IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0903770
(2010-10-13)
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등록번호 |
US-8360509
(2013-01-29)
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발명자
/ 주소 |
- Smith, Andrew F.
- Horrell, Charles M.
- Grossmann, Jeffrey J.
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출원인 / 주소 |
- Advanced Transit Dynamics, Inc.
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
28 인용 특허 :
46 |
초록
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This invention provides a foldable/retractable and unfoldable/deployable, rearwardly tapered aerodynamic assembly for use on the rear trailer bodies and other vehicles that accommodate dual swing-out doors. The aerodynamic assembly includes a right half mounted on the right hand door and a left half
This invention provides a foldable/retractable and unfoldable/deployable, rearwardly tapered aerodynamic assembly for use on the rear trailer bodies and other vehicles that accommodate dual swing-out doors. The aerodynamic assembly includes a right half mounted on the right hand door and a left half mounted on a left hand door. Each half is constructed with a side panel, top panel and bottom panel, which each form half of an overall tapered box when deployed on the rear of the vehicle, the bottom panels and top panels being sealed together at a pair of overlapping weather seals along the centerline.
대표청구항
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1. An aerodynamic assembly that moves between a folded orientation and an unfolded orientation for the rear of a vehicle body having a right hand door and a left hand door comprising: a right aerodynamic assembly half having a right top panel including a top door-hinged section hingedly attached adj
1. An aerodynamic assembly that moves between a folded orientation and an unfolded orientation for the rear of a vehicle body having a right hand door and a left hand door comprising: a right aerodynamic assembly half having a right top panel including a top door-hinged section hingedly attached adjacent a top of the right hand door to fold downwardly, a right bottom panel including a bottom door-hinged section hingedly attached adjacent a bottom of the right hand door to fold upwardly and a right side panel hingedly attached adjacent an outboard edge of the right hand door to fold inwardly toward a center line between the right hand door and the left hand door, the top panel further including a top side panel-hinged section hingedly attached to each of the top door hinged section and a top region of the side panel and the bottom panel further including a bottom side panel-hinged section hingedly attached to each of the bottom door hinged section and a bottom region of the side panel;a left aerodynamic assembly half having a left top panel including a top door-hinged section hingedly attached adjacent a top of the left hand door to fold downwardly, a left bottom panel including a bottom door-hinged section hingedly attached adjacent a bottom of the left hand door to fold upwardly and a side panel hingedly attached adjacent an outboard edge of the left hand door to fold inwardly toward a center line between the right and door and the left hand door, the top panel further including a top side panel-hinged section hingedly attached to each of the top door hinged section and a top region of the side panel and the bottom panel further including a bottom side panel-hinged section hingedly attached to each of the bottom door hinged section and a bottom region of the side panel;a right swing arm assembly hingedly attached to the right hand door, and through a respective tie rod, to each of the right top panel and the right bottom panel; anda left swing arm assembly hingedly attached to the left hand door, and through a respective tie rod, to each of the left top panel and the left bottom panel. 2. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a spring assembly operatively connected at a first end to at least one of the right hand door and the left hand door, constructed and arranged to respectively bias at least one of the right aerodynamic assembly half and the left aerodynamic assembly half into the unfolded orientation. 3. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 2 wherein the spring assembly is operatively connected at a second end to at least one of the right hand swing arm assembly and the left hand swing arm assembly. 4. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 3 further comprising a top stop assembly that prevents unfolding of each top door-hinged section beyond a predetermined angle so that in non-planar external valley is defined between each top door-hinged section and each respective, hingedly connected, top side panel-hinged section and a bottom stop assembly that prevents unfolding of each bottom door-hinged section beyond a predetermined angle so that in non-planar external valley is defined between each bottom door-hinged section and each respective, hingedly connected, bottom side panel-hinged section. 5. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 4 wherein bottom stop assembly comprises a right bottom cable attached between the right hand door and the bottom door-hinged section of the right bottom panel and a left bottom cable attached between the left hand door and the bottom door-hinged section of the left bottom panel. 6. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 5 wherein top stop assembly comprises a right top cable attached between the right hand door and the top door-hinged section of the right top panel and a left top cable attached between the left hand door and the top door-hinged section of the left top panel. 7. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 3 wherein the spring assembly comprises a gas spring. 8. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the right top panel and the right bottom panel include hinges interconnected with the right hand door defining a hinge axis that is angled so as to cause the right top panel and the right bottom panel to form a gap with the right hand door that opens toward the centerline in the folded orientation and wherein the left top panel and the left bottom panel include hinges interconnected with the left hand door defining a hinge axis that is angled so as to cause the left top panel and the left bottom panel to form a gap with the left hand door that opens toward the centerline in the folded orientation. 9. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the right top panel and the right bottom panel each include an elongated cutout adjacent to the right hand door that provides clearance for one or more lock rods located at a plurality of widthwise positions on the right hand door and a weather seal extending between an edge of the cutout and the right hand door when the right hand aerodynamic assembly is in the unfolded orientation, the weather seal including slots that surround the one or more of lock rods. 10. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the left top panel and the left bottom panel each include an elongated cutout adjacent to the left hand door that provides clearance for one or more lock rods located at a plurality of widthwise positions on the left hand door and a weather seal extending between an edge of the cutout and the left hand door when the left hand aerodynamic assembly is in the unfolded orientation, the weather seal including slots that surround the one or more of lock rods. 11. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the top door-hinged section and the top side panel-hinged section of the right top panel are hingedly joined along a line that extends from a corner adjacent the outboard edge of the right hand door to an opposing rearmost corner adjacent the centerline, the bottom door-hinged section and the bottom side panel-hinged section of the right bottom panel are hingedly joined along a line that extends from a corner adjacent the outboard edge of the right hand door to an opposing rearmost corner adjacent the centerline. 12. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 11 wherein the top door-hinged section and the top side panel-hinged section of the left top panel are hingedly joined along a line that extends from a corner adjacent the outboard edge of the left hand door to an opposing rearmost corner adjacent the centerline, the bottom door-hinged section and the bottom side panel-hinged section of the left bottom panel are hingedly joined along a line that extends from a corner adjacent the outboard edge of the left hand door to an opposing rearmost corner adjacent the centerline. 13. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the top door-hinged section and the top side panel-hinged section of the right top panel are joined by a plurality of elastomeric strip hinges fastened adjacent to confronting edges thereof, the bottom door-hinged section and the bottom side panel-hinged section of the right bottom panel are joined by a plurality of elastomeric strip hinges fastened adjacent to confronting edges thereof, the top door-hinged section and the top side panel-hinged section of the left top panel are joined by a plurality of elastomeric strip hinges fastened adjacent to confronting edges thereof, and the bottom door-hinged section and the bottom side panel-hinged section of the left bottom panel are joined by a plurality of elastomeric strip hinges fastened adjacent to confronting edges thereof. 14. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 13 wherein the right side panel and the top side panel-hinged section of the right top panel are joined by a plurality of elastomeric strip hinges fastened adjacent to a junction therebetween, the right side panel and the bottom side panel-hinged section of the right bottom panel are joined by a plurality of elastomeric strip hinges fastened adjacent to a junction therebetween, the left side panel and the top side panel-hinged section of the left top panel are joined by a plurality of elastomeric strip hinges fastened adjacent to a junction therebetween, and the left side panel and the bottom side panel-hinged section of the left bottom panel are joined by a plurality of elastomeric strip hinges fastened adjacent to a junction therebetween. 15. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the right top panel, right bottom panel, right side panel, left top panel, left bottom panel and left side panel are constructed from a composite sheet material having a thickness between approximately 1/16 and 3/16 inch. 16. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of the bottom door-hinged section and the bottom side panel-hinged section of the right bottom panel and at least one of the bottom door-hinged section and the bottom side panel-hinged section of the left bottom panel comprise an open framework. 17. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the right side panel and the left side panel includes a first latch component at a rear bottom corner of an interior face thereof and each of the right bottom panel and the left bottom panel includes a second latch component that removably engages the first latch component on a corner adjacent the centerline on an exterior face thereof 18. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of the right hand door and the left hand door comprises one of a door panel and a framework hingedly attached to the rear of the vehicle body and overlying a non-swing-out door at the rear of the vehicle body. 19. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein the right bottom panel and the left bottom panel are mounted respectively to the right hand door and the left hand door by hinges that are positioned above locking handles attached to lock rods. 20. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of the right top panel, right bottom panel, right side panel, left top panel, left bottom panel and left side pane is constructed from a thermoplastic composite sheet having a thickness of between approximately 1/16 inch and 3/16inch. 21. An aerodynamic assembly for the rear end of a vehicle body comprising: a four-sided arrangement of panels that taper in a rearward direction from a rear of the vehicle body, and being hingedly attached to at least one of a door assembly and a framework assembly that is hingedly attached to the vehicle body, the four-sided arrangement of panels including (a) a right hand top panel, a right hand side panel and a right hand bottom panel, hingedly joined so as to selectively unfold into a right hand folded orientation and unfold into a right hand deployed orientation and (b) a left hand top panel, a left hand side panel, left hand bottom panel hingedly joined so as to selectively unfold into a left hand folded orientation and unfold into a left hand deployed orientation; and a right hand interconnection between the right hand top panel and the right hand bottom panel constructed and arranged to cause the right hand top panel, the right hand side panel and the right hand bottom panel to self-collapse when the at least one door assembly and framework assembly is opened and rotated into engagement with a side of the vehicle body; anda left hand interconnection between the left hand top panel and the left hand bottom panel constructed and arranged to cause the left hand top panel, the left hand side panel and the left hand bottom panel to self-collapse when the at least one door assembly and framework assembly is opened and rotated into engagement with a side of the vehicle body. 22. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 21 wherein the at least one door assembly comprises a pair of doors that each respectively rotate into engagement with an opposing side of the vehicle body. 23. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 21 wherein the right hand interconnection and the left hand interconnection each comprise a respective swing arm assembly with an interconnected spring assembly that enables automatic deployment. 24. The aerodynamic assembly as set forth in claim 21 wherein at least one of the right hand bottom panel and the left hand bottom panel comprise at least one open framework assembly.
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