Airflow adjusting apparatus
AssigneeSubaru Corporation
InventorsNaoto Watanabe, Yusaku Dogahira
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle includes a flap and an airflow generator. The vehicle includes a wheel disposed to be partly protruded downward from a vehicle body of the vehicle. The flap is protruded, in front of the wheel, downward from the vehicle body. The airflow generator is provided in an underneath of the vehicle body and vehicle-widthwise inwardly from the wheel. The airflow generator is configured to generate an airflow vehicle-widthwise inward, and backward of the vehicle. The airflow moves obliquely relative to a vehicle longitudinal direction when the vehicle travels forward.
Claims20
An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle, the vehicle including a front wheel disposed to be partly protruded downward from a vehicle body of the vehicle, the airflow adjusting apparatus comprising:
- a flap protruded, in front of the front wheel and aligned with the front wheel, downward from the vehicle body;
- a first plasma actuator provided in an underneath of the vehicle body and vehicle-widthwise inwardly from the front wheel, and configured to generate a first airflow along an underside of the vehicle body, a main flow component of the generated first air flow being directed from the first plasma actuator toward vehicle-widthwise inward, and backward of the vehicle, the main flow component of the generated first air flow having a maximum speed in the generated first airflow;
- and
- a second plasma actuator provided in the underneath of the vehicle body and vehicle-widthwise inwardly from the front wheel, and configured to generate a second airflow along the underside of the vehicle body, a main flow component of the generated second air flow being directed from the second plasma actuator toward vehicle-widthwise inward, and backward of the vehicle, the main flow component of the generated second air flow having a maximum speed in the generated second airflow,
- wherein a center of the first plasma actuator is provided backward from a front edge of the front wheel and forward from a rear edge of the front wheel, and
- wherein a center of the second plasma actuator is provided backward from the center of the first plasma actuator and forward from the rear edge of the front wheel.
An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle, the vehicle including a front wheel disposed to be partly protruded downward from a vehicle body of the vehicle, the airflow adjusting apparatus comprising:
- a flap protruded, in front of the front wheel, downward from the vehicle body;
- a first plasma actuator provided in an underneath of the vehicle body and vehicle-widthwise inwardly from the front wheel, and configured to generate a first airflow along an underside of the vehicle body, a main flow component of the generated first air flow being directed from the first plasma actuator toward vehicle-widthwise inward, and backward of the vehicle, the main flow component of the generated first air flow having a maximum speed in the generated first airflow;
- and
- a second plasma actuator provided in the underneath of the vehicle body and vehicle-widthwise inwardly from the front wheel, and configured to generate a second airflow along the underside of the vehicle body, a main flow component of the generated second air flow being directed from the second plasma actuator toward vehicle-widthwise inward, and backward of the vehicle, the main flow component of the generated second air flow having a maximum speed in the generated second airflow,
- wherein a center of the first plasma actuator is provided backward from a front edge of the front wheel and forward from a rear edge of the front wheel, and
- wherein a center of the second plasma actuator is provided backward from the center of the first plasma actuator and forward from the rear edge of the front wheel.
An airflow adjusting apparatus to be provided in a vehicle, the vehicle including a front wheel disposed to be partly protruded downward from a vehicle body of the vehicle, the airflow adjusting apparatus comprising:
- a flap protruded, in front of the front wheel and between a first position and a second position in the vehicle-widthwise direction, downward from the vehicle body, the first position being vehicle-widthwise outward from an inner end of a wheel house that houses the front wheel, and the second position being located between the first position and the center of the vehicle body;
- and
- a plasma actuator provided on a third position in an underneath of the vehicle body and configured to generate an airflow along an underside of the vehicle body, a main flow component of the generated air flow being directed from the first plasma actuator toward vehicle-widthwise inward, and backward of the vehicle, the main flow component of the generated air flow having a maximum speed in the generated first airflow the third position being located between the second position and the center of the vehicle body in the vehicle-widthwise direction and being located between a front end of the wheel house and a rear end of the wheel house in a vehicle longitudinal direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.