JP7262245B2 - Radar cover manufacturing method and radar cover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a radar cover manufacturing method and a radar cover.

In recent years, vehicles are equipped with radar units that detect obstacles and the like around the vehicle using radio waves such as millimeter waves. Such a radar unit is arranged inside a vehicle while being covered from the front with a radar cover on which an identification mark such as an emblem is formed.

The radar cover needs to be able to transmit radio waves transmitted and received by the radar unit without attenuating them as much as possible. On the other hand, in order to enhance the texture of identification marks such as emblems formed on the radar cover, it is necessary to impart a metallic luster to a portion of the radar cover. For this reason, in the radar cover, for example, a concave portion is formed on the back surface of the light-transmitting member arranged on the front side of the radar cover, and an indium vapor-deposited layer or a sputtering layer capable of transmitting radio waves is formed in the concave portion to achieve metallic luster. It is possible to transmit radio waves while obtaining

JP-A-2000-49522

By the way, in recent years, in the radar cover as described above, there is a case where decoration is performed along the edge of the identification mark such as the emblem. In such a case, for example, printing may be applied to the back surface of the transparent member, and decoration such as a border may be applied around the identification mark. However, when decoration is performed by printing, the decorated area becomes planar, and there is a possibility that the impression given to an external viewer may deteriorate. For this reason, there is a demand for a technique for making decorations around identification marks and the like three-dimensional.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and provides a radar cover having an identification mark or the like, in which the decoration applied around the identification mark or the like can be visually recognized more stereoscopically than when the decoration is formed by printing. With the goal.

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

A first invention is a radar cover manufacturing method, comprising a transparent member forming step of forming a transparent member having a decorative layer formed on a part of the back surface; a glittering film forming step of forming a glittering film in a region including the exposed back surface of the transparent member before or after the decorating layer processing step; and the glittering film and a support member forming step of forming a support member on the back surface of the transparent member with the transparent member sandwiched therebetween.

A second invention is based on the first invention, wherein the glitter film forming step is performed before the decorative layer processing step, and in the decorative layer processing step, the glitter film is formed together with a part of the glitter film. A configuration in which a part of the decorative layer is cut is adopted.

A third invention adopts a configuration in which, in the first or second invention, the glitter film is formed on the back surface of the transparent member using the decorative layer as a mask in the glitter film forming step. .

In a fourth aspect of the invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, in the step of forming the transparent member, a decorative layer-embedded recess in which the decorative layer is embedded is formed in the back surface of the transparent member, and In the decorative layer processing step, a configuration is adopted in which the portion of the decorative layer other than the portion embedded in the decorative layer embedding recess is removed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, in the decorative layer processing step, a part of the decorative layer including the surface layer portion of the back surface of the transparent member is removed by cutting. Adopt configuration.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is the method according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein in the step of forming the transparent member, the bright film forming concave portion, in which the decorative layer is not provided on the inner wall surface, is formed on the back surface of the transparent member. A configuration is employed in which the glitter film is formed in a region including at least the inner wall surface of the glitter film forming recess in the glitter film forming step.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is a transparent member provided on the back surface with a glitter film forming recess having a glitter film formed on the inner wall surface, and a back surface of the transparent member partially embedded in the glitter film forming recess A radar cover including a joined support member and a decoration layer embedded in a decoration layer embedding recess provided on the back surface of the transparent member.

According to an eighth invention, in the seventh invention, the back surface of the transparent member and the support member are directly bonded in a region avoiding the decorative layer embedded recess and the glitter film forming recess. to adopt.

According to the present invention, the decorative layer processed into a three-dimensional shape having a constant thickness is arranged between the transparent member and the supporting member. Therefore, compared with the case where decoration is performed by printing, it is possible to visually recognize the decoration area three-dimensionally. That is, according to the present invention, in a radar cover having an identification mark or the like, it is possible to visually recognize the decorations around the identification mark or the like more three-dimensionally than when the decoration is formed by printing.

(a) is a front view of a radiator grill provided with a radar cover in one embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is an enlarged front view of the radar cover in one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a radar cover in one embodiment of the invention; FIG. It is a schematic diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of a radar cover in one embodiment of the present invention.

