Abstract:
The present invention relates to a mud flap lifting system for raising and lowering a pair of mud flaps connected to a rear portion of a vehicle and suspended behind corresponding rear wheels of the vehicle, which is particularly beneficial for use on dump trucks. The lifting system raises the rear mud flaps to a safe position when the truck is reversing or on unstable soil or is dumping its load. The mud flaps may thereafter be lowered via an associated control switch in the cab of the truck so that the truck may travel from the job site.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a mud flap lifting system for raising and lowering a pair of mud flaps connected to a rear portion of a vehicle and suspended behind corresponding rear wheels of the vehicle. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Mud flaps for vehicles are known in the art, and generally mandatory in many jurisdictions for certain types of vehicles such as dump trucks and other heavy trucks. Mud flaps are typically suspended from a truck body above the rear truck wheels, and prevent mud, stones or other debris from being ejected from the truck wheels and striking other motor vehicles or people. 
         [0003]    Mud flaps that are suspended freely from the truck body are prone to being torn or dislodged when the truck is traveling in reverse in loose ground by coming into contact with the rear tires. Such damage is particularly prevalent with mud flaps used for dump trucks. As a dump truck discharges its load of material, the resulting pile of dumped material forms near the rear of the vehicle, and may surround and bury the mud flaps. 
         [0004]    If the mud flaps are damaged or dislodged, they must be repaired or, more likely, replaced. Missing mud flaps may also result in government fines and/or other penalties. In addition, damage to other vehicles and people may arise if the mud flaps are dislodged or missing and fail to prevent debris from being ejected rearwardly from the truck wheels. 
         [0005]    Attempts to provide mud flap systems that avoid the above-noted problems have been made. Various designs for automatic mud flap lifters for moving the flaps behind the rear wheels have been developed. Some conventional designs include a pulley system with a single long cable extending underneath the truck body. The single long cable is connected at the rear of the truck to two shorter cables, which are in turn each connected to the mud flaps. The cables are guided via one or more rollers, wherein typically the cables loop around numerous rollers in a complicated configuration. When the single cable is moved forward, the shorter cables curl the mud flaps upward. Other designs include a lever-type retraction apparatus instead of a pulley system. Such designs may include a lever arm pivotably coupled to the truck bed, which is activated by a cylinder and piston. An exemplary system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,850,206. 
         [0006]    However, there remains a need for a mud flap lifter system which is easily installed and retrofitted onto existing vehicles. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The present invention relates to an automatic mud flap lifting system for raising and lowering mud flaps on a vehicle, which is particularly beneficial for use on dump trucks. The lifting system raises the rear mud flaps to a safe position when the truck is reversing or on unstable soil or dumping its load. The mud flaps may thereafter be lowered via an associated control switch in the cab of the truck when danger of flap damage is no longer present. 
         [0008]    A mud flap lifting system for raising and lowering a pair of mud flaps connected to a rear portion of a vehicle and suspended behind corresponding rear wheels of the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. A lifting assembly is mounted under the bed of the vehicle and forward of the flaps. A pair of cables is provided, each of the cables having a first end connected to one of the sheaves on a motor of the lifting assembly, and a second end connected to the correspondingly aligned mud flap. Each of the cables is coiled around the corresponding sheave upon actuation of the motor in a first direction, thereby raising the mud flaps. 
         [0009]    The present invention is also directed to a methods for lifting mud flaps suspended behind rear wheels of a vehicle and methods for making a mud flap lifting system. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The foregoing background and summary, as well as the following detailed description of the drawings, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. In the drawings: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a fragmentary perspective view of a vehicle showing a mud flap lifting system according to an embodiment of the present invention secured to a rear portion of the vehicle; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is an isometric view of the lifting assembly of the present invention; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a fragmentary perspective view of a vehicle showing a mud flap lifting system according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention secured to a rear portion of the vehicle; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of an exemplary control panel for use with the disclosed lifting system; and 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is an isometric view showing a fairlead mounted on brackets. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    A mud flap lifting system  10  according to an embodiment of the present invention is best shown in  FIGS. 1-2 . The system  10  includes first and second mud flaps  14 ,  16 , which are connected to a rear portion R of a vehicle and suspended behind corresponding rear wheels W 1 , W 2  of the vehicle, as best shown in  FIG. 1 . Depending upon the configuration of rear portion R of the vehicle, a support rail  48  may be provided, from which the first and second mud flaps  14 ,  16  hang. The support rail  48  may be a length of angle iron or some other sufficiently rugged material attached, such as by welding, to the rear of the vehicle. The exact configuration of the support rail  48 , or other support structure(s) used to attach first and second mud flaps  14 ,  16 , may vary depending upon the configuration of rear portion R of the vehicle. 
