TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure, in general, relates to an adjusting device for changing the position of a bumper of a vehicle. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an adjustable bracket used for mounting the bumper and also for correcting the position of the bumper of the vehicle relative to a mounting component and a surrounding component fitted at a front part of the vehicle during a final assembly of the vehicle.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Nowadays, there is a requirement of improving a front facia of a vehicle which in turns results in improving the merchandise of the vehicle. Generally, the front facia of the vehicle depends upon a front structure of the vehicle, a set of components assembled in the front structure, and a gap between the components. In addition, the front facia of the vehicle mainly includes a front bumper extending over a significant portion of a front side of the vehicle between the front side panels. Moreover, the front bumper includes a grill opening, headlights openings, and other such features to mount the components.
[0003] Therefore, the placement of the front bumper plays a vital role in improving the appearance of the front facia of the vehicle. But, during the complete cycle that starts from part manufacturing to final assembling of the components, the problem of tolerance between the various components mounted in a front side of the vehicle arises. This tolerance problem finally affects a desired final gap required between the bumper, its mounting components such as bumper grill, headlights, etc., and its surrounding components such as hood, fender panel etc.

[0004] Therefore, there is a necessity to adjust the position of the bumper relative to the mounting components and the surrounding components fitted at the front side of the vehicle during the final assembly of the vehicle.
[0005] In order to overcome the problem mentioned above, one of the prior arts proposed a concept of placing a bracket on a top of a sub-structure of a front member that helps in adjusting the position of the bumper relative to the hood. FIG. 1 clearly illustrates a bracket 100 proposed in that prior art and illustrates the mountings such as a bumper 106 and a bumper garnish 108 shown in (FIG. 5). The bracket 100 comprises an L-shaped bracket 102 which is fixed on the top of the sub-structure of the front member of the vehicle at a specified location. The bracket 100 solves the problem only up to certain extent. For instance, it adjusts the gap and level difference tolerances between the bumper 100 and the hood in two directions only that is in X and Y directions during the final assembly of the vehicle.
[0006] Hence, there is need in the state of the art to modify the existing adjustable bracket that can alter the position of the front bumper relative to all the mounting components and the surrounding components fitted at the front side of the vehicle during the final assembly of the vehicle and can be moved in all the three (X, Y and Z) directions.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below.
[0008] It is a general or primary object of the present disclosure to provide an adjustable bracket that alter the position of a front bumper relative to all mounting components and surrounding components fitted at a front side of a vehicle during the final assembly of the vehicle.

[0009] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide the adjustable bracket that moves in all the three (X, Y and Z) directions during the final assembly of the vehicle.
[0010] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide the adjustable bracket that is easy to mount and adjust as perthe requirements.
[0011] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide the adjustable bracket having better performance and reliability.
[0012] It is a further object of the present disclosure to provide the adjustable bracket that is cost-effective and highly efficient.
[0013] It is yet a further object of the present disclosure to provide the adjustable bracket that is maintenance-free.
[0014] These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent when reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY
[0015] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to an adjustable bracket that facilitates in altering the position of a front bumper relative to all mounting components and all surrounding components fitted at a front side of a vehicle in all the three (X, Y and Z) directions, during the final assembly of the 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.
[0016] The present disclosure proposes an adjustable bracket for positioning of a bumper of a vehicle. The adjustable bracket includes an inverted U-shaped lower part having a top portion and vertical walls extending downward from two parallel edges of the top portion, each of the vertical walls at free end thereof extends in a horizontal direction to form a

flange having a mounting hole. In an aspect, the dimension of the mounting hole is smaller than the dimension of a bracket mounting hole formed on a front member of the vehicle. The adjustable bracket further includes an inverted U-shaped upper part having a top portion and vertical walls extending downward from two parallel edges of the top portion. The vertical walls of the upper part are welded to external faces of the vertical walls of the lower part, with maintaining a predefined gap between the top portion of the lower part and the top portion of the upper part.
[0017] In an aspect, the top portion of the upper part of the adjustable bracket is a three stepped structure including a first step having a slant protrusion at a front edge along the length direction; a second step having a rear edge connected to the front edge of the first step and having a slant protrusion at its front edge along the length direction; and a third step having a rear edge connected to the front edge of the second step and having a slant protrusion at its front edge along the length.
[0018] In an aspect, the first step of the adjustable bracket is at a level higher than the second step.
[0019] In an aspect, the second step of the adjustable bracket is at a level higher than the third step.
[0020] In an aspect, the top portion of the upper part of the adjustable bracket is formed with a set of holes for supporting the bumper.
[0021] In an aspect, the set of holes formed on the top portion of the upper part of the adjustable bracket are either rectangular or circular in shape.
[0022] 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 DRAWINGS
[0023] The illustrated embodiments of the subject matter will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. The following description is intended only by way of example, and simply illustrates certain selected embodiments of an adjustable bracket used for mounting the bumper in a vehicle that are consistent with the subject matter as claimed herein, wherein:
[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional adjustable bracket in accordance with the prior art;
[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates an adjustable bracket mounted on a top of a sub-structure of a front member and an enlarged view of the same in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates an enlarged view of the adjustable bracket and the components of the same in accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates a number of holes formed on a top portion of an upper part of the adjustable bracket and their structure accordance with the embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates the mounting of the various components such as bumper and bumper garnish, over the adjustable bracket placed on the top of the substructure provided on the front of the vehicle; and
[0029] FIG. 6 illustrates a view of easy fitment of the adjustable bracket on the top of the sub-structure of the front member.
[0030] 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 DESCRIPTION
[0031] A few aspects of the present disclosure are explained in detail below with reference to the various figures. Example implementations are described to illustrate the disclosed subject matter, not to limit its scope, which is defined by the claims. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize a number of equivalent variations of the various features provided in the description that follows.
[0032] While the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms, there are shown in the drawings, and will hereinafter be described, some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. Not all of the depicted components described in this disclosure may be required, however, and some implementations may include additional, different, or fewer components from those expressly described in this disclosure. Variations in the arrangement and type of the components may be made without departing from the scope of the claims as set forth herein.
[0033] As mentioned above, there are issues related to a conventional adjustable bracket regarding altering a position of a bumper relative to a mounting components and a surrounding components (for e.g. hood) fitted at a front part of a vehicle during a final assembly of the vehicle.
[0034] To overcome the issues related to the conventional adjustable bracket, the present disclosure herein provides an adjustable bracket that supports the bumper and also alters the position of the bumper relative to all the mounting components and the surrounding components fitted at the front part of the vehicle and can be adjusted in all the three directions.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows an adjustable bracket 300 mounted on a top of a sub-structure of a front member 200 and shows an enlarged view of the adjustable bracket 300 in assembled condition, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. On right side in FIG. 2, it is shown that there is a set of two adjustable brackets 300 that are mounted on the top of the front member 200 and are placed at a certain distance from one another. Those skilled in the art can appreciate that for adjustment of the bumper 106, more than two adjustable brackets 300 can be placed on the front member 200 without deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.
[0036] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the adjustable bracket 300 and the components of the same in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the adjustable bracket 300 consists of two parts, namely a lower part 302 and an upper part 304. The left side of FIG. 3 illustrates the adjustable bracket 300 in assembled condition, while the right side of FIG. 3 illustrates the adjustable bracket 300 in an unassembled condition.
[0037] As can be shown in FIG. 3, the lower part 302 includes a top portion 302-T with a rectangular cut-out 302-H at a centre. The lower part 302 further includes a set of vertical walls 302-V extending downward from two parallel edges 302-E formed on the length direction of the top portion 302-T. The set of vertical walls 302-V also extends in the horizontal direction at their free ends to form a flange 302-F having a mounting hole 302-M which build up a connection with a mounting hole (not shown) provided on the top of the front member 200. The dimension of the mounting hole 302-M is smaller than the dimension of a bracket mounting hole formed on a front member 200 of the vehicle as it helps in achieving the adjustment of the bumper 106 in horizontal direction, that is in X direction during the assembly of the bumper 106.

