Radar-equipped vehicle
The radar-mounted vehicle design addresses the challenge of water exposure by using a drainage cover with a guiding groove to redirect water away from the radar, maintaining radar performance and vehicle design integrity.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023183790
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-26
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-13
AI Technical Summary
Existing radar-mounted vehicle designs face challenges in preventing water exposure to radars without compromising the vehicle's design, as previous solutions either restrict the radar's usage across multiple vehicles or fail to effectively prevent water ingress.
The design incorporates an opening in the bumper cover, a radar positioned inside, a closure plate that allows radio waves to pass through, and a drainage cover with a groove that guides water outward, preventing it from reaching the radar.
This solution effectively suppresses water exposure to the radar without altering the vehicle's design, ensuring consistent radar performance even in rainy conditions.
Smart Images
Figure 2025073216000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a structure of a radar-equipped vehicle. [Background technology]
[0002] In recent years, vehicles equipped with radar that detects preceding vehicles using radio waves have been used. However, if water is present in the area through which the radar's radio waves penetrate, the radar's receiving power may decrease, making it impossible to correctly grasp the situation ahead of the vehicle. In response to this, a sealed structure that prevents water from entering from the outside, such as the millimeter-wave radar unit described in Patent Document 1, has been proposed. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a structure that prevents water from getting on the millimeter-wave radar by attaching a waterproof cover to surround the irradiation area of the millimeter-wave radar's radio waves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-67301 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2009-300390 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] However, the millimeter wave radar unit described in Patent Document 1 had a problem in that it was difficult to use it on multiple vehicles because the cover that transmits radio waves constitutes the design of the front of the vehicle. Also, in the structure described in Patent Document 2, water may get inside the waterproof cover, and there was room for improvement in preventing the radar from getting wet.
[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to prevent water from getting on a radar without affecting the design of the vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] The radar-equipped vehicle disclosed herein is a radar-equipped vehicle comprising an opening provided in a bumper cover, a radar positioned inside the vehicle through the opening, a closing plate that covers the opening and allows radio waves emitted by the radar through the opening toward the outside of the vehicle to pass through, and a water drip cover attached to the upper part of the closing plate, extending into the interior of the vehicle and covering above the radar, wherein the water drip cover has a groove on its upper surface that extends in the width direction and guides water in the width direction, and the groove slopes downward as it moves from the center of the width of the water drip cover toward the outside in the width direction.
[0007] As a result, water flowing downward from the upper edge of the opening is directed outward in the width direction along the grooves on the upper surface of the drain cover and falls downward from the side edge of the drain cover, preventing water from getting on the radar. In addition, since the drain cover is configured separately from the closing plate that constitutes the design of the vehicle, water can be prevented from getting on the radar without affecting the design of the vehicle.
[0008] In the radar-equipped vehicle of the present disclosure, the groove may be configured so that its width increases from the widthwise center of the drain cover toward the widthwise outer side.
[0009] This allows the water to be guided to the side edge of the drain cover so that it does not overflow from the groove, and therefore it is possible to more effectively prevent water from splashing on the radar.
[0010] In the radar-equipped vehicle of the present disclosure, the upper surface of the drain cover may be inclined downwardly toward the groove.
[0011] This ensures that water that falls on the top surface of the drip cover flows into the groove and falls downward from the side end of the drip cover, effectively preventing water from splashing on the radar.
[0012] In the radar-equipped vehicle of the present disclosure, the closure plate may be attached to the bumper cover so that its upper end is inclined toward the outside of the vehicle, and the water drip cover may cover the upper part of the surface of the closure plate facing the inside of the vehicle.
[0013] This makes it possible to prevent water from getting on the surface of the closure plate facing the inside of the vehicle, thereby making it possible to suppress a decrease in the radar reception power.
[0014] In the radar-equipped vehicle of the present disclosure, a lower end of an upper edge portion of the opening may be recessed into the groove.
