Light peripheral structure for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a light peripheral structure for a vehicle that can protect a light even when an exterior component covering the light receives external force.SOLUTION: A light peripheral structure 100 for a vehicle includes: a light 106 on a vehicle 102; an upper grille 104 adjacent to the side of the light; a bumper face 110 adjacent to the lower side of the upper grille; and a holder 112 supporting the bumper face. The upper grille has a light cover part 114 that covers a part of the light, the light cover part facing the light with a gap in-between. The holder has a portion 122 positioned between the light cover part and the light.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle light peripheral structure. [Background technology]

[0002] At the front of a vehicle such as an automobile, a light and a specific exterior member disposed adjacent to the light are provided (for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle front structure including bumper brackets provided on both the left and right sides of the front of the vehicle to support bumper components, and headlights adjacent to the bumper components to illuminate the area ahead of the vehicle.

[0003] This headlight has a light housing, a lens, and a light cover provided on the front side of the lens. The light housing is fixed to a vehicle frame member on the inside in the vehicle width direction and supports an illumination light source that illuminates the area ahead of the vehicle. The lens is disposed forward of the vehicle with respect to the light housing and is connected to the light housing so as to cover the illumination light source. The bumper bracket is fixed to the light housing and further supports the light cover on the front side of the vehicle.

[0004] In this way, the vehicle front structure of Patent Document 1 has a structure in which the lens is sandwiched between the bumper bracket and the light housing. Therefore, Patent Document 1 claims that even if a load acts on the lens, the bumper bracket, the light housing, and the lens are integrated to absorb the load, thereby preventing a gap from occurring between the lens and the light housing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-52700 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the vehicle front structure of Patent Document 1, when an external force is transmitted to the light cover, the external force is transmitted to the lens via the bumper bracket, and the lens may be damaged.

[0007] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle light peripheral structure capable of protecting a light even when an exterior component covering the light receives an external force.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of a vehicle light peripheral structure according to the present invention is a vehicle light peripheral structure including a vehicle light, a first exterior member adjacent to the side of the light, a second exterior member adjacent to the lower side of the first exterior member, and a holder that supports the second exterior member. In this structure, the first exterior member has a light cover portion that covers a part of the light, the light cover portion faces the light with a gap therebetween, and the holder has a portion located between the light cover portion and the light.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle light peripheral structure capable of protecting a light even when an exterior component covering the light receives an external force.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] [Figure 1] It is a view showing a vehicle to which a vehicle light peripheral structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Diagram 2] It is a view showing a main part of the vehicle light peripheral structure of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] It is a perspective view showing the holder of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a view showing a B-B cross section of the vehicle light peripheral structure of FIGS. 1(b) and 2. [Diagram 5] It is a view showing a state in which a cross section of the vehicle light peripheral structure of FIG. 4(a) is viewed from another angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] A representative configuration of a vehicle light peripheral structure according to one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle light peripheral structure including a vehicle light, a first exterior member adjacent to the side of the light, a second exterior member adjacent to the underside of the first exterior member, and a holder supporting the second exterior member, wherein the first exterior member has a light cover portion covering a part of the light, the light cover portion faces the light via a gap, and the holder has a portion located between the light cover portion and the light.

[0012] In the above configuration, the holder that supports the second exterior member has a portion located between the light cover portion of the first exterior member and the light. When the light cover portion is displaced toward the light due to an external force, this portion of the holder receives the light cover portion and is interposed between the light cover portion and the light. Therefore, the holder functions as a spacer that prevents the light cover portion displaced due to an external force from colliding with the light.

[0013] Furthermore, when the external force received by the light cover portion is large, the portion of the holder may deform while receiving the light cover portion and come into contact with the light. Even in such a case, the holder can absorb part of the external force by deforming, thereby reducing the load transmitted from the holder to the light. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the light can be protected even if the light cover portion of the first exterior member receives an external force.

[0014] The holder may be fixed directly or indirectly to the vehicle body and may be unconnected to the light. In this way, the holder is fixed directly to the vehicle body or indirectly via a bracket or the like, so that the fixed position is stable. Furthermore, since the holder is unconnected to the light, even if it receives an external force and abuts against the light, it can move by sliding relative to the light. Therefore, the holder can absorb the external force and reduce the load transmitted to the light.

