Abstract:
An adjustable air-deflecting panel for mounting to a vehicle comprises at least one panel; a plurality of mounts for mounting the panel to the vehicle, each mount comprising a vehicle mount portion for mounting to the vehicle and a panel mount portion for mounting the panel to the vehicle mount portion, the mount portions being pivotally coupled to one another to thereby pivotally couple the panel to the vehicle, the vehicle mount portion comprising a first engagement member and the panel mount portion comprising a second engagement member, the engagement members being operable to engage one another upon clamping the engagement members together to thereby prevent pivoting of the panel about the pivot axis and relative to the vehicle.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/275,081, filed Aug. 24, 2009. 
     
    
     FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to vehicles, such as trucks, with adjustable air-deflecting panels that assist in deflecting air away from a trailer when the vehicle is being used to tow a trailer, and also to adjustable mounts for air-deflecting panels. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Aerodynamic drag can account for a majority of vehicle&#39;s total fuel consumption at highway speeds. With a tractor towing a trailer, a gap exists between the tractor and trailer which tends to trap air, creating a low-pressure wake behind the tractor, resulting in a net pressure difference and, therefore, creating drag. One solution has been to use fixed side extenders and/or spoilers to reduce the effect of unwanted drag. Fixed side extenders are typically rigid, planar panels that extend rearward from the cab of the vehicle. Fixed side extenders are typically designed for specific trailer gap sizes and cannot be adjusted for different trailers and different driving conditions. Furthermore, fixed side extenders may be damaged when the truck is being towed in a backward direction. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Embodiments of adjustable air-deflecting panels for mounting to a vehicle as well as systems and methods for mounting and adjusting the panels are described herein. 
         [0005]    One exemplary embodiment comprises at least one air-deflecting panel and a plurality of mounts adapted for mounting the panel to the vehicle. Each mount includes a first vehicle mount portion adapted for mounting to the vehicle and a second panel mount portion adapted for mounting to the panel. The panel mount portion can be an integral part of the panel and need not be a separate component. The first vehicle mount portion is pivoted to the second panel mount portion so as to pivot about an axis to thereby pivotally couple the panel to the vehicle for pivoting about the pivot axis. The first vehicle mount portion has a first engagement surface and the second panel mount portion has a second engagement surface, the first and second engagement surfaces sliding adjacent to one another as the panel is pivoted from one position to another position. The first and second engagement surfaces include respective inter-engaging features that engage one another upon clamping the first and second engagement surfaces together to thereby prevent pivoting of the panel about the pivot axis relative to the vehicle. In some of these embodiments, the inter-engaging features can include plural detents. 
         [0006]    An exemplary mounting assembly for mounting an adjustable air-deflecting panel to a vehicle includes a vehicle mount portion adapted for mounting to the vehicle and a panel mount portion adapted for mounting to or comprising a portion of the panel. The vehicle mount portion is pivoted to the panel mount portion so as to pivot about a pivot axis to pivotally couple the panel to the vehicle for pivoting about the pivot axis when the vehicle mount portion is mounted to the vehicle and the panel mount portion is mounted to or included in the panel. The vehicle mount portion includes first engagement features and the panel mount portion includes second engagement features, the first and second engagement features being operable to engage one another upon clamping the first and second engagement features together to thereby prevent pivoting of the panel relative to the vehicle. 
