VEHICLE AIR DEFLECTION SYSTEM

• US 20120091754A1
• Filed: 05/24/2011
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Translead, Inc. (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Translead, Inc. (Hyundai Motor Group)
• Inventors: Lee, Sang Sig, Lee, Jong Seog
• Granted Patent: US 8,366,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/180.4
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/001 For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans

Abstract

An air deflection system has a first skirt assembly mounted to a vehicle at a first side of a cargo container thereon. The first skirt assembly has at least one upper panel and at least one lower panel each extending in a front-to-rear direction and having laterally facing air deflecting surfaces. The at least one lower panel is constructed to be more readily bendable than the at least one upper panel. The air deflection system further has a plurality of support braces extending angularly between: a) the underside of a vehicle to which the skirt assembly is operatively mounted; and b) the at least one upper panel to support the skit assembly on an associated vehicle and reinforce the at least one upper panel.

Claims

1. In combination:

a) a vehicle comprising;

a cargo container having a front, a rear, a top, a bottom, and laterally spaced first and second sides; and

a support for the cargo container comprising first and second wheel assemblies spaced from each other in a front-to-rear direction,

the support maintaining the cargo container in an elevated position relative to a subjacent supporting surface for the vehicle so that there are first and second spaced regions between;

a) the first and second wheel assemblies; and

b) the bottom of the cargo container and subjacent supporting surface, respectively at the first and second sides of the cargo container; and

b) an air deflection system comprising;

a first skirt assembly mounted to the vehicle at the first side of the cargo container,

the first skirt assembly comprising;

i) at least one upper panel extending in a front-to-rear direction and defining an upper laterally facing deflecting surface; and

ii) at least one lower panel extending in a front-to-rear direction below the at least one upper panel and defining a lower laterally facing deflecting surface,

the upper and lower laterally facing deflecting surfaces blocking air flow in a lateral direction into the first region;

the at least one lower panel being constructed to be more readily bendable than the at least one upper panel so that with the first skirt assembly in an operative position the at least one lower panel will deflect upon being impacted with a predetermined force relative to the at least one upper panel,

the air deflection system further comprising a plurality of support braces extending angularly between;

a) the vehicle at a first location spaced laterally inwardly from the first side at the bottom of the cargo carrying container; and

b) the at least one upper panel to support the first skirt assembly in the operative position and reinforce the at least one upper panel.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the at least one upper panel has a vertical dimension, the plurality of support braces comprises a first support brace comprising a flat body with oppositely facing first and second flat surfaces, the at least one upper panel has a laterally inwardly facing surface and the first support brace is secured to the at least one upper panel with the first flat surface on the body of the first support brace engaged with the laterally inwardly facing surface of the at least one upper panel over a majority of the vertical dimension of the at least one upper panel to thereby reinforce the at least one upper panel.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein the first skirt assembly comprises at least one connector for joining the at least one upper panel and the at least one lower panel, the at least one connector defining a first receptacle bounded by a first upwardly extending leg and a second receptacle bounded by a first downwardly extending leg, the first skirt assembly further comprising a first fastener that extends at least partially through each of the first support brace, the first upwardly extending connector leg and the at least one upper panel, and a second fastener that extends at least partially through each of the first support brace, the first downwardly extending connector leg and the at least one lower panel.

4. The combination according to claim 3 wherein the connector viewed in cross section has an “

H”

shape with an upwardly opening receptacle bounded by the first upwardly extending leg and a second upwardly extending leg and into which the at least one upper panel is directed, and a downwardly opening receptacle bounded by the first downwardly extending leg and a second downwardly extending leg and into which the at least one lower panel is directed.

5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein the first fastener extends into the second upwardly extending connector leg and the second fastener extends into the second downwardly extending connector leg.

6. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the cargo container comprises a plurality of laterally extending reinforcing beams each with a flange, the plurality of support braces comprises first and second support braces respectively comprising first and second clamp assemblies, the first and second clamp assemblies each comprising first and second relatively movable parts, the first clamp assembly parts engagable one each with a flange on respective first and second spaced reinforcing beams to cooperatively releasably hang the first skirt assembly in the operative position, whereupon the second clamp assembly parts can be moved relative to the respective first clamp assembly parts to captively engage respective flanges on the first and second reinforcing beams to thereby maintain the first skirt assembly in the operative position.

7. The combination according to claim 6 wherein the first support brace comprises a single piece that defines the first clamp assembly part and engages the at least one upper panel.

8. The combination according to claim 6 wherein the first clamp assembly part comprises a U-shaped portion that opens generally horizontally to wrap around a respective flange on the first reinforcing beam.

9. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the at least one upper panel has a top and bottom, the plurality of support braces comprises a first support brace comprising a portion that extends angularly between the first location and the at least one upper panel adjacent to the top of the at least one upper panel.

10. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle comprises a plurality of laterally extending reinforcing beams and the first skirt assembly comprises a first elongate mounting component with a length that extends in a front-to-rear direction, the first elongate mounting component connecting to a plurality of the reinforcing beams and to the at least one upper panel.

11. The combination according to claim 10 wherein the at least one upper panel has a top and bottom, the first elongate mounting component comprises angled first and second generally flat walls, the first wall is connected to a plurality of the reinforcing beams and the second wall is connected to the at least one upper panel at the top of the at least one upper panel.

12. The combination according to claim 11 wherein the first and second walls on the first elongate mounting component respectively have first and second free edges, the plurality of support braces comprise a first support brace and the first support brace has a portion that projects angularly between the vehicle and at least one upper panel adjacent each of the first and second free edges.

13. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle comprises a landing gear assembly that is offset laterally inwardly from each of the first and second sides of the cargo carrying container and the first skirt assembly is connected to the landing gear assembly.

14. The combination according to claim 13 wherein the at least one upper panel and at least one lower panel are shaped to extend progressively laterally inwardly in a rear-to-front direction toward the landing gear assembly.

15. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the first skirt assembly comprises at least one elongate connector having a length extending in a front-to-rear direction, the at least one connector joined to each of the at least one upper panel and the at least one lower panel, and the at least one elongate connector is made from a non-metal material.

16. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the air deflector system further comprises a second skirt assembly that is the same as the first skirt assembly mounted to the vehicle at the second side of the cargo carrying container.

17. The combination according to claim 1 wherein each of the at least one upper panel and at least one lower panel is made from a non-metal material.

18. The combination according to claim 1 wherein the at least one upper panel and at least one lower panel each has a length extending in a front-to-rear direction and a vertical extent and the at least one lower panel and at least one upper panel each has a substantially constant vertical extent over a majority of their respective lengths and the vertical extent of the at least one upper panel is greater than the vertical extent of the at least one lower panel.

19. A skirt assembly for a vehicle having a cargo container with a bottom and laterally spaced sides and a support comprising first and second wheel assemblies spaced from each other in a front-to-rear direction that maintain the cargo container in an elevated position relative to a subjacent supporting surface, the skirt assembly mountable in an operative position to the cargo container to block air flow at a first region at one of the sides of the cargo container between:

a) the bottom of the cargo container and subjacent supporting surface; and

b) the first and second wheel assemblies, the skirt assembly comprising;

i) at least one upper panel extending in a front-to-rear direction and defining an upper laterally facing deflecting surface; and

ii) at least one lower panel extending in a front-to-rear direction below the at least one upper panel and defining a lower laterally facing deflecting surface,

the upper and lower laterally facing deflecting surfaces blocking air flow in a lateral direction into the first region of an associated cargo container;

the at least one lower panel being constructed to be more readily bendable than the at least one upper panel so that with the first skirt assembly in an operative position on a cargo container the at least one lower panel will deflect upon being impacted with a predetermined force relative to the at least one upper panel,

the air deflection system further comprising a plurality of support braces each configured to angularly extend between;

a) a first location on a cargo container on which the first skirt assembly is in the operative position spaced laterally inwardly from the first side at the bottom of the cargo container; and

b) the at least one upper panel to support the skirt assembly in the operative position upon the cargo container and reinforce the at least one upper panel.

20. The skirt assembly according to claim 19 wherein the at least one upper panel has a vertical dimension, the plurality of support braces comprises a first support brace comprising a flat body with oppositely facing first and second flat surfaces, the at least one upper panel has a laterally inwardly facing surface and the first support brace is secured to the at least one upper panel with the first flat surface on the body of the first support brace engaged with the laterally inwardly facing surface of the at least one upper panel over a majority of the vertical dimension of the at least one upper panel to thereby reinforce the at least one upper panel.

21. The skirt assembly according to claim 19 wherein the cargo container comprises a plurality of laterally extending reinforcing beams each with a flange, the plurality of support braces comprises first and second support braces respectively comprising first and second clamp assemblies, the first and second clamp assemblies each comprising first and second relatively movable parts, the first clamp assembly parts engagable one each with a flange on respective first and second spaced reinforcing beams to cooperatively releasably hang the first skirt assembly in the operative position, whereupon the second clamp assembly parts can be moved relative to the respective first clamp assembly parts to captively engage the flanges on the first and second reinforcing beams to thereby maintain the first skirt assembly in the operative position.