         [0017]    A first cable  26  has a first end  28  connected to a lifting assembly  208  (best shown in  FIG. 2 ) and a second end  30  connected to the first mud flap  14 , preferably at a midpoint of a lower distal edge  32  of mud flap  14  as best shown in FIG. I. Similarly, a second cable  34  has a first end  36  connected to the lifting assembly  208  (shown in FIG,  2 ) and a second end  38  connected to the second mud flap  16 , preferably at a midpoint of a lower distal edge  40  of the second mud flap  16 . The lifting assembly  208  (not shown in  FIG. 1 ) is located under the truck body and is discussed in further detail below. 
         [0018]    The cables  26 ,  34  are preferably disposed rearwardly of flaps  14 ,  16 , on an outer surface thereof, extending across the outwardly disposed faces of mud flaps  14 ,  16 , relative to the rear wheels W 1 , W 2 . Thus, the cables  26 ,  34  may be used to raise the mud flaps  14 ,  16  rearwardly away from the rear portion R of the vehicle. If the cables  26 ,  34  were interiorly disposed relative to a support rail  48  (described in further detail below), mud flaps  14 ,  16  would be raised toward the vehicle and thus increase the risk of being torn from rail  48  should the vehicle continue to reverse its direction. It is thus preferred that cables  26 ,  34  extend over and rearwardly of rail  48 . 
         [0019]    The first cable  26  extending from the mud flap  14  may be lead upwardly toward a first fairlead  18 . The first fairlead  18  may be, e.g. a sheave, a ring, or a hook, which allows the first cable  26  to remain aligned with the attachment point on the mud flap  14 . Likewise, the second cable  34  is lead from the mud flap  16  to a second fairlead  22 . The first fairlead  18  is preferably aligned with the first mud flap  14 ; and the second fairlead  22  is preferably aligned with the second mud flap  16 . The fairleads  18 ,  22  may be mounted and freely rotate on a shaft  12 . The shaft  12 , extending between the mud flaps  14 ,  16 , is connected to rear portion R of the vehicle and suspended behind corresponding rear wheels W 1  and W 2 . Preferably, the shaft  12  is fixed or non-rotatable, while the fairleads  18 ,  22  are free to rotate on the shaft. Although  FIG. 1  shows a single shaft  12  for mounting both fairleads  18 ,  22 , each of the fairleads  18 ,  22 , may be mounted on its own shaft. Other mechanisms for mounting the fairleads  18 ,  22  are also appropriate for the present invention. In an exemplary embodiment, the fairleads  18 ,  22  may be mounted on brackets as shown in  FIG. 5 . In that case, the fairlead  18  or  22  preferably includes a wheel  500 , having a grooved rim thereon for hold the cable, is sandwiched and rotatably mounted between two brackets  502 . Each of the brackets  502  include a first side  506  for mounting the wheel  500 , and a second side  508  for attaching the fairlead  18  or  22  to the rear R of the vehicle. The second side  508  may include one or more holes  504  for mounting of the fairlead  18  or  22  to the vehicle with fasteners, such as nuts/bolts, rivets, other the like. Here, the brackets are mounted to the truck so that the cables  24 ,  34  is in alignment with the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . Further, although the fairleads  18 ,  22  are shown in  FIG. 1 , they are not required for the present invention as the cables  24 ,  34  may be lead to the mud flaps  14 ,  16 , respectively, without the use of the fairleads  18 ,  22 , for example, by just leading the cables through a cable guide. The cable guide may include a curved piece of tubing, through which the cable passes, to direct the cables  24 ,  34  toward their respective mud flaps  14 ,  16 . In certain embodiments, the cable guide may be engineered into cable covers  210 ,  212  (as described below). Beyond the fairleads  18 ,  22  the cables  26 ,  34  are lead forwardly toward the front of the vehicle to the lifting assembly  208 . 