[0015] The above-mentioned holder portion may be disposed with a predetermined gap between it and the light. This allows the holder portion to deform toward the light by the predetermined gap between the light and the holder portion when the light cover portion is displaced toward the light by an external force and received by the holder portion. In this way, the holder portion can absorb impact and protect the light by deforming by the gap.

[0016] The holder may be directly or indirectly supported by a cantilever on the vehicle body below the light cover, so that when the light cover receives an external force and is displaced toward the light and received by the holder, the holder can be deformed reliably by the principle of leverage to absorb the impact.

[0017] The holder may further have a bulging portion that faces the second exterior member and bulges outward from the portion, and an opening may be formed in the bulging portion. This allows the second exterior member to abut against the bulging portion of the holder when the second exterior member is deformed toward the holder due to an external force. In addition, since the opening is formed in the bulging portion of the holder, the bulging portion is easily deformed by the load transmitted from the second exterior member, and impact can be absorbed.

[0018] The holder may further have at least two bulging portions that face the second exterior member, bulge toward the outside of the vehicle from the portion, and are spaced apart in the vehicle width direction, and a connecting portion that connects the bulging portions and has an opening. This allows the second exterior member to abut against at least two bulging portions of the holder when the second exterior member is deformed toward the holder due to an external force. In addition, the holder has an opening formed in the connecting portion that connects the bulging portions. Therefore, in the holder, the bulging portions are easily deformed via the connecting portion due to the load transmitted from the second exterior member, and impact can be absorbed. EXAMPLES

[0019] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0020] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle 102 to which a vehicle light peripheral structure 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In each of the following drawings, the front-rear direction of the vehicle is indicated by arrows Front and Back, the left and right directions of the vehicle width are indicated by arrows Left and Right, and the top-bottom direction of the vehicle is indicated by arrows Up and Down.

[0021] Fig. 1(a) is a diagram showing a state in which a vehicle 102 to which a vehicle light peripheral structure 100 is applied is viewed from the front of the vehicle. Fig. 1(b) is a diagram showing an enlarged view of an area A of the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 in Fig. 1(a). However, in Fig. 1(b), the upper grille 104 is omitted from the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 in Fig. 1(a).

[0022] The vehicle light peripheral structure 100 includes an upper grill 104 as a first exterior member, a pair of left and right lights 106, 108, a bumper face 110 as a second exterior member, and a holder 112 shown in Fig. 1(b). Note that in the following description, the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 including the light 106 on the left side of the vehicle in Fig. 1(a) is exemplified, but this embodiment may also be applied to a peripheral structure including the light 108 on the right side of the vehicle.

[0023] 1(a), the upper grill 104 extends in the vehicle width direction, is adjacent to the side of the light 106, and is fixed to a predetermined vehicle body frame member, for example, at the center in the vehicle width direction. The upper grill 104 also has a light cover portion 114 that covers a part of the light 106.

[0024] The bumper face 110 is a member located below the upper grill 104, and in area A of Fig. 1(a) is adjacent to the underside of a light cover portion 114 of the upper grill 104. In addition, a lower grill 116 as a third exterior member located below the upper grill 104 is adjacent to the side of the bumper face 110.

[0025] The holder 112 shown in Fig. 1(b) is a member that supports the bumper face 110. The holder 112 stabilizes the position of, for example, an upper end portion 118 of the bumper face 110, and maintains a separation with a lower end portion 120 (see Fig. 1(a)) of a light cover portion 114 of the upper grille 104. The holder 112 also has a portion 122 shown in Fig. 1(b). The portion 122 of the holder 112 is located between the light 106 and the light cover portion 114 shown in Fig. 1(a).

[0026] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a main part of the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 of Fig. 1. In the figure, the upper grill 104 and the bumper face 110 are omitted from the region A of the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 of Fig. 1(a), and the upper grill 104 is shown by a chain line. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the holder 112 of Fig. 2.

[0027] 2 and 3, the holder 112 has an upper portion 124 and a lower portion 126, and the upper portion 124 and the lower portion 126 are partitioned by a first connecting rib 128. The first connecting rib 128 extends in the vehicle width direction and further protrudes toward the front of the vehicle as shown in FIG.

[0028] The upper portion 124 is located above the first connecting rib 128 and includes the above-mentioned portion 122. Furthermore, a plurality of openings 130a, 130b, 130c, and 130d are formed in the upper portion 124 and aligned in the vehicle width direction at predetermined intervals. Furthermore, the widths of these openings 130a, 130b, 130c, and 130d in the vehicle width direction are set to be larger than the intervals between adjacent openings.