An embodiment of a radar cover manufacturing method and a radar cover according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1(a) is a front view of a radiator grille 1 having a radar cover 10 of this embodiment. Moreover, FIG.1(b) is an enlarged front view of the radar cover 10 of this embodiment. Moreover, FIG. 2 is sectional drawing of the radar cover 10 of this embodiment.

A radiator grille 1 is provided in the front of the vehicle so as to block an opening leading to the engine room of the vehicle, ensuring ventilation to the engine room and preventing foreign matter from entering the engine room. A radar cover 10 is provided in the center of the radiator grille 1 so as to face the radar unit R (see FIG. 2) arranged in the engine room. The radar unit R has, for example, a transmitter that transmits millimeter waves, a receiver that receives reflected waves, and a calculator that performs arithmetic processing. The radar unit R transmits and receives radio waves that pass through the radar cover 10, and detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle based on the received radio waves. For example, the radar unit R calculates and outputs the distance to the obstacle, the relative speed of the obstacle, and the like.

The radar cover 10 is arranged to cover the radar unit R when viewed from the front side of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, the radar cover 10 has a bright region 10A representing figures, letters, etc. indicating a recognition mark such as an emblem of a vehicle manufacturer, and visibility of the bright region 10A when viewed from the front side of the vehicle. It is a part having a black region 10B to be improved and a decorative region 10C bordering the bright region 10A. For example, the decorative region 10C is a region given a color such as blue different from the black region 10B.

Such a radar cover 10 includes a transparent member 11, a decorative layer 12, a glittering film 13, and a base member 14 (supporting member), as shown in FIG. The transparent member 11 is a portion formed of a substantially rectangular transparent resin material and arranged on the outermost side of the vehicle. The transparent member 11 has a smooth front surface in order to enhance the visibility of the glitter film 13 from the outside of the vehicle. Also, on the back surface of the transparent member 11, a glittering film forming recess 11a in which the glittering film 13 is formed and a decorative layer embedding recess 11b in which the decorative layer 12 is embedded are formed.

The bright film forming recess 11a has a bright film 13 formed on the inner wall surface thereof, and the bright film 13 is stereoscopically visible from the front side of the vehicle. The bright film-forming concave portion 11a is provided along the shape of a figure, character, or the like of a recognition mark such as an emblem of a vehicle manufacturer. As shown in FIG. 2, the bright region 10A is formed by depositing the bright film 13 on the inner wall surface of the bright film forming recess 11a.

A plurality of decorative layer embedding recesses 11b are formed on the back surface of the transparent member 11, in which the decorative layer 12 is embedded. These decorative layer embedding recesses 11b are recesses shallower than the glittering film forming recesses 11a, and allow the accommodated decorative layer 12 to be stereoscopically visible from the front side of the vehicle. In this embodiment, two types of decorative layer embedded recesses 11b are provided. More specifically, a groove-shaped decorative layer embedding recess 11b is provided so as to surround the bright film forming recess 11a, that is, provided adjacent to the edge of the bright region 10A when viewed from the front side. It is In addition, a large number of dimple-like decorative layer-embedded recesses 11b are arranged further outside the above-described decorative layer-embedded recesses 11b surrounding the glittering film forming recesses 11a. By embedding the decorative layer 12 in such a decorative layer embedding recess 11b, the aforementioned decorative region 10C is formed.

Further, the back surface of the transparent member 11 is directly joined to the base member 14 in the region where the bright film forming recess 11a or the decorative layer embedding recess 11b is not provided. In other words, in the present embodiment, the back surface of the transparent member 11 and the base member 14 are directly bonded in the region avoiding the bright film forming recess 11a and the decorative layer embedding recess 11b. The rear surface of the transparent member 11 is made into a rough surface having minute unevenness by removing the surface layer portion in a decorative layer processing step to be described later. Such a rough surface improves the bonding strength between the transparent member 11 and the base member 14 although it is difficult to be visually recognized from the outside because the base member 14 is arranged behind.