[0038] The upper part 304 of the adjustable bracket 300 is placed over the lower part 302. The upper part 304 is also having an inverted U-shaped structure with a top portion 304-T. The top portion 304-T is provided with a set of two parallel edges 304-E along the length direction. It further includes a set of vertical walls 304-V extending downward from two parallel edges 304-E formed on the length direction of the top portion 304-T. The set of vertical walls 304-V that are extending downward are welded to external faces of the vertical walls 302-V of the lower part 302 while maintaining a predefined gap between the top portion 302-T of the lower part 302 and the top portion 304-T of the upper part 304. In an example, the predefined gap is based on the required tolerance between the components, such as the bumper, a bumper garnish, and a hood of the vehicle. By having the flexibility of adjusting the predefined gap, the adjustment of the bumper can take place in vertical (Z-axis) direction.
[0039] In an aspect, the set of vertical walls 304-V extending downward from two parallel edges 304-E are welded to the external faces of the vertical walls 302-V of the lower part 302, and can be adjusted along the length direction. Hence, the upper part 304 and the lower part 302 are adjustable in the length direction. By having the flexibility of adjusting the predetermined length, the adjustment of the bumper 106 can take place in horizontal (Y-axis) direction.
[0040] In an aspect, the top portion 304-T of the upper part 304 of the adjustable bracket 304 is having a three stepped structure consists of a first set 304-F, a second step 304-S and a third step 304-L that are placed in a descending order. The first step 304-F is placed at a level higher than the second step and having a slant protrusion 304-P1 at a front edge along the length direction. The second step 304-S is connected to the slant protrusion 304-P1 formed at the front edge of the first step through its rear edge. The second step is also having a slant protrusion 304-P2 at its front edge along the length direction. The third step 304-L is connected to the front edge of

the second step 304-S through its rear edge and having a slant protrusion 304-P3 at its front edge along the length. The third step 304-L is at level lower than the second step 304-S.
[0041] In an aspect, the top portion 304-T of the upper part 304 of the adjustable bracket are provided with number of holes that are either circular or rectangular in shape and are clearly illustrated in FIG.4. The first step 304-F includes three holes, one is rectangular and the other two are circular in shape. The rectangular hole 304-F1 is formed on the extreme left of the first step and one of the circular holes, i.e., first circular hole 304-F2 is formed on the extreme right of the first step 304 and in between these two holes, a second circular hole 304-F3 is formed, while viewing from the front. All the three holes are formed at a certain distance with one another.
[0042] In another aspect, the second step 304-S includes four holes. The first hole 304-S1 is formed on the extreme left side that is both circular as well as rectangular in shape while viewing from the front. The hole 304-S 1 is used with a weld nut that can be used for mounting the bumper garnish 108. A first circular hole 304-S2 is formed on the extreme right of the second step and in between the first circular hole 304-S2 and the hole 304-S 1 used with weld-nut, the second circular hole 304-S3 is formed. All the three holes are formed in line with one another at a certain distance. The fourth hole 304-S4 that is rectangular in structure is formed at the extreme right of the second step below the first circular hole at a predefined distance.
[0043] In yet another aspect, the third step 304-L includes two holes. The first hole 304 -L1 that is circular in nature and is formed on the extreme left while viewing from the front. The other hole 304-L2 that is circular and rectangular both in structure are formed on the extreme right and is used with a weld nut that can be used for mounting a bumper 106.
[0044] FIG. 5 illustrates the mounting of the various components such as the bumper 106 and the bumper garnish 108 over the adjustable bracket

