Vehicle with aerodynamic system

• US 8,191,956 B1
• Filed: 04/09/2010
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company
• Original Assignee: Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company
• Inventors: Dixon, Robert James Jr., Bennett, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Blankenship, Gregory
• Application Number:
  US12/757,827
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 296/180.1, 296/180.4, 296/181.5, 296/187.03, 296/187.12, 180/903
• US Class Current: 296/180.4
• 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

Abstract

A semi-trailer has an elongate bed with skirts depending there from adjacent to either side of the bed. The skirts are laterally flexible and can also flex vertically to overcome obstacles and objects. Elongate plates are mounted at one end to the underside of the bed adjacent one or the other of the depending skirts. The elongate plates extend inwardly beneath the bed and then diagonally downwardly to the adjacent skirt displaced below the attachment to the bed. Leaf springs are superimposed on the underside of the inward extensions of the elongate plates to preload the plates toward the bed of the semi-trailer. The skirts extend from landing leg assemblies on the semi-trailer to longitudinally adjacent the forward outboard tires of the wheel assemblies.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising

an elongate bed;

a skirt adjacent to either side of the elongate bed and depending there from;

stabilizers, a plurality of the stabilizers each including a first plate fixed at one end to the bed adjacent one of the skirts and extending inboard beneath the bed to a second end not fixed to the bed and a second plate extending from the second end of the first plate to meet and be fixed to the same one of the skirts at a position displaced downwardly from the fixed end of the first plate, the second plates bending with the skirts flexing inboard, the second plates being principally in tension and the first plates bending with the skirts flexing outboard.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, the plurality of stabilizers being elongate sheets further including transition curves joining the second plates to the second ends of the first plates, the elongate sheets each defining the first plate, the second plate and the transition curve there between.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, the elongate sheet being steel.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising

wheels mounted to the bed;

landing leg assemblies extending from the bed and having support structures, the skirts extending from longitudinally adjacent the landing leg assemblies to longitudinally adjacent the wheels.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, the skirts being laterally aligned with the outboard surfaces of the support structures adjacent the landing leg assemblies.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, the skirts being at the sides of the bed adjacent the wheels.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, the skirts diverging from one another from the landing leg assemblies toward the wheels.

8. The vehicle of claim 4, the skirts each including a stiffening brace along the end most adjacent the landing leg assemblies.

9. A vehicle comprising

an elongate bed;

a skirt adjacent to either side of the elongate bed and depending there from;

stabilizers, a plurality of the stabilizers each including a first plate fixed at one end to the bed adjacent one of the skirts and extending inboard beneath the bed to a second end not fixed to the bed and a second plate extending from the second end of the first plate to meet and be fixed to the same one of the skirts at a position displaced downwardly from the fixed end of the first plate;

leaf springs superimposed on the first plates and preloaded to bias the second ends of the first plates toward the bed.

10. A vehicle comprising

an elongate bed;

a skirt adjacent to either side of the elongate bed and depending there from, the skirts being laterally flexible;

stabilizers, a plurality of the stabilizers each including a first plate fixed at a first end to the bed adjacent one of the skirts and extending inboard beneath the bed to a second end not fixed to the bed and a second plate extending from the second end of the first plate to meet and be fixed to the same one of the skirts at a position displaced downwardly from the first end of the first plate, the second plates bending with the skirts flexing inboard with the first plates statically positioned against the underside of the bed, the second plates being principally in tension and the first plates bending downwardly from the bed with the skirts flexing outboard.

11. A vehicle comprising

an elongate bed;

a skirt adjacent to either side of the elongate bed and depending there from, the skirts being laterally flexible;

stabilizers, a plurality of the stabilizers each including a first plate fixed at a first end to the bed adjacent one of the skirts and extending inboard beneath the bed to a second end not fixed to the bed and a second plate extending from the second end of the first plate to meet and be fixed to the same one of the skirts at a position displaced downwardly from the first end of the first plate, the second plates bending with the skirts flexing inboard with the first plates statically positioned against the underside of the bed, the second plates being principally in tension and the first plates bending downwardly from the bed with the skirts flexing outboard;

leaf springs superimposed on the first plates and preloaded to bias the first plates toward the bed.

12. A vehicle comprising

an elongate bed;

a skirt adjacent to either side of the elongate bed, depending from the elongate bed and having a bottom edge;

stabilizers, a plurality of the stabilizers each including a first plate fixed at a first end to the bed adjacent one of the skirts and extending inboard beneath the bed to a second end and a second plate extending from the second end of the first plate to meet and be fixed to the same one of the skirts at a position displaced downwardly from the first end of the first plate, the skirts being laterally flexible from their dependency at the elongate bed to at least the skirt position displaced downwardly from the first end of the first plate fixed to the second end of the first plate, the plurality of stabilizers not otherwise being connected to the bed or the skirts, the second plates bending with the skirts flexing inboard with the second ends of the first plates statically positioned against the underside of the bed, the second plates being principally in tension and the first plates bending downwardly from the bed with the skirts flexing outboard.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 further comprising

leaf springs superimposed on the first plates and preloaded to bias the first plates toward the bed.

14. The vehicle of claim 12, the plurality of stabilizers being elongate sheets further including transition curves joining the second plates to the second ends of the first plates, the elongate sheets each defining the first plate, the second plate and the transition curve there between.