Movable Brush Splashguard for Wheel Spray Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing splash protection devices for vehicle wheels, such as mud flaps or fenders, are ineffective in preventing spray from reaching a significant area due to their distance from the ground, especially during loading and unloading operations, and when parked, leading to potential accidents.
Innovation Solution
A projectile protection device with a movable, flexible screen comprising deformable bristles and a former that deforms to extend widely in the lowered position, increasing the screen's width and thickness to enhance its protective capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the lower edge of the mud flap or fender is positioned far from the ground to prevent damage during loading and unloading operations, then damage risk is reduced, but spray protection effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The mud flap is designed to be movable between a raised position (for damage prevention during loading/unloading) and a lowered position (for enhanced spray protection). The dynamic positioning allows the system to adapt to different operational requirements, resolving the contradiction between damage risk reduction and spray protection effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the vertical position parameter of the mud flap to optimize performance for different operational modes. By adjusting the position parameter between high and low states, the system simultaneously addresses both damage prevention and spray protection requirements.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the screen is extended widely in the lowered position to enhance protection coverage, then spray deflection effectiveness is improved, but compactness in the raised position deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is designed with dynamic extensibility, allowing it to expand widely when in the lowered position for maximum spray protection coverage. When raised, the screen compactes to minimize overall device volume. This dynamic size adjustment resolves the contradiction between protection coverage and compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
The screen structure employs a nesting mechanism where the flexible elements can be contained within a compact configuration when raised, and deployed outward when lowered. This nesting approach allows the screen to achieve both wide extension for protection and compact storage for mobility.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid screen structure is used to maintain shape and provide consistent protection, then structural stability is improved, but adaptability to wheel clearance variations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The screen is constructed from flexible elements (such as bristles or flexible panels) that can bend and conform to different wheel clearance configurations. This flexibility maintains structural integrity while adapting to various wheel sizes and positions, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The screen's physical parameters (shape, position, configuration) can change in response to different wheel clearance conditions. The flexible material allows the screen to adjust its form while maintaining protective function, enabling adaptability without sacrificing structural stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively deflects and neutralizes spray by extending beyond the wheel's clearance, enhancing protection without compromising compactness in the raised position, and includes a drive system for smooth movement between positions.
Implementation Method 1
a former surrounding at least partially said screen, said former being configured to deform the screen in the direction of a convergence of the lateral edges and/or faces of the screen when said screen moves from the lowered position to the raised position
Implementation Method 2
the screen comprising at least one flexible, deformable, water-permeable part formed of a set of discrete, flexible, elongated elements, such as bristles arranged side by side in the manner of a brush
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Splashguard device (1) for a wheeled vehicle comprising at least one wheel (30) resting on the ground, the device (1) comprising a splashguard (2) to the rear of the wheel (30) and a supporting structure (3) supporting the guard (2), the guard (2) having an upper edge (4), a lower edge (5) and two lateral edges (6), this guard (2) having a face (7) able to face towards the wheel that is to be protected and an opposite face (8), the guard (2) being mounted with the ability to move relative to the supporting structure (3) so that when the device (1) is coupled to the vehicle, the guard (2) can be moved between a raised position away from the ground and a lowered position, the guard (2) comprising at least a deformable flexible water-permeable part (9) formed of a collection of discrete elongate flexible elements (10) arranged side-by-side in the manner of a brush, each discrete element having a free end (11), at least some of the discrete elements (10) forming, via a free end (11), the lower edge (5) of the guard (2) and extending towards the upper edge (4) of the guard (2). The splashguard device (1) comprises a shaper (12) at least partially surrounding said guard (2) and configured to deform the guard (2) in the direction that moves the lateral edges (6) and/or the faces (7, 8) of the guard (2) closer together as the guard (2) moves from the lowered position to the raised position.