The present disclosure, in general, relates to a bracket to attach a fender with a bumper garnish of a vehicle. In particular, the present disclosure relates to the bracket integrated with an inner surface of the fender in order to mount the bumper and the bumper garnish with the fender on the body of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Conventionally, in a vehicle, a fender and a bumper are joined together through a bumper holder. The fender is coupled to the bumper holder through nuts and bolt comprising of a number of connecting flanges with locator followed by fastening with a screw. The bumper is in turn snap fitted to the bumper holder thus establishing a suitable linkage with the fender. In this type of arrangement, the bumper holder is not an integral part of either the fender or the bumper and is just used for the purpose of affixing the fender with the bumper.
[0003] However, with an incorporation of aesthetic design features and modern appearances to the vehicle, the conventional coupling arrangement between the fender and the bumper by an external bumper holder is not favorable. This is due to the fact that the new design of the fender and the introduction of a bumper garnish does not provide sufficient interlocking by means of the externally aligned bumper holder. Moreover, it is also difficult to control the gap or the level difference at the intersection point with this arrangement.
OBJECTS OF DISCLOSURE
[0004] In view of the foregoing limitations inherent in the state of the art, some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below.

[0005] It is a significant object of the present disclosure to provide a suitable interlocking arrangement between a fender and a bumper garnish in a vehicle.
[0006] It is a principal object of the present disclosure to provide an interlocking arrangement between the fender and the bumper garnish of the vehicle such that the gap at the coupling site can be controlled.
[0007] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide an interlocking arrangement between the fender and the bumper garnish of the vehicle such that the level difference at the joinery can be controlled.
[0008] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a bracket that is integrated with the fender of the vehicle.
[0009] It is still another object of the present disclosure to provide a suitable interlocking arrangement that can comply in accordance with the new design of the fender in the vehicle.
[0010] It is even another object of the present disclosure to provide a suitable interlocking arrangement that can comply in accordance with design of the bumper garnish in the vehicle.
[0011] These and other objects and advantages of the present subject matter will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after consideration of the following detailed description taking into consideration with accompanied drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0012] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a bracket for inner fender panel in a vehicle. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0013] The present disclosure relates to a bracket for attaching a fender with a bumper garnish in the vehicle. In an aspect, the bracket comprises of a central part, a first flange, a second flange, a third flange, and a fourth flange, respectively. [0014] In an aspect, the first flange, the second flange and the third flange are extended in a direction upward to the central part and the fourth flange is extended in a same plane as that of the central part.
[0015] In an aspect, the second flange is spot welded with the fender. Additionally, the second flange comprises multiple holes, where the multiple holes are adapted to locate and fix the bumper garnish. Further, the third flange is attached with the fender with use of a sealer.
[0016] In an aspect, the first flange includes a hole adapted to attach the bumper garnish with the bracket by use of a nut and a bolt.
[0017] In an aspect, the fourth flange includes a hole adapted to mount a lamp locator.
[0018] In an aspect, in the bracket, the second flange comprises a joggle spot welded with the fender.

[0019] In an aspect, the central part comprises of a first emboss section comprising a hole and spot welded with the fender. Additionally, there is provided a second emboss section also spot welded with the fender.
[0020] In an aspect, the bracket further comprises a plurality of strengthening beads along length and breadth of the bracket.
[0021] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
[0022] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0023] Figure 1 illustrates a representation of a fender along with a bumper and a bumper garnish in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 2 illustrates a bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0025] Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0026] Figure 4 illustrates a comprehensive view of the coupling pursued in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0027] Figure 5 illustrates a perspective view of the bracket in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0028] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRITPTION
[0029] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0030] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0031] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0033] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0034] Hereinafter, a description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0035] Typically, in a vehicle, a fender and a bumper are connected via a bumper holder using customary screw nut flange arrangement. Herein, the fender is affixed to the bumper holder by using suitable flanges accompanied by locators with the bumper being coupled to the bumper holder by snap fitting. Thus here the bumper holder is not an integral part of the fender or the bumper with this type of design. On the contrary, this arrangement becomes disparaging in view of new design of the fender in the vehicle. The new styling feature requires the fender panel to be bent at the front area in order to provide a joining surface along with a new design of a bumper garnish. However, the required change in the fender panel cannot be achieved due to manufacturing (formability) challenge/limitation. Consequently, with the conventional arrangement, the gap and the level difference in the joining site of the fender and the bumper garnish cannot be controlled.
[0036] Figure 1 illustrates a representation (110) of the fender (111) and the bumper (112) along with an introduction of a newly designed bumper garnish (113). The new styling features of the fender (111) is already discussed. The bumper garnish (113), on the other hand, is mounted on the fender (111) in order to achieve a better gap and a level difference (LD) (115), simultaneously contributing to the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle. Further, as shown in Figure 1, a headlamp (114) is positioned between the bumper (112) and the bumper garnish (113) with one of its end affixed to a panel of the fender (111) as well.
[0037] In view of aforementioned scenario, the present disclosure proposes a bracket to attach the fender (111) of the vehicle with the bumper garnish (113) of the vehicle.

