Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A fender guard assembly (100) for a fender (200) of a vehicle, comprising:
a primary member (110) configured to be detachably attached on the fender (200), the primary member (110) extends from a front region (252) of the fender (200) towards a rear region (254) of the fender (200) in a vehicle front-rear direction, and the primary member (110) girdles the fender (200) on the front region (252) and at least partially on sides of the fender (200), wherein the primary member (110) has a varying width (W).

2. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the primary member (110) has a maximum width (Wmax) at the rear of a vertical plane (YY’) which divides the fender (200) substantially into two halves in the vehicle front-rear direction.

3. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the primary member (110) has a plurality of first holes (115) configured to receive a fastening means (190) for detachably attaching the primary member (110) to the fender (200), and the fender (200) has a plurality of second holes (215) coaxially aligned with the corresponding first holes (115), the plurality of second holes configured to receive the fastening means (190) for detachably attaching the primary member (110) to the fender (200).

4. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the primary member (110) comprises a metallic strip.

5. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a reinforcement member (130) configured to be detachably attached to an inner surface (271) of the fender (200).

6. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claims 3 and 5, wherein the reinforcement member (130) has a plurality of third holes (135) coaxially aligned with the corresponding first holes (115) and the second holes (215), the third holes (135) configured to receive the fastening means (190) for detachably attaching the primary member (110) to the fender (200).

7. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the reinforcement member (130) is configured to secure a distal end of the fastening means (190).

8. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the reinforcement member (130) has a C shaped cross section, an open face of the C shaped reinforcement member (130) facing towards a wheel covered by the fender (200).

9. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein thickness of the primary member (110) is greater than thickness of the fender (200).

