Device for reducing vehicle aerodynamic resistance

• US 8,186,745 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freight Wing, Inc. (Ridge Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Freight Wing, Inc. (Ridge Corporation)
• Inventors: Graham, Mike, Graham, Sean C, Hollifield, Coty T
• Primary Examiner(s): Pedder, Dennis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Daniels, Jason S
• Application Number:
  US12/559,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20110062749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 987 Days
• Field of Search: 296/180.1, 296/180.02, 296/180.03, 296/180.4, 296/181.2, 296/901.01, 296/180.2, 296/180.3, 180/903, 105/1.1, 105/1.3
• US Class Current: 296/180.1
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/001 For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/02 Streamlining the undersurfaces B62D35/005, B62D35/007, B62D35/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/82 Elements for improving aerodynamics
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 180/903 Airstream reactive vehicle or vehicle structure

Abstract

A device for reducing vehicle aerodynamic resistance for vehicles having a generally rectangular body disposed above rear wheels, comprising a plurality of flexible opposing flat sheets and a plurality flexible load bearing struts attached to the bottom of the rectangular body, that bend to resist damage when struck by the ground, and guide airflow around the rear wheels of the vehicle to reduce its aerodynamic resistance when moving.

Claims

1. A device for reducing aerodynamic resistance of a vehicle, having a generally rectangular body with a front, a rear, a bottom, and sides disposed above rear wheels, which positions the rectangular body a predetermined position above a ground surface, the device comprising:

a plurality of opposed load bearing members of a predetermined size, attached continuously and linearly to the bottom of the rectangular body to form opposed acute mounting angles of not more than 20 degrees with the sides of the rectangular body and rearward mounting points adjacent the sides of the rectangular body at a predetermined distance in front of the rear wheels;

a plurality of opposed flat sheets disposed vertically with respect to the ground and made of flexible material, each having a top edge attached to the opposed load bearing members so that the opposed flat sheets are oriented continuously and linearly in the same vertical planes defined by the opposed acute mounting angles, a forward edge that can attach to adjacent opposed flat sheets, a rearward edge that can attach to adjacent opposed flat sheets, and a lower edge disposed at a predetermined height above the ground surface and below the bottom of the rectangular body;

a plurality of opposed flexible load bearing struts of a predetermined length and flexibility, attached at pivot points to the bottom of the rectangular body at a predetermined distance from the opposed load bearing members and attached at pivot points to the opposed flat sheets at a predetermined height above the lower edge;

whereby the flexible load bearing struts support the opposed flat sheets to prevent wind induced movement during normal vehicle operation, can bend freely by rotating at the pivot points into an arc of consistent radius to absorb side impacts and then return to their original position, while also enabling the flexible opposed flat sheets to bend freely by rotating at the pivot points connecting the load bearing struts to absorb vertical impacts by uneven ground surfaces and then return to their original position;

so that the predetermined height above the ground surface of the lower edge of the opposing flat sheets can be minimized without resulting in damage to the device due to impacting uneven ground surfaces, so that maximum airflow is directed around the rear wheels reducing the aerodynamic resistance of the vehicle when moving.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein each opposed flat sheet is attached to one opposed load bearing member of approximately equivalent length and all of the opposed load bearing members are hinged, so that the attached opposed flat sheets can rotate about an axis point adjacent their top edge and the bottom of the rectangular body, and can bend in an ark of consistent radius across the horizontal length of the device if impacted by uneven ground surfaces.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the length of the opposed flat sheets is consistent and approximately 90 inches and the quantity used can be varied to adjust the overall size of the device to accommodate vehicles with rectangular bodies of different lengths.

4. A device as set forth in claim 2, wherein each flexible load bearing struts is attached to the opposed flat sheets with one easily disconnected fastener, so that when the easily disconnected fasteners are disconnected the opposed flat sheets can freely rotate about the axis point of the hinged load bearing members and open to provide convenient access to the bottom of the rectangular body.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4, wherein each flexible load bearing struts is attached to the opposed flat sheets with one easily disconnected fastener and attached to the bottom of the rectangular body with one easily disconnected fasteners, so that worn or damaged load bearing struts can be easily replaced.