The bracket is located at the inner front portion of the fender (111). The bracket obviates the limitation of being an external member as in the conventional arrangement and is integrated with the fender (111). Herein, as disclosed in the present subject matter, the bracket is affixed to the bumper garnish (113) and to the fender (111) in order to provide an enhanced rigidity. Consequently, the bracket being an integral part of the fender (111) ensures control of gap or level difference. Further, presence of multiple number of strengthening beads and emboss provides additional robustness to the structure of the bracket. Therefore, the overall arrangement complies in accordance with the newly designed fender (111) and freshly introduced bumper garnish (113) in the vehicle.
[0038] Figure 2 illustrates the bracket (100) proposed in the present disclosure. The bracket (100) is provided with a central part (109). The central part (109) includes four flanges viz., a first flange (101), a second flange (102), a third flange (103) and a fourth flange (104), respectively. The first flange (101), the second flange (102), and the third flange (103) are located adjacent to one another and extended in upward direction from the central part (109) and are also outwardly projected. The fourth flange (104), on the other hand is extended along a same plane as that of the central part (109).
[0039] In an aspect, the first flange (101) includes a hole for affixing a bumper garnish (113) with the bracket (100). The second flange (102) comprises of multiple holes (102A, 102B, 102C) which are explained in detailed with the help of Figure 4. The fourth flange (104) includes a hole for mounting of a lamp locator.
[0040] In an aspect, the central part (109) includes a plurality of emboss sections located along the same plane. The first emboss section (106-1) and the second emboss section (106-2) are spot welded with a fender (201) (where (111) and (201) are identical structures and referred to as (201), hereafter) as illustrated in Figure 3, whereas the first emboss section (106-1) comprises of a hole. There is further provided a plurality

of strengthening beads (105-1 and 105-2) along the length and breadth of the bracket (100) which improves robustness of the bracket (100).
[0041] In this context, it is to be noted that the first flange (101), the second flange (102), the third flange (103) and the fourth flange (104) form separate surfaces of the bracket (100) in order to provide a better surface control requirement. Moreover, the presence of distinct flanges increases the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle and supports in better surface tolerance control in comparison to a single flange.
[0042] Figure 3 illustrates the integration of the fender (201) with the bracket (100) described in the present disclosure. The structural attributes of the bracket (100) discussed in Figure 2 are not iterated here for the sake of brevity. In an aspect, the second flange (102) of the bracket (100) comprises of an emboss section adapted to attach the fender (201) with the bracket (100) through spot welding (202). Further, the third flange (103) is attached to the fender (201) via application of a sealer (203). The joinery of the third flange (103) and the fender (201) protects the fender (201) from vibrations while the vehicle is in motion and also provides resistance in small amount of load applied on the fender surface in that area. Additionally, the bracket (100) is further attached to the fender (201) through spot welding ((204), (205)) present in the downward direction of the central part (109). These spot welding (204, 205) are performed along the same plane in the central part (109) of the bracket (100). Moreover, the central part (109) of the bracket (100) includes plurality of holes along its plane. Here, two holes present in the central part (109) of the bracket (100) are bolted to the fender (201).
[0043] Figure 4 provides an insight of the attachment of the bumper garnish (301) (where (113) and (301) are identical structures and referred to as (301), hereafter) and the fender (201) with that of the bracket (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the bumper garnish (301) is bolted through a nut

and a bolt (302) at the hole (101-A) of the first flange (101), as illustrated in Figure 2, with the bracket (100). The fender (201), on the other hand, is spot welded to the bracket (100) through an emboss section, referred to as a joggle (107), located in the second flange (102) of the bracket (100). Further, the holes (102-A), (102-B) and (102-C) of the second flange (102), as illustrated in Figure 2, is adapted to locate and fix the bumper garnish (301). Thus, with the first flange (101) and the second flange (102), the bumper garnish (301) is attached with the bracket (100). The plurality of emboss sections (106-1 and 106-2) and the joggle (107) are provided to ensure better resistance towards corrosion phenomenon as well.
[0044] Figure 5 illustrates a perspective side view of the bracket (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The fourth flange (104), as illustrated Figure 2, includes a hole (108) for mounting a lamp locator of the vehicle. The lamp locator is present across the hole (108) in the fourth flange (104). A fastener across the first flange (101) and the second flange (102) are provided in order to resist twisting of the bumper garnish (301) of the vehicle. Further, the fastener (401-A) is used to fix the bracket (100) with a body panel (fender bracket) (402) beneath the bracket (100) and the fastener (401-B) is used to sandwich the bracket (100) between the fender (201) and the body panel.
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0045] All in all, the bracket (100) disclosed in the present subject matter is having the following advantages:
[0046] The bracket (100) provides better surface control than the conventional design.
[0047] The bracket (100) minimizes and controls the gap and the level difference occurring at the connecting point of the fender (201) and the bumper garnish (301).

[0048] The bracket (100) is equipped with an ability of sustaining load applied on the fender (201) during motion of the vehicle.
[0049] The bracket (100) is capable of absorbing vibrations occurring at the fender (201) during motion of the vehicle.
[0050] The separate surfaces of the plurality of flanges (101, 102, 103 and 104) present in the bracket (100) contributes to better fitment with the bumper garnish (301) and leads to better aesthetic design and appearance of the vehicle.
[0051] The design aspects of the bracket (100) is capable to resist twisting in the bumper garnish (301) of the vehicle.
[0052] The presence of embosses (106-1 andl06-2,) and the strengthening beads (105-1 andl05-2) in the bracket (100) provides an enhanced rigidity and robustness to the arrangement.
[0053] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least" the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to", etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim

containing such introduced claim recitation to disclosures containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and/or "an" should typically be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Also, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of
A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone,
C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C
together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to "at least one of A,
B, or C, etc." is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having
skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., "a system having at least one of
A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C
alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C
together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any
disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in
the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the
possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms or both terms. For
example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or
"B" or "A and B."
[0054] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components.

The present disclosure contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the disclosure, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Also, while a feature of the present disclosure may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present disclosure. The present disclosure also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of "comprising" or "including" also contemplates embodiments that "consist essentially of or "consist of the recited feature.

We Claim:

1. A bracket (100) to attach a fender (201) of a vehicle with a bumper garnish
(301) of the vehicle, the bracket (100) comprises:
a central part (109);
a first flange (101), a second flange (102), a third flange (103) and a fourth flange (104),
wherein the first flange (101), the second flange (102) and the third flange (103) are extended in a direction upward to the central part (109),
wherein the fourth flange (104) is extended in the same plane that of the central part (109),
wherein the second flange (102) is spot welded with the fender (201), and the second flange (102) comprises multiple holes, wherein the multiple holes are adapted to locate and fix the bumper garnish (301); and
wherein the third flange (103) is attached with the fender (201) with use of a sealer (203).
2. The bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the first flange (101) includes a hole adapted to attach the bumper garnish (301) with the bracket (100) by use of a nut and a bolt (302).
3. The bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fourth flange (104) includes a hole (108) adapted to mount a lamp locator.
4. The bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second flange (102)
comprises a joggle (107) spot welded (202) with the fender (201).

5. The bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the central part (109)
comprises:
a first emboss section (106-1) comprises a hole; and
a second emboss section (106-2) spot welded with the fender (201), wherein
the first emboss section (106-1) is spot welded with the fender (201).
6. The bracket (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprises a plurality of strengthening
beads (105-1 and 105-2) along length and breadth of the bracket (100).