Patent ID: 9586632
Date: 2017-03-07
CPC Classifications: B62D

Claim:
1. A system of wake control for a passenger ground vehicle to help promote increased fuel efficiencies of the ground vehicle, comprising: at least one slot jet comprising an inlet and an outlet located along a rear profile portion of a body of the ground vehicle, the rear profile portion of the ground vehicle comprising a substantially vertical portion and a slant surface extending at least partially between the substantially vertical portion and a top portion of the body of the ground vehicle, the outlet of the at least one slot jet extending at least partially along the slant surface of the rear profile portion of the body of the ground vehicle, and wherein the inlet of the at least one slot jet extends at least partially along the body of the ground vehicle and is arranged substantially adjacent a bottom surface of the ground vehicle; wherein the outlet of the at least one jet provides a substantially continuous flow of air at a non-zero velocity when the ground vehicle is moving in a forward direction, the non-zero velocity flow of air being at least partially directed in a rearward direction with an output velocity less than a velocity at which the ground vehicle is moving in the forward direction, but sufficient to modify an air flow wake generated by the ground vehicle moving in the forward direction, and wherein the outlet of the at least one slot jet is configured to direct the flow of air at an initial angle substantially parallel with the slant surface of the rear profile of the ground vehicle.