Vehicle exterior component

Abstract

To provide a vehicle exterior component that includes an insertion hole into which a claw portion of a mating member is inserted, and that enables reduction of load imparted onto a mold during manufacturing.SOLUTION: There is provided a bumper grille 1 attached from behind to a bumper including a claw portion 50 protruding rearward from the front. The bumper grille comprises an attachment portion 4 into which the claw portion 50 is inserted and engaged. The attachment portion 4 includes: a claw engagement piece 5 with a rear end 5a directly engaged with the claw portion 50; and an opposing piece 6 arranged opposite the claw engagement piece 5 so as to form an insertion hole 7 into which the claw portion 50 is inserted between the claw engagement piece 5 and the opposing piece. Therein a rear end 6a of the opposing piece 6 is located on a front side with respect to the rear end 5a of the claw engagement piece 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an exterior part for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a front grille provided on a vehicle. The front grille disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided on the front side of the vehicle and is formed so that outside air can be taken into the engine compartment from the outside. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-81034 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Many vehicle exterior parts, such as the front grille disclosed in Patent Document 1, are attached to vehicles. For example, some vehicle exterior parts are attached from behind to a mating member having claws protruding rearward. For example, a bumper grille is attached from behind to a bumper having claws, and is an example of a vehicle exterior part that is attached from behind to a mating member having claws. Such vehicle exterior parts have an attachment portion into which the claws of the mating member are inserted and engaged. For example, the attachment portion has a claw locking piece and an opposing piece that are arranged opposite each other with a gap between them, and is formed so that the claws can be inserted into an insertion hole, which is a gap formed between the claw locking piece and the opposing piece.

[0005] The vehicle exterior component described above is formed by injection molding of resin using a mold. Here, if the hook engaging piece and the opposing piece protrude rearward significantly and the insertion hole is deep, a long protrusion must be provided on the mold to form the insertion hole. Such a long protrusion is subjected to a large load during injection molding, which reduces the mold's lifespan.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to reduce the load on the mold during manufacturing of a vehicle exterior part having an insertion hole into which a claw portion of a mating member is inserted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention employs the following configuration as a means for solving the above problems.

[0008] A first aspect of the present invention is an exterior component for a vehicle that is attached from the rear to a mating member that has a claw portion that protrudes from the front to the rear, and that includes an attachment portion into which the claw portion is inserted and engaged, and the attachment portion has a claw engagement piece with a rear end to which the claw portion is directly engaged, and an opposing piece that is positioned opposite the claw engagement piece so as to form an insertion hole between the attachment portion and the claw engagement piece, into which the claw portion is inserted, and the rear end of the opposing piece is positioned forward of the rear end of the claw engagement piece.

[0009] A second aspect of the present invention is a configuration in which, in the first aspect, the opposing piece has a rear wall surface of the opposing piece that approaches the claw engagement piece as it moves forward from the rear end of the insertion hole, and a front wall surface of the opposing piece that approaches the claw engagement piece as it moves backward from the front end of the insertion hole and is connected to the rear wall surface of the opposing piece.

[0010] A third aspect of the present invention is a configuration in which, in the second aspect, the claw locking piece has a rear wall surface of the claw locking piece that approaches the opposing piece as it moves forward from the rear end of the insertion hole, and a front wall surface of the claw locking piece that approaches the opposing piece as it moves backward from the front end of the insertion hole and is connected to the rear wall surface of the claw locking piece.

[0011] A fourth aspect of the present invention adopts a configuration in which the boundary between the rear wall surface of the opposing piece and the front wall surface of the opposing piece is positioned at the same position in the front-to-rear direction as the boundary between the rear wall surface of the claw engagement piece and the front wall surface of the claw engagement piece. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, an insertion hole into which the claw portion of the mating member is inserted is formed between the claw locking piece and the opposing piece. Furthermore, in the present invention, the rear end of the opposing piece is located forward of the rear end of the claw locking piece. Therefore, the longitudinal length of the insertion hole can be made smaller than when the rear ends of the opposing piece and the claw locking piece are located at the same longitudinal position. Therefore, according to the present invention, the protrusion for forming the insertion hole in the mold used to manufacture the vehicle exterior part can be shortened, thereby reducing the load on the mold during manufacturing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic front view of a vehicle equipped with a pump grille according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a mounting portion of a bumper grille according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the rear. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a manufacturing process of the pump grill according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a mounting portion of a pump grille according to a first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle exterior part according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an example in which the vehicle exterior part according to the present invention is applied to a bumper grille will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to being applied to a bumper grille, but can also be applied to a vehicle exterior part that is attached to a mating member having a claw portion.

