Vehicular exterior component

Abstract

To provide a vehicular exterior component whose installation space can be suppressed to a minimum.SOLUTION: A vehicular exterior component comprises a design panel 11, a sensor 22, and a sound source part 23. The design panel 11 is arranged to be exposed toward outside of a vehicle. The sensor 22 is arranged on a rear surface side of the design panel 11, transmits millimeter waves toward the outside of the vehicle through the design panel 11, and receives reflected waves of the millimeter waves from the outside of the vehicle through the design panel 11. The sound source part 23 emits sound toward the outside of the vehicle. The sound source part 23 comprises a vibrator 13 and a transmitting member 14. The transmitting member 14 comprises a fixed plate 17 arranged on the rear surface side of the design panel 11 at a distance from the design panel 11, and a leg part 18 for joining the fixed plate 17 to the design panel 11. The vibrator 13 is fixed to the fixed plate 17. The sensor 22 is arranged between the design panel 11 and the fixed plate 17, on the rear surface side of the design panel 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to exterior vehicle accessories. [Background technology]

[0002] Known vehicle exterior accessories include those that have the function of detecting obstacles, etc. outside the vehicle and the function of emitting sounds, such as an approaching vehicle warning sound, outside the vehicle to pedestrians, etc. For example, the vehicle exterior accessory disclosed in Patent Document 1 achieves the above-mentioned two functions by including an exterior panel, a sensor, and a sound source unit.

[0003] The exterior panel is positioned so as to be exposed to the outside of the vehicle. The sensor is positioned on the rear side of the exterior panel, i.e., closer to the interior of the vehicle than the exterior panel. The sound source unit is positioned on the rear side of the exterior panel and includes a horn that emits sound. The exterior panel includes a sensor cover area located corresponding to the sensor and a resonant panel area located corresponding to the horn of the sound source unit. The resonant panel area of ​​the exterior panel is positioned downwardly shifted from the sensor cover area.

[0004] The sensor transmits electromagnetic waves toward the outside of the vehicle through the sensor cover area of ​​the exterior panel and receives reflected waves of the electromagnetic waves from outside the vehicle through the sensor cover area of ​​the exterior panel. The sensor detects obstacles and the like outside the vehicle through the transmission and reception of electromagnetic waves. The horn of the sound source emits sound toward the resonant panel area of ​​the exterior panel. The resonant panel area of ​​the exterior panel resonates with the sound transmitted from the horn and emits sound toward the outside of the vehicle. The vehicle exterior accessory is capable of emitting such sound as an approach warning sound for pedestrians and the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-69569 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In the vehicle exterior accessory of Patent Document 1, the sensor cover area and the resonant panel area of ​​the exterior panel are positioned vertically offset, and the sensor and the horn of the sound source unit are positioned corresponding to the sensor cover area and the resonant panel area. As a result, the vehicle exterior accessory is large in the vertical direction, and a large vertical space must be secured for installing the vehicle exterior accessory. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] Next, various aspects of vehicle exterior parts that solve the above problems will be described. (Aspect 1) an exterior accessory for a vehicle comprising an exterior panel, a sensor, and a sound source unit, the exterior panel being positioned so as to be exposed to the outside of the vehicle, the sensor being positioned on the back side of the exterior panel, and transmitting electromagnetic waves to the outside of the vehicle via the exterior panel and receiving reflected waves of the electromagnetic waves from outside the vehicle via the exterior panel, the sound source unit emitting sound to the outside of the vehicle, the sound source unit comprising a vibrator and a transmission member, the transmission member comprising a fixing plate being positioned on the back side of the exterior panel at a distance from the exterior panel and legs for connecting the fixing plate to the exterior panel, the vibrator being fixed to the fixing plate, and the sensor being positioned on the back side of the exterior panel, between the exterior panel and the fixing plate.

[0008] According to the above configuration, the sensor, the transmission member, and the vibrator are disposed on the rear surface of the exterior panel. The sensor is disposed between the fixing plate of the transmission member and the exterior panel. This allows the sensor, the transmission member, and the vibrator to be disposed compactly on the rear surface of the exterior panel. As a result, the installation space for the vehicle exterior accessory can be kept small.

[0009] (Aspect 2) The exterior panel is light-transmitting, and a light-emitting substrate that emits light toward the exterior panel is disposed between the exterior panel and the fixing plate on the back side of the exterior panel, in a location that does not overlap with the transmission area of ​​the electromagnetic waves from the sensor (embodiment 1).

