Truck aerodynamic A-pillar design
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An aerodynamic mobile ground vehicle with a drivers cab having a roof and a cowl at a lower forward section, and the cab engaged to a chassis which may be driven on the ground, comprising:
- (a) an open windshield frame in an upper forward portion of the cab;
(b) said windshield frame defined by a front edge of the roof of the cab, an upper portion of the cowl on a lower edge and front door frame `A` pillars on sides of said windshield frame;
(c) a windshield with curved corners engaged into said windshield frame; and
(d) said front door frame `A` pillars having a portion of a third order ellipse on an exterior surface in a plane parallel to the ground for a portion of said front door frame `A` pillar vertical length.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An aerodynamic windshield to door frame interface on a mobile ground vehicle, such as a medium or heavy duty highway truck. More specifically, the interface including the windshield and front door frame, sometimes referred to as the "A" pillar, contains a third order mathematical ellipse when viewed from the top of the vehicle. The inclusion of the third order ellipse in the "A" pillar and in some cases the outer edge of the windshield moves the rear point of tangency further back along the vehicle cab.
30 Citations
13 Claims
-
1. An aerodynamic mobile ground vehicle with a drivers cab having a roof and a cowl at a lower forward section, and the cab engaged to a chassis which may be driven on the ground, comprising:
-
(a) an open windshield frame in an upper forward portion of the cab; (b) said windshield frame defined by a front edge of the roof of the cab, an upper portion of the cowl on a lower edge and front door frame `A` pillars on sides of said windshield frame; (c) a windshield with curved corners engaged into said windshield frame; and (d) said front door frame `A` pillars having a portion of a third order ellipse on an exterior surface in a plane parallel to the ground for a portion of said front door frame `A` pillar vertical length. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. An aerodynamic mobile ground vehicle with a cab engaged to a chassis which may be driven on the ground, the cab having a windshield interfaced with a front door frame `A` pillar on each side of the windshield, comprising:
(a) a third order ellipse on an exterior surface of the windshield to front door frame `A` pillar interface in a plane parallel to the ground.
-
12. An aerodynamic mobile ground vehicle with a cab engaged to a chassis that may be driven on the ground, said cab having a windshield interfaced with a front door frame `A` pillar on each side of said windshield, and said cab having an elliptical, continuously smooth, decreasing curve in a plane parallel with the ground commencing in said windshield and continuing with a gradually increasing radius curvature as said curve progresses around said `A` pillar with a termination of said curve at a tangency point on a side glass of a side door of the vehicle.
-
13. An aerodynamic mobile ground vehicle with a cab engaged to a chassis, said cab having a windshield interfaced with a front door frame `A` pillar on each side of said windshield, said `A` pillars each having an elliptical, continuously smooth, decreasing curve in a plane parallel with the ground and continuing with a gradually increasing radius curvature as said curve progresses around said `A` pillar with a termination of said curve at a tangency point on a side glass of a side door of the vehicle.
Specification