Fender Base Cap Bracket for Mud Flap Mounting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mud flaps on vehicles, such as the 2019 GMC Sierra, face installation challenges due to obstructive trim elements and insufficient mounting points, leading to reduced functionality and aesthetics when directly mounted to OEM-supplied fender caps, which lack suitable structure and clearance for proper mud flap installation.
Innovation Solution
A fender base cap bracket with a defined fender mount and mud flap mount, designed to cover the base of a vehicle's fender, allowing for secure attachment of a mud flap using fasteners and a peel-and-stick adhesive, which can replace existing caps and provide additional mounting points without requiring drilled holes, enhancing installation and appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mud flaps are mounted directly to the inside of a fender using fasteners, then the mud flap can be secured to the vehicle, but the existing fender cap structure lacks sufficient mounting points and structural support for proper installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a fender base cap bracket as an intermediary component between the fender and the mud flap. This bracket provides additional mounting points and structural support, enabling reliable mud flap installation without modifying the original fender structure or requiring drilled holes in the vehicle body.
2Ease of operation
If mud flaps are mounted directly to OEM-supplied fender caps, then installation can proceed, but the appearance and functionality are reduced due to obstructive trim elements and insufficient clearance
Solution Approach 1:
The fender base cap bracket is designed as a segmented structure with distinct functional zones: a mounting portion that attaches to the fender, a bridge portion that spans the gap, and a support portion that provides the mounting surface for the mud flap. This segmentation allows each portion to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall aesthetic quality.
3Device complexity
If existing fender caps are used for mud flap mounting, then no additional components are needed, but drilled holes would be required which could damage the vehicle's body
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the mounting function from the original fender structure by introducing a separate fender base cap bracket. This bracket incorporates all necessary mounting points and fasteners, eliminating the need to drill holes in the vehicle's fender body and preventing potential damage to the original structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables effective and aesthetically pleasing mud flap installation by providing additional mounting points and structural support, ensuring proper function and durability while avoiding damage to the vehicle's body and maintaining its original appearance.
Implementation Method 1
securing a fender base cap bracket to a base of a fender of a vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus includes a fender base cap bracket shaped to cover a base of a fender of a vehicle; a fender mount defined on the fender base cap bracket; and a mud flap mount defined on the fender base cap bracket. A kit has a fender base cap bracket shaped to cover a base of a fender of a vehicle, the fender base cap bracket having a fender mount defined on the fender base cap bracket, and a mud flap mount defined on the fender base cap bracket; and a mud flap structured to mount to the mud flap mount. A method involves securing a fender base cap bracket to a base of a fender of a vehicle, such that the fender base cap bracket covers the base of the fender, the fender base cap bracket defining a mud flap mount.