[0010] According to the above configuration, a light-emitting base is provided on the vehicle exterior accessory to illuminate the exterior panel. The light-emitting base is disposed between the exterior panel and the fixing plate of the transmission member, in a location that does not overlap with the transmission area of ​​the electromagnetic wave from the sensor. Therefore, even in a vehicle exterior accessory in which a light-emitting base is provided to illuminate the exterior panel, the installation space can be kept small.

[0011] (Aspect 3) The vehicle exterior accessory according to (Aspect 2), wherein the light-emitting substrate is used to support the sensor on the exterior panel.

[0012] According to the above-mentioned configuration, since the light-emitting substrate can be used to support the sensor, there is no need to provide a separate support member for the sensor. In this way, the number of parts required for the vehicle exterior accessory can be reduced by the amount of the support member not required.

[0013] (Aspect 4) The vehicle exterior accessory according to (Aspect 3), wherein the light-emitting base supports the sensor relative to the exterior panel without contacting the leg portion of the transmission member.

[0014] With this configuration, the light-emitting base supporting the sensor is not in contact with the legs of the transmission member, so when the vibration of the vibrator is transmitted to the exterior panel via the transmission member, the vibration is not transmitted to the light-emitting base, thereby preventing the transmission of the vibration to the light-emitting base from adversely affecting the light-emitting base.

[0015] (Aspect 5) A vehicle exterior part according to any one of (Aspect 2) to (Aspect 4), in which a concealing layer is formed in a location on the exterior panel corresponding to the leg portion so that the leg portion is not visible from outside the vehicle.

[0016] According to the above configuration, when the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from outside the vehicle, the portion of the exterior panel to which the leg of the transmission member is connected is hidden from view by the concealing layer formed on the exterior panel. As a result, it is possible to prevent the leg of the transmission member from being visible through the exterior panel from outside the vehicle, thereby preventing the appearance of the vehicle exterior accessory from being impaired. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a vehicle exterior accessory. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a vehicle exterior part. [Figure 3] 1. FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing another example of the concealing layer in the vehicle exterior part of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a vehicle exterior part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a vehicle exterior accessory will be described with reference to FIG. The vehicle exterior accessory shown in Fig. 1 includes a design panel 11 as an exterior panel, a light-emitting base 12, a sensor 22, a sound source 23, and a back cover 15, and can be attached to a vehicle. The vehicle exterior accessory has the function of detecting obstacles and the like outside the vehicle, and the function of emitting sounds outside the vehicle, such as a vehicle approach warning sound for pedestrians and the like. Furthermore, the vehicle exterior accessory also has the function of emitting light outside the vehicle, i.e., toward the left in Fig. 1, to improve the design, etc.

[0019] The design panel 11 is positioned so that it is exposed to the outside of the vehicle when the vehicle exterior accessory is attached to the vehicle. The design panel 11 is capable of transmitting light. The sound source unit 23 is for emitting sound to the outside of the vehicle and includes a vibrator 13 and a transmission member 14. The transmission member 14 is positioned on the back side of the design panel 11, i.e., on the right side in Figure 1, thereby forming a light-guiding space 16 between the design panel 11 and the design panel 11.

[0020] The transmission member 14 includes a fixed plate 17 arranged at a distance from the design panel 11 on the rear side of the design panel 11, and legs 18 for connecting the fixed plate 17 to the design panel 11. The fixed plate 17 is arranged to face the rear side of the design panel 11. The vibrator 13 is fixed to the fixed plate 17. The legs 18 protrude from the outer edge of the fixed plate 17 toward the rear side of the design panel 11, and are thereby connected to a position near the outer edge of the design panel 11. The light-guiding space 16 is formed between the fixed plate 17 and the design panel 11.

[0021] In the vehicle exterior accessory, when the vibrator 13 vibrates, the vibration is transmitted to the design panel 11 via the fixed plate 17 and leg 18 of the transmission member 14. When the design panel 11 vibrates in this way as the vibration is transmitted to the design panel 11, sound is generated from the design panel 11 toward the outside of the vehicle. The back cover 15, which covers the entire transmission member 14, is attached to the back surface of the design panel 11. The back cover 15 prevents sound from vibrating the vibrator 13 and the like from being transmitted to the interior of the vehicle.