[0015] This allows water flowing downward from the upper edge of the opening to be guided directly into the groove of the drip cover, more effectively preventing water from getting on the radar. Effect of the Invention
[0016] The present disclosure can prevent water from getting on a radar without affecting the design of the vehicle. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a radar-equipped vehicle according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is an elevational cross-sectional view showing a front bumper cover, a water drain cover, and a radar of a radar-equipped vehicle according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a closure plate, a drain cover, and a radar of the radar-equipped vehicle shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the drain cover taken along line AA in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] Hereinafter, a radar-equipped vehicle 100 (hereinafter referred to as vehicle 100) according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, FR, UP, and RH shown in each drawing indicate the front side, upper side, and right side of the vehicle 100, respectively. Also, the opposite directions of FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear side, lower side, and left side. Hereinafter, when the directions of front / rear, left / right, and up / down are simply used in the description, they refer to front / rear in the front / rear direction of the vehicle 100, left / right in the left / right direction, and up / down in the up / down direction, unless otherwise specified.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a body 10 of a vehicle 100 includes a passenger compartment 11 in which a driver and the like sit, and a front compartment 12 disposed in front of the passenger compartment 11. The passenger compartment 11 and the front compartment 12 are separated by a dash panel 13. The front compartment 12 is a space surrounded by a front bumper cover 14 at the front, left and right fenders 17, an upper hood 19, and the dash panel 13. The front compartment 12 accommodates a drive device such as an engine and a motor inside. The front bumper cover 14 has an opening 18 slightly above the center in the vertical direction. The opening 18 has a slit shape extending in the left-right direction. A radar 30 is disposed inside the front compartment 12 behind the opening 18. The radar 30 irradiates radio waves toward the front of the vehicle through the opening 18 and receives radio waves reflected from an object such as a vehicle in front to detect the object in front. The radar 30 may be, for example, a millimeter wave radar.
[0020] The front bumper cover 14 is provided with a closing plate 20 that closes the opening 18. The area of the closing plate 20 through which the radio waves emitted by the radar 30 pass is a radio wave transmitting portion 21A through which the radio waves can pass. In addition, a water drip cover 40 is attached to the upper part of the closing plate 20. The water drip cover 40 extends from the closing plate 20 toward the rear of the vehicle and covers the upper part of the radar 30.
[0021] Next, a detailed structure of the front bumper cover 14 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the front bumper cover 14 is composed of an upper cover 15 above an opening 18 and a lower cover 16 below the opening 18.
[0022] The upper cover 15 includes an upper panel 15A that constitutes the vehicle front design surface above the opening 18, and a vertical flange 15B that extends downward from the upper panel 15A. The lower end surface of the vertical flange 15B constitutes the upper edge of the opening 18, and the lower part of the vertical flange 15B constitutes the upper edge portion of the opening 18.
[0023] The lower cover 16 is composed of a lower panel 16A that constitutes the vehicle front design surface below the opening 18, and a horizontal flange 16B that is bent from the upper end of the lower panel 16A toward the rear of the vehicle. The upper surface of the horizontal flange 16B constitutes the lower edge of the opening 18. Therefore, the opening 18 is the space between the lower end surface of the vertical flange 15B and the upper surface of the horizontal flange 16B.
[0024] A closing plate 20 that closes the opening 18 is attached to the front bumper cover 14. The closing plate 20 is composed of a plate-shaped main body 21, an upper flange 22 that extends from the upper end of the main body 21 toward the rear of the vehicle, and a lower flange 23 that extends from the lower end of the main body 21 toward the rear of the vehicle. The closing plate 20 is attached to the front bumper cover 14 so that the upper end is inclined toward the front of the vehicle. More specifically, the closing plate 20 is attached to the upper cover 15 with a clip so that the lower part of the lower flange 23 engages with the upper surface of the horizontal flange 16B of the lower cover 16, and the upper flange 22 abuts against the front surface of the vertical flange 15B of the upper cover 15. Note that there are gaps between the upper flange 22 and the vertical flange 15B and between the lower flange 23 and the horizontal flange 16B.
[0025] A molding 25 is attached between the upper flange 22 of the closure plate 20 and the lower part of the upper panel 15A. The molding 25 is a groove-shaped member composed of a front plate 25A, an upper plate 25B, and a lower plate 25C, and the vehicle front surface of the front plate 25A is a design surface. A gap S1 is provided between the upper surface of the upper plate 25B of the molding 25 and the lower part of the upper panel 15A. A gap S2 also exists between the lower plate 25C and the upper flange 22 of the closure plate 20.
[0026] A radar 30 is disposed inside the front compartment 12 behind the opening 18. The radar 30 is attached to a structural member inside the front compartment 12 by a bracket 32. Radio waves irradiated from the front surface 31 of the radar 30 propagate toward the front of the vehicle as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 2. The area of the main body 21 of the closure plate 20 through which the radio waves irradiated from the radar 30 pass is a radio wave permeable portion 21A made of a radio wave permeable material through which radio waves can pass. The entire closure plate 20 may be made of a radio wave permeable material.
[0027] Next, the configuration of the drain cover 40 will be described with reference to Figures 3 to 5. As shown in Figure 3, the drain cover 40 includes a ceiling plate 42, a left side plate 43L, a right side plate 43R, an overhang plate 44, and a front edge flange 45. Note that the upper flange 22 and the lower flange 23 of the closing plate 20 are not shown in Figure 3. The left-right direction of the drain cover 40 is the width direction of the drain cover 40. Therefore, the vehicle width direction is the width direction of the drain cover 40, and the vehicle front-rear direction is the front-rear direction of the drain cover 40.
