Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Vehicle caravan of electric vehicles configured for coordinated movement and airflow control and method of using
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Application No.: US16591778Application Date: 2019-10-03
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Publication No.: US11305640B2Publication Date: 2022-04-19
- Inventor: Geoffrey David Gaither , Robert C. MacArthur , Justin J. Chow
- Applicant: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
- Applicant Address: US TX Plano
- Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
- Current Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
- Current Assignee Address: US TX Plano
- Agency: Darrow Mustafa PC
- Agent Christopher G. Darrow
- Main IPC: B60K11/08
- IPC: B60K11/08 ; G05D1/02 ; B60K1/02 ; B60K17/354 ; B60K17/356 ; B60K17/22 ; B60K1/00

Abstract:
A vehicle caravan comprising electric vehicles configured for coordinated movement and airflow control comprising: a lead vehicle and a chase vehicle, the lead vehicle disposed at the front of the caravan and the chase vehicle disposed behind the lead vehicle in a chase pattern. Each lead and chase vehicle comprising: a vehicle chassis and a front rotatable vehicle drive axle; a selectively movable electric propulsion motor comprising a rotatable motor shaft and a motor axis configured to be oriented in a substantially vertical direction; an air duct configured to direct an airflow to the propulsion motor; an airflow shutter in the front end of the air duct to selectively control the airflow within the air duct; and a vehicle controller; the caravan and the chase pattern configured for coordination of the motor position and the open/closed position of the lead vehicle and the chase vehicle shutters while the caravan is moving.
Public/Granted literature
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