the respective increase or decrease in drag. An energy beam may be directed in a rearwards direction, relative to a direction of travel.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for controlling drag of a vehicle traveling through an environmental media, comprising:
directing a transducer, responsive to a signal, to emit an ultrasonic beam rearwards, with respect to a direction of vehicle travel, into a transitional section between a laminar flow and a turbulent flow of a boundary layer adjacent to a surface of the vehicle, to modify the drag exerted on the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for controlling drag imposed upon a vehicle while the vehicle is traveling through an environmental media, comprising:
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emitting an ultrasonic energy from a transducer directed rearward with respect to a direction of vehicle travel, and at an angle with respect to a boundary layer between a laminar flow and a turbulent flow associated with the vehicle; wherein a drag exerted on the vehicle is modified. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for controlling drag of a vehicle traveling through an environmental media, comprising:
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emitting an ultrasonic beam from a transducer; changing the ultrasonic beam responsive to a parameter selected from the group consisting of;
vehicle velocity, vehicle pitch, vehicle yaw, turbulence, air density, temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and altitude;directing the ultrasonic beam rearwards with respect to a direction of vehicle travel, into a transitional section of a boundary layer formed by the environmental media upon a surface of the vehicle, thereby altering a transition of the boundary layer between a laminar flow and a turbulent flow; whereby a drag exerted upon a portion of the vehicle is increased or reduced. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification