Aerodynamic drag reducing apparatus

• US 7,850,224 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2009
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stemco Products, Inc. (Enpro Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Adaptive Aerodynamic, LLC
• Inventors: Breidenbach, Thomas Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): LYJAK, LORI LYNN
• Application Number:
  US12/618,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 296/180.1, 296/180.2, 296/180.3, 296/180.4, 296/180.5
• 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 35/007 Rear spoilers B62D35/001 takes precedence

Abstract

An aerodynamic drag reducing apparatus for use with vehicles having downstream surfaces that are not streamlined. The apparatus includes folding panels that extend rearward for use in a drag reducing configuration and collapse for use in a space saving configuration.

Claims

1. A drag reducing device for use in reducing drag on a vehicle, the drag reducing device mounted on a rear end of the vehicle, the drag reducing device comprising:

an upper panel that is movable between a deployed position of the upper panel and a stowed position of the upper panel, the upper panel hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle;

a lower panel that is movable between a deployed position of the lower panel and a stowed position of the lower panel, the lower panel hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle;

an intermediate member positioned between the upper and the lower panels, the intermediate member hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle;

an upper member rotatably connected to the intermediate member at a first connection and rotatably connected to the upper panel at a second connection;

a lower member rotatably connected to the intermediate member at a third connection and rotatably connected to the lower panel at a fourth connection;

wherein the upper and the lower panels, the intermediate member, the upper member, and the lower member cooperate with each other in moving the upper and the lower panels simultaneously away from each other to the deployed positions of the upper and the lower panels respectively; and

wherein the upper and the lower panels, the intermediate member, the upper member, and the lower member cooperate with each other in moving the upper and the lower panels simultaneously toward each other to the stowed positions of the upper and the lower panels respectively.

2. The drag reducing device of claim 1, wherein the upper panel is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle on a rear door of the vehicle, the lower panel is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle on the rear door, and the intermediate member is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle on the rear door.

3. The drag reducing device of claim 1, wherein the upper panel is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle along a first substantially horizontal hinge-line, the lower panel is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle along a second substantially horizontal hinge-line, and the intermediate member is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle along a substantially vertical hinge-line.

4. The drag reducing device of claim 2, wherein the upper panel is hingedly mounted to the rear door of the vehicle along a first substantially horizontal hinge-line, the lower panel is hingedly mounted to the rear door of the vehicle along a second substantially horizontal hinge-line, and the intermediate member is hingedly mounted to the rear door of the vehicle along a substantially vertical hinge-line.

5. The drag reducing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the upper panel, the lower panel, and the intermediate member is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle by a deformable material.

6. The drag reducing device of claim 1, wherein the upper panel slopes downwardly as the upper panel extends rearwardly when the upper panel is at the deployed position of the upper panel.

7. The drag reducing device of claim 6, wherein the lower panel slopes upwardly as the lower panel extends rearwardly when the lower panel is at the deployed position of the lower panel.

8. The drag reducing device of claim 1, wherein a rearwardly opening cavity is defined between the upper panel and the lower panel when the upper panel and the lower panel are at the deployed positions.

9. A drag reducing device for use in reducing drag on a vehicle with a substantially vertical rear end, the drag reducing device comprising:

a drag reducing assembly that is movable between a deployed configuration and a stowed configuration, the drag reducing assembly including a first end adapted for connection to the substantially vertical rear end of the vehicle and a second end that is moved outwardly from the first end when the drag reducing assembly is moved from the stowed configuration toward the deployed configuration;

the drag reducing assembly including at least an upper panel rotatably connected to the vehicle at a first connection including a first horizontal fold-line and a lower panel rotatably connected to the vehicle at a second connection including a second horizontal fold-line; and

the drag reducing assembly including a linkage assembly rotatably connected to the upper panel at a third connection, rotatably connected to the lower panel at a fourth connection, and hingedly connected to the vehicle at a fifth connection;

wherein the linkage assembly is configured to enable the upper and the lower panels of the drag reducing assembly to be folded inwardly together and unfolded outwardly together in a coordinated manner such that the upper and the lower panels are both folded inwardly toward each other and toward the first end of the drag reducing assembly when the drag reducing assembly is moved toward the stowed configuration from the deployed configuration and the upper and the lower panels are both folded outwardly away from each other when the drag reducing assembly is moved toward the deployed configuration from the stowed configuration.

