Plasma actuator for vehicle aerodynamic drag reduction
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsTaeyoung Han, Bahram Khalighi, Kuo-huey Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A plasma actuator includes a first electrode disposed on a substrate, covered by a dielectric layer, and a second electrode disposed on the dielectric layer. In operation, the plasma actuator creates a plasma region, altering air flowing over the actuator. The plasma actuator in various embodiments: has no moving parts, helps to improve fuel economy by reducing aerodynamic drag, improves vehicle stability control under severe unsteady flow environments, reduces wind noise around a vehicle on which the actuator is used, and reduces emission and CO2 foot print through the fuel economy improvement.
Claims12
A plasma-actuator system, for controlling aerodynamics of a vehicle, comprising:
- a first pair of opposing plasma actuators comprising two electrodes, the first pair of opposing plasma actuators being positioned at a decklid of the vehicle at a first position to, in operation of the vehicle, reduce aerodynamic drag on the vehicle by reducing disturbance of air flow adjacent the decklid at the first position;
- wherein the air flow adjacent the decklid at the first position produces a downward force on the decklid
- wherein the first pair of plasma actuators is configured and arranged at the decklid, to generate air flow in a first direction, perpendicular to a main direction of air flowing past the vehicle adjacent the decklid to induce flow separation adjacent to the decklid at the first position.
A plasma-actuator system, for affecting
- aerodynamics of a vehicle, comprising:
- a first pair of opposing plasma actuators positioned at a decklid at a first position adjacent a centerline of the vehicle to, in operation of the vehicle, reduce aerodynamic drag on the vehicle by reducing disturbance of air flow adjacent the decklid at the first positon;
- wherein the air flow adjacent the decklid at the first position produces a downward force on the decklid,
- wherein the first pair of plasma actuators is configured and arranged at the decklid, to generate air flow in a first direction, perpendicular to a main direction of air flowing past the vehicle adjacent the decklid to induce flow separation adjacent to the decklid at the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.