Such a transparent member 11 is made of transparent synthetic resin such as colorless PC (polycarbonate) or PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate resin), and has a thickness of about 1.5 mm to 10 mm. Further, the front surface of the transparent member 11 is subjected to a hard coat treatment for scratch prevention or a clear coat treatment of urethane-based paint, if necessary. If the transparent synthetic resin has scratch resistance, these anti-scratch treatments are unnecessary.

The decorative layer 12 is arranged so as to bury the decorative layer embedding recess 11 b provided on the back surface of the transparent member 11 . The decorative layer 12 is embedded so as to fill the entire decorative layer-embedded recess 11b, and has the same thickness dimension as the depth dimension of the decorative layer-embedded recess 11b. In addition, the back surface of the decorative layer 12 is flush with the back surface region of the transparent member 11 where the bright film forming recess 11a and the decorative layer embedding recess 11b are not provided. The back surface of the decorative layer 12 is also roughened in the same manner as the back surface region of the transparent member 11 where the bright film forming recesses 11a and the decorative layer embedding recesses 11b are not provided. directly joined. Such a decorative layer 12 is made of resin of a different color (for example, blue) from that of the base member 14 .

The glitter film 13 is a thin film having a metallic luster (metallic color) provided on the inner wall surface of the glitter film forming recess 11 a of the transparent member 11 and having radio wave transmittance. This glittering film 13 is a metal thin film made of indium (In) formed by, for example, vacuum deposition or sputtering, and is a discontinuous film having many fine gaps. A coat layer may be provided on either or both of the front and back surfaces of the glitter film 13, if necessary. These coat layers are formed, for example, by clear coating using a transparent (including colored transparent) synthetic resin. Alternatively, the coat layer may be a transparent ceramic coat layer made of silicon oxide (SiOx). In this case, the base coat layer and top coat layer made of a resin formed by clear coating or the like have higher heat resistance and higher radio wave transmittance.

The base member 14 is a part fixed (bonded) to the back side of the transparent member 11 and supports the transparent member 11 from the back side. The base member 14 has an engaging portion 14a projecting toward the engine room. The engaging portion 14a has a claw-shaped tip, and the tip is engaged with, for example, a radiator grill body. Further, the base member 14 has a convex portion 14b embedded in the bright film formation concave portion 11a of the transparent member 11 on the surface on the transparent member 11 side. The base member 14 bonded to the back surface of the transparent member 11 in this way is visible from the outside of the transparent member 11 in a region avoiding the bright film forming recess 11a and the decorative layer embedding recess 11b. It forms the black region 10B described above.

Such a base member 14 is composed of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer synthetic resin), AES (acrylonitrile-ethylene-styrene copolymer synthetic resin), ASA (acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate), It is made of a colored synthetic resin such as PC or PET, or a composite resin of these, and has a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 10 mm.

Next, a method for manufacturing the radar cover 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the method of manufacturing the radar cover 10 of this embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 3A, a transparent member 11 is formed. In this case, the transparent member 11 is formed integrally with a decorative layer before processing (hereinafter referred to as a pre-processing decorative layer 15) on the back surface. The transparent member 11 provided with such a pre-processing decorative layer 15 is formed by two-color molding, for example. First, an unprocessed decorative layer 15 having areas corresponding to the bright film forming recesses 11a and having protrusions corresponding to the decorative layer 12 is formed by injection molding, and then the bright film forming recesses 11a are formed. The transparent member 11 is formed integrally with the decoration layer 15 before processing. If necessary, the surface side (the surface facing the outside of the vehicle) or the entire surface of the transparent member 11 may be subjected to a hard coat treatment for improving durability and the like. Such a process shown in FIG. 3A is a transparent member forming process.

In the step of forming the transparent member shown in FIG. 3A, the bright film forming concave portion 11a in which the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is not provided on the inner wall surface is formed in a part of the back surface of the transparent member 11, and the transparent member 11 is formed. A decorative layer embedding recess 11 b is formed in a part of the back surface of the member 11 in which a part of the pre-processed decorative layer 15 is embedded.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, a glittering film 13 is formed. Here, using the pre-processed decorative layer 15 formed previously as a mask, the glitter film 13 is formed on the back side of the transparent member 11 by vacuum deposition or sputtering. By forming the glitter film 13 in this manner, the glitter film 13 is formed in direct contact only with the exposed inner wall surfaces of the glitter film forming recesses 11 a of the transparent member 11 . In other words, the glitter film 13 is formed by adhering to the pre-processing decoration layer 15 used as a mask except for the inner wall surface of the glitter film forming recess 11a. As described above, in the present embodiment, the step of forming the glitter film 13 (the step of forming the glitter film) is performed before processing the pre-processed decorative layer 15 (the step of processing the decorative layer). Such a process shown in FIG. 3B is a glittering film forming process for forming a glittering film in a region including the exposed back surface of the transparent member 11 .

Further, in the present embodiment, the glitter film formation recess 11a is formed on the back surface of the transparent member 11 in the transparent member forming step described above, and the glitter film 13 is formed in the region including the glitter film formation recess 11a. Therefore, the glitter film 13 can be viewed stereoscopically without post-processing for forming recesses in the transparent member 11 .

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the unprocessed decorative layer 15 is processed. Here, the decoration layer 15 before processing is removed by cutting except for the portion embedded in the decoration layer embedding recess 11b of the transparent member 11 . Here, the decoration layer 15 before processing is cut with an end mill or a milling cutter. As a result, only the portion of the unprocessed decorative layer 15 embedded in the decorative layer embedding recess 11 b is left as the decorative layer 12 .

Here, in the present embodiment, part of the decorative layer 15 before processing is cut together with part of the glitter film 13 . Specifically, the portion of the glitter film 13 excluding the portion provided on the inner wall surface of the glitter film forming recess 11 a of the transparent member 11 is embedded in the decoration layer embedding recess 11 b of the pre-processing decoration layer 15 . Remove along with the removed part. Since the portion of the glitter film 13 excluding the portion provided on the inner wall surface of the glitter film forming recess 11 a of the transparent member 11 is provided on the back surface of the pre-processing decoration layer 15 , the pre-processing decoration layer 15 can be removed. It can be easily removed by cutting.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is removed by cutting, the surface layer portion of the back surface of the transparent member 11 to which the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is fixed is also removed by cutting. Therefore, the surface layer portion of the back surface of the transparent member 11 is cut, and the remaining back surface of the transparent member 11 becomes a rough surface.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the base member 14 is formed. Here, the transparent member 11 provided with the decorative layer 12 and the glitter film 13 is placed inside a mold for injection molding, and insert molding is performed by injecting molten resin into the back side of the transparent member 11. Thus, the base member 14 is formed. Such a base member 14 is welded to the transparent member 11 by heat during insert molding, and formed on the back surface of the transparent member 11 with the glitter film 13 interposed therebetween. Such a process shown in FIG. 3D is a base member (supporting member) forming process.

The radar cover 10 of the present embodiment is manufactured through the steps described above. In the radar cover 10 and the method for manufacturing the radar cover 10 of this embodiment, after forming the transparent member 11 having the pre-processing decorative layer 15 formed on the back surface, the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is post-processed. Thus, the decorative layer 12 is formed. Therefore, the decorative layer 12 processed into a three-dimensional shape having a constant thickness is arranged between the transparent member 11 and the base member 14 . Therefore, compared with the case where decoration is performed by printing, it is possible to visually recognize the decoration region 10C three-dimensionally. That is, according to the radar cover 10 and the method for manufacturing the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to make the decorations around the identification marks more stereoscopically visible than when they are formed by printing.

In addition, in the manufacturing method of the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, part of the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is cut together with part of the glitter film 13 . Therefore, it is possible to easily remove the glitter film 13 in the region not visible from the outside. By removing the glitter film 13 in this way, the back surface of the transparent member 11 or the back surface of the decorative layer 12 is exposed. The transparent member 11 or the decorative layer 12 has higher adhesion to the base member 14 made of resin than the glitter film 13 does. Therefore, according to the manufacturing method of the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to increase the bonding strength of the base member 14 by removing the unnecessary glitter film 13 .

In addition, in the method of manufacturing the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is used as a mask for forming the glitter film 13 . Therefore, it is possible to form the glitter film 13 without separately forming a mask. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be simplified as compared with the case of separately forming a mask.

Further, in the manufacturing method of the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, the decorative layer-embedded recess 11b in which the decorative layer 12 is embedded is formed in the back surface of the transparent member 11, and the portion embedded in the decorative layer-embedded recess 11b The decoration layer 15 before processing is removed except for . Therefore, the processing of the pre-processed decorative layer 15 is completed by cutting the pre-processed decorative layer 15 along the plane along the surface around the decorative layer-buried recess 11b. Therefore, according to the manufacturing method of the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, the decorative layer 15 before processing can be cut along the plane, and the decorative layer 15 before processing can be easily processed.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, when the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is removed by cutting, the surface layer portion of the back surface of the transparent member 11 to which the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is fixed is simultaneously cut. Remove. Therefore, the surface layer portion of the back surface of the transparent member 11 is cut away, and the back surface of the remaining transparent member 11 becomes a rough surface. be able to.

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.

According to the present invention, a configuration is adopted in which the glitter film 13 is formed after the pre-processing decorative layer 15 is formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to employ a configuration in which the glitter film 13 is formed before forming the pre-processing decorative layer 15 . However, in such a case, a mask is formed as necessary before forming the glitter film 13 .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration for cutting the pre-processing decorative layer 15 has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the pre-processed decorative layer 15 may be partially removed by cutting or dissolution.

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the decorative layer 12 is embedded in the decorative layer embedding recess 11b of the transparent member 11 has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this. The decorative layer 12 may be provided on the back side of the transparent member 11 .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the decorative region 10C surrounds the bright region 10A from the outside has been described. However, the shape of the decorative area 10C in the above embodiment is an example. In the present invention, the shape of the decorative region 10C, that is, the decorative layer 12 can be arbitrarily changed.

Reference Signs List 1 Radiator grill 10 Radar cover 10A Luminous area 10B Black area 10C Decorative area 11 Transparent member 11a Luminous film forming recess 11b Addition Decorative layer embedded recess 12 Decorative layer 13 Glitter film 14 Base member (supporting member) 14a Engagement portion 14b Convex portion 15 Pre-processing decorative layer , R... radar unit

Claims (5)

a transparent member forming step of forming a transparent member having a decorative layer formed on a part of the back surface;
a decorative layer processing step of processing the decorative layer after the transparent member forming step;
a glittering film forming step of forming a glittering film in a region including the exposed back surface of the transparent member before the decorative layer processing step;
a supporting member forming step of forming a supporting member on the back surface of the transparent member with the glitter film sandwiched therebetween ;
In the step of forming a transparent member, a glittering film forming recess in which the decorative layer is not provided on an inner wall surface, and a decorative layer embedding recess shallower than the glittering film forming recess and in which the decorating layer is embedded. is formed on a part of the back surface of the transparent member,
forming the glitter film in a region including the inner wall surface of the glitter film forming recess in the glitter film forming step;
In the decorating layer processing step, the portion of the decorating layer excluding the portion embedded in the decorating layer embedding recess is removed by cutting together with a part of the glitter film.
A method of manufacturing a radar cover, characterized by: 2. The method of manufacturing a radar cover according to claim 1 , wherein in said glittering film forming step, said glittering film is formed on the back surface of said transparent member using said decorative layer as a mask. 3. The method of manufacturing a radar cover according to claim 1, wherein, in said decorative layer processing step, a part of said decorative layer including a surface layer portion of the back surface of said transparent member is removed by cutting. A transparent member having a glittering film forming recess provided on its back surface, and a support member partially embedded in the glittering film forming recess and joined to the back surface of the transparent member , wherein the glittering film forming recess is provided. A radar cover having a glitter film formed on the inner wall surface of the
A decorative layer embedded in a decorative layer-embedding recess provided on the back surface of the transparent member ,
The recess for embedding the decorative layer is shallower than the recess for forming the bright film.
A radar cover characterized by: 5. The radar cover according to claim 4 , wherein the back surface of said transparent member and said support member are directly joined in a region avoiding said decorative layer embedding recess and said glitter film forming recess.

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