10. The fender guard assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said fender guard assembly (100) comprises:
a plurality of substantially vertical members (160) positioned substantially in the front region (252) of the fender (200) and fixedly attached to the primary member (110);
a plurality of spaced apart horizontal members (164) disposed between the vertical members (160) and fixedly attached thereto; and
a plurality of auxiliary members (168) extending between the substantially vertical member (160) and the primary member (110).
, Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention relates to a Fender Guard Assembly for a fender covering a wheel of a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] A fender or mudguard is used to cover the upper portion of a wheel of a vehicle. The primary purpose of the fender is to prevent sand, mud, rocks, liquids, and other road spray from being thrown into the air by the rotating tire. The fender may be made of metal or resin material.
[003] Fenders may get damaged because of impact under collision, cantilever load due to poor weight distribution, strain at the fender mounts due to vibrations under excessive road undulations, and various other reasons. To protect the fender from damage due to impact under collision, a fender guard may be provided. The fender guard takes the first impact of collision and deforms, thus distributing the load across its length and preventing or minimising damage to the fender.
[004] However, the use of fender guard brings forth other problems. Conventionally, a fender guard is fixedly attached to the fender. In cases where the fender is made of metal, the fender guard is welded to the fender using CO2 welding or plug welding among other methods. This causes the thickness of the fender to be lower around the weld area leading to increased stress in this area on impact under collision. Moreover, deformation of the fixedly attached fender guard results in formation of cracks and heat affected zones in the regions of the fender where the fender guard is attached. The overhang structure of the fender guard exerts excess cantilever load causing these cracks to propagate in the regions of the fender where the fender guard is attached. Defects due to improper welding may also arise.
[005] Fenders with curved surfaces tend to have buckling zones where deformation of the fender occurs on impact. Conventionally used fender guards fail to transfer the impact load effectively on collision which leads to deformation of the fender in its buckling zones. The fender guard should also be durable, lightweight, cost effective and easy to replace.
[006] Thus, there is a need in the art for a fender guard assembly of a fender covering a wheel of a vehicle which addresses at least the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[007] In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a fender guard assembly for a fender of a vehicle. The fender guard assembly includes a primary member capable of being detachably attached to the fender. The primary member extends in a vehicle front rear direction from a front region of the fender towards a rear region of the fender, such that the primary member girdles the fender on the front region of the fender and at least partially on the sides of the fender. The primary member has a varying width.
[008] In an embodiment, a vertical plane is defined such that the vertical plane divides the fender substantially into two halves in the vehicle front rear direction. The primary member has a maximum width at a rear of the vertical plane.
[009] In an embodiment, the primary member has a plurality of first holes for receiving a fastening means in order to detachably attach the primary member to the fender. The fender has a plurality of second holes coaxially aligned with the corresponding first holes for receiving the fastening means in order to detachably attach the primary member to the fender.
[010] In an embodiment, the primary member is a metallic strip.
[011] In a further embodiment, the fender guard assembly includes a reinforcement member capable of being detachably attached to an inner surface of the fender.
[012] In an embodiment, the reinforcement member has a plurality of third holes coaxially aligned with the corresponding first holes of the primary member and second holes of the fender. The third holes receive the fastening means which detachably attach the primary member to the fender.
[013] In an embodiment, the reinforcement member is capable of securing a distal end of the fastening means.
[014] In an embodiment, the reinforcement member has a C shaped cross section. The C shaped reinforcement member is disposed on an inner surface of the fender such that an open face of the C shaped reinforcement member faces towards a wheel covered by the fender.
[015] In a further embodiment, thickness of the primary member is greater than thickness of the fender.
[016] In a further embodiment, the fender guard assembly includes a plurality of substantially vertical members positioned substantially in the front region of the fender. The substantially vertical members are fixedly attached to the primary member. The fender guard assembly further includes a plurality of spaced apart horizontal members disposed between the vertical members. The horizontal members are fixedly attached to the vertical members. The fender guard assembly also includes a plurality of auxiliary members. The auxiliary members extend between the substantially vertical member and the primary member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[017] Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary fender and fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 illustrates a side elevation view of the fender and fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of an exemplary fender and fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 illustrates a cross sectional view of the fender and fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 illustrates a side elevation view of the fender and fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 illustrates a front perspective view of the fender and fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 illustrates a rear perspective view of the fender and fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 illustrates a front perspective view of the fender and fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 illustrates a bar chart signifying stress reduction at mounting points of the fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[018] Various features and embodiments of the present invention here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder. In the ensuing exemplary embodiments, the vehicle is a three-wheeled vehicle. However, it is contemplated that the disclosure in the present invention may be applied to any automobile including a two wheeled vehicle and a four wheeled vehicle capable of accommodating the present subject matter without defeating the scope of the present invention.
