Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Patent
1992-01-11
1994-04-05
Focarino, Margaret A.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
B62D 2516
Patent
active
052998312
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
The invention is comprised of an apparatus for containment of spray-fog expulsion from the wheel area of automobiles, in particular of commercial trucks, with an exhaust device creating underpressure in the wheel space of the respective fender, which via an exhaust suction pipe and via exhaust suction openings, is connected to the wheel space of at least one fender.
Experts of the area have long since recognized the need to take measures in the surpression of the spray-misting occurences, to improve traffic safety in passing situations. At issue here, is to prevent the small water particles, which are swirled up by the automobile tires on a wet street, from expanding as spray-misting fog in the airstream of the vehicle. Especially dangerous to the trailing traffic hereby is, the expansion of spray-mist fog particles in a sideward direction, where it leads to a considerable vision impairment.
Partial solutions are already available, which will either, via extensive enclosure of the spray-mist fog producing wheel, or a suitable design, in particular of the inside section of the fenders, facilitate the collection of at least part of the spray-mist fog particles, which are impairing the vision of the trailing vehicles. There the spray-fog water is expelled to catching surfaces, collected and channeled back to the ground again, mostly along the inside of the fender. However, such devices cannot prevent the sidewards expansion of the spray-fog. Aside from the vision impairment connected with this, another adverseness develops, which has thusfar not been sufficiently acknowledged; in that on wintery roads with the spraying of plantage along the roadside, considerable contact damage occurs, because the spray-fog droplets contain a high amount of salt components, due to the application of thawing salts onto the traffic lanes. The growth damage caused by this distribution of salt containing spray-fog droplets can also extend to forests, far removed from the road edge.
A known apparatus (JP-A-59 192 675) entails an exhaust suction apparatus, positioned behind the wheel for suppression of the escape of dust and dirt from the wheel area. While this apparatus improves the conventional dirt catching devices, overall it is however without effect in the exhaust suctioning of the spray-fog, because it cannot prevent the sidewards escape of the spray-fog droplets which are whirled up in the airstream.
It thus follows, that the presented invention has as its basic task, to provide an apparatus for the suppression of spray-fog, which is more effective than the known solution suggestions, and which allows a particularily simple overall systems application for all the fenders of a vehicle.
Accordingly, this invention solves the task by positioning the exhaust intake openings, to which the exhaust tube is connected, at least on one inner wall, sectioning the fender from-and facing the vehicle center.
Although this solution requires a certain profusion of conduits, also occassionally for a blower system, nevertheless because of the considerably marked improved effectiveness it is advantageous, compared to the known apparatuses. Since the application is mainly intended for trucks and buses, therefore in the commercial sector, it is also economically justifiable. Furthermore, these additional provisions are withing reasonable bounds, especially when the necessary installations are completed at the time of assembly of the utility vehicles, and when easily installed and inexpensive tubes made of plastics or rubber-like materials are used for conduits.
In one preferable design model or the invention, the underpressure is created by a hydrolically, pneumatically or electrically powered suction fan system, for practical purposes placed in the rear area of the vehicle.
One particularily preferable design model, manages invention accordingly without a suction fan system, in as much as the suction effect is achieved with the Venturi-principal. With this, the exhaust suction system entails an exhaust suction conduit which exhibi
REFERENCES:
patent: 4290619 (1981-09-01), Goodall
patent: 4436319 (1984-03-01), Clutter
patent: 4445700 (1984-05-01), Schroeder
patent: 4706981 (1987-11-01), Dorwart
Focarino Margaret A.
Mar Michael
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