Vehicle mudguard

• US 5,273,318 A
• Filed: 10/13/1992
• Issued: 12/28/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bridgestone Corporation
• Inventors: Kuriyama, Shigeo, Nakayama, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Brian L.
• Application Number:
  US07/960,205
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 280/847, 280/848, 280/849, 280/851, 280/852, 280/152.3, D12/184, D12/185
• US Class Current: 280/851
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/188 Mud-guard flaps for utility vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle mudguard comprises a front member having openings facing the tire and a back member arresting and draining water which has passed through the openings. A space is formed between the front and back members. One embodiment has vertically spaced draining ribs fitted on the front part of the back member and a plurality of projections arranged, at least, among the draining ribs. A second embodiment has a water-permeable middle member having a three-dimensional, irregular-shaped foam structure situated in a space between the front and back members.

Claims

1. A mudguard for use on an automotive vehicle to control water splash from the tire of the vehicle running on a wet roadway or in the rain, comprising:

a front member having a plurality of openings formed therethrough and which is to be attached to the vehicle just behind the tire and which has a front for facing toward the tire and a back for facing away from the tire;

a back member fastened to the front member and spaced from the back thereof to define a space therebetween that permits the free passage of water between the front member and the back member, the back member receiving and draining water passing through said openings and having a front facing the back of the front member;

a series of laterally extending draining ribs provided at the front side of said back member, the ribs being vertically spaced from each other when the mudguard is attached to the vehicle, each of said ribs gradually descending starting at a center thereof on a vertical center line toward opposite ends thereof; and

a plurality of pin-like projections disposed on the front of said back member vertically beneath said draining ribs in a vertically and lateral extending array;

said front member being comprised of a plurality of horizontally spaced vertically extending members and vertically spaced laterally extending members interconnected with the vertically extending members to form a network and the openings are spaces defined by the network.

2. A mudguard according to claim 1, wherein said projections are greater in height than said draining ribs.

3. A mudguard according to claim 1, wherein said ribs have bases and have a height two to three times greater than the width of the respective bases.

4. A mudguard according to claim 1, wherein the projections are distributed at a frequency of two to six per cm².

5. A mudguard according to claim 1, further comprising membranes fastened to at least some of the members forming the network, the membranes being sufficiently flexible so as to flex under the pressure of water splashed by the tire to substantially restrict those of the openings adjacent the membranes.

6. A mudguard for use on an automotive vehicle to control water splash from the tire of the vehicle running on a wet roadway or in the rain, comprising:

a front member having a plurality of openings formed therethrough and which is to be attached to the vehicle just behind the tire and which has a front for facing toward the tire and a back for facing away from the tire;

a back member fastened to the front member and spaced from the back thereof to define an empty space therebetween for the free passage of water from the front member to the back member, the back member receiving and draining water passing through said openings and having a front facing the back of the front member;

a series of laterally extending draining ribs provided at the front side of said back member, the ribs being vertically spaced from each other when the mudguard is attached to the vehicle, each of said ribs gradually descending starting at a center thereof on a vertical center line toward opposite ends thereof, said ribs having bases and have a height two to three times greater than the width of their respective bases; and

a plurality of pin-like projections disposed on the front of said back member vertically beneath said draining ribs in a vertically and lateral extending array, said projections being greater in height than said draining ribs, said projections being distributed at a frequency of two to six per cm² ;

said front member comprising a plurality of horizontally spaced vertically extending members and vertically spaced laterally extending members interconnected with the vertically extending members to form a network, said openings being formed between said laterally extending members.