JP2023030351A - Vehicular exterior component - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a vehicular exterior component which includes a light source part and enables improvement of the impression of the appearance in a state that the light source part is not turned on.SOLUTION: A vehicular illumination exterior component 1 is attached to a vehicle and includes: a light diffusion member 4 in which multiple light guide protrusions 10 are provided on its surface and which allows light to penetrate therethrough in a diffusive manner; a translucent member 5 which has recessed parts 5c, in each of which the light guide protrusion 10 contacts with an inner wall surface 5c1, on a back surface and which is formed colored while keeping transparency; and a light source part 3 disposed at the back surface side of the light diffusion member 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to vehicle exterior parts.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an illumination grill provided with a light source. In such an illumination grille, the illumination grille is illuminated with light emitted from the light source.

JP 2019-75283 A

By the way, the illumination grille disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used as a front grille portion of a large-sized vehicle in which it is relatively easy to secure an installation space for a light source or the like. On the other hand, in recent years, with the spread of electric vehicles, the number of front grilles that do not require an opening has increased in small cars, and it has become possible to install a light source part and the like even in the front grilles of small cars. For this reason, it is becoming more common to install vehicle exterior parts that can be illuminated even in small vehicles.

Along with the popularization of such vehicle exterior parts that can be decorated with lights, the demand for designability of such vehicle exterior parts is also increasing. For example, vehicle exterior parts that can be illuminated are generally not illuminated during the day when the outside light is strong, and are illuminated only at night when the outside light is weak. Further, when the vehicle is parked for a long time in a parking lot or the like, the vehicle exterior parts that can be illuminated are generally not illuminated. For this reason, if the portion that can be illuminated with lights lacks integrity with the surrounding parts during the period in which the illumination is not performed, there is a risk that the appearance of the vehicle as a whole will be spoiled. Therefore, it is preferable that the vehicle exterior component including the light source section can prevent the exterior impression of the vehicle from being spoiled even when the light source is not turned on.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the external impression of a vehicle exterior component having a light source when the light source is not turned on.

The present invention employs the following configurations as means for solving the above problems.

A first aspect of the present invention is a vehicle exterior component that is attached to a vehicle, comprising: a light diffusing member provided with a plurality of light guide protrusions on a surface thereof and diffusing and transmitting light; and the light guide protrusions. is provided on the back surface with a concave portion that abuts against the inner wall surface, and is provided with a translucent member that is colored and transparent, and a light source portion that is arranged on the back side of the light diffusing member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the light guide protrusion is formed in a cone shape, and the recess is formed in a cone shape into which the light guide protrusion is fitted. The configuration of being formed is adopted.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the above-described second aspect, the light guide convex portion has a regular quadrangular pyramid shape in which the angles formed by the apexes of the opposing side surfaces are right angles.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the light guide protrusions are connected to each other and arranged continuously.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, a configuration is adopted in which a light source accommodating member that accommodates the light source unit and whose open end is closed with the light diffusion member is provided. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect, the inner wall surface of the light source housing member is a reflecting surface that reflects the light emitted from the light source section.

According to the present invention, the light emitted from the light source section is diffused by the light diffusing member and emitted from each portion of the outer wall surface of the light guide convex portion in the normal direction of each portion. In the present invention, the light-guiding convex portion is only in contact with the inner wall surface of the concave portion of the translucent member and is not adhered with an adhesive or the like, and the outer wall surface of the light-transmitting convex portion and the inner wall surface of the concave portion are not bonded. A minute air layer is formed between them. Since the light emitted from the outer wall surface of the light guide convex portion is emitted in the normal direction of the outer wall surface, the translucent member can be formed while the reflection at the interface between the light guide convex portion and the air layer is suppressed. The light enters the translucent member through the inner wall surface of the recess. Furthermore, since the emitted light enters the semi-transparent member from the normal direction of the inner wall surface of the recess, it enters the semi-transparent member in a state in which reflection on the inner wall surface of the recess is suppressed, and passes through the semi-transparent member to the outside. is injected into Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to carry out electrical equipment and the like by turning on the light source section. In addition, in the present invention, when external light is incident from the opposite side of the translucent member to the light diffusion member, the external light is reflected, for example, multiple times at the boundary between the translucent member and the air layer, and the light is diffused by the translucent member. It is injected again from the side opposite to the member. Therefore, according to the present invention, the light source is hidden from outsiders by reflection of external light when the light source is not turned on. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the appearance impression in a state in which the light source is not turned on, in the vehicle exterior component having the light source.