[0015] (First embodiment) 1 is a schematic front view of a vehicle 100 equipped with a bumper grille 1 (vehicle exterior part) of this embodiment. The bumper grille 1 of this embodiment is a vehicle exterior part installed in the front of the vehicle 100, and is entirely made of resin.

[0016] 1, a vehicle 100 has a bumper 101 (a mating member) at the front. The bumper grille 1 of this embodiment is attached to the back surface of the bumper 101 and is exposed through an opening provided in the bumper 101.

[0017] In the following description, the direction in which the bumper 101 is located as viewed from the bumper grille 1 is defined as the front, and the side opposite the bumper 101 as viewed from the bumper grille 1 is defined as the rear. However, the installation position of the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment is not particularly limited. In other words, the front-rear direction of the bumper grille 1 does not necessarily coincide with the front-rear direction of the vehicle 100.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, two bumper grilles 1 of this embodiment are provided for a bumper 101. Each of the bumper grilles 1 of this embodiment includes a frame portion 2, a lattice-forming wall 3, and a plurality of mounting portions 4. The two bumper grilles 1 of this embodiment are formed in a symmetrical shape. Therefore, in the following description, only the bumper grille 1 on one side will be described in detail.

[0019] The frame portion 2 is formed in an annular shape so as to surround the lattice forming wall 3. In this embodiment, the frame portion 2 is arranged so as to be hidden by the bumper 101 when viewed from the front. The lattice forming wall 3 is arranged in a space surrounded by the frame portion 2. The frame portion 2 prevents foreign objects from passing through the frame portion 2 while maintaining a state in which air can pass through the frame portion 2.

[0020] A plurality of mounting portions 4 are provided on the frame portion 2. Although four mounting portions 4 are shown in FIG. 1, the number of mounting portions 4 provided on the frame portion 2 can be changed. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, two mounting portions 4 are provided on each of the upper and lower portions of the frame portion 2. However, mounting portions 4 may also be provided on the side portions of the frame portion 2.

[0021] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one mounting portion 4 as seen from the rear. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the mounting portion 4 is a portion into which a claw portion 50 provided on the bumper 101 is inserted from the front and engaged. The claw portion 50 of the bumper 101 is provided so as to protrude rearward from the main body of the bumper 101. The claw portion 50 is formed in a plate shape, and a locking protrusion 51 is provided at the tip end (rear end) of the claw portion 50 so as to abut against a claw locking piece 5 of the mounting portion 4, which will be described later, from the rear and engage with it.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the mounting portion 4 has a claw locking piece 5 and an opposing piece 6. The claw locking piece 5 and the opposing piece 6 are each formed in a piece shape (plate shape) and are arranged opposite each other with their surfaces facing each other. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the claw locking piece 5 and the opposing piece 6 are arranged opposite each other with a gap therebetween. This gap is an insertion hole 7 into which the claw portion 50 of the bumper 101 is inserted. The insertion hole 7 is formed in a slit shape that extends in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the claw locking piece 5 and the opposing piece 6 (hereinafter referred to as the opposing direction) when viewed from the front.

[0023] The claw locking piece 5 has a rear end 5a to which the claw portion 50 is directly locked. As shown in Fig. 3, the locking protrusion 51 of the claw portion 50 abuts against the rear end 5a of the claw locking piece 5 from behind. The claw portion 50 is fixed to the mounting portion 4 by the locking protrusion 51 being locked to the rear end 5a of the claw locking piece 5.

[0024] 3, the pawl locking piece 5 has a rear wall surface 5b (rear wall surface of the pawl locking piece) and a front wall surface 5c (front wall surface of the pawl locking piece). The rear wall surface 5b extends forward from the rear end 7a of the insertion hole 7 in a direction approaching the opposing piece 6. The front wall surface 5c extends rearward from the front end 7b of the insertion hole 7 in a direction approaching the opposing piece 6. The front wall surface 5c is connected to the rear wall surface 5b.

[0025] The connecting portion (boundary portion 5d) between the rear wall surface 5b and the front wall surface 5c is the portion of the claw locking piece 5 that protrudes most toward the opposing piece 6. This boundary portion 5d is the portion that comes into contact with the claw portion 50 inserted into the insertion hole 7.