         [0020]    The cables  26 ,  34  may be arranged differently than shown in  FIG. 1 , without the fairleads  18 ,  22  and the shaft  12 , as long as they are aligned with the mud flaps  14 ,  16  and are positioned to lift the mud flaps  14 ,  16  upwardly and toward the rear of the vehicle. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the cables  26 ,  34  may run from the mud flap  14 ,  16  to alignment holes  300 ,  302  on a panel  304  at the rear R of the vehicle. The alignment holes  300 ,  302  may contain fairleads or cable guides therein for smooth running of the cables  14 ,  16 . For example, the fairleads may be on brackets and mounted at the alignment hole  300  for smooth running of the cables  26 ,  34 . The first alignment hole  300  aligns the first cable  26  with the first mud flap  14 ; and the second alignment hole  302  aligns the second cable  26  with the second mud flap  16 . Other ways for aligning the cables  26 ,  34  with their respective mud flaps are also appropriate for the present invention. 
         [0021]    The lifting device  208  ( FIG. 2 ) is mounted under the vehicle body, forward of the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . The location of the lifting device  208  under the vehicle body may vary between different types of vehicles and depend upon the availability of mounting space under the vehicle. It is preferable, however, that the lifting device  208  is mounted approximately on the center line of the vehicle, so that the cables  26 ,  34  may be symmetrically lead to their respective mud flaps  14 ,  16 . 
         [0022]    The lifting device  208 , as best shown in  FIG. 2 , contains a motor  202 , preferably mounted within the interior cavity  222  of a housing  200 . The motor  202  is preferably a DC electric motor, and is coupled to a motor shaft  204  and rotates the motor shaft  204  around its center axis. A first sheave  205  and a second sheave  206  are fixedly mounted on the motor shaft  204 , such that the sheaves  205 ,  206  rotate with rotation of the motor shaft  204 . Preferably, the first and second sheaves  205 ,  206  are located adjacent to each other on the shaft  204  and may even be formed as a single piece of material. The first end  28  of the first cable  26  is attached to the first sheave  205 ; and the first end  36  of the second cable  34  is attached to the second sheave  206 . The attachments are such that the cables  26 ,  34  may be spooled onto the respective sheaves  205 ,  206  when the motor  202  is activated to rotate the motor shaft  204 , and thus the sheaves  205 ,  206 . 
         [0023]    The cables  26 ,  34  extend from the sheaves  205 ,  206  toward the rear R of the vehicle to ultimately be attached to the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . The cables  26 ,  34  preferably exit the housing  200  through holes in the housing  200 . Upon exiting the housing  200 , the cables are protected by cable covers  210 ,  212 , each of which is a relatively flexible hollow cylinder enclosing its respective cable  26  (or  34 ). The first cable  26  locates inside the lumen of the first cable cover  210 ; and the second cable  34  locates inside the lumen of the second cable cover  212 . The first cable cover  210  contains a first end that is attached to a wall on the housing  200 , e.g. by a nut  219 . The second cable cover  212  is likewise attached, e.g. by a nut  220 . Each of the cable covers  210 ,  212  contains a second end that is attached toward the rear of the vehicle. Preferably, the second end of the cable covers  210 ,  212  is attached to the vehicle at a point in the vicinity of the fairleads  18 ,  22  or alignment holes  300 ,  302  before the cables  26 ,  34  drop down to the mud flaps. The attachment of the second end of the cable covers  210 ,  212  is similar to that of the first end to the housing  200 . The cable covers  210 ,  212  are stationary and allow the respective cables  26 ,  34  to slide therein to raise and lower the mud flaps  14 .  16 . The cable covers  210 ,  212  serve to protect the cables from the elements under the vehicle. The cable covers  210 ,  212  may be constructed of a polymeric material that is sufficiently flexible to allow the cables  26 ,  34  to bend around corners and coiled, if necessary, to achieve desired routing. 
         [0024]    The housing  200  may further contains control modules  218  or other devices to control operation of the motor  202 . The housing preferable contain lower flanges  214  and upper flanges  216 . The lower flanges are for mounting of the housing  200  under the vehicle, while the upper flanges  216  are for mounting a cover to enclose the housing  200 . Each of the flanges  214 ,  216  may contain at least one hole thereon for mounting the housing  200  to the cover or the vehicle with fasteners, such as nuts/bolts, rivets, other the like. The housing  200  is mounted under the bed of the vehicle and forward of the flaps, generally in an area where it will not be crushed or interfere with the operation of the truck. 
         [0025]    The cables  26 ,  34  are lead rearwardly, inside the cable covers  210 ,  212 , from the housing  200  toward the rear R of the vehicle and ultimately to the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . The cables may take various paths under the vehicle as desired by the installer. The cables may take a direct path upon exiting the housing, e.g. from the nuts  219 ,  220 , to the fairleads  18 ,  22 . Alternatively, the path may be more tortuous depending on the various components under the vehicle. 