1 is a front view of a vehicle provided with a vehicle illumination exterior component according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle illumination exterior component according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of (a). 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a light guide convex portion provided in a vehicle illumination exterior component according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a BB cross section of (a). It is a diagram. 1 is a schematic front view of a light diffusing member included in a vehicle illumination exterior component according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a light diffusing member and a translucent member included in the vehicle illumination exterior component according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle illumination exterior component according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

An embodiment of a vehicle exterior component according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle 100 provided with a vehicle illumination exterior component 1 (vehicle exterior component) of the present embodiment. The vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment is illuminated from the outside when the light source unit 3 (to be described later) is turned on, and is visible from the outside. It is an exterior part to be integrated.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of this embodiment is provided in the front part of the vehicle 100, and is arranged below the hood H and above the emblem E. As shown in FIG. The vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment is an elongated member extending linearly in the vehicle width direction (horizontal direction) of the vehicle 100 .

2A and 2B are schematic diagrams showing a schematic configuration of the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, where (a) is a front view and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of (a). As shown in these figures, the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment includes a light source housing container 2 (light source housing member), a light source section 3, a light diffusion member 4, and a translucent member 5. there is

The light source housing container 2 is a container-shaped member that houses the light source unit 3, and is an elongated container that extends linearly in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 2(b), the light source container 2 has a C-shaped cross section with an open end 2a. The light source housing container 2 is fixed to the vehicle body B so that the open end faces the front of the vehicle 100 . Further, the light source housing container 2 directly or indirectly supports the light diffusion member 4 and the translucent member 5 in addition to the light source unit 3 .

The light diffusion member 4 is a member that diffuses and transmits the light emitted from the light source unit 3, and is made of resin, for example. The light diffusing member 4 is formed in a plate shape and is fixed to the light source container 2 so as to block the open end 2a of the light source container 2 . The light diffusing member 4 is arranged so that the front surface 4a faces the outside of the vehicle and the back surface 4b faces the light source housing container 2 (inside the vehicle).

A closed space in which the light source unit 3 is accommodated is formed by the light source container 2 and the light diffusion member 4 as described above. Since the light source unit 3 is housed in the closed space formed by the light source housing container 2 and the light diffusion member, the light source unit 3 is prevented from being exposed to rainwater and the outside air. Therefore, deterioration of the light source unit 3 can be suppressed.

The light diffusion member 4 has a plurality of light guide protrusions 10 provided on the surface 4a. 3A and 3B are schematic configuration diagrams of the light guide convex portion 10, in which FIG. 3A is a perspective view and FIG. As shown in FIG. 3A, in this embodiment, the light guide convex portion 10 is formed in a regular quadrangular pyramid shape (conical shape).

More specifically, the light guide projection 10 has a square bottom surface 11 with four bases 12 having the same length. Also, in the light guide convex portion 10 , four oblique sides 13 connected to respective corners of the bottom surface 11 are connected at vertices 14 . Moreover, the vertex 14 is arranged to overlap with the center position of the bottom surface 11 when viewed from above (the direction in which the vertex 14 is positioned with respect to the bottom surface). Such a light guide projection 10 has four side surfaces 15 surrounded by one base 12 and two oblique sides 13 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the light guide protrusion 10 is formed in a regular quadrangular pyramid shape in which the angle α formed by the vertex 14 between the opposing side surfaces 15 is a right angle. In such a convex light guide portion 10 , the four side surfaces 15 form outer wall surfaces of the convex light guide portion 10 .

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the light diffusion member 4. FIG. As shown in this figure, in this embodiment, the light guide protrusions 10 having the same shape are arranged without gaps so that the adjacent light guide protrusions 10 and the oblique sides 13 are integrated with each other. That is, the light guide protrusions 10 are connected to each other and arranged continuously.

Returning to FIG. 2, the translucent member 5 is a cover body provided to cover the surface 4a of the light diffusion member 4, and is formed to be colored and transparent. Note that the term "colored transparent" means that the material is colored so as to transmit at least a specific wavelength component of the incident light. For example, the semi-transparent member 5 is formed in a transparent color that looks like a so-called smoke gray color.

The translucent member 5 is arranged so that the front surface 5a faces the outside of the vehicle and the rear surface 5b faces the light source housing container 2 (the inside of the vehicle). FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the light diffusion member 4 and the translucent member 5 are separated from each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the back surface 5b of the translucent member 5 is provided with a plurality of recesses 5c into which the light guide protrusions 10 of the light diffusion member 4 are fitted.

One concave portion 5 c is provided for one light guide convex portion 10 . In other words, the recesses 5c are provided in the same number as the light guide protrusions 10 . These concave portions 5c are arranged in the same manner as the light guiding convex portions 10. As shown in FIG. Each concave portion 5c is formed in a regular quadrangular pyramid shape similar to the light guide convex portion 10. As shown in FIG. The inner wall surfaces 5c1 of these recesses 5c are contact surfaces with the light guide protrusions 10. As shown in FIG.

Further, in the present embodiment, the side surface 15, which is the outer wall surface of the light guide convex portion 10, and the inner wall surface 5c1 of the concave portion 5c are not joined using an adhesive or the like, but are only in contact with each other. The light diffusing member 4 and the translucent member 5 are fixed to each other at portions where, for example, the light guide convex portion 10 and the concave portion 5c are not provided.

As described above, since the side surface 15, which is the outer wall surface of the light guide projection 10, and the inner wall surface 5c1 of the recess 5c are not bonded using an adhesive or the like, the outer wall surface of the light guide projection 10 and the inner wall surface of the recess 5c 5c1 is not filled with adhesive. Therefore, a minute air layer is formed between the outer wall surface of the light guide convex portion 10 and the inner wall surface 5c1 of the concave portion 5c.

In the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, when light is emitted from the light source unit 3, the light emitted from the light source unit 3 is transmitted from the rear surface 4b of the light diffusion member 4 to the light diffusion member 4. Incident. When emitted light enters the light diffusion member 4 , the emitted light is diffused inside the light diffusion member 4 and passes through the light diffusion member 4 . The emitted light diffused by the light diffusing member 4 is emitted from the entire surface 4 a of the light diffusing member 4 .

Here, the emitted light emitted from the surface 4 a of the light diffusion member 4 is emitted in the normal direction of the side surface 15 from each portion of the outer wall surface (side surface 15 ) of the light guide convex portion 10 . Emitted light emitted from the outer wall surface of the light guide convex portion 10 is incident on the rear surface 5 b of the translucent member 5 . The emitted light incident on the rear surface 5b of the semi-transparent member 5 is transmitted through the semi-transparent member 5 and emitted from the surface 5a of the semi-transparent member 5 to the outside. The light emitted from the surface 5a of the translucent member 5 to the outside in this way is visible to outsiders at night when the outside light is weak. As a result, an outsider visually recognizes that the entire surface 4a of the light diffusion member 4 emits white surface light.

Further, in the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, when external light enters the surface 5a of the translucent member 5, the external light is reflected at the interface between the inner wall surface 5c1 of the recess 5c and the air layer. The external light reflected at the boundary surface between the inner wall surface 5c1 of the recess 5c and the air layer is similarly reflected at the boundary surface between the inner wall surface 5c1 and the air layer in the adjacent recess 5c, and is reflected on the surface 5a of the translucent member 5. reflected towards. That is, in the present embodiment, the external light incident on the surface 5a of the translucent member 5 is retroreflected, and mainly the wavelength component representing the color of the translucent member 5 is emitted to the outside. The external light retroreflected in this way is visible to an outsider during the day when the external light is strong or when the light source unit 3 is not lit. As a result, the light source unit 3 and the light diffusion member 4 are hidden by the translucent member 5, and the light source unit 3 and the light diffusion member 4 can be prevented from being visually recognized by outsiders.

The vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of this embodiment as described above is attached to a vehicle. Further, the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of this embodiment includes a light diffusion member 4 . The light diffusing member 4 has a plurality of light guide protrusions 10 provided on the surface 4a and diffuses and transmits light. Further, the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of this embodiment includes a translucent member 5 . The translucent member 5 is provided with a concave portion 5c on the rear surface 5b, in which the light guide convex portion 10 abuts against the inner wall surface 5c1, and is formed to be colored and transparent. In addition, the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment includes a light source section 3 . The light source section 3 is arranged on the back side of the light diffusion member 4 .

According to the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of this embodiment, the light emitted from the light source section 3 is diffused by the light diffusing member 4 and spreads from each section of the outer wall surface of the light guide convex section 10 to each section. Ejected in a linear direction. In addition, in the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, the light guide convex portion 10 is only in contact with the inner wall surface 5c1 of the concave portion 5c of the translucent member 5, and is not adhered with an adhesive or the like. A minute air layer is formed between the outer wall surface of the translucent convex portion and the inner wall surface 5c1 of the concave portion 5c. Since the light emitted from the outer wall surface of the light guide convex portion 10 is emitted in the normal direction of the outer wall surface, the light is translucent while the reflection at the interface between the light guide convex portion 10 and the air layer is suppressed. The light enters the translucent member 5 from the inner wall surface 5c1 of the concave portion 5c of the member 5. As shown in FIG. Furthermore, since the emitted light enters the semi-transparent member 5 from the normal direction of the inner wall surface 5c1 of the recess 5c, it enters the semi-transparent member 5 in a state in which reflection on the inner wall surface 5c1 of the recess 5c is suppressed. The light is emitted outside through the transparent member 5 . Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to carry out electrical equipment and the like by turning on the light source section 3 .

