Vehicular mud guard structure

• US 10,065,686 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2013
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kishima, Fumihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanaman, Frank Bennett
• Application Number:
  US14/649,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20150307137A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,770 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/18 Parts or details thereof, e.g. mudguard flaps
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 35/02 Streamlining the undersurfaces B62D35/005, B62D35/007, B62D35/008 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/88 Optimized components or subsystems, e.g. lighting, actively controlled glasses

Abstract

A mud guard portion is placed on a vehicle rear side relative to a rear tire. This makes it possible to restrain mud or the like splashed by the rear tire from hitting an underfloor. Further, an inside flow regulating portion is provided adjacently to an inner side of the mud guard portion in the vehicle width direction, and the inside flow regulating portion extends from its upper end toward a vehicle lower side and toward the vehicle rear side. Hereby, when a travel wind flowing on an inner side of the rear tire in the vehicle width direction in the wheel house hits the inside flow regulating portion, the travel wind flows toward the vehicle rear side along a deflection wall portion of the inside flow regulating portion. Accordingly, turbulence of the air on a vehicle rear side of the rear tire due to the travel wind is restrained.

Claims

1. A mud guard structure for a vehicle, comprising:

a mud guard portion provided directly on a rear surface of a rear end of a wheel house in which a wheel assembly is placed, the mud guard portion having a plate shape such that a width direction of the mud guard portion extends along a vehicle width direction, the mud guard portion having a lower end that projects toward a vehicle lower side and that reaches a position below an underfloor of the vehicle on a rear side of the wheel house; and

an inside flow regulating portion provided adjacently to an inner side of the mud guard portion in the vehicle width direction,

the inside flow regulating portion having a plate shape such that a width direction of the inside flow regulating portion extends along the vehicle width direction,

the inside flow regulating portion having an upper end placed in front of the rear end of the wheel house in a vehicle front-rear direction,

the inside flow regulating portion extending from the upper end toward the vehicle lower side,

the inside flow regulating portion extending from the mud guard portion in a direction towards a vehicle rear side and extends beyond the mud guard portion in the direction towards the vehicle rear side, wherein;

a first portion of a first side of the mud guard portion extends orthogonal to the vehicle width direction and directly abuts the inside flow regulating portion,

the first portion of the first side of the mud guard portion is orthogonal to the inside flow regulating portion, and

a second portion of the first side the mud guard portion does not contact the inside flow regulating portion,

wherein;

the inside flow regulating portion includes an upper wall portion, an inclined portion, and a guide portion, and

the inclined portion is an arc and the upper wall portion and the guide portion are planar.

2. The mud guard structure according to claim 1, wherein:

a part of the inside flow regulating portion is distanced from the rear end of the wheel house and is placed in front of the rear end of the wheel house, such that an inlet portion opened toward a vehicle upper side is defined between the inside flow regulating portion and the wheel house; and

a rear end of the inside flow regulating portion is distanced from the underfloor and is placed below the underfloor, such that an outlet portion opened toward the vehicle rear side is defined between the rear end of the inside flow regulating portion and the underfloor.

3. The mud guard structure according to claim 1, further comprising

an inner wall extending from an inner part of the inside flow regulating portion in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle rear side, wherein:

a part of the inside flow regulating portion is distanced from the rear end of the wheel house and is placed in front of the rear end of the wheel house, such that an inlet portion opened outwardly in the vehicle width direction is defined between the inside flow regulating portion and the wheel house; and

a rear end of the inside flow regulating portion is distanced from the underfloor and is placed under the underfloor, such that an outlet portion opened toward the vehicle rear side is defined between the rear end of the inside flow regulating portion and the underfloor.

4. The mud guard structure according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion extends obliquely from the upper wall portion.

5. The mud guard structure according to claim 1, wherein the inclined portion is provided between the upper wall portion and the guide portion in the vehicle front-rear direction and the inclined portion extends obliquely from the upper wall portion.

6. A mud guard structure for a vehicle, comprising:

a mud guard portion provided directly on a rear surface of a rear end of a wheel house in which a wheel assembly is placed, the mud guard portion having a plate shape such that a width direction of the mud guard portion extends along a vehicle width direction, the mud guard portion having a lower end that projects toward a vehicle lower side and that reaches a position below an underfloor of the vehicle on a rear side of the wheel house;

an inside flow regulating portion provided adjacently to an inner side of the mud guard portion in the vehicle width direction, the inside flow regulating portion having a plate shape of which width direction extends along the vehicle width direction, the inside flow regulating portion having an upper end placed in front of the rear end of the wheel house in a vehicle front-rear direction, the inside flow regulating portion extending from the upper end toward the vehicle lower side and toward a vehicle rear side and extending beyond the mud guard portion in the vehicle width direction, wherein;

a first portion of a first side of the mud guard portion extends orthogonal to the vehicle width direction and directly abuts the inside flow regulating portion,

the first portion of the first side of the mud guard portion is orthogonal to the inside flow regulating portion, and

a second portion of the first side the mud guard portion does not contact the inside flow regulating portion; and

an end flow regulating portion extending from an inner part of the mud guard portion in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle rear side from the mud guard portion,

wherein;

the inside flow regulating portion includes an upper wall portion, an inclined portion, and a guide portion, and

the inclined portion is an arc and the upper wall portion and the guide portion are planar.