10. The drag reducing device of claim 9, wherein the linkage assembly includes an intermediate member that is connected to the vehicle at a vertical hinge line of the fifth connection, an upper member rotatably connected to the intermediate member at a sixth connection and rotatably connected to the upper panel at the third connection, and a lower member rotatably connected to the intermediate member at a seventh connection and rotatably connected to the lower panel at the fourth connection.

11. The drag reducing device of claim 10, wherein the intermediate member of the linkage assembly includes a frame having a first vertical frame member spaced from a second vertical frame member, the frame including an upper frame member and a lower frame member, the upper and the lower frame members extending between the first and the second vertical frame members.

12. The drag reducing device of claim 9, wherein the drag reducing assembly includes a rearwardly opening cavity when the drag reducing assembly is in the deployed configuration.

13. The drag reducing device of claim 9, wherein the upper panel is a substantially planar panel.

14. The drag reducing device of claim 13, wherein a forward edge of the upper panel is substantially at an elevation of a top of the vehicle when the drag reducing assembly is in the deployed configuration.

15. The drag reducing device of claim 9, wherein the drag reducing assembly is biased toward the deployed configuration.

16. The drag reducing device of claim 9, wherein the drag reducing assembly is biased toward the stowed configuration.

17. The drag reducing device of claim 9, further comprising a left drag reducing assembly, wherein the drag reducing assembly is a right drag reducing assembly and the first end of the drag reducing assembly is the first end of the right drag reducing assembly, wherein the left drag reducing assembly is substantially a mirror image of the right drag reducing assembly, and wherein the left drag reducing assembly includes a first end.

18. The drag reducing device of claim 17, wherein the vehicle includes a right and a left door at the substantially vertical rear end of the vehicle, wherein the first end of the right drag reducing assembly is adapted for connection to the right door, and wherein the first end of the left drag reducing assembly is adapted for connection to the left door.

19. The drag reducing device of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first and the second connections includes a deformable material.

20. The drag reducing device of claim 9, wherein the upper panel slopes downwardly as the upper panel extends rearwardly when the drag reducing assembly is at the deployed configuration.

21. The drag reducing device of claim 20, wherein the lower panel slopes upwardly as the lower panel extends rearwardly when the drag reducing assembly is at the deployed configuration.

22. An aerodynamic structure for a rear end of a vehicle comprising:

hingedly mounted on each of a pair of doors of the vehicle, an upper panel and a lower panel that hinge between a stowed position on the door to a deployed position in which the upper panel and the lower panel cooperate to define a portion of the aerodynamic structure with a rearwardly opening cavity; and

hingedly mounted on each of the doors of the vehicle, a linkage between the upper panel and the lower panel so that hinged movement of the lower panel is coordinated with corresponding hinged movement of the upper panel.

23. The aerodynamic structure of claim 22, wherein the linkages each comprise an intermediate member, each of the intermediate members hingedly attached to a respective one of the doors and interconnected to a respective one of the upper panels and a respective one of the lower panels so that the hinged movement of the lower panel is coordinated with corresponding hinged movement of a respective one of the intermediate members and is thereby coordinated with the corresponding hinged movement of the respective one of the upper panels in coordination with the corresponding hinged movement of the respective one of the intermediate members.

24. The aerodynamic structure of claim 23, wherein each of the intermediate members is rotatably connected to an upper member and a lower member, each of the upper members is rotatably connected to the respective one of the upper panels and each of the lower members is rotatably connected to the respective one of the lower panels, each of the upper members extends between the respective one of the intermediate members and the respective one of the upper panels, and each of the lower members extends between the respective one of the intermediate members and the respective one of the lower panels.

25. The aerodynamic structure of claim 22, wherein at least one of the upper panels and the lower panels is hingedly mounted on the pair of the doors by a deformable material.

26. The aerodynamic structure of claim 22, wherein the upper panels slope downwardly as the upper panels extend rearwardly when the upper panels are at the deployed positions of the upper panels.