         [0007]    An exemplary method of adjusting an air-deflecting panel includes pivotally mounting the air-deflecting panel to the vehicle with at least first and second spaced mounts, the air-deflecting panel comprising a panel comprised of elastically flexible material; adjusting the first mount to a first angle relative to the vehicle, the first angle corresponding to a first dimension of a trailer of the vehicle; and adjusting a second mount to a second angle relative to the vehicle, the second angle being different from the first angle and corresponding to a second dimension of the trailer, whereby adjusting the second mount to the second angle while the first mount is at the first angle warps the panel to a non-planar shape that can correspond to the shape of the trailer; and locking the first and second mounts at the first and second angles, respectively. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a rear view of an exemplary adjustable air-deflecting panel attached to the rear of a vehicle with a plurality of mounts. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a detailed view one of the mounts shown in  FIG. 1 , showing one portion of the mount attached to the panel and another portion of the mount attached to the vehicle, the two portions of the mount being pivotally connected to one another at one location and interfittingly engaged with one another at another location. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a detailed view of an interfitting engagement portion of the mount of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the interfitting engagement portion shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  shows an alternative embodiment of the adjustable air-deflecting panel shown in  FIG. 1 , having a handle inter-connecting two of the mounts. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0013]    The inventive concepts are not limited to the specific exemplary embodiments described below. Air-deflecting vehicle panels are positioned to guide the flow of air away from or along surfaces of a vehicle. Specific examples of air-deflecting vehicle panels include side extenders and roof spoilers. For convenience, however, this description proceeds with respect to describing an application involving side extenders. It should be appreciated that this description also encompasses roof spoilers and other air-deflecting vehicle panels as well. 
         [0014]    With reference to  FIG. 1 , a portion of a truck  10  having a cab  12  is shown. A side extender, or vehicle air deflection panel,  14  is shown coupled to the cab  12  in a position to deflect air traveling along the sides of the truck as the truck is moving in a forward direction away from the area behind the cab. The air flow is represented by the arrow  16 . The illustrated extender  14  optionally includes a first panel portion  20  having a forward side edge portion  22 . Panel  20  also comprises an upright distal or rear side edge portion  24  spaced from cab  12 . An optional edge extension portion  26  is shown mounted to the rear edge portion of panel  20 . Such mounting can be accomplished in any suitable manner, such as known in the art. The panel  20  and the edge portion  26  can both be of single piece construction, or they can comprise a plurality of components, such as upper and lower sections. In  FIG. 1 , an upper panel section of panel  20  is indicated at  20 A and a lower panel section is indicated at  20 B. 
         [0015]    The extender  14  is coupled to cab  12  so as to be adjustable relative to the cab. More specifically, the extender  14  can be shifted, and more desirably pivoted, in either direction indicated by double headed arrow  30 , relative to the cab to shift the panel  14  to a greater or lesser extent into the airstream traveling along the sides of the cab. 
         [0016]    In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , this adjustability is accomplished by a plurality of adjustable supports that mount the extender  14  to the cab. In  FIG. 1 , five of such supports, each indicated by the number  40 , are shown spaced apart along the length of the panel. In  FIG. 1 , two such supports are shown for mounting the upper panel section  20 A to the cab and three such supports are shown for mounting the lower panel  20 B to the cab. 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of an embodiment of one such support  40 . In  FIG. 2 , support  40  comprises a cab mount portion  50  with a plurality of cab mounting flanges (one of which is indicated by the number  52  in  FIG. 2 ) for receiving fasteners for mounting the cab mount  50  to the cab. The cab mount  50  comprises a body that includes a pivot support portion  54 , a projecting central or intermediate portion  56  and an end portion  58 , with portion  56  being intermediate to the end portions  54 ,  58 . A transition surface  60  extends between projecting portion  56  and end portion  58 . Surface  60 , adjacent to portion  56 , can have a convex surface section  62  (see  FIG. 2 ) and a concave surface section  64  adjacent to end portion  58 . Surface  62  can comprise interfitting engagement or mating features, such as détente receiving recesses or projections for use in locking the extender in a desired position, such as described below. A concave surface  66 , or other recess defining surface, can be provided intermediate the projection  56  and pivot receiving portion  54  so as to provide a gap to accommodate relative movement of an extender mount  80  (described below) and the cab mount  50 . 
         [0018]    Position indicators, such as lines  70  or other visual markings, can be included on surface  62  to provide a visual indication of the position of the extender panel  20 . In some embodiments, indicia can be included, such as on surface  62 , to indicate predetermined side extender settings that correlate to specific trailer properties. For example, such indicia can correlate to various gap sizes between the rear of the cab  12  and the front of a trailer. For example, for a specific first relatively large gap distance, a first indicia corresponding to the panel  20  being positioned at a first distance out into the air stream for such a large gap distance can be used. Conversely, for a specific second gap distance less than the first gap distance, a second indicia corresponding to the panel being positioned to a lesser extent (less than the first distance) into the air stream passing along the cab can be used. This allows the side extenders to be quickly adjusted to a predetermined optimal setting for a particular gap size. Indicia on the mount can indicate the desired position for a given gap distance. 
         [0019]    An extender mount  80  is mounted, such as by fasteners, to the panel  20  and more desirably to an interior surface of the panel. Alternatively, the extender mount can be formed integrally with the panel instead of being a separate component. For example, the mount  80  can be molded as a part of the panel in the case of a molded panel. Extender mount  80  comprises a base with a central or intermediate projecting portion  82 , a pivot receiving end portion  84  and an end portion  86  spaced from end portion  84  with the intermediate portion  82  positioned between end portions  84 ,  86 . End portion  84  can comprise upper and lower flanges that define a channel therebetween into which a portion of end portion  54  can be inserted. A pivot pin  90 , which can comprise, for example, a bolt, is inserted through openings in the respective upper and lower flanges and through an opening in end portion  54  to pivot components  50  and  80  together for pivoting about a pivot axis. The pivot axis can be generally upright, and in some embodiments is desirably vertical. In embodiments having two more side extender panel portions, such as  20   a  and  20   b , one panel portion can be mounted on mounts having a vertical pivot axis, while another panel portion can be mounted on mounts having a tilted pivot axis. This can be beneficial where the side of the cab is curved inward near the roof, as shown in  FIG. 1 . Projecting portion  82  comprises an interior or back surface indicated by dashed line  92  in  FIG. 2 , positioned to abut the outer or front surface  62  of the projecting portion  56  of mount  50 . Surface  92  can be concave to accommodate the convex surface  62 . 
         [0020]    In one exemplary embodiment, the engagement surface  62  comprises an arcuate convex surface portion of a first radius perpendicular to the pivot axis of pivot  90  and extending from the pivot axis, the engagement surface  92  comprises an arcuate concave surface portion of a second radius perpendicular to the pivot axis and extending from the pivot axis, the second radius being greater than the first radius and dimensioned such that the surface portions  62  and  92  are slidably coupled together prior to being clamped together. 
         [0021]    In addition, interfitting, inter-engaging, mating or locking features can be provided in surface  92  for selective mating with corresponding interfitting features of surface  62  to selectively lock components  50 ,  80  against relative motion. Projecting portion  82  can comprise upper and lower channel defining flanges  94 ,  96  which define a channel therebetween for receiving a portion of projection  56  and which operate to guide the relative motion of components  80  and  50 . A slot  98  can be provided in extender mount end portion  82 , oriented in a direction to accommodate the motion of component  80  relative to component  50  about the axis of pivot  90 . A fastener, such as a set screw  104 , extends through slot  98  and into a threaded opening in portion  56  of cab mount  50 . By tightening set screw  104 , surfaces  62 ,  92  are urged together and lock the interfitting features of these surfaces to thereby prevent relative motion of the extender  14  and cab  12  until such time as set screw  104  is loosened to again permit such motion. Alternative forms of fasteners or clamps can be used to cause the engagement of the interfitting features to lock the extender in place. 
         [0022]    When the set screw  104  of each of the couplers is loosened, the couplers  40  can simultaneously be adjusted because the side extender panels assist in maintaining the alignment of the extender as such adjustment is accomplished. An optional elongated grab bar, or handle,  110 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 5 , can engage end portion  86  of extender mount  80 , and can similarly engage the corresponding end portions  86  of one or more other adjustable couplers  40  as shown in  FIG. 5 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 2 , handle  110  defines an opening  112  for receiving a pin  114  projecting outwardly from portion  86  of extender mount  80 . A fastener, such as a nut, can be secured to pin  114  (which can be threaded) for securing handle  110  to extender mount  80 . Similar openings and fasteners, or alternative fasteners, can be used to connect the handle  110  to the extender mounts of couplers  40 . 
         [0023]    With reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the interfitting features in this particular embodiment are shown as détente features  120  on surface  62  of cab mount  50  and corresponding interfitting or mating features  124  on surface  92  of extender mount  80 . Although not limited to this form of interfitting features, in the illustrated embodiment, features  120  comprise a plurality of upright or vertically oriented grooves (some of which are numbered as  130 ) separated from one another by a plurality of upright or vertically oriented ridges (some of which are numbered as  132 ). The plurality of projections and grooves can be oriented parallel to, or in the direction of, the pivot axis of pivot  90 . Similar grooves  134  and ridges  136  are provided in surface  92  of section  82  of extender mount  80 . As can be seen in  FIG. 4 , when set screw  104  is tightened, ridges  132  are urged into corresponding grooves  134  and ridges  136  are urged into corresponding grooves  130  to lock the mounts  50 ,  80  together against relative pivoting motion. In contrast, when set screw  104  is loosened sufficiently, the peaks and grooves of the respective components can be separated to permit relative sliding and pivoting of these components to a new position. 
         [0024]    Upper and lower sets of the interfitting features (above and below set screw  104 ) can be provided. In addition, at least one of the interfitting features can include first and second sets  140 ,  142  of such interfitting features, which can be provided on surface  62  spaced apart from one another. One set of inter-engaging features, such as set  140 , can be positioned such that when clamped together with mating features  124  the extender panel is locked at an obtuse angle relative to the rear wall surface of the vehicle. Another set of inter-engaging features, such as set  142 , can be positioned such that when clamped together the extender panel is locked at an acute angle relative to the rear wall surface of the vehicle. The set  142  can be used, for example, to allow further inboard pivoting or rotation of the extender  14  to be entirely out of airstream  16 , for example, if the truck is being towed in reverse. Although variable, desirably there can be sufficient ridges on the mount or bracket surfaces to allow a plus or minus 3 degree rotation from a nominal position. 
         [0025]    It should be noted that, in  FIG. 4  the inner mating features are schematically shown. In addition, in  FIG. 3  the upper flange  94  (shown in  FIG. 2 ) has been eliminated and a portion of end portion  82  has been removed to provide some visibility to the exemplary mating features. 
         [0026]    The side extender panels  20 , the supports  40 , the handle  110 , and other components described herein can be constructed of various materials, with examples including steel, aluminum, plastic, fiber reinforced composite materials, and other polymeric materials. In one example, the supports  40  can comprise a 60% glass filled nylon material. It should be noted that different components can comprise different materials, e.g., the vehicle mounts  50  can be made of steel while the extender mounts  80  can be made of plastic, the handles  110  can be made of aluminum, and the side extender panels  20  can be made of a fiber reinforced composite. Other materials and combinations of materials can also be used. 
         [0027]    In some embodiments, the side extender panels  20  are made of a flexible material that allow the panels to elastically flex, or warp. Exemplary warpable panel material can include thin sheet metal, elastic polymers, and fiber reinforced composites. It can be aerodynamically advantageous to warp the panels  20  to conform to the contours of an irregularly shaped trailer. For example, when towing a cylindrical tanker trailer, it may be desirable to have the upper portions of the panel  20  at a different angle than a middle portion of the panel, thereby deflecting air in a larger angle away from the cab at the middle of the panel, corresponding to a wider middle portion of the tanker trailer and deflecting air less at the narrower top of the tanker trailer with a less outwardly deflected upper portion of the panel. A warpable panel can be set in a warped position by adjusting the supports  40  to different pivot angles. Since each support  40  can have an independent hinge at its pivot axis  90 , the supports of this construction can be adjusted independently as desired to warp the panel  20 . In some embodiments, the handles  110  can be removed to allow adjustment of the supports  40  to different angles. In other embodiments, the handle  110  can be sufficiently flexible to accommodate warping of the panel  20 . 
         [0028]    Having illustrated and described the principles of the invention with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that such features may be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from the inventive principles described herein. All such modifications are encompassed within the scope of the invention.