Further, in the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, when external light is incident from the opposite side of the translucent member 5 to the light diffusion member 4, the external light enters the boundary between the translucent member 5 and the air layer, for example. The light is reflected multiple times and is emitted again from the opposite side of the translucent member 5 to the light diffusing member 4 . Therefore, according to the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, the light source 3 is hidden from outsiders by reflection of external light when the light source 3 is not turned on. Therefore, according to the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the appearance impression when the light source unit 3 is not turned on.

Further, in the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, the light guide protrusion 10 is formed in a cone shape, and the recess 5c is formed in a cone shape into which the light guide protrusion 10 is fitted. It is Therefore, the light diffusing member 4 and the translucent member 5 can be reliably positioned without filling the adhesive.

In addition, in the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, the light guide convex portion 10 has a regular quadrangular pyramid shape in which the angle α formed by the vertex 14 between the opposing side surfaces 15 is a right angle. Therefore, the external light incident from the surface 5a of the translucent member 5 is reflected twice by the side surfaces 15 of the adjacent light guide protrusions 10, and is guided in the direction opposite to the incident direction. Therefore, it becomes possible to retroreflect external light more reliably.

Further, in the vehicle illumination exterior component 1 of the present embodiment, the light guide convex portions 10 are connected to each other and arranged continuously. Therefore, it is possible to reflect external light on the wide surface of the rear surface 5b of the translucent member 5. As shown in FIG.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the invention will be described. In the description of the present embodiment, the description of the same parts as those of the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vehicle illumination exterior component 1A of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, in the vehicle illumination exterior component 1A of the present embodiment, the light source container 2 of the first embodiment includes a container main body 21 and a reflective film 22 .

The container main body 21 is a container-like portion that accommodates the light source unit 3, and is an elongated container that extends linearly in the vehicle width direction. The container main body 21 is formed to have a C-shaped cross section. The reflective film 22 is provided on the inner wall surface of the container main body 21 . Such a reflective film 22 reflects the light emitted from the light source section 3 .

That is, in the vehicle illumination exterior component 1A of the present embodiment, the inner wall surface of the light source housing container 2 is formed as a reflecting surface that reflects the emitted light. According to the vehicle illumination exterior component 1A of this embodiment, the light emitted from the light source section 3 and reflected by the back surface 4b of the light diffusion member 4 is reflected and directed toward the light diffusion member 4 again. be able to. Therefore, according to the vehicle illumination exterior component 1</b>A of the present embodiment, it is possible to increase the utilization efficiency of the light emitted from the light source section 3 .

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and can be variously changed based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the surface 5a of the translucent member 5 is roughened to scatter emitted light and external light. By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to change the impression received by outsiders.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the vehicle illumination exterior component is installed in the front portion of the vehicle has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this and can be installed on any part of the vehicle.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the LED element 3b generates and emits white emitted light has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which LED elements that generate and emit different colors of emitted light are provided.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the light guide convex portion 10 has a regular quadrangular pyramid shape has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be conical or triangular pyramidal.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Vehicle illumination exterior part, 1A... Vehicle illumination exterior part, 2... Light source container, 2a... Open end, 3... Light source part, 3a... Printed circuit board, 3b... LED element, 4 ……Light diffusion member 4a ……Front surface 4b ……Back surface 5 ……Translucent member 21 ……Container main body 22 ……Reflective film 100 ……Vehicle B ……Car body

Claims (6)

A vehicle exterior part attached to a vehicle,
a light diffusing member having a plurality of light guide projections on its surface and diffusing and transmitting light;
a semi-transparent member having a concave portion on the back surface, in which the light guide convex portion abuts against the inner wall surface, and which is formed to be colored and transparent;
and a light source portion disposed on the back side of the light diffusion member. The light guide convex portion is formed in a cone shape,
2. The vehicle exterior component according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion is formed in a cone shape into which the light guide convex portion is fitted. 3. The exterior component for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the light guide convex portion has a regular quadrangular pyramid shape in which the angles formed by the apexes of the opposing side surfaces are right angles. 4. The vehicle exterior component according to claim 1, wherein the light guide protrusions are connected to each other and arranged continuously. The vehicle exterior component according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a light source housing member that houses the light source and whose open end is closed with the light diffusion member. 6. The vehicle exterior component according to claim 5, wherein an inner wall surface of said light source housing member is a reflecting surface for reflecting light emitted from said light source.

Images