[0026] The opposing piece 6 has a rear end 6a located forward of the rear end 5a of the pawl locking piece 5. As shown in Fig. 3, the rear end 6a of the opposing piece 6 is located forward of the rear end 5a of the pawl locking piece 5 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the length dimension of the insertion hole 7 in the front-to-rear direction is shorter than when the rear end 6a of the opposing piece 6 is located at the same position as the rear end 5a of the pawl locking piece 5 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0027] 3, the facing piece 6 has a rear wall surface 6b (facing piece rear wall surface) and a front wall surface 6c (facing piece front wall surface). The rear wall surface 6b extends forward from the rear end 7a of the insertion hole 7 in a direction approaching the hook locking piece 5. The front wall surface 6c extends rearward from the front end 7b of the insertion hole 7 in a direction approaching the hook locking piece 5. The front wall surface 6c is connected to the rear wall surface 6b.

[0028] The connecting portion (boundary portion 6d) between the rear wall surface 6b and the front wall surface 6c is the portion of the opposing piece 6 that protrudes most toward the claw locking piece 5. This boundary portion 6d is the portion that comes into contact with the claw portion 50 inserted into the insertion hole 7.

[0029] 3, the boundary 5d between the rear wall surface 5b and the front wall surface 5c and the boundary 6d between the rear wall surface 6b and the front wall surface 6c are located at the same position in the front-rear direction. In other words, the portion of the claw locking piece 5 that protrudes most toward the opposing piece 6 (boundary 5d) and the portion of the opposing piece 6 that protrudes most toward the claw locking piece 5 (boundary 6d) are located at the same position in the front-rear direction.

[0030] 2, the facing piece 6 has a rigidity adjustment rib 6e. The rigidity adjustment rib 6e is provided on the surface of the facing piece 6 opposite to the surface facing the hook engagement piece 5. In this embodiment, two rigidity adjustment ribs 6e are provided. One rigidity adjustment rib 6e is provided on an edge portion on one side in the width direction of the facing piece 6. The other rigidity adjustment rib 6e is provided on an edge portion on the other side in the width direction of the facing piece 6. Each rigidity adjustment rib 6e is formed to protrude from the surface of the facing piece 6 opposite to the surface facing the hook engagement piece 5.

[0031] These rigidity adjustment ribs 6e are portions for adjusting the rigidity of the opposing piece 6. Such rigidity adjustment ribs 6e adjust the rigidity of the opposing piece 6 so that, for example, the claw portions 50 inserted into the insertion holes 7 do not come out of the insertion holes 7 due to vehicle vibration or the like.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing how the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment having such a mounting portion 4 is formed by injection molding.

[0033] 4, the bumper grille 1 is formed by injection molding using a mold 20. The mold 20 has a cavity mold 21 that forms the front surface of the bumper grille 1 and a core mold 22 that forms the rear surface of the bumper grille 1.

[0034] 4, the cavity mold 21 has a protrusion 21a that forms a portion in front of the boundary 5d and boundary 6d of the insertion hole 7. The core mold 22 has a protrusion 22a that forms a portion in back of the boundary 5d and boundary 6d of the insertion hole 7. In other words, the location of the boundary 5d and boundary 6d in the front-rear direction forms a parting line where the protrusion 21a of the cavity mold 21 and the protrusion 22a of the core mold 22 are in surface contact.

[0035] When attaching the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment to the bumper 101, the bumper grille 1 is brought close to the bumper 101 from behind the bumper 101, and the claw portions 50 of the bumper 101 are inserted into the insertion holes 7 of the bumper grille 1. This causes the locking projections 51 of the claw portions 50 to lock into the claw locking pieces 5 of the mounting portion 4, and the bumper grille 1 is fixed to the bumper 101. Thereafter, the bumper 101 with the attached bumper grille 1 is mounted to the vehicle 100.

[0036] The bumper grille 1 of this embodiment as described above is an exterior vehicle component that is attached from the rear to a bumper 101 having claw portions 50 that protrude from the front to the rear. The bumper grille 1 of this embodiment has an attachment portion 4 into which the claw portions 50 are inserted and locked. The attachment portion 4 has a claw locking piece 5 and an opposing piece 6. The claw locking piece 5 has a rear end 5a into which the claw portions 50 are directly locked. The opposing piece 6 is positioned opposite the claw locking piