Air Guide Angle Adjustment for Trailer Air Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air guiding devices for automotive vehicles require multiple sensors and complex parameter inputs, making them cumbersome and inefficient for automatic adjustment, particularly when dealing with varying heights and widths of towed or trailer vehicles, which increases air resistance and requires driver intervention for manual adjustments.
Innovation Solution
An air guiding device that adjusts its position based on sensed air loads during travel, using a control unit to minimize power consumption by optimizing the angle of inclination, allowing for automatic adjustment without additional vehicle parameter inputs, and featuring a drive member and sensor system to lock the air guide at the optimal position for reduced air resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple sensors and complex parameter inputs are used for automatic air guide adjustment, then the adjustment accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary sensors and parameter inputs from the system. Instead of using multiple sensors to detect various vehicle parameters (speed, fuel consumption, engine revolutions, torque), the invention uses only a single sensor to detect air load on the air guide itself, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining adjustment accuracy through direct feedback from the aerodynamic condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The air guide system performs self-adjustment by using a sensor that directly measures the air load on the air guide itself. The control unit automatically processes this single parameter and adjusts the air guide position without requiring external vehicle parameter inputs or manual intervention, making the system self-sufficient and simplifying the overall device architecture.
2Device complexity
If manual adjustment by driver is required, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically adjusts the air guide position based on air load detection without requiring the driver to manually intervene. The control unit receives signals from the sensor and automatically controls the drive mechanism to optimize air guide position, eliminating the need for driver climbing onto the roof for manual adjustments while keeping the device structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where a sensor continuously monitors the air load on the air guide during vehicle travel. This feedback signal is transmitted to the control unit, which automatically adjusts the air guide position to minimize air resistance, thereby improving ease of operation without significantly increasing device complexity through automated control based on real-time conditions.
3Device complexity
If air guide position is not optimized, then the device complexity is reduced, but the loss of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor continuously detects air load on the air guide and provides feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit automatically adjusts the air guide position to optimize aerodynamic conditions, thereby reducing air resistance and energy loss. This automated feedback-based optimization achieves energy efficiency without requiring complex manual intervention systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The air guide position is made dynamically adjustable during vehicle travel rather than being fixed. The drive mechanism allows the air guide to change its angle of inclination in response to varying air loads detected by the sensor, enabling the system to adapt to different driving conditions and minimize energy loss from air resistance while maintaining a relatively simple device structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The air guiding device effectively reduces air resistance by automatically adjusting to a position that minimizes power consumption and total force on the air guide, eliminating the need for manual intervention and simplifying installation on various vehicles, while maintaining optimal positioning during travel.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor (17) configured to generate a signal corresponding to a value of a parameter, in particular the force applied to the support structure (15, 16)
Implementation Method 2
The air guide has the purpose of redirecting the air so as to provide a smooth transition of the air between the first vehicle body and the second vehicle body
Data Source
Figure 1~3
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Figure 7~8
AI summary
An air guiding device (10; 10') for and a method for reducing the air resistance of a ground vehicle (1) defining a longitudinal axis (x) parallel with the forward travel direction. The vehicle comprises a first vehicle body (2) and a second vehicle body (4) provided behind the first vehicle body and extending upwardly and laterally beyond the first vehicle body. The air guiding device comprises an air guide (11) supported by a support structure and provided on the first vehicle body and sloping from a forward end towards a rearward end to form an angle (α) of inclination to the longitudinal direction. A sensor senses a parameter corresponding to the force applied to the support structure and transmits a signal corresponding to the sensed parameter to a control unit. The control unit controls the drive member to move the air guide in response to the signal, and thus to the sensed parameter, to adjust the angle of inclination.