[019] The present invention relates to a Fender Guard Assembly for a fender covering a wheel of a vehicle.
[020] Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a fender 200 covering the upper portion of a wheel (not shown) of a vehicle (not shown) and a fender guard assembly 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
[021] The fender 200 is defined by a front region 252 (shown in Figure 3), a rear region 254 (shown in Figure 7) and an upper region (not shown) covering an upper portion of the wheel. The sides of the fender 200 extend between the front region 252 and the rear region 254 and merge with the upper region. In an exemplary embodiment, the fender 200 is of a curved shape in that the joint between the upper region and sides of the fender is defined by an area with a particular radius of curvature.
[022] Referring to Figure 1, the fender guard assembly 100 includes a primary member 110 that girdles the outer surface of the fender 200 near a bottom edge region of the fender 200. The primary member 110 surrounds the fender 200 on its front region 252 and extends rearward in a vehicle front rear direction to cover the sides of the fender 200 at least partially. In an embodiment, the primary member 110 may encircle the entire fender 200 so as to have its ends (not shown) in contact with one another at a rear region 254 of the fender 200.
[023] The primary member 110 is configured to be in continuous contact with the outer surface of the fender 200. This design enables effective distribution of stresses along the primary member 110 and the body of the fender 200, thereby increasing the durability of the fender 200. Stress created during impact is at least partially transmitted to the fender 200 which absorbs the said stress, thereby limiting damage to the fender guard assembly 100. In an exemplary embodiment the primary member is a metallic strip.
[024] The primary member 110 has a varying width W. The width W varies along the fender surface in a vehicle front rear direction. The width W of the primary member 110 increases towards a rear of the fender 200. The primary member 110 having a lesser width at the front region and a greater width at the side regions of the fender 200 results in improved weight distribution and reduction in overhang cantilever load at the front region of the fender 200. The non-uniform width W also results in reduced weight of the primary member 110 correspondingly reducing the weight of the fender guard assembly 100. In an embodiment, thickness of the primary member 110 is greater than thickness of the fender 200. This ensures that the primary member 110 is more rigid and can effectively protect the fender 200 during collisions.
[025] Figure 2 illustrates a side perspective view of the fender 200 and fender guard assembly 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. An imaginary vertical plane YY’ is defined in the vehicle width direction to divide the fender 200 into substantially two halves. The primary member 110 girdling the fender 200 has a maximum width Wmax at a position to the rear of the vertical pane YY’. Thus, the primary member 110 has its greatest width Wmax at a region of the fender 200 which is prone to buckling, that is in and around the buckling zone. Overlap of the buckling zone by the primary member 110 reduces the probability of buckling on impact. The higher width W of the primary member 110 at the buckling zone of the fender increases the section modulus of the fender 200 at the buckling zone, thereby further reducing probability of buckling.
[026] Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of the fender 200 and the fender guard assembly 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The primary member 110 has a plurality of first holes 115 which extend across the thickness of the primary member 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the number of first holes 115 in the primary member 110 is four, with two holes on the left side of the fender and two holes on the right side of the fender 200 respectively. The fender 200 has a plurality of second holes 215. One second hole 215 is provided on the fender 200 corresponding to each first hole 115 of the primary member 110. Each first hole 115 of the primary member 110 is coaxially aligned with the corresponding second hole 215 of the fender 200. Each first hole 115 of the primary member 110 and the corresponding second hole 215 of the fender 200 are configured to receive a fastening means 190 (shown in Figure 4) for detachably attaching the primary member 110 to the fender 200. In an exemplary embodiment, the fastening means 190 is a threaded bolt which passes through the first hole 115 and the second hole 215. In another exemplary embodiment, the fastening means used could be a rivet or an adhesive material.
[027] Referring to Figures 1 and 4, in an embodiment, the fender guard assembly 100 includes one or more reinforcement members 130. The reinforcement member 130 is configured to be detachably attached to an inner surface 271 of the fender 200. In an exemplary embodiment, two reinforcement members are used with one on either side of the inner surface of the fender 200. Once assembled, the fender guard assembly 100 will have the fender 200 sandwiched between the primary member 110 and the reinforcement member 130.