[0028] The ceiling panel 42 is composed of a grooved portion 47 at the front of the vehicle and a flat portion 41 extending from an upper end of a rear flange of the grooved portion 47 toward the rear of the vehicle. The grooved portion 47 defines the inner surfaces of left and right grooves 47L and 47R. As shown in FIG. 2, the flat portion 41 is inclined downward toward the grooved portion 47. A flat leading edge flange 45 is connected to the upper end of the front flange of the grooved portion 47.
[0029] Returning to Fig. 3, the left side plate 43L is a plate member extending downward from the left end of the flat plate portion 41 of the ceiling plate 42 and the left end of the bottom plate of the grooved portion 47. Similarly, the right side plate 43R is a plate member extending downward from the right end of the flat plate portion 41 of the ceiling plate 42 and the right end of the bottom plate of the grooved portion 47. A protruding plate 44 is attached to the side surface of the left side plate 43L, protruding to the left with an upper portion inclined forward and connected to the front edge flange 45. A similar protruding plate 44 is also attached to the side surface of the right side plate 43R.
[0030] As shown in Fig. 4, the groove width of the grooved portion 47 in the front-rear direction increases from W1 to W2 from the center toward the outside in the width direction of the drain cover 40. Also, as shown in Fig. 5, an upwardly convex ridge line 48 is provided in the center of the bottom surface of the grooved portion 47, and the left and right grooves 47L, 47R are inclined downward from the ridge line 48 toward the left and right ends.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the front edge flange 45 of the drain cover 40 is attached to the lower surface of the upper flange 22 of the closing plate 20, and the grooved portion 47 of the ceiling plate 42 covers the rear surface of the closing plate 20, the upper end of which is inclined toward the front of the vehicle, from above. The ceiling plate 42 of the drain cover 40 extends from the closing plate 20 toward the rear of the vehicle, and when the closing plate 20 is attached to the front bumper cover 14, the flat plate portion 41 covers the upper side of the radar 30. In addition, the left side plate 43L and the right side plate 43R cover the left side and right side of the radar 30, respectively. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, when the closing plate 20 is attached to the front bumper cover 14, the lower end of the vertical flange 15B of the upper cover 15 enters the left and right grooves 47L and 47R.
[0032] When the vehicle 100 configured in this way is driven in the rain, rainwater enters the front surface of the vertical flange 15B of the upper cover 15 through the gap S1 between the upper surface of the upper plate 25B of the molding 25 and the lower part of the upper panel 15A, or through the gap S2 between the lower plate 25C and the upper flange 22 of the closing plate 20. This rainwater flows downward along the gap S3 on the front surface of the vertical flange 15B, as shown by the arrow, and flows into the left and right grooves 47L, 47R of the drip cover 40.
[0033] The lower cover 16 is also provided with an air inlet opening (not shown) that introduces air to a radiator (not shown) disposed in front of the front compartment 12. A front grille (not shown) is attached to the air inlet opening. When the vehicle 100 runs in the rain, rainwater enters the inside of the front compartment 12 through the air inlet opening. Some of the rainwater that has entered the inside of the front compartment 12 falls onto the flat plate portion 41 of the drain cover 40. Since the flat plate portion 41 is inclined downward toward the grooved portion 47, the rainwater that has fallen onto the flat plate portion 41 flows along the upper surface of the flat plate portion 41 toward the grooved portion 47 and into the left and right grooves 47L, 47R.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, the left and right gutters 47L, 47R are inclined downward toward the left and right, so that rainwater flowing into the left and right gutters 47L, 47R flows toward the left and right and falls downward from the left and right ends of the left and right gutters 47L, 47R.
[0035] In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the left and right grooves 47L, 47R have a groove width that becomes wider toward the outside in the width direction of the drain cover 40, so that even if a large amount of rainwater flows into the left and right grooves 47L, 47R, the rainwater can be sufficiently drained to the left and right.
[0036] As described above, when the vehicle 100 is traveling in the rain, the drain cover 40 directs rainwater that has entered the front compartment 12 outward in the width direction along the left and right grooves 47L, 47R and drops downward from the side ends of the drain cover 40, thereby preventing water from splashing on the rear surface of the radar 30 and the closing plate 20. This prevents the reception power of the radar 30 from decreasing even when traveling in the rain, and allows the situation in front of the vehicle to be correctly grasped.
[0037] In addition, since the water drip cover 40 is constructed separately from the closure plate 20 which constitutes the design of the vehicle 100, it is possible to prevent water from splashing on the rear side of the vehicle of the radar 30 and the closure plate 20 without affecting the design of the vehicle 100.
[0038] Furthermore, the left and right grooves 47L, 47R of the drain cover 40 have a groove width that becomes wider from the center in the width direction toward the outside in the width direction, so that water can be guided to the side ends of the drain cover 40 without overflowing from the left and right grooves 47L, 47R. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent water from splashing on the rear surface of the radar 30 and the closing plate 20.