[0022] The sensor 22 is disposed on the back side of the design panel 11, between the design panel 11 and the fixing plate 17 of the transmission member 14, i.e., in the light-guiding space 16. This sensor 22 transmits electromagnetic waves such as millimeter waves toward the outside of the vehicle via the design panel 11, and receives reflected waves of the millimeter waves from outside the vehicle via the design panel 11. The design panel 11 is capable of transmitting electromagnetic waves such as millimeter waves. Obstacles and the like outside the vehicle are detected through the transmission and reception of millimeter waves by the sensor 22.

[0023] The light-emitting base 12 is disposed on the rear side of the design panel 11, i.e., between the design panel 11 and the fixed plate 17 on the right side in FIG. 1 , which is closer to the interior of the vehicle than the design panel 11. Specifically, the light-emitting base 12 is disposed within the light-guiding space 16 between the design panel 11 and the fixed plate 17 of the transmission member 14, in a location that does not overlap with the transmission area of ​​the millimeter waves from the sensor 22. The sensor 22 is attached to the light-emitting base 12. The light-emitting base 12 is connected to the rear cover 15 without contacting the leg 18 of the transmission member 14. The light-emitting base 12 and the sensor 22 are supported by the design panel 11 via the rear cover 15. In other words, the light-emitting base 12 is used to support the sensor 22 relative to the design panel 11. Furthermore, the light-emitting base 12 supports the sensor 22 relative to the design panel 11 without contacting the leg 18 of the transmission member 14.

[0024] The light-emitting substrate 12 is equipped with light-emitting elements 20 such as LEDs. The light-emitting substrate 12 emits light toward the design panel 11 using the light-emitting elements 20. The design panel 11 receives light from the light-emitting substrate 12 through the light-guiding space 16. The design panel 11 transmits the light from the light-emitting substrate 12 toward the outside of the vehicle. This allows the vehicle exterior accessory to emit light toward the outside of the vehicle through the design panel 11.

[0025] A concealing layer 19 is formed on the design panel 11 at a location corresponding to the leg 18 of the transmission member 14 so that the leg 18 is not visible from outside the vehicle. The concealing layer 19 is located on the back side of the design panel 11. By forming the concealing layer 19 on the design panel 11 in this way, the leg 18 of the transmission member 14 is not visible from outside the vehicle through the design panel 11, which prevents the leg 18 from being visible from outside the vehicle and therefore prevents the appearance of the vehicle exterior accessory from being impaired.

[0026] Next, the effects of the vehicle exterior accessory of this embodiment will be described. (1) The sensor 22, transmission member 14, and vibrator 13 are arranged on the back side of the decorative panel 11. The sensor 22 is arranged between the fixing plate 17 of the transmission member 14 and the decorative panel 11. This allows the sensor 22, transmission member 14, and vibrator 13 to be compactly arranged on the back side of the decorative panel 11. As a result, a vehicle exterior accessory that has both the function of detecting obstacles, etc. outside the vehicle and the function of emitting sound can be made smaller, and the installation space for the vehicle exterior accessory can be kept small.

[0027] (2) The vehicle exterior accessory also has the function of emitting light. That is, a light-emitting substrate 12 is provided on the vehicle exterior accessory to illuminate the design panel 11. The light-emitting substrate 12 is located within the light-guiding space 16 between the design panel 11 and the fixing plate 17 of the transmission member 14, in a location that does not overlap with the transmission area of ​​the millimeter waves from the sensor 22. Therefore, even in a vehicle exterior accessory in which a light-emitting substrate 12 is provided to illuminate the design panel 11, the installation space can be kept small.

[0028] (3) Because the light-emitting substrate 12 is used to support the sensor 22, there is no need to provide a separate support member for supporting the sensor 22. As a result, the number of parts required for the vehicle exterior accessory can be reduced.

[0029] (4) Because the light-emitting base 12 supporting the sensor 22 is not in contact with the legs 18 of the transmission member 14, when the vibration of the vibrator 13 is transmitted to the decorative panel 11 via the transmission member 14, the vibration is not transmitted to the light-emitting base 12. Therefore, the transmission of the vibration to the light-emitting base 12 is prevented from adversely affecting the light-emitting base 12.