         [0026]    In an embodiment, motor  202  is electrically coupled to a switch in the cab of the vehicle, such that an operator can actuate the motor  202  to rotate the shaft  204  in a first direction to raise the mud flaps  14 ,  16 , and/or to rotate in a second direction to lower the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . The switch, in a first position, causes the motor  202  to rotate the motor shaft  204  in a first direction. Upon rotation of the motor shaft  204  in the first direction, the first and second sheaves  205 ,  206 , disposed on shaft  204  thereof, are caused to rotate in the first direction. As the sheaves  205 ,  206  rotate in the first direction, the first and second cables  26 ,  34  are coiled around their corresponding sheaves  205 ,  206 . In this way, the second ends  30 ,  38  of the cables  26 ,  34  are pulled upwardly and toward the fairleads  18 ,  22 , thereby raising first and second mud flaps  14 ,  16 . 
         [0027]    To lower the mud flaps  14 ,  16 , the switch is placed into a second position, which causes the motor  202  to rotate the motor shaft  204  in a second direction, opposing the first direction. Upon rotation of the motor shaft  204  in the second direction, the first and second sheaves  205 ,  206  are also caused to rotate in the second direction to uncoil the cables  26 ,  34  from the coil on the sheaves  205 ,  206 . In this way, the cables are uncoiled, thereby allowing the mud flaps  14 ,  16  to be lowered. 
         [0028]    In another embodiment, motor  202  is also electrically coupled to a reverse light and/or a reverse audio alarm of the vehicle. That way, when the truck transmission is put in reverse, the motor  202  is automatically activated to rotate the shaft  204  in the first direction to raise the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . When the truck transmission is move out of reverse, the motor is activated to rotate the shaft  204  in the second direction to lower the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . 
         [0029]    In yet another embodiment, the mother motor  202  is also electrically coupled to a reverse light and/or a reverse audio alarm of the vehicle, and a switch in the cab of the vehicle. In this embodiment, when the truck transmission is put in reverse, the motor  202  is automatically activated to rotate the shaft  204  in the first direction to raise the mud flaps  14 .  16 . However, shifting the truck out of reverse does not automatically lower the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . Instead, the operator must manually activate the switch to cause the motor  202  to rotate the shaft  204  in the second direction to lower the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . 
         [0030]    The housing  200  may also contain a first control module  218  and a second control module  226  locating proximate to the shaft  204 . An autoswitch  224  is threadedly mounted on the shaft  204  between the first and second control modules  218 ,  226 . The portion  228  of the shaft  204  between the first and second control modules  218 ,  226  is threaded to accept the autoswitch  224 . When the shaft  204  is turned in the first direction, the autoswitch  224  slides toward the second control module  226 . When the autoswitch  224  makes contact with the second control module  226 , the control module sends a signal to the motor  202  causing the motor  202  to stop. When the shaft  204  turns in the second direction, the autoswitch  224  slides toward the first control module  218 . When the autoswitch  224  makes contact with the first control module  218 , the control module sends a signal to the motor  202  causing the motor  202  to stop. The autoswitch  224  functions to limit the motor shaft  204  (and thus the sheaves  205 ,  206 ), when activated, to a predetermined number of rotations in the first and/or second direction. The predetermined number of rotations is matched with the flap in the fully raised position and the fully lowered position. The desired number of rotations may be adjusted by adjusting the distance between the first and second control modules  218 ,  226 . That way, when the motor  202  automatically stops when the flap is in the fully raised position or in the fully lowered position. Thus, the autoswitch  224  and the first and second control modules  218 ,  226  free the user from having to manually deactivate the motor  202  during the raising and lowering of the mud flaps  14 ,  16 . 
         [0031]    In certain embodiments, a control panel C may be provided in the cab of the vehicle, such as shown in  FIG. 4 . Control panel C may include a control switch  71 , which is in electrical communication with motor  202 , and indicators  74 ,  78 . For example, the first indicator  74  may be in electrical connection with the first control module  218 , such that when the autoswitch  224  contacts the first control modules  218 , the first indicator provides a visual signal indicating that the mud flaps  14 ,  16  are in the fully lowered position. The second indicator  74  may be in electrical connection with the second control module  226 , such that when the autoswitch  224  contacts the second control modules  226 , the second indicator provides a visual signal indicating that, the mud flaps  14 ,  16  are in the fully raised position. 
         [0032]    It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in construction or configuration of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover all such modifications and variations, and as may be applied to the central features set forth above.