Patent ID: 8162381
Filing Date: 2012-04-24
Classification: B62D

Abstract:
1. An inflatable drag reduction device for vehicles, comprising an inflatable bag of a durable, flexible non-elastic and generally air-tight material, arranged for attachment to the vehicle, said bag comprising a plurality of conjoined panels, the bag further comprising an air duct arranged for allowing the inflow of air into the interior of the bag when the vehicle is in motion, the bag further comprising internal planar ribs of a generally non-elastic material, each such rib having two ends, a planar surface and an outer and inner edge, wherein said outer edge of each rib is attached to the internal surface of a panel and wherein each end is attached to an end of an adjacent rib , the ribs being arranged such that the surface of the ribs are aligned transversely to the vertical axis of the bag when in an inflated state, and further wherein the shape and dimensions of the ribs are chosen so as to cause the device, when in an inflated state, to assume a predetermined geometrical shape in the plane perpendicular to the vertical axis of the bag when in the inflated state, said shape in the perpendicular plane corresponding to the shape of the cojoined ribs, whereby the panels are prevented from outward billowing by the ribs and to thus be maintained in an essentially planar orientation.