GB2465393A - Air deflector for a vehicle - Google Patents
Air deflector for a vehicle Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2465393A GB2465393A GB0820993A GB0820993A GB2465393A GB 2465393 A GB2465393 A GB 2465393A GB 0820993 A GB0820993 A GB 0820993A GB 0820993 A GB0820993 A GB 0820993A GB 2465393 A GB2465393 A GB 2465393A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle
- deflector
- air deflector
- control unit
- air
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000003068 static effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D35/00—Vehicle bodies characterised by streamlining
- B62D35/001—For commercial vehicles or tractor-trailer combinations, e.g. caravans
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D35/00—Vehicle bodies characterised by streamlining
- B62D35/02—Streamlining the undersurfaces
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
- Y02T10/80—Technologies aiming to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions common to all road transportation technologies
- Y02T10/82—Elements for improving aerodynamics
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
- Y02T10/80—Technologies aiming to reduce greenhouse gasses emissions common to all road transportation technologies
- Y02T10/88—Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
- Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)
Abstract
An air deflector system 3, for use on a commercial vehicle, has a plurality of parts 4 and 5, at least some of which are position adjustable so as to reduce aerodynamic drag during a journey. A plurality of pressure sensors 6 are provided on the surface of the vehicle and/or deflector and adapted to measure the air pressure at points on the surface of the vehicle and/or deflector. The outputs of the sensors are passed to an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit being further provided with a signal indicative of vehicle speed and data relating to the geometry of the vehicle. The control unit is further adapted to control the position of each of the position adjustable deflector parts so as to alter the aerodynamic profile of the vehicle in response to the outputs of the pressure sensors and the speed signal. The position of each air deflector part may be adjustable such that an upper part can translate with respect to a lower part wherein each air deflector part may further be provided with an actuator.
Description
Air Deflector Arrangement The invention relates to an air deflector arrangement for use on a commercial vehicle, in particular, but not exclusively, the cab of a tractor unit for use with a semi-trailer, which air deflector is adjustable so as to reduce aerodynamic drag during a journey.
Aerodynamic drag is a significant factor in determining the fuel consumption of a road vehicle and manufacturers have taken many steps to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of their vehicles. With heavy commercial vehicles, the prime mover cab and semi-trailer or trailer will usually be sourced from independent manufacturers and the trailers will be optimised for load carrying and transportation rather than aerodynamics. To improve the aerodynamics of vehicle combination, it is now common to fit an air deflector to the roof of the tractor cab to reduce aerodynamic interference between the cab and the trailer. As trailer heights are not standardised and the prime mover will be used with many different trailers, air deflectors are often adjustable so that the aerodynamics of the vehicle can be adjusted for the particular trailer. These adjustable air deflectors are effectively static and are pre-set for average conditions.
These pre-set deflectors suffer from the problem that the aerodynamic drag will vary with vehicle speed and wind direction and consequently during any typical vehicle operation. In certain circumstances, the pre-set configuration can result in a lower aerodynamic efficiency than if the deflector was removed with the consequent increased fuel consumption.
W02006091 147 discloses an air deflector arrangement that can be adjusted in at least the longitudinal direction whilst the vehicle is in motion using changes in the vehicle fuel consumption to determine whether an adjustment should be made. In an alternative embodiment, it suggests that a pressure sensor may be installed on the front of the vehicle and the position of the deflector adjusted if the pressure detected by the sensor exceeds the pre-defined pressure corresponding to a particular vehicle speed. This solution, however, suffers from the drawback that in many cases the pressure sensor will record an inappropriate pressure and the deflector will be positioned incorrectly, potentially resulting in increased drag.
The present invention therefore seeks to provide an air deflector arrangement adapted to more reliably reduce aerodynamic drag whilst the vehicle in motion.
According to the invention there is provided an air deflector system for use on a commercial vehicle, which air deflector has a plurality of parts, at least some of which are position adjustable so as to reduce aerodynamic drag during a journey, wherein a plurality of pressure sensors are provided, which sensors are distributed on the surface of the vehicle and adapted to measure the air pressure at the surface of the vehicle, the outputs of the sensors being passed to an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit being further provided with a signal indicative of vehicle speed and data relating to the geometry of the vehicle, wherein the control unit is further adapted to control the position of each of the position adjustable deflector parts so as to alter the aerodynamic profile of the vehicle in response to the outputs of the pressure sensors and the speed signal.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the drawing in which: Fig. 1 shows schematically a vehicle with a deflector arrangement Figure 1 shows schematically a vehicle with a deflector arrangement. The vehicle comprises a tractor with a cab I and a box van semi trailer 2. An air deflector 3 shown here with two distinct surfaces 4,5 is located on top of the cab 2. A plurality of pressure sensors 6 are located on the tractor cab and the deflector. The pressure sensors 6 monitor the air pressure at points on the surface of the vehicle so that the actual aerodynamic flow over the vehicle can be monitored at several points. The pressure at any one sensor will be determined by a number of factors including the vehicle speed, wind speed and wind direction.