[028] The reinforcement member 130 has a plurality of third holes 135 (shown in Figure 3). One third hole 135 is provided on the reinforcement member 130 corresponding to each second hole 215 of the fender 200. Each third hole 135 of the reinforcement member 130 is coaxially aligned with the corresponding second hole 215 of the fender 200. Each third hole 135 of the reinforcement member 130 is configured to receive the fastening means 190 which has passed through the first hole 115 of the primary member 110 and the corresponding second hole 215 of the fender 200. The fastening means 190 detachably attaches the primary member 110 and the reinforcement member 130 to the fender 200.
[029] The reinforcement member 130 is equipped to secure a distal of the fastening means 190. In an embodiment the reinforcement member 130 includes a means 195 (shown in Figure 1) for securing a distal end of the fastening means 190. The reinforcement member 130 applies compressive forces on the fender 200, the fastening means 190 and the means 195 for securing the distal end of the fastening means 190, thereby eliminating loosening of the fastening means 190 under vehicle and road vibrations. In an exemplary embodiment, the means 195 for securing the distal end of the fastening means 190 is a weld nut which is fixedly attached onto the reinforcement member 130. The weld nut is fixedly attached to the reinforcement member 130 such that, a threaded hole of the weld nut is coaxially aligned with the corresponding third hole 135 of the reinforcement member 130. This fixed attachment may be brought about by welding the weld nut onto the surface of the reinforcement member 130. In another exemplary embodiment the means 195 for securing the distal end of the fastening means 190 may be a rivet nut.
[030] In a further embodiment, the reinforcement member 130 has a C shaped cross section. The C shaped reinforcement member is detachably attached to the inner surface 271 of the fender 200, such that the open face of the C-shaped reinforcement member 130 faces the wheel covered by the fender 200. The weld nut for securing the distal end of the fastening means 190 is fixedly attached onto the open face of the C shaped reinforcement member.
[031] Referring to Figures 5 to 8, the fender guard assembly 100 includes a plurality of substantially vertical members 160 disposed substantially in a front region 252 of the fender 200. The plurality of vertical members 160 are attached at their one end to the primary member 110. The vertical member 160 extends from the primary member 110 in an upward direction. The plurality of vertical members 160 protect the front region 252 of the fender 200 that is not covered by the primary member 110 during collision. In an exemplary embodiment, there are two vertical members 160 in the fender guard assembly 100. In another embodiment, the vertical members 160 of the fender guard assembly 100 are of a curved disposition. This enables the vertical members to cover and protect a larger area at the front region 252 of the fender 200.
[032] The fender guard assembly 100 further includes a plurality of horizontal members 164 connecting the vertical members 160. The horizontal members 164 are fixedly attached to the vertical members 160. The horizontal members 164 are spaced apart from one another such that one horizontal member 164 is disposed above the other horizontal member 164. The plurality of horizontal members 164 protect the front region 252 of the fender 200 that is not covered by the primary member 110 and the vertical members 160 during collision. The plurality of horizontal members 164 also increases the structural integrity of the fender guard assembly 100. In an embodiment, there are two horizontal members having their one end attached to one vertical member and the other end attached to the other vertical member.
[033] The fender guard assembly 100 further includes a plurality of auxiliary members 168 extending between the vertical member 160 and the primary member 110. The plurality of auxiliary members 168 are disposed at a position substantially near the sides of the fender 200. One end of the auxiliary member 168 is fixedly attached to the primary member 110 and the other end is fixedly attached to the nearest vertical member 160. The auxiliary members 168 are disposed on either side of the fender 200. The auxiliary members 168 on one side of the fender 200 are spaced apart from one another such that one auxiliary member 168 is disposed above the other auxiliary member 168. The plurality of auxiliary members 168 protect the sides of the fender 200 during collision. In an embodiment, there are six auxiliary members 168, such that three each are disposed on either side of the fender.
[034] Figure 9 illustrates a bar chart signifying stress reduction at mounting points of the fender guard assembly, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The stress (S2) at mounting points of the fender guard assembly 100 is reduced by more than half in the fender guard assembly 100 described herein as compared to stress (S1) in conventionally used fender guard assemblies. The fender 200 is subjected to relatively much lower stresses while employing the fender guard assembly 100 described herein as compared to conventionally used fender guards.
[035] In an embodiment, various other accessories may be mounted on the primary member 110 as desired. For e.g., one such accessory could be a camera or a proximity sensor.
[036] Advantageously, the present invention provides a fender guard assembly for a fender covering a wheel of a vehicle. The fender guard assembly enhances the strength and durability of the fender. Lightweight design of the fender guard assembly enables for a reduction in cantilever load at the front region of the fender and reduces the total weight of the fender assembly. The fender guard assembly enables for effective load distribution along the length of the fender guard and the fender during impact. The fender guard assembly being detachably attached to the fender, reduces the cost of replacement of the fender guard and increases the ease of serviceability. Noise, Vibration and Harshness issues of the fender guard assembly are also reduced due to reliable mounting.
[037] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.