6. A device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of opposing flat cover sheets attached to the bottom of the rectangular body, each having an outer edge adjacent the sides of the rectangular body, and an inner edge adjacent the load bearing members, and each being of approximately the same length as the load bearing members, so that irregular surfaces on the bottom of the rectangular body that when left exposed create wind drag are covered by the flat cover sheets to further reduce the aerodynamic resistance of the vehicle when moving.

7. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the opposed flexible load bearing struts are connected to cross members on the bottom of the vehicle by clamping means, comprising a pair of opposing clamping tabs, each having one bolt hole and a bend disposed above the bolt hole, so that one clamping bolt oriented horizontally and adjacent the bottom of the cross member can pass through both of the opposing clamping tabs to position the bends on the cross member, and a nut can be tightened on the clamping bolt to exert a horizontally oriented clamping force on the opposing clamping tabs.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the clamping bolt is also the pivot point for the opposed flexible load bearing struts, and a spacer nut is fixed on the clamping bolt adjacent the flexible load bearing strut so that the clamping force does not prevent the rotation of the flexible load bearing strut on the clamping bolt.

9. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the vehicle has support struts attached to the bottom of the rectangular body at a predetermined distance from the sides of the rectangular body disposed near the front of the body, and the opposed acute mounting angles position the opposed load bearing members and the opposed flat sheets such that they extend in straight lines from the vertex of the opposed acute mounting angles located at rearward mounting points to forward mounting points that are disposed adjacent to the vehicle support struts.

10. A device as set forth in claim 1, wherein a plurality of strut hinges, each having a top leaf and a bottom leaf, are attached to the opposed flexible load bearing struts at the top leaf, and to the opposed flat sheets at the bottom leaf, so that the strut hinges form said pivot points.

11. A device as set forth in claim 10, wherein each strut hinge has multiple bolt holes across the length of the top leaf so that one bolt hole can be selected to attach the load bearing strut, in order to assist in aligning the flexible load bearing struts with suitable connection points on the bottom of the rectangular body during installation on the vehicle.

12. A device for reducing aerodynamic resistance of a vehicle, having a generally rectangular body with a front, a rear, a bottom, and sides disposed above rear wheels, which positions the rectangular body a predetermined position above a ground surface, the device comprising:

a plurality of opposed load bearing members of a predetermined size, hinged with an axis adjacent the bottom of the rectangular body, attached continuously and linearly to the bottom of the rectangular body to form opposing acute mounting angles of not more than 20 degrees with the sides of the rectangular body and rearward mounting points adjacent the sides of the rectangular body at a predetermined distance in front of the rear wheels, the opposing acute mounting angles positioning the opposed load bearing members such that they extend from the rearward mounting points to forward mounting points adjacent vehicle support struts attached to the bottom of the rectangular body at a predetermined distance from the sides of the rectangular body;

a plurality of opposed flat sheets disposed vertically with respect to the ground and made of flexible plastic material, each having a top edge attached to the opposed load bearing members by removable fastening means, a rearward edge that can overlap adjacent opposed flat sheets and attach thereto by removable fastening means, a forward edge that can attach to adjacent opposed flat sheets, and a lower edge disposed at a predetermined height above the ground surface of approximately 8 inches and below the bottom of the rectangular body;

a plurality of opposed flexible load bearing struts of a predetermined length and flexibility, attached at pivot points to the bottom of the rectangular body by clamping means at a predetermined distance from the opposed load bearing members, and to the opposed flat sheets at a predetermined height above the lower edge by strut hinges with an easily disconnected fastener, so that when the easily disconnected fastener is disconnected the opposed flat sheets can freely rotate about the axis point of the hinged load bearing members and open to provide convenient access to the bottom of the rectangular body;

whereby the flexible load bearing struts support the opposed flat sheets to prevent wind induced movement during normal vehicle operation, can bend freely by rotating at the pivot points into an arc of consistent radius to absorb side impacts and then return to their original position, while also enabling the flexible opposed flat sheets to bend freely by rotating at the pivot points of the strut hinges, to absorb vertical impacts by uneven ground surfaces and then return to their original position;

so that the predetermined height above the ground surface of the lower edge of the opposing flat sheets can be minimized without resulting in damage to the device due to impacting uneven ground surfaces, so that maximum airflow is directed around the rear wheels reducing the aerodynamic resistance of the vehicle when moving.