27. The aerodynamic structure of claim 26, wherein the lower panels slope upwardly as the lower panels extend rearwardly when the lower panels are at the deployed positions of the lower panels.

28. An aerodynamic structure for a rear end of a vehicle comprising:

a folding panel assembly that folds to a stowed configuration and unfolds to a deployed configuration, the folding panel assembly defining a rear opening when the folding panel assembly is in the deployed configuration, the folding panel assembly comprising;

a first side corresponding to a top of the vehicle when the folding panel assembly is in the deployed configuration, the first side hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at a first hinge-line;

a second side corresponding to a side of the vehicle when the folding panel assembly is in the deployed configuration, the second side hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at a second hinge-line, and a third hinge-line interconnecting the first side to the second side; and

a third side positioned beneath the first side when the folding panel assembly is in the deployed configuration, the third side hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at a fourth hinge-line, and a fifth hinge-line interconnecting the second side to the third side;

wherein the first, the second, and the third sides fold inwardly together when the folding panel assembly is folded and unfold outwardly together when the folding panel assembly is unfolded.

29. The aerodynamic structure of claim 28, wherein the first side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle on a rear door of the vehicle, the second side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle on the rear door, and the third side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle on the rear door.

30. The aerodynamic structure of claim 28, wherein the first hinge-line is a first substantially horizontal hinge-line, the second hinge-line is a substantially vertical hinge-line, and the fourth hinge-line is a second substantially horizontal hinge-line.

31. The aerodynamic structure of claim 29, wherein the first hinge-line is a first substantially horizontal hinge-line, the second hinge-line is a substantially vertical hinge-line, and the fourth hinge-line is a second substantially horizontal hinge-line.

32. The aerodynamic structure of claim 28, wherein the first side includes a first panel and the third side includes a second panel, wherein the second side includes an intermediate panel, an upper panel, and a lower panel, wherein the third hinge-line interconnects the first panel of the first side and the upper panel of the second side and a sixth hinge-line interconnects the upper panel of the second side and the intermediate panel of the second side, and wherein the fifth hinge-line interconnects the second panel of the third side and the lower panel of the second side and a seventh hinge-line interconnects the intermediate panel of the second side and the lower panel of the second side.

33. The aerodynamic structure of claim 32, wherein the first panel of the first side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at the first hinge-line, the second panel of the third side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at the fourth hinge-line, and the intermediate panel of the second side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at the second hinge-line.

34. The aerodynamic structure of claim 33, wherein relative sliding occurs between the panels interconnected by at least one of the third, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh hinge-lines when the folding panel assembly folds inwardly and unfolds outwardly.

35. The aerodynamic structure of claim 33, wherein at least one of the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh hinge-lines includes a deformable material.

36. The aerodynamic structure of claim 28, wherein the first side includes a first panel and a second panel, the third side includes a third panel and a fourth panel, and the second side includes a fifth panel, wherein the third hinge-line interconnects the second panel of the first side and the fifth panel of the second side and a sixth hinge-line interconnects the first and the second panels of the first side, and wherein the fifth hinge-line interconnects the third panel of the third side and the fifth panel of the second side and a seventh hinge-line interconnects the third and the fourth panels of the third side.

37. The aerodynamic structure of claim 36, wherein the first panel of the first side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at the first hinge-line, the fourth panel of the third side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at the fourth hinge-line, and the fifth panel of the second side is hingedly mounted to the rear end of the vehicle at the second hinge-line.

38. The aerodynamic structure of claim 37, wherein relative sliding occurs between the panels interconnected by at least one of the third, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh hinge-lines when the folding panel assembly folds inwardly and unfolds outwardly.

39. The aerodynamic structure of claim 37, wherein at least one of the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh hinge-lines includes a deformable material.

40. The aerodynamic structure of claim 28, wherein the first side slopes downwardly as the first side extends rearwardly when the folding panel assembly is at the deployed configuration.

41. The aerodynamic structure of claim 28, wherein the second side slopes inwardly as the second side extends rearwardly when the folding panel assembly is at the deployed configuration.

42. The aerodynamic structure of claim 41, wherein the first side slopes downwardly as the first side extends rearwardly when the folding panel assembly is at the deployed configuration.