[0029] The lower portion 126 is located below the first connecting rib 128 and has a plurality of bulging portions 132, 134, 136 spaced apart in the vehicle width direction. These bulging portions 132, 134, 136 bulge outward from the portion 122 of the upper portion 124 (toward the front of the vehicle) and face the bumper face 110 supported by the holder 112 (see FIG. 4(a)). An opening 137 is formed in the bulging portion 132. The bulging portions 134, 136 are located on both sides of the bulging portion 132 in the vehicle width direction and form side walls 138a, 138b, respectively.

[0030] The bulging portion 132 and the bulging portion 134 are connected via a connecting portion 140a. The connecting portion 140a includes second connecting ribs 142a, 144a that are spaced apart vertically and extend in the vehicle width direction. The connecting portion 140a connects the bulging portions 132, 134 to each other via the second connecting ribs 142a, 144a. An opening 146a is formed in the connecting portion 140a.

[0031] The bulging portion 132 and the bulging portion 136 are connected via a connecting portion 140b. The connecting portion 140b includes second connecting ribs 142b, 144b that are spaced apart from each other vertically and extend in the vehicle width direction. The connecting portion 140b connects the bulging portions 132, 136 to each other via the second connecting ribs 142b, 144b. An opening 146b is also formed in the connecting portion 140b.

[0032] The lower portion 126 has abutment portions 148, 150. The abutment portions 148, 150 abut against and are connected to a light bracket 152 shown in Fig. 2. The light bracket 152 fixes the light 106 to, for example, a body frame member of the vehicle body. In other words, the holder 112 is indirectly fixed to the vehicle body via the light bracket 152 by connecting the abutment portions 148, 150 to the light bracket 152.

[0033] 2 and the connecting portion 140a, and has a holder positioning portion 154a and a holder connecting portion 156a. The holder positioning portion 154a fits into a protruding portion 158a of the light bracket 152. The holder connecting portion 156a, together with a fixing member 160a fixed to the light bracket 152, is connected to the light bracket 152 by a bolt or the like.

[0034] The contact portion 150 is connected to the bulging portion 136 and the connecting portion 140b shown in Fig. 2, and has a holder positioning portion 154b and a holder connecting portion 156b. The holder positioning portion 154b fits into a protruding portion 158b of the light bracket 152. The holder connecting portion 156b, together with a fixing member 160b fixed to the light bracket 152, is connected to the light bracket 152 by a bolt or the like.

[0035] Furthermore, the lower portion 126 has a plurality of upper abutment ribs 162a, 162b, 162c, and 162d, a plurality of lower abutment ribs 164a, 164b, 164c, 164d, and 164e, and a plurality of front and rear abutment ribs 166a, 166b.

[0036] The upper contact ribs 162a, 162b, 162c, and 162d are provided side by side at predetermined intervals in the vehicle width direction below the first connecting rib 128. The upper contact ribs 162a, 162b, 162c, and 162d come into contact with an upper surface 170 of a flange 168 of the bumper face 110 shown in FIG.

[0037] The lower contact ribs 164a, 164b, 164c, 164d, and 164e are formed to protrude above the bulging portions 134, 132, and 136, and are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. The lower contact ribs 164a, 164b, 164c, 164d, and 164e come into contact with a lower surface 172 of a flange 168 of the bumper face 110 shown in FIG. 4(b), thereby restricting downward movement of the bumper face 110.

[0038] The front and rear contact ribs 166a, 166b are located above the second connecting ribs 142a, 142b and extend toward the front of the vehicle. The front and rear contact ribs 166a, 166b are inserted into an opening (not shown) of a flange 168 of the bumper face 110 shown in FIG. 4(b) and contact the edge of this opening in the front-rear direction, thereby restricting the front-rear movement of the bumper face 110.

[0039] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a BB cross section of the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 in Fig. 1(b) and Fig. 2. Fig. 4(a) shows the BB cross section and its depth of the vehicle light peripheral structure 100. Fig. 4(b) shows an enlarged view of a main part of the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 in Fig. 4(a).

[0040] As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the light cover portion 114 of the upper grille 104 has an upper flange 174. The upper flange 174 protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle, and its tip 176 faces the light 106 via a gap α shown in Figure 4(b).

[0041] 4(b), the upper flange 174 is inclined downward toward the vehicle rear and faces a wall portion 178 of the ramp 106 via a gap β. The wall portion 178 of the ramp 106 is also inclined downward toward the vehicle rear.

[0042] The light cover part 114 has a lower flange 180 and a bent part 182. The lower flange 180 protrudes from the lower end part 120 of the light cover part 114 toward the rear of the vehicle and faces the part 122 of the holder 112. The bent part 182 is bent downward from a tip 184 of the lower flange 180.

[0043] The bumper face 110 has an extension portion 186 and a branch portion 188. The extension portion 186 extends from the upper end portion 118 of the bumper face 110 toward the rear of the vehicle and engages with the bent portion 182 of the light cover portion 114. The branch portion 188 branches off and extends downward midway through the extension portion 186, and connects the extension portion 186 to the flange 168. The flange 168 protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0044] Furthermore, the holder 112 supports the bumper face 110 while restricting the movement of the bumper face 110 by the abutment of each of the abutment ribs against the flange 168. In this manner, in the vehicle light peripheral structure 100, the positions of the upper grill 104, the bumper face 110, and the holder 112 can be stabilized.

[0045] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the cross section of the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 in Fig. 4(a) viewed from another angle. However, in Fig. 5, the upper grille 104 and the bumper face 110, which are exterior members, are omitted.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 5, the portion 122 of the holder 112 is disposed with a gap γ between it and the light 106. Furthermore, the holder 112 is indirectly fixed to the vehicle body via the light bracket 152 by connecting the contact portions 148, 150 (see Fig. 2) to the light bracket 152. As a result, the holder 112 is indirectly supported by the vehicle body in a cantilever manner as shown in Figs. 4(a) and 5, and is not connected to the light 106. Note that the holder 112 may be directly fixed to the vehicle body without using the light bracket 152, and may be directly supported by the vehicle body in a cantilever manner and not connected to the light 106.

[0047] Here, a description will be given of the behavior of the light cover portion 114 of the upper grille 104 in the vehicle light peripheral structure 100 when it receives an external force as shown by arrow C in Fig. 4(b). The light cover portion 114 that receives the external force is displaced toward the light 106 as shown by the dashed line in the figure, and the tip 176 of the upper flange 174 moves as shown by arrow D.

[0048] Part 122 of holder 112 is located between light cover part 114 and the light 106. Therefore, tip 176 of moving upper flange 174 abuts against part 122 of holder 112 and is received as shown by point E. And part 122 of holder 112 is interposed between light cover part 114 and the light 106 when light cover part 114 is received.

[0049] Therefore, the holder 112 functions as a spacer that prevents the light cover portion 114, which is displaced by an external force, from colliding with the light 106. Therefore, according to the vehicle light peripheral structure 100, even if the light cover portion 114 of the upper grille 104 is subjected to an external force, the light 106 can be protected.

[0050] Furthermore, when the external force received by the light cover portion 114 is large, the portion 122 of the holder 112 may deform toward the light 106 as indicated by the arrow F while receiving the light cover portion 114, and may come into contact with the light 106.

[0051] Even in such a case, since part 122 of holder 112 is disposed between light 106 and there is a gap γ (see FIG. 5), it can deform toward light 106 by the amount of gap γ to absorb the impact. This allows part 122 of holder 112 to deform, thereby absorbing a part of the external force and reducing the load transmitted from holder 112 to light 106.

[0052] The holder 112 is supported by a cantilever on the vehicle body below the light cover portion 114. Therefore, when the light cover portion 114 receives an external force and is displaced toward the light 106 and is received by a portion 122 of the holder 112, the holder 112 can reliably deform by the principle of leverage to absorb the impact.

[0053] In addition, since the holder 112 is not connected to the light 106, even if an external force is applied and the holder 112 comes into contact with the light 106, the holder 112 can move by sliding relative to the light 106. Therefore, the holder 112 can absorb the external force and reduce the load transmitted to the light 106.

[0054] Furthermore, the upper flange 174 of the light cover part 114 is inclined downward on the vehicle as it approaches the rear of the vehicle, and faces the inclined wall part 178 of the lamp 106 through a gap β shown in Fig. 4(b). Therefore, when the light cover part 114 receives an external force and is displaced toward the light 106, the upper flange 174 is reliably abutted against the part 122 of the holder 112 and received without coming into contact with the wall surface 178 of the lamp 106.

