Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – With distinct wind deflector
Patent
1999-02-09
2000-01-11
Kramer, Dean J.
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
With distinct wind deflector
296 571, B62D 3500
Patent
active
060127627
ABSTRACT:
Presented is a pickup truck tailgate mounted aerostabilizer wing that moves with the tailgate and is therefore out of the way when the tailgate is opened for cargo loading. The aerostabilizer wing is mounted distal from the tailgate by, in its preferred embodiment, use of low drag airfoil shaped stanchions that are attached to forward and upper portions of the tailgate. Other attachment approaches including attachment to rear and/or upper portions of the tailgate and/or use of adjustable or specially fitted attachment systems are also presented. The nose of the aerostabilizer wing is angled down so that the aerostabilizer wing acts as a turning vane to direct pressurized air from an aerodynamic pressure front that builds up on the forward side of the tailgate at highway speeds up and out over the top of the tailgate thereby reducing drag. Due to its downwardly angled and at least partially airfoil shaped design, the aerostabilizer wing also places a downward force on the tailgate thus helping to stabilize the pickup truck when traveling forward. Limitations on the downward angle of the nose of the aerostabilizer wing and of the gap distance between the aerostabilizer wing and the tailgate are established. End treatments of the aerostabilizer wing in both spanwise and chordwise directions are also given. The instant invention aerostabilizer wing and its mounting stanchions are all, in their preferred embodiments, at least partially airfoil shaped to insure a simple yet strong and appealing structure that offers minimum aerodynamic resistance. An optional aerostabilizer wing insert that can extend the spanwise length of the aerostabilizer wing and can include a light or reflector is also offered.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3000663 (1961-09-01), Lucchesi
patent: 4863213 (1989-09-01), Deaver et al.
patent: 5076636 (1991-12-01), Buck et al.
patent: 5607199 (1997-03-01), Gill
patent: 5871254 (1999-02-01), Burg
Kramer Dean J.
Van Der Wall Robert J.
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