The air deflector 3 comprises a plurality of individually adjustable parts 4,5, the position of each of which can be adjusted to alter the aerodynamic shape of the cab.
Each part 4,5, is provided with an actuator adapted to move the part relative to the cab and/or the other deflector part. The actuator will typically be an electro-pneumatic * 3 system driven from the tractor reservoir but it would be possible to use screw jacks driven by electric motors or electro-hydraulic rams.
The deflector 3 is split into a number of parts 4,5 which are pivotally connected to one another so that one part can translate relative to the other. A seal is provided between the moving parts so as to ensure that air does not flow between the parts producing unnecessary turbulence.
The output of the pressure sensors 6 is passed to the tractor's on board computer, which will also receive inputs from the tractor tachograph and also from other sensors on the vehicle such as the pressure in the air springs, wheel speed and the loading of the vehicle. The aerodynamic profile of the vehicle will also be determined by the geometry of the tractor cab and that of the trailer, in particular any part of the trailer that is taller than the cab or the upper surface of the air deflector. The geometric profile of the tractor cab will be provided by the manufacturer and can be hard programmed into the on-board computer. As any given tractor will be used with many different trailers, the geometric data for the trailer will need to be supplied at the start of the journey or at least when the trailer is connected to the tractor. Many newer trailers are provided with a trailer information module, which is capable of storing and supplying the information. Older trailers or trailers without the module will generally have the dimensions of the trailer printed on a plate fixed to the trailer, in which case the operator can enter the data manually.
In use, the on board computer determines whether an adjustment to the aerodynamic profile would lower the drag and to control the actuators accordingly to change the profile if this is necessary. The output of the pressure sensors will be measured in cycles of about 1 OOms so as not to overload the on board computer compared to more safety critical applications and compared to a pre-determined pressure map for the vehicle's ideal aerodynamic profile. The on board computer can then compare the data for the pressure sensors with the other data inputs it has received, in particular vehicle speed and trailer height, so that an optimum aerodynamic profile can be determined and the position of the air deflector adjusted. * 4
* As the pressure measured by the sensors may vary in turbulent wind conditions, the control algorithm will average the outputs over a short period of a few seconds so that unnecessary changes to the deflector position are avoided. In the event that pressure changes falling outside predetermined limits are detected, such as may happen in particularly turbulent weather conditions, the on board computer will move the deflector to a default position until the pressure changes come back into the limits. * 5
Claims (4)
- * Claims 1. An air deflector system for use on a commercial vehicle, which air deflector has a plurality of parts, at least some of which are position adjustable so as to reduce aerodynamic drag during a journey, wherein a plurality of pressure sensors are provided, which sensors are distributed on the surface of the vehicle and/or deflector and adapted to measure the air pressure at points on the surface of the vehicle and/or deflector, the outputs of the sensors being passed to an electronic control unit, the electronic control unit being further provided with a signal indicative of vehicle speed and data relating to the geometry of the vehicle, wherein the control unit is further adapted to control the position of each of the position adjustable deflector parts so as to alter the aerodynamic profile of the vehicle in response to the outputs of the pressure sensors and the speed signal.
- 2. An air deflector system according to Claim 1, wherein the air deflector has a plurality of parts, the position of each of which is adjustable such that an upper part can translate with respect to a lower part.
- 3. An air deflector system according to Claim I of Claim 2, wherein each air deflector part is provided with an actuator, which actuator is either electro-pneumatically or electrically driven in response to a signal from the electronic control unit.
- 4. An air deflector system according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the electronic control unit comprises the on-board computer of the vehicle tractor.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0820993A GB2465393A (en) | 2008-11-17 | 2008-11-17 | Air deflector for a vehicle |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0820993A GB2465393A (en) | 2008-11-17 | 2008-11-17 | Air deflector for a vehicle |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB0820993D0 GB0820993D0 (en) | 2008-12-24 |
| GB2465393A true GB2465393A (en) | 2010-05-19 |
Family
ID=40194750
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0820993A Withdrawn GB2465393A (en) | 2008-11-17 | 2008-11-17 | Air deflector for a vehicle |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2465393A (en) |
Cited By (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20110241377A1 (en) * | 2010-04-02 | 2011-10-06 | Daimler Trucks North America Llc | Dynamically adjustable aerodynamic vehicle devices |
| EP2626281A1 (en) | 2012-02-09 | 2013-08-14 | Scania CV AB (Publ) | An air guiding device and a method of reducing the air resistance of a ground vehicle |
| US8727423B2 (en) * | 2011-10-21 | 2014-05-20 | Andrew J. Keyes | Self-drafting device for sub-sonic terrestrial vehicles |
| EP2915726A1 (en) * | 2014-03-04 | 2015-09-09 | Scania CV AB | Method and system to ensure satisfactory function of an air deflector device of a vehicle |
| WO2015133965A1 (en) * | 2014-03-04 | 2015-09-11 | Scania Cv Ab | Method and system to ensure acceptable function of an air guiding device at a vehicle. |
| GB2529675A (en) * | 2014-08-28 | 2016-03-02 | Univ Huddersfield | Adjustable Fairing For A Road Vehicle |
| WO2017108076A1 (en) * | 2015-12-21 | 2017-06-29 | Volvo Truck Corporation | A wind deflector arrangement |
| WO2018099937A1 (en) | 2016-11-30 | 2018-06-07 | RMBLStrip AB | Air guiding or deflecting system and method for operating such system |
| WO2019179915A1 (en) | 2018-03-20 | 2019-09-26 | RMBLStrip AB | Method and system for positioning an air deflector |
Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4102548A (en) * | 1976-12-06 | 1978-07-25 | Paccar Inc. | Infinitely variable, controllably and/or automatically adjustable air deflector and method |
| GB2089303A (en) * | 1980-12-13 | 1982-06-23 | Vauxhall Motors Ltd | Adjustable air deflector assembly |
| DE3619959A1 (en) * | 1986-06-13 | 1987-12-17 | Iveco Magirus | Roof spoiler which can be infinitely vertically adjusted |
| US5536062A (en) * | 1994-12-08 | 1996-07-16 | Spears; Dan E. | Cross wind conditioning for a tractor trailer combination |
| WO2006091147A1 (en) * | 2005-02-28 | 2006-08-31 | Scania Cv Ab (Publ) | Air defelctor arrangement and a method for adjusting the position of the air deflector |
| GB2435246A (en) * | 2006-02-17 | 2007-08-22 | Decoma U K Ltd | Spoiler |
-
2008
- 2008-11-17 GB GB0820993A patent/GB2465393A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4102548A (en) * | 1976-12-06 | 1978-07-25 | Paccar Inc. | Infinitely variable, controllably and/or automatically adjustable air deflector and method |
| GB2089303A (en) * | 1980-12-13 | 1982-06-23 | Vauxhall Motors Ltd | Adjustable air deflector assembly |
| DE3619959A1 (en) * | 1986-06-13 | 1987-12-17 | Iveco Magirus | Roof spoiler which can be infinitely vertically adjusted |
| US5536062A (en) * | 1994-12-08 | 1996-07-16 | Spears; Dan E. | Cross wind conditioning for a tractor trailer combination |
| WO2006091147A1 (en) * | 2005-02-28 | 2006-08-31 | Scania Cv Ab (Publ) | Air defelctor arrangement and a method for adjusting the position of the air deflector |
| GB2435246A (en) * | 2006-02-17 | 2007-08-22 | Decoma U K Ltd | Spoiler |
Cited By (15)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US20110241377A1 (en) * | 2010-04-02 | 2011-10-06 | Daimler Trucks North America Llc | Dynamically adjustable aerodynamic vehicle devices |
| US8496285B2 (en) * | 2010-04-02 | 2013-07-30 | Daimler Trucks North America Llc | Dynamically adjustable aerodynamic vehicle devices |
| US8727423B2 (en) * | 2011-10-21 | 2014-05-20 | Andrew J. Keyes | Self-drafting device for sub-sonic terrestrial vehicles |
| EP2626281A1 (en) | 2012-02-09 | 2013-08-14 | Scania CV AB (Publ) | An air guiding device and a method of reducing the air resistance of a ground vehicle |
| WO2013117539A1 (en) | 2012-02-09 | 2013-08-15 | Scania Cv Ab | An air guiding device and a method of reducing the air resistance of a ground vehicle |
| WO2015133965A1 (en) * | 2014-03-04 | 2015-09-11 | Scania Cv Ab | Method and system to ensure acceptable function of an air guiding device at a vehicle. |
| EP2915726A1 (en) * | 2014-03-04 | 2015-09-09 | Scania CV AB | Method and system to ensure satisfactory function of an air deflector device of a vehicle |
| CN106068221A (en) * | 2014-03-04 | 2016-11-02 | 斯堪尼亚商用车有限公司 | For guaranteeing the method and system of the acceptable function of the air guiding device at vehicle |
| GB2529675A (en) * | 2014-08-28 | 2016-03-02 | Univ Huddersfield | Adjustable Fairing For A Road Vehicle |
| GB2529675B (en) * | 2014-08-28 | 2020-09-02 | Univ Of Huddersfield | Adjustable fairing for a road vehicle |
| WO2017108076A1 (en) * | 2015-12-21 | 2017-06-29 | Volvo Truck Corporation | A wind deflector arrangement |
| CN108430859A (en) * | 2015-12-21 | 2018-08-21 | 沃尔沃卡车集团 | wind shield device |
| US10737734B2 (en) | 2015-12-21 | 2020-08-11 | Volvo Truck Corporation | Wind deflector arrangement |
| WO2018099937A1 (en) | 2016-11-30 | 2018-06-07 | RMBLStrip AB | Air guiding or deflecting system and method for operating such system |
| WO2019179915A1 (en) | 2018-03-20 | 2019-09-26 | RMBLStrip AB | Method and system for positioning an air deflector |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB0820993D0 (en) | 2008-12-24 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |