Patent Application
20250001924
The present specification generally relates to shelter structures or campers and, more specifically, to a cab over shelter structure or camper unit with exterior surface features for the improvement of aerodynamics during overland travel.
Cabover trucks are essentially a style of heavy-duty truck without a hood or a very short length of hood. In such arrangements, the truck cab sits on top of the engine and steering axle, which is beneficial in reducing length of the overall vehicle. Cabover campers and cabover motorcoaches are moveable shelter structures or recreational shelters. A cabover motorcoach may be a unitary motorcoach with a cabover design. A cabover camper may be built on or easily loaded into the cargo area of a mid-size or full-size pick-up truck. Such cabover designs reduce the towing length of a traditional bumper pull travel trailer or recreational vehicle (RV), while also producing better fuel economy. Such cabover designs are also versatile in that such a construction may be adapted to a variety of vehicular styles.
However, the cabover design, in the case of heavy-duty trucks and recreational vehicle designs, while decreasing the length of the overall vehicle, tend to increase the height of the vehicle due to the positioning of the cabover portion. As such, this increased height in some cases the increases the aerodynamic drag, decreases fuel economy, and decreases maneuverability of the vehicle. As such, there is a need, particularly in overland or offroad vehicles, for a shelter structure or camper having a cabover design with increased aerodynamic properties beneficial to overland travel.
A shelter structure is provided. The shelter structure may be configured to be coupled to a vehicle propulsion system comprising a vehicle cockpit. The shelter structure may be formed as a cabover unit, such that the shelter structure comprises a body having a cabover portion. As such, the cabover portion is defined by a contact surface, two opposing lateral sides, and a bottom section that contains a bottom edge.
The shelter structure may further comprise at least one airfoil disposed upon the body thereof at the cabover portion. More particularly, cabover portion of the shelter structure body may comprise at least one airfoil disposed upon the contact surface such that the airfoil may result improved aerodynamics during forward travel of the associated vehicle at sufficient speed.
The at least one airfoil may have a leading edge, a trailing edge, and an airfoil intermediate section. The leading edge may be advantageously disposed along the contact surface at a positive angle of attack at or near one of the lateral sides. The trailing edge may be advantageously disposed along the respective lateral side downstream in the airflow path from the leading edge. The airfoil intermediate section may further define an airfoil exterior and an airfoil interior. The airfoil interior is disposed opposite the airfoil exterior and is radially spaced apart from the contact surface by an airflow path width W.
The airfoil is configured to pull air away from the contact surface of the cabover portion and redirect the airflow path from the portion of the contact surface substantially orthogonal to the direction of travel for the vehicle along the respective lateral sides of the body in a non-linear direction. More particularly, the airfoil leading edge splits the airflow as it contacts the respective leading edge, such that airflow along the exterior of the respective airfoil moves at a higher velocity than the airflow along the interior and through the airflow path width W, which thereby reduces the pressure on the exterior of the respective airfoil, i.e., reduces the aerodynamic drag at the position of the contact surface in which the airfoil is disposed, which results in improved vehicle performance, drivability, and fuel economy.
The embodiments set forth in the drawings are illustrative and exemplary in nature and not intended to limit the subject matter. The following detailed description of the illustrative embodiments can be understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings, where like structure is indicated with like reference numerals and in which:
While the present disclosure may be described with respect to specific applications or industries, those skilled in the art will recognize the broader applicability of the disclosure.
The terms “a”, “an”, “the”, “at least one”, and “one or more” are used interchangeably to indicate that at least one of the items is present. A plurality of such items may be present unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. All numerical values of parameters (e.g., of quantities or conditions) in this specification, unless otherwise indicated expressly or clearly in view of the context, including the appended claims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about” whether or not “about” actually appears before the numerical value. “About” indicates that the stated numerical value allows some slight imprecision (with some approach to exactness in the value; approximately or reasonably close to the value; nearly). If the imprecision provided by “about” is not otherwise understood in the art with this ordinary meaning, then “about” as used herein indicates at least variations that may arise from ordinary methods of measuring and using such parameters. In addition, a disclosure of a range is to be understood as specifically disclosing all values and further divided ranges within the range.
The terms “comprising”, “including”, and “having” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, or components. Orders of steps, processes, and operations may be altered when possible, and additional or alternative steps may be employed. As used in this specification, the term “or” includes any one and all combinations of the associated listed items. The term “any of” is understood to include any possible combination of referenced items, including “any one of” the referenced items. The term “any of” is understood to include any possible combination of referenced claims of the appended claims, including “any one of” the referenced claims.
Features shown in one figure may be combined with, substituted for, or modified by, features shown in any of the figures. Unless stated otherwise, no features, elements, or limitations are mutually exclusive of any other features, elements, or limitations. Furthermore, no features, elements, or limitations are absolutely required for operation. Any specific configurations shown in the figures are illustrative only and the specific configurations shown are not limiting of the claims or the description.
