Patent ID: 9598116
Date: 2017-03-21
CPC Classifications: B62D,Y10T

Claim:
1. A retractable tangential debris deflector to deflect a piece of road debris that is tangentially flying from a rotating wheel of a vehicle and ready to strike a vehicle occupant, said vehicle having a body panel located near to said rotating wheel, said body panel having an underside section that creates a wheel well cavity located adjacent to said rotating wheel, said vehicle going in a straight line motion with said rotating wheel having a horizontal axis about which said wheel rotates, and said rotating wheel having a vertical axis that is perpendicular to said horizontal axis, comprising a rigidly flexible deflector piece that is conformable in shape to said underside section of said body panel, said deflector piece has a top surface that faces said underside portion of said body panel and a bottom surface that faces said rotating wheel and an inner edge that faces said wheel well cavity and an outer edge that faces outward from said wheel well cavity, wherein said deflector piece is rotationally attached to said underside section of said body panel so that said deflector piece can rotationally move along an arched path of travel between a first retracted position that is substantially located within said wheel well cavity with a first angle of incidence between said deflector piece and said vertical axis of said rotating wheel that is substantially low, and a second extended position that is substantially located outside said wheel well cavity with a second angle of incidence between said deflector piece and said vertical axis of said rotating wheel that is substantially higher, wherein said deflector piece has a front end and a back end, said deflector piece is rotationally attached to said underside section of said body panel at a front end pivotal attachment point located near said front end of said deflector piece and at a back end pivotal attachment point located near said back end of said deflector piece.