US 12,441,415 B2
Deployable fairing for use with vehicles
Daniel Burrows, San Mateo, CA (US); Burkley Uwe Kladde, Chandler, AZ (US); Dagan Alec Trnka, Durham, NC (US); Roger Lawrence LeMesurier, San Francisco, CA (US); and Adam Joseph Baumgartner, San Mateo, CA (US)
Assigned to TRUCKLABS, INC., Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed by TRUCKLABS, INC., Phoenix, AZ (US)
Filed on Aug. 14, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/233,681.
Application 18/233,681 is a continuation of application No. 17/147,055, filed on Jan. 12, 2021, granted, now 11,760,427.
Application 17/147,055 is a continuation of application No. 16/183,509, filed on Nov. 7, 2018, granted, now 10,899,397, issued on Jan. 26, 2021.
Application 16/183,509 is a continuation of application No. 15/832,315, filed on Dec. 5, 2017, granted, now 10,137,945, issued on Nov. 27, 2018.
Application 15/832,315 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2017/063728, filed on Nov. 29, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/428,356, filed on Nov. 30, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2024/0174306 A1, May 30, 2024
Int. Cl. B62D 35/00 (2006.01); B62D 33/06 (2006.01); B62D 37/02 (2006.01)
CPC B62D 35/001 (2013.01) [B62D 37/02 (2013.01); B62D 33/0612 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fairing system for use with vehicles, the fairing system comprising:
a deployable fairing structure;
at least one actuator coupled to at least a portion of the deployable fairing structure and operable to move the fairing structure between a retracted configuration of the deployable fairing structure and a deployed configuration of the deployable fairing structure; and
a controller coupled to control the at least one actuator, and to cause the at least one actuator to deploy and retract the deployable fairing structure, wherein:
the fairing structure comprises:
a deployable upper panel assembly, the deployable upper panel assembly moveable between the retracted configuration of the deployable fairing structure and the deployed configuration of the deployable fairing structure;
at least a first deployable side panel coupled to at least one portion of the deployable upper panel assembly, the first deployable side panel moveable between the retracted configuration of the deployable fairing structure and the deployed configuration of the deployable fairing structure; and
at least a second deployable side panel coupled to at least one portion of the deployable upper panel assembly, the second deployable side panel moveable between the retracted configuration of the deployable fairing structure and the deployed configuration of the deployable fairing structure, and
the fairing structure defaults to the retracted configuration of the deployable fairing structure in response to any one, more or all of: a power loss to the deployable fairing, a manual switch is positioned in an off position, the deployable fairing cannot receive data from a vehicle computer, a reading from a temperature sensor that indicates that an outside temperature is above an upper temperature threshold or below a lower temperature threshold, a reading from a wind sensor that indicates that a speed of a cross wind exceeds a cross wind threshold, a reading from a speed sensor that is below a speed threshold, or a stall condition in which the actuator is unable to move the deployable fairing to the deployed position.