For consistency and convenience, directional adjectives are employed throughout this detailed description corresponding to the illustrated embodiments. Those having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that terms such as “above”, “below”, “upward”, “downward”, “top”, “bottom”, etc., may be used descriptively relative to the figures, without representing limitations on the scope of the invention, as defined by the claims. Any numerical designations, such as “first” or “second” are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any way.
The term “longitudinal”, as used throughout this detailed description and in the claims, refers to a direction extending a length of a component. The term “forward” or “anterior” is used to refer to the general direction from a tailgate or tailpipe of a vehicle to a front bumper or hood of a vehicle, and the term “rearward” or “posterior” is used to refer to the opposite direction, i.e., the direction from the front bumper or hood of a vehicle toward the tailgate or tailpipe of a vehicle. In some cases, a component may be identified with a longitudinal axis as well as a forward and rearward longitudinal direction along that axis. The longitudinal direction or axis may also be referred to as an anterior-posterior direction or axis.
The term “transverse”, as used throughout this detailed description and in the claims, refers to a direction extending a width of a component. For example, a transverse direction of a vehicle extends between the driver's side of the vehicle and the passenger's side of the vehicle, for example between driver's side mirror to passenger's side mirror. The transverse direction or axis may also be referred to as a lateral direction or axis or a mediolateral direction or axis.
The term “vertical”, as used throughout this detailed description and in the claims, refers to a direction generally perpendicular to both the lateral and longitudinal directions. The term “upward” or “upwards” refers to the vertical direction pointing towards a top of the component. The term “downward” or “downwards” refers to the vertical direction pointing opposite the upwards direction, toward the bottom of a component. The terms proximal and distal may be understood to provide generally opposing terms to describe relative spatial positions.
The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose embodiments of the shelter structure 10 having a cabover portion 12 of the present invention. Traditional cabover designs, for heavy-duty trucks, campers, motorcoaches, or other recreational vehicles tend to decrease the length of the overall vehicle 14, but in turn, tend to increase the height of the vehicle 14 due to the positioning of the cabover portion 12. Moreover, recreational vehicles (RV) generally, particularly for use in off-road and expedition environments, are inherently large. As such, the increased height of a cabover portion 12 of the shelter structure 10, added to already large off-road and expedition vehicle applications can increase aerodynamic drag, decrease fuel economy, a decrease maneuverability of the vehicle 14. As such, there is a need for a shelter structure 10 having a cabover portion 12 with increased aerodynamic properties particularly in offroad and expedition vehicles 14.
In a general sense, the present disclosure provides a shelter structure 10 having a cabover portion 12 with improved aerodynamics. More particularly, the present disclosure provides a shelter structure 10 having a cabover portion 12 with at least one strategically placed airfoil 16a, 16b positioned along a contact surface 18 of the cabover portion 12. The at least one airfoil 16a, 16b is disposed in and designed to reduce the air pressure and aerodynamic drag of the cabover portion 12 in high air pressure zones that may form on the contact surface 18 of the cabover portion 12 during forward travel of the associated vehicle 14 at sufficient speed. The at least one airfoil 16a, 16b pulls air away from the contact surface 18 of the cabover portion 12 and redirects such air that collects at the contact surface 18 along the respective lateral sides 20a, 20b of the shelter structure 10, which thereby reduces the aerodynamic drag and results in improved vehicle 14 performance, drivability, and fuel economy.
The shelter structure 10 having a cabover portion 12 may be coupled to or integral to a variety of vehicles 14 that may comprise a vehicle propulsion system 22 and a vehicle cockpit 24. In one example embodiment, as shown in
Referring to
The first portion 34 of the body 30 extends from the rear facing surface 36 to the second portion 40 laterally between the lateral sides 20a, 20b. The first portion 34 further defines a first portion bottom edge 42, such that the first portion 34 extends vertically between the roof line 32 and the first portion bottom edge 42.
Referring specifically to
The second portion 40 of the body 30 may comprise the cabover portion 12 disposed above the vehicle cockpit 24. As such, the second portion 40 extends from the first portion 38 to the contact surface 18 laterally between the lateral sides 20a, 20b. The second portion 40 may further define a second portion bottom section 49 that contains a second portion bottom edge 48, such that the second portion 40 extends vertically between the roof line 32 and the second portion bottom edge 48. The second portion bottom edge 48 is disposed above and directly adjacent to a roof of the vehicle cockpit 24. The second portion 40 also defines the contact surface 18. The contact surface 18 extends between the roof line to the second portion bottom section 49.