[0030] (5) When the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from outside the vehicle, the portion of the decorative panel 11 where the leg 18 of the transmission member 14 is connected is hidden by the concealing layer 19 formed on the decorative panel 11. As a result, the leg 18 of the transmission member 14 is visible through the decorative panel 11 from outside the vehicle, which prevents the vehicle exterior accessory from looking bad.

[0031] The above embodiment can be modified as follows, for example: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility. As shown in Figure 2, a reflective layer 21 that specularly reflects or diffusely reflects light may be formed on the surfaces of the fixed plate 17 and leg portion 18 of the transmission member 14 facing the light-guiding space 16, the surface of the vibrator 13 facing the light-guiding space 16, and the inner surface of the back cover 15. In this case, light from the light-emitting body 20 of the light-emitting base 12 that is not directed toward the decorative panel 11 is reflected by the reflective layer 21 and directed toward the decorative panel 11. Therefore, when the light-emitting body 20 is illuminated, more light passes through the decorative panel 11. Furthermore, even if the position of the light-emitting base 12 is changed, the amount of light that passes through the decorative panel 11 is prevented from decreasing, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in the positioning of the light-emitting base 12.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the concealing layer 19 may be formed on the front side of the design panel 11, that is, on the outside of the vehicle, in a location corresponding to the leg portion 18 of the transmission member 14. 3, the concealing layer 19 may be formed in a location on the decorative panel 11 other than the location corresponding to the leg portion 18. Forming the concealing layer 19 in a location on the decorative panel 11 other than the location corresponding to the leg portion 18 may be done, for example, to improve the design of the decorative panel 11.

[0033] The masking layer 19 does not necessarily have to be formed. As shown in Figure 4, when the distance between the light-emitting base 12 and the design panel 11 is short, a lens 24 may be placed between the light-emitting body 20 of the light-emitting base 12 and the design panel 11 to control the light path so that the light emitted by the light-emitting body 20 is directed toward the center of the design panel 11.

[0034] The light emitting base 12 may be supported by the design panel 11 by directly connecting it to the design panel 11 instead of connecting it to the back cover 15 . The light emitting substrate 12 may be omitted. In this case, it is possible to support the sensor 22 with some kind of support member.

[0035] Although the decorative panel 11 is exemplified as an exterior panel of a vehicle exterior part, the above-mentioned exterior panel does not necessarily have to have a decorative feature. Although the sensor 22 is exemplified as one that transmits and receives millimeter waves, it may alternatively be one that transmits and receives electromagnetic waves such as laser and infrared. In this case, the design panel 11 is made to be able to transmit electromagnetic waves such as laser and infrared. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 11...Design panel 12...Light emitting base 13...Vibrator 14...Transmission member 15...Back cover 16…Light guide space 17...Fixing plate 18...legs 19... Hidden layer 20...Luminous object 21...Reflection layer 22...Sensor 23...Sound source section 24...Lens

Claims

1. The device includes an exterior panel, a sensor, and a sound source unit, The exterior panel is disposed so as to be exposed to the outside of the vehicle, the sensor is disposed on the rear surface side of the exterior panel, transmits electromagnetic waves to the outside of the vehicle via the exterior panel, and receives reflected waves of the electromagnetic waves from the outside of the vehicle via the exterior panel; In a vehicle exterior accessory, the sound source unit emits sound toward the outside of the vehicle, the sound source unit includes a vibrator and a transmission member, The transmission member includes a fixing plate disposed on the rear surface side of the exterior panel at a distance from the exterior panel, and a leg portion for connecting the fixing plate to the exterior panel, The vibrator is fixed to the fixed plate, The sensor is disposed on the rear surface of the exterior panel, between the exterior panel and the fixing plate.

2. The exterior panel is light-transmitting, 2. The vehicle exterior accessory according to claim 1, wherein a light-emitting substrate that emits light toward the exterior panel is disposed between the exterior panel and the fixing plate on the back side of the exterior panel, in a location that does not overlap with a transmission area of ​​electromagnetic waves from the sensor.

3. 3. The exterior accessory for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the light emitting substrate is used to support the sensor on the exterior panel.

4. 4. The vehicle exterior accessory according to claim 3, wherein the light emitting base supports the sensor relative to the exterior panel without contacting the leg portion of the transmission member.

5. The vehicle exterior part according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a concealing layer is formed at a location on the exterior panel corresponding to the leg portion so that the leg portion is not visible from outside the vehicle.

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