ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 16 -- United States Patent no. 12,497,110, issued on Dec. 16, was assigned to AISIN Corp. (Kariya, Japan).
"Vehicle spat device" was invented by Kazuya Matsumoto (Kariya, Japan), Shuhei Uchida (Kariya, Japan) and Ryota Tachi (Kariya, Japan).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A vehicle spat device includes; a variable support mechanism configured to support a spat serving as an aerodynamic member at an expanded position in front of a wheel and a retracted position separated from the expanded position; an impact relaxation mechanism configured to allow retreating operation accompanied by displacement of the spat based on input of an external force to the spat; and a drive mecha...