System for reducing aerodynamic drag forces on a trailer
US11325662B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 20, 2021 |
| Grant date | May 10, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 20, 2041 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02T10/82
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A system for reducing drag on a trailer includes a flexible membrane including a perimeter coupled to a rear end of the trailer. A variable-volume cavity is defined between the flexible membrane and the rear end. The system also includes a source of pressurized gas coupled to the trailer and in fluidic communication with the variable-volume cavity, and a controller operable to control a flow of the pressurized gas from the source to the variable-volume cavity such that the flexible membrane is moved from a stowed profile, wherein the flexible membrane is collapsed against the rear end of the trailer, to a first deployed profile, wherein the flexible membrane is maintained in a first pre-selected tapered aerodynamic shape projecting rearward from the rear end.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.