The shelter structure 10 may further comprise at least one airfoil 16a, 16b disposed upon the second portion 40 of the body 30. More particularly, shelter structure 10 may further comprise at least one airfoil 16a, 16b disposed upon the contact surface 18 strategically placed in high air pressure zones that may form on the contact surface 18 of the cabover portion 12 during forward travel of the associated vehicle 14 at sufficient speed. Said another way, the airfoils 16a, 16b are strategically placed on the contact surface 18 in the front corners of the second portion 40, such that the airfoils improve aerodynamics by reducing the naturally occurring high pressure zones or points of contact on the contact surface 18 and redirecting airflow down the lateral sides 20a, 20b of the shelter structure 10, i.e., controlling drag induced vortices formed at the high pressure zones.
As best shown in
The first airfoil 16a may have a first leading edge 50, a first trailing edge 52, and a first airfoil intermediate section 54. The first leading edge 50 may be advantageously disposed along the contact surface 18 at or near a first abutment 19 disposed between the contact surface 18 and the first lateral side 20a. The first trailing edge 52 may be advantageously disposed along the first lateral side 20a downstream in the airflow path A from the first leading edge 50. The first airfoil intermediate section 54 may extend laterally from the first leading edge 50 to the first trailing edge 52. The first airfoil 16a may further define a first airfoil exterior 56 and a first airfoil interior 58. The first airfoil exterior 56 is vertically flush with and extends from the roof line 32 to the second portion bottom section 49. The first airfoil interior 58 is disposed opposite the first airfoil exterior 56 and is radially spaced apart from the contact surface 18 by an airflow path width W. The airflow path width may be from about 0.5 inches to about 4.0 inches depending on the type of vehicle 14 and related application. More particularly, in one embodiment the airflow path width W is from about 1.0 inches to about 2.0 inches. The first airfoil interior 58 and first airfoil exterior 56 may be arcuate in configuration, such that each surface 56, 58 is cambered with respect to the contact surface 18.
Analogously, the second airfoil 16b may have a second leading edge 60, a second trailing edge 62, and a second airfoil intermediate section 64. The second leading edge 60 may be advantageously disposed along the contact surface 18 at or near a second abutment 21 disposed between the contact surface 18 and the second lateral side 20b. The second trailing edge 62 may be advantageously disposed along the second lateral side 20b downstream in the airflow path A from the second leading edge 60. The second airfoil intermediate section 64 may extend laterally from the second leading edge 60 to the second trailing edge 62. The second airfoil 16b may further define a second airfoil exterior 67 and a second airfoil interior 68. The second airfoil exterior 67 is vertically flush with and extends from the roof line 32 to the second portion bottom section 49. The second airfoil interior 68 is opposite the second airfoil exterior 67 and is radially spaced apart from the contact surface 18 by an airflow path width W. The airflow path width may be from about 0.5 inches to about 4.0 inches depending on the type of vehicle 14 and related application. More particularly, in one embodiment the airflow path width W is from about 1.0 inches to about 2.0 inches. The second airfoil interior 68 and second airfoil exterior 67 may be arcuate in configuration, such that each surface 67, 68 is cambered with respect to the contact surface 18.
The airfoils 16a, 16b thereby reduce high air pressure zones that may form on the contact surface 18 of the cabover portion 12 in the forward or leading portion of the vehicle 14 during forward travel of the associated vehicle 14 at sufficient speed. The airfoils 16a, 16b pull air away from the contact surface 18 of the cabover portion 12, splitting the same with the respective leading edge 50, 60 and redirecting the airflow path A in direction D2 from the portion of the contact surface 18 substantially orthogonal to the direction of travel D1 along the respective lateral sides 20a, 20b in a non-linear direction D3, in a non-turbulent manner. More particularly, the airfoils 16a, 16b, are positioned in a positive angle of attack, such that the leading edge 50, 60 splits the airflow path A as it contacts the respective leading edge 50, 60 such that air flow along the exterior 56, 67 of the respective airfoil 16a, 16b moves at a higher velocity than the airflow along the interior 58, 68 and through the airflow path width W, which thereby reduces the pressure on the exterior 56, 67 of the respective airfoil 16a, 16b, i.e., reduces the aerodynamic drag at the foil position, which results in improved vehicle 14 performance, drivability, and fuel economy.
The respective first airfoil 16a and second airfoil 16b may be optimized in configuration and placement based upon the underlying vehicle 14 dimensions and aerodynamics.
The detailed description and the drawings or figures are supportive and descriptive of the present teachings, but the scope of the present teachings is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the present teachings have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the present teachings defined in the appended claims.
While various embodiments have been described, the description is intended to be exemplary, rather than limiting and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the embodiments. Any feature of any embodiment may be used in combination with or substituted for any other feature or element in any other embodiment unless specifically restricted. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also, various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the attached claims.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems, and any element or elements that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced, however, are not to be construed as critical, required, or essential features or elements of any or all of the claims, unless such benefits, advantages, solutions, or elements are expressly stated in such claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/523,578, filed Jun. 27, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63523578 | Jun 2023 | US |