300 placed on the top of the substructure 200 provided on the front of the vehicle.
[0045] FIG. 6 illustrates a view of easy fitment of the adjustable bracket 300 on the top of the sub-structure of the front member. As mentioned above, the adjustable bracket 300 consists of two parts -the lower part 302 and the upper part 304. The lower part 302 adjust the bumper during the final assembly in X direction only, therefore allowing the movement in only one direction. Hence, the upper bracket 304 is placed above the lower bracket 302 that helps in adjusting the bumper during the final assembly in Y and Z directions. Therefore, these two brackets in combination called as adjustable bracket helps in supporting the bumper 106 and also adjusting the bumper 106 in all the three directions, i.e., X, Y and Z direction. The bumper 106 also includes a grill opening, headlights openings, and other such features that provides space for mounting the components such as a bumper grill and a set of head lights.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 6, the bumper 106 and the bumper garnish 108 are also supported by the adjustable bracket 300. In addition, the bumper 106 is temporarily mounted over the adjustable bracket 300 through the rectangular hole 304-S4 formed on the second step 304-S of the upper bracket 304. Moreover, the bumper 106 is permanently mounted through the holes called as weld-nut supported holes 304-S 1, 304-L2 formed on the second step 304-S and the third step 304-L. Therefore, the position of the bumper 106 under the bumper garnish 108 are also adjusted by the adjustable bracket 300.
[0047] Thus, with the adjustable bracket 300 described in the present disclosure, various technical problems of the state of the art are resolved. Also, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the proposed adjustable bracket 300 may help in adjusting the bumper during the final assembly of the vehicle, without deviating from the scope of the subject matter of the present disclosure.

TECHNICAL ADVANTAGES
[0048] An adjustable bracket proposed herein results in the following technical advantages:
[0049] The present disclosure provides an adjustable bracket that alter the position of the bumper relative to all the mounting components and the surrounding components fitted at the front part of the vehicle during the final assembly of the vehicle.
[0050] The present disclosure provides the adjustable bracket that adjusts the bumper in all the three (X, Y and Z) directions during the final assembly of the vehicle.
[0051] The present disclosure provides the adjustable bracket that is easy to mount and adjust as per the requirements.
[0052] The present disclosure provides the adjustable bracket that delivers better performance and reliability.
[0053] The present disclosure provides the adjustable bracket that is cost-effective and highly efficient.
[0054] The present disclosure provides the adjustable bracket that is maintenance-free.
Equivalents
[0055] Further, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its scope.
[0056] Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in

understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Also, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments.
[0057] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the invention is determined by the claims that follow. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, versions, or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill inthe art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

WE CLAIM:

1. An adjustable bracket (300) for positioning of a bumper of a vehicle,
the adjustable bracket (300) comprising:
an inverted U-shaped lower part (302) having a top portion (302-T) and vertical walls (302-V) extending downward from two parallel edges (302-E) of the top portion (302-T), each of the vertical walls (302-V) at free end thereof extends in horizontal direction to form a flange (302-F) with a mounting hole (302-M), wherein the dimension of the mounting hole (302-M) is smaller than the dimension of a bracket mounting hole formed on a front member (200) of the vehicle; and
an inverted U-shaped upper part (304) having a top portion (304-T) and vertical walls (304-V) extending downward from two parallel edges (304-E) of the top portion, wherein the vertical walls (304-V) of the upper part (304) are welded to external faces of the vertical walls (302-V) of the lower part (302), with maintaining a predefined gap between the top portion (302-T) of the lower part (302) and the top portion (304-T) of the upper part (304).
2. The adjustable bracket (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top
portion (304-T) of the upper part (304) is a three stepped structure
having:
a first step (304-F) having a slant protrusion at a front edge along the length direction;
a second step (304-S) having a rear edge connected to the front edge of the first step (304-F) and having a slant protrusion at its front edge along the length direction; and

a third step (304-L) having a rear edge connected to the front edge of the second step (304-S) and having a slant protrusion at its front edge along the length.
The adjustable bracket (300) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first step (304-F) is at a level higher than the second step (304-S).
The adjustable bracket (300) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second step (304-S) is at a level higher than the third step (304-L).
The adjustable bracket (300) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the top portion (304-T) of the upper part (304) is formed with a set of holes for supporting the bumper.
The adjustable bracket (300) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the set of holes formed on the top portion (304-T) of the upper part (304) are either rectangular or circular in shape.