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The following is an excerpt from the blog post linked above:
Active Side Skirts:
The patent publication explains that vehicle side skirts are an aerodynamic device typically fitted to a vehicle body side between the front and rear wheels. The purpose is to help streamline ambient airflow around the rear wheels to reduce drag. According to the summary in the patent, the larger the area of the side skirts, the lower aerodynamic drag on the vehicle.
The Active Side Skirt system utilizes sensors to detect the rotating speed of the wheel as well as the speed of the vehicle relative to the road surface, and a controller is programmed to send commands to actuators that can extend and retract the side skirts "toward and away from the road surface".
Active Spoilers
Like the side skirts, spoilers are used to "spoil" unfavorable air movement across the body of a vehicle in motion, usually described as turbulence or drag. Adding a spoiler at the rear of the vehicle helps to delay airflow separation from the body. As we have learned recently from the two different styles of the spoilers on the 2019 Corvette ZR1, a spoiler mounted as a certain height and angle can either help to reduce lift and create downforce like the ZR1's high wing, or it can be used to streamline the airflow to reduce drag as is the function of the ZR1's low wing.
Of course, nobody wants to carry around two different spoilers. So the Active Spoiler system detailed in the Patent publication solves that problem.
Stanchions are used to support the spoiler body relative to the car. Connected to a gear and motor system, they can be configured to vary the height of the spoiler. A second process is configured to selectively pivot the body of the spoiler to change the angle and thereby adjust the aerodynamic downforce generated by the spoiler.
Like the active side skirts, the active spoiler can include sensors that communicate a variety of information for controlling the active spoiler. Sensors look at the rotating speed of the rear wheels as well as detecting the velocity of ambient airflow relative to the vehicle. Other sensors look at the steering wheel angle as well as detecting the yaw rate. All these sensors feed information to the controller which then adjusts the height and angle of the spoiler.
Downforce Generating Ducts
This next patent is pretty straightforward for what is described as downforce generating ducts. We all know that ducts are used on the Corvette to move air from one part of the car to another. The C7 Corvettes featured ducts on the rear quarter panels that are used for cooling the transmission and differential fluids. On a mid-engine platform, cooling is even more important as you need forward-facing ducts to capture the air and then route to the various areas that need additional cooling.
In this patent publication, GM describes the ducts as a fully-enclosed structure, and it contains a first or entry port positioned to receive the ambient airflow and a second or exit port to exhaust the airflow from the duct. The first and second ports together with the fully-enclosed structured are configured to generate an aerodynamic downforce on the vehicle body when it's in motion.
GM also notes that the ducts can be found both top and bottom of the car and that they can include a venturi to accelerate the portion of the oncoming ambient airflow.
Last edited by jagamajajaran; 08-13-2018 at 04:50 PM.
I wonder if the active aero is only going to be implemented in higher performance model only, I just don't see an active aero mid engine car going for under a 100k. For reference, the 2018 911 Turbo (which we have seen spy shots of the mid engine car driving alongside the turbo's more expensive brother 911 Turbo S, msrp 191k) has active aero less extensive than whats proposed in the patent and the msrp is 161k. Similarly, the mclaren 570s which has no active aero is 190k msrp.
I wonder if the active aero is only going to be implemented in higher performance model only, I just don't see an active aero mid engine car going for under a 100k. For reference, the 2018 911 Turbo (which we have seen spy shots of the mid engine car driving alongside the turbo's more expensive brother 911 Turbo S, msrp 191k) has active aero less extensive than whats proposed in the patent and the msrp is 161k. Similarly, the mclaren 570s which has no active aero is 190k msrp.
If you need mid engine why not just buy the 911? Its at least proven.
Yes but the 911 RSR is mid rear. The IMSA racing rules allow a certain amount of relocation of the engine. Within those allowances, Porsche was able to produce a mid rear racing car. Their official reason was to improve the aerodynamics of the car.
Last edited by Kodiak Bear; 08-22-2018 at 06:18 PM.
Shades of the Chaparrel 2J sucker car. When banned from Can Am racing, Jim Hall offered to build a car with movable aerodynamics that produced the sucker effect without having a sucker driven fan. The officilas said no. Beginning of the end of Can Am, IMO
Anyway, the actual aero devices on this car must be bringing a smile to Hall.
Those fascias look nothing like the ME leaked paint shop image.
Well, that is because that is a C7 Chevy used for the patent application and not a C8. If that is a mid engine car then the steering wheel is facing toward the rear and that would certainly be an exciting new development.
Those active aero features are interesting and would most likely only be on higher level C8s and not the rumored push rod entry level model.
Those fascias look nothing like the ME leaked paint shop image.
Hello, Tool Hoarder,
I hold a couple patents, and from my experience the U.S. Patent applications use diagrams only to convey the embodiment of the patent seeking technology. In this particular case, my assumption is that the C7 diagram was used for convenience, as well as to not show GM's hand on what vehicle(s) this future technology may ultimately be employed.
08-13-2018, 04:47 PM
New ME Patents Approved for Active Side Skirts, Spoiler & Downforce Generating Ducts