[0039] Furthermore, the flat plate portion 41 of the water drip cover 40 is inclined downward toward the left and right grooves 47L, 47R, and the lower end of the vertical flange 15B of the closing plate 20 enters the left and right grooves 47L, 47R, so that rainwater can be guided to the left and right grooves 47L, 47R and dropped downward from the side end of the water drip cover 40. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent water from splashing on the rear side of the radar 30 and the closing plate 20 when driving in the rain.
[0040] In the vehicle 100 described above, the radar 30 is disposed inside the front compartment 12 at the front of the vehicle 100, and is described as emitting radio waves toward the front of the vehicle through the opening 18 and receiving radio waves reflected from an object such as a vehicle in front to detect an object in front. However, the radar 30 is not limited to this, so long as it is disposed inside the vehicle through the opening 18 and emitting radio waves toward the outside of the vehicle through the opening 18.
[0041] For example, the radar 30 may be a rear radar that irradiates radio waves toward the rear of the vehicle 100 and detects objects behind the vehicle 100. The rear radar is disposed inside a rear bumper cover (not shown), and the opening 18 is disposed on the rear surface of the rear bumper cover. The rear radar irradiates radio waves toward the rear of the vehicle 100 through the opening 18 and detects objects behind the vehicle 100. In this case, the water drip cover 40 is attached to the upper part of the closing plate 20 and extends forward of the vehicle to cover the upper part of the rear radar. In addition, the closing plate 20 is attached to the rear bumper cover so that the upper end is inclined toward the rear of the vehicle, and the water drip cover 40 covers the upper part of the front surface of the closing plate 20.
[0042] The radar 30 may be a side radar that irradiates radio waves toward the side of the vehicle 100 and detects objects on the side of the vehicle 100. The side radar is disposed inside the front compartment 12, and the opening 18 is disposed on the side of the front bumper cover 14. The side radar irradiates radio waves toward the side of the vehicle 100 through the opening 18 and detects objects on the side of the vehicle 100. In this case, the drain cover 40 is attached to the upper part of the closing plate 20 that covers the opening 18 so that the width direction is the vehicle front-rear direction. The drain cover 40 extends inside the vehicle in the vehicle width direction and covers the upper part of the side radar. The grooves 47L and 47R of the drain cover 40 extend in the vehicle front-rear direction, which is the width direction of the drain cover 40, and are inclined downward from the center of the width direction of the drain cover 40 toward the outside in the width direction. In addition, the closure plate 20 is attached to the front bumper cover 14 so that the upper end portion is inclined toward the outside of the vehicle, and the water drain cover 40 covers the upper part of the surface of the closure plate 20 facing the inside of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]
[0043] 10 body, 11 passenger compartment, 12 front compartment, 13 dash panel, 14 front bumper cover, 15 upper cover, 15A upper panel, 15B vertical flange, 16 lower cover, 16A lower panel, 16B horizontal flange, 17 fender, 18 opening, 19 hood, 20 closing plate, 21 main body, 21A radio wave transparent portion, 22 upper flange, 23 lower flange, 25 molding, 25A front plate, 25B upper plate, 25C lower plate, 30 radar, 31 front, 32 bracket, 40 water drain cover, 41 flat plate portion, 42 ceiling plate, 43L left side plate, 43R right side plate, 44 overhang plate, 45 leading edge flange, 47 grooved portion, 47L, 47R groove, 48 ridgeline, 100 vehicle (vehicle equipped with radar).
Claims
1. An opening provided in the bumper cover; a radar disposed inside the vehicle through the opening; a closing plate that closes the opening, the closing plate being transparent to radio waves emitted from the radar toward the outside of the vehicle through the opening; A radar-equipped vehicle comprising: a water drain cover attached to an upper portion of the closing plate and extending into the vehicle interior to cover an upper portion of the radar, The drain cover has a groove on its upper surface that extends in the width direction and guides water in the width direction, The groove is inclined downward from the widthwise center of the drain cover toward the widthwise outer side; A radar-equipped vehicle characterized by:
2. A radar-equipped vehicle according to claim 1, The groove width becomes wider from the center in the width direction of the drain cover toward the outside in the width direction. A radar-equipped vehicle characterized by:
3. A radar-equipped vehicle according to claim 2, The upper surface of the drain cover is inclined downward toward the groove; A radar-equipped vehicle characterized by:
4. A radar-equipped vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The closure plate is attached to the bumper cover such that an upper end portion thereof is inclined toward an outer side of the vehicle, The drain cover covers an upper portion of the vehicle interior side surface of the closure plate; A radar-equipped vehicle characterized by:
5. A radar-equipped vehicle according to claim 4, a lower end of an upper edge of the opening is recessed into the groove; A radar-equipped vehicle characterized by:
Citation Information
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