Air guiding device and method for operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9738330-B2
Application number	US-201615053364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 25, 2016
Priority date	Feb 26, 2015
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

An air-guiding device which is arranged in a top rear region of a vehicle and includes an air-guiding element which is shiftable from a retracted inoperative position to an extended operating position, wherein, in both positions, the air-guiding element serves for guiding air in the rear region of the motor vehicle. At least one propeller of the air-guiding device which, together with the air-guiding element, is shiftable between the retracted and extended positions, wherein the propeller, in the extended operating position, is fixable in a first operating state, wherein the at least one propeller, in the extended operating position, is operable in a second operating state in order to produce a throughflow in the direction of travel, and wherein the at least one propeller, in the extended operating position, is operable in a third operating state in order to produce a throughflow opposed to the direction of travel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air-guiding device for a passenger vehicle, and which is arranged in a top rear region of the vehicle, comprises:
an air-guiding element which is shiftable from a retracted inoperative position, in which the air-guiding element is integrated in a surface-flush manner into a shape profile of the rear region, into an extended operating position,
wherein, both in the retracted inoperative position and in the extended operating position, the air-guiding element serves for guiding air in the rear region of the motor vehicle,
wherein the air-guiding element is assigned at least one propeller which, together with the air-guiding element, is shiftable between the retracted inoperative position and the extended operating position,
wherein the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is fixable in a first operating state,
wherein the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is operable in a second operating state in order to produce a throughflow in the direction of travel, and
wherein the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is operable in a third operating state in order to produce a throughflow opposed to the direction of travel.

2. The air-guiding device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein whenever the or each propeller, in the extended operating position of the air-guiding element, is fixed in the first operating state, a drag of the vehicle is reduced and a rear-axle downforce of the vehicle is increased in comparison to the retracted inoperative position.

3. The air-guiding device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein whenever the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is operated in the second operating state, a drag of the vehicle is further reduced and a rear-axle downforce of the vehicle is further increased in comparison to the first operating state.

4. The air-guiding device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein whenever the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is operated in the third operating state, a drag of the vehicle is increased and a rear-axle downforce of the vehicle is reduced in comparison to the first operating state.

5. The air-guiding device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is operated as a generator in the second operating state.

6. The air-guiding device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is operated as a motor in the third operating state.

7. The air-guiding device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the or each propeller is embodied as an axial turbine.

8. The air-guiding device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the or each propeller is embodied as a radial turbine.

9. A method for operating the air-guiding device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
whenever the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is fixed in a first operating state, a drag of the vehicle is reduced and a rear-axle downforce of the vehicle is increased in comparison to the retracted inoperative position,
whenever the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is operated in a second operating state in order to produce a throughflow in the direction of travel, the drag of the vehicle is further reduced and the rear-axle downforce of the vehicle is further increased in comparison to the first operating state in the extended operating position,
whenever the or each propeller, in the extended operating position, is operated in a third operating state in order to produce a throughflow counter to the direction of travel, the drag of the vehicle is increased and a rear-axle downforce of the vehicle is reduced in comparison to the first operating state in the extended operating position.

Assignees

• Porsche Ag

Inventors

• Wolf Thomas

Classifications

• F04D17/04

  of transverse-flow type · CPC title

• B62D37/02

  by aerodynamic means · CPC title

• F04D25/16

  Combinations of two or more pumps {; Producing two or more separate gas flows} · CPC title

• B60K2016/006

  wind power driven · CPC title

• F04D19/002

  Axial flow fans · CPC title