Vehicle wheel shield for air control

A shield for controlling air, spray and airborne debris generated by a wheel of an automotive vehicle when traveling on a roadway surface, the shield comprising:

• a planar frame having front and rear surfaces and top, side and bottom borders, the shield adapted to be disposed above the roadway surface vertically depending from the vehicle and spaced rearwardly from the vehicle wheel in a plane extending transversely to the vehicle,
• a plurality of downwardly and rearwardly oriented louvers fixed on the frame to extend rearwardly beyond its rear surface, so as to be oriented horizontally, when the shield is in position on the vehicle, between the side borders, the louvers shaped so as to permit, when the vehicle is moving, the flow of air, spray and airborne debris through the shield and downward deflection thereof as they pass between louvers, the louvers extending across the frame, from top to bottom in adjacent fashion, a top of each louver extending rearwardly and downwardly from the plane of the frame;
• a bottom edge of each louver, where it meets the frame, defining the vertical positioning on the shield of the upper edge of the lower adjacent louver, and each louver arranged and shaped with respect to the frame so that its sides meet the frame and the louver rises slightly outwardly with respect to the frame as the louver extends laterally inwardly from its sides to define a peak at the midpoint of the louver.