Patent Application
20250162508
The present disclosure relates to wind deflector assemblies that minimize the adverse aerodynamic effects caused by vehicle mounted storage racks. In particular, the disclosure is directed to a wind deflector that is mounted onto a vehicle rack to reduce drag and wind noise.
Racks are mounted on motor vehicles for the transportation of loads, especially loads not conveniently carried within the allotted cargo space of the vehicle. The use of exteriorly mounted racks is common as is evidenced by most vehicles including features that are designed to act as attachment points for the mounting of a rack thereto. A rack can increase the load carrying capacity of a vehicle. In the context of non-commercial vehicles, it is typical to see luggage and recreational equipment such as skis and bicycles transported on such a rack. In commercial applications equipment such as ladders and tools are carried on an exteriorly mounted rack for transportation to a worksite allowing ready access from the exterior of the vehicle.
Racks are available in a variety of different configurations. Regardless of the variation in design, it is common for a rack to comprise a frame such as a basket, an open lattice or some specially designed feature purposed for the carrying a particular item or piece of equipment such as a bicycle or a ladder. The frame is mounted to the vehicle by a plurality of vertical bars connected to, and extending downwardly from, the rack. The vertical bars include footings that are configured to fit and attach to mounting points on the vehicle. One example is a rack employed on a flatbed truck. The footings extend downwardly and mount to the bed of the truck.
Although it is desirable to employ vehicle racks for their wide range of functionality, there are adverse effects associated with their use. Most vehicles are designed to maximize aerodynamic efficiency to minimize drag and increase fuel economy. Unfortunately, the addition of a rack adversely alters the aerodynamic profile of the vehicle. Air flowing past the leading edges of the rack increase drag. Additionally, the air flowing past the leading edge will have an oscillating flow pattern resulting in vortex shedding. This will cause the rack and the loads thereon to encounter buffeting. For example, a ladder mounted atop a rack will bounce up and down and could shake loose and fall off the vehicle. Obviously, such an event will lead to damage or accidents and is undesirable.
Additionally, the interaction of the leading edge of a rack with the air results in wind noise as the vehicle travels at speed. Wind noise can be extremely loud, for example, loud enough that two persons travelling in a vehicle must shout at each other to be heard. If the driver is listening to the entertainment system of the vehicle, he or she is forced to turn the volume to higher levels. If the operator is unable to use a handsfree device to communicate via cellphone, he or she may seek alternate means of communicating such as by texting while driving or speaking directly into the phone. Any or all of this results in distracted driving or driver fatigue. It is well known that distracted driving is a leading cause of automobile accidents.
The most common solution to mitigate the above shortcomings of a vehicle rack is to install a wind deflector on the leading edge of the rack. Wind deflectors can take on a variety of aerodynamic designs. Once such design includes an elliptical or sharpened trailing edge that reduces vortex shedding. The reduction of vortex shedding also reduces noise but not to the point where it is adequately mitigated as the primary design consideration is drag reduction. For this reason, additional attachments such as fairings have been employed. Usually, a fairing will attach to the rack on the trailing edge of the front cross bar. The addition of a fairing or other attachment increases the complexity of installation of the vehicle rack and can adversely affect the storage capacity of the rack.
What is needed is a wind deflector that is easy to install, reduces drag and significantly reduces noise without requiring additional components that are costly and burdensome to install.
An apparatus for minimizing the adverse aerodynamic effects of a vehicle having a rack mounted thereto is disclosed. In particular, a wind deflector having features that modify and interdict airflow along its leading edge and wind facing surfaces is disclosed.
Vehicle racks typically have at least two elongated support bars that run along a substantial amount of the length of the vehicle. The elongated support bars are connected by cross bars that extend between the elongated supports. One example of a rack having these features is the Holman® Cargo Rack Pro III. As a vehicle is driven in a forward direction, air flows over the cross bars and generates drag and wind noise.
The wind deflector of the present disclosure is mounted onto the front of a vehicle rack to reduce these effects. The wind deflector includes a front, forward facing or wind facing section that is oriented toward the direction of travel of the vehicle. A bottom section extends rearwardly from the leading edge of the front surface. The front or wind facing section is sloped to lessen wind drag. The angle between the bottom and wind facing section may be varied to alter the slope of the forward-facing section. This will allow for optimization of the reduction of wind drag. The exact angle between the bottom section and the wind facing section will depend on the size and shape of the vehicle rack to which the wind deflector is attached.
The wind deflector of the current disclosure also moderates air flow so that effects such as vortex shedding, which causes noise and the rack to undulate, are minimized. Flow modifiers are formed or mounted on the front or wind facing section of the wind deflector. In one embodiment, air flow is moderated by a plurality of dimples or indentations located along the leading edge of the front or wind facing section. The indentations can take on a variety of profiles such as being v or u shaped, as viewed from the front of the wind deflector. In one embodiment, the indentations comprise a modified v-shape having a first section that slopes downward from the leading edge to a flat bottom section and a second section that slopes upwardly from the flat bottom surface to the leading edge. Additionally, non-symmetrical profiles can be used the combine differing sloped sections, for example, a more rounded or steeper first section and a more gradual second section.
The wind deflector is mounted to the front vertical cross bar of the vehicle rack. A top section is located at the upper end of the front, wind facing section. A rear section extends downwardly from said top section. The top section and rear sections are contoured to correspond to the shape of the top of the vertical bar of the vehicle rack. The contoured top section and rear section ensure that the wind deflector maintains a tight seating on the forward cross bar. The wind deflector's exact dimensions and shape may be varied to correspond to differing makes and models of commercially available racks.
The wind deflector can be attached to the forward cross bar of the rack using any known attachment assembly or may even be formed as an integral feature of the vehicle rack system. In one embodiment, the wind deflector includes slots and openings for the attachment of at least one retaining strap. The retaining strap attaches to the front or wind facing section and extends under the front bar of the vehicle rack and is attached to the rear section to retain the wind deflector on said front bar. The at least one retaining strap is an elongated curved member having a threaded flanged at the proximal end with a threaded aperture and a notched or hooking section at its distal end.
The wind facing or front section of the wind deflector has at least one aperture through it. The notched or hooking end of the strap is seated into a rear retaining slot in the wind deflector. This affixes the strap to the rear of the wind deflector. The retaining strap, now affixed at its distal end to the rear of the wind deflector, extends under the forward bar of the vehicle rack. The flanged distal end of the strap is then placed against the back of the front section of the wind deflector. A threaded fastener is then inserted through the aperture of the front or wind facing section and secured to the flanged section of the strap. Tightening the fastener secures the wind deflector to the forward bar of the vehicle rack.
Other applications and features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Exemplary embodiments are described herein to provide a detailed description of the present disclosure. Variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art. Moreover, certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. For example, the words “distal,” “proximal,” “right,” “left,” “top,” “bottom,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner” and “outer” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The word “a” is defined to mean “at least one.” The terminology includes the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.
Referring to
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As shown in greater detail in
Wind deflectors are often designed with the sole consideration of reducing wind drag, but neglect other adverse factors. One such factor is wind noise that can be distracting to the driver and burdensome over long periods of time. The wind deflector 20 of the current disclosure does not suffer this limitation as it moderates air flow 1 and mitigates effects such as wind noise and rack 10 vibration. Flow modifiers 26 are formed or can be mounted on the front or wind facing section 22 of the wind deflector 20.
In one embodiment, air flow 1 is moderated by a plurality of integrally formed grooves or indentations 26 located along the leading edge 29 of the front or wind facing section 22. The indentations may be formed, for example, by using a press and brake during the manufacturing process for the wind screen 20. Alternately, the leading edge 29 may be continuous and formed to allow for grooved members to be added to and protrude slightly from the surface of leading edge 29 (not shown in the drawings). Such grooved members could be applied to the leading edge via adhesive or a locking system that allows for the grooved members to be snapped to the leading edge 29 as discussed in further detail below.
The use of specially shaped indentations 26 eliminates the need to install other means for modifying air flow 1 that may intrude upon and interfere with cargo stored proximally of front bar 14A of rack 10 or are difficult to attach onto the cross bar 14A. For example, in addition to a wind deflector, a rear facing fairing must be strapped to the front bar 14A and are difficult to install. Other racks use wires or cords that are wrapped around the front bar 14A.
The indentations 26 may take on a variety of shapes such as being semi-circular, “V” or “U” shaped. Each shape is chosen to optimize flow moderation and selection of a particular shape will depend on the configuration of the rack in question. As shown in greater detail in
Wind deflector 20 is mounted to the front vertical cross bar 14A of the vehicle rack 10 such that a tight fit therebetween is maintained. A top section 28 is located at the upper end of the front, wind facing section 22. A rear section 30 extends downwardly from said top section 28. The top section 28 and rear section 30 are contoured to correspond to the shape of the top of the vertical bar 14A of the vehicle rack 10. The contour of top section 28 and rear section 30 ensure that the wind deflector 20 maintains a tight seating on the forward cross bar 14A.
The wind deflector 20 can be attached to the forward cross bar 14A of the rack using any known attachment assembly such as bands or screws. Alternatively, the rack 10 can be constructed such that a wind deflector is an integral, unitary feature of the vehicle rack system. In such a configuration, the forward cross bar 14A may be formed such that it includes a sloped wind facing section and a rounded rear section 30. The ends of this bar would attach to the elongated support bars 12A, 12B.
As shown in the embodiment of
The retaining strap 32 has a central, elongated curved portion 37. The proximal end of curved portion 37 has a flange 33 with a threaded aperture 38. The distal end of curved portion 37 includes a hooking section 36. The wind facing or front section 22 of the wind deflector 20 has at least one aperture 39 through it. The notched or hooking end 36 of the strap 32 is seated into a rear retaining slot 31 in the wind deflector. This affixes the strap 32 to the rear of the wind deflector 20. The retaining strap 32, now affixed at its distal end to the rear of the wind deflector 20, extends under the forward bar 14A of the vehicle rack 10. The flanged distal end 33 of the strap 32 is then placed against the back of the front section of the wind deflector 20. A threaded fastener is then inserted through the aperture 39 of the front or wind facing section 22 and secured to the flanged section 33 of the strap 32. Tightening the fastener secures the wind deflector 20 to the forward bar 14A of the vehicle rack 10.
An alternate embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted in
Yet another alternative embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in
The present disclosure includes that contained in the appended claims as well as that of the foregoing description. Although this invention has been described in its exemplary forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of has been made only by way of example and numerous changes in the details of construction and combination and arrangement of parts may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