[0055] Moreover, the bulging portion 132 of the holder 112 faces the bumper face 110 and bulges outward of the vehicle beyond the portion 122. Therefore, when the bumper face 110 receives an external force and deforms toward the holder 112, the holder 112 can bring the bumper face 110 into contact with the bulging portion 132. Furthermore, since the holder 112 has an opening 137 formed in the bulging portion 132, the bulging portion 132 becomes easily deformed by the load transmitted from the bumper face 110, and can absorb impact.

[0056] Furthermore, in holder 112, an opening 146a is formed in connecting portion 140a which connects bulging portions 132, 134 which face bumper 110 and bulge outwardly of the vehicle more than portion 122, and an opening 146b is formed in connecting portion 140b which connects bulging portions 132, 136.

[0057] As a result, when bumper face 110 receives an external force and deforms toward holder 112, bumper face 110 can be brought into contact with bulges 132, 134, and 136. Also, since openings 146a and 146b are formed in connecting portions 140a and 140b in holder 112, bulges 132, 134, and 136 can be easily deformed via connecting portions 140a and 140b by the load transmitted from bumper face 110, thereby absorbing impact.

[0058] Furthermore, a plurality of openings 130a, 130b, 130c, and 130d are provided in the upper portion 124 of the holder 112. Therefore, when the light cover portion 114 receives an external force and comes into contact with the upper portion 124, the holder 112 can promote deformation around the openings 130a, 130b, 130c, and 130d to absorb the impact. Furthermore, in the holder 112, the width of the openings 130a, 130b, 130c, and 130d in the upper portion 124 in the vehicle width direction is set to be larger than the interval between the adjacent openings, so that the above-mentioned deformation can be further promoted.

[0059] In the vehicle light peripheral structure 100, the upper grille 104 is the first exterior member and the bumper face 110 is the second exterior member, but this is not limited to this, and any exterior member may be a light cover or a decorative member (e.g., a metallic exterior member) placed around the light.

[0060] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0061] The present invention can be used in a vehicle light peripheral structure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 100... vehicle light peripheral structure, 102... vehicle, 104... upper grille, 106, 108... light, 110... bumper face, 112... holder, 114... light cover part, 116... lower grille, 118... upper end part of bumper face, 120... lower end part of light cover part, 122... holder part, 124... upper part, 126... lower part, 128... first connecting rib, 130a, 130b, 130c, 130d... opening of upper part, 132, 134, 136... bulging part, 137... opening of bulging part, 138a, 138b... side wall, 140a, 140b... connecting part, 142a, 142b, 144a, 144b... second connecting rib, 146a, 146b... opening of connecting part, 148, 150... the Contact portion, 152...light bracket, 154a, 154b...holder positioning portion, 156a, 156b...holder connecting portion, 158a, 158b...protruding portion, 160a, 160b...fixing member, 162a, 162b, 162c, 162d...upper contact rib, 164a, 164b, 164c, 164d, 164e...lower contact rib, 166a, 166b...front and rear contact ribs, 168...flange of bumper face, 170...upper surface of flange, 172...lower surface of flange, 174...upper flange of light cover portion, 176...tip of upper flange, 178...wall portion of lamp, 180...lower flange, 182...bent portion, 184...tip of lower flange, 186...extension portion of bumper face, 188...branch portion

Claims

1. Vehicle lights and A first exterior member laterally adjacent to the light; a second exterior member adjacent to a lower side of the first exterior member; a holder for supporting the second exterior member, The first exterior member has a light cover portion that covers a part of the light, The light cover portion faces the light via a gap, The holder has a portion located between the light cover portion and the light.

2. 2. The vehicle light peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein the holder is directly or indirectly fixed to a vehicle body and is not connected to the light.

3. 2. The vehicle light peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein the holder portion is disposed between the light and the holder portion and has a predetermined gap therebetween.

4. 4. The vehicle light peripheral structure according to claim 3, wherein the holder is directly or indirectly supported at one end by the vehicle body below the light cover portion.

5. The holder further has a bulging portion that faces the second exterior member and bulges outward from the portion toward the vehicle exterior, 5. The vehicle light peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein an opening is formed in the bulging portion.

6. The holder further comprises: At least two bulging portions that face the second exterior member, bulge toward the vehicle outer side from the portion, and are spaced apart in a vehicle width direction; 5. The vehicle light peripheral structure according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting portion that connects the bulging portions to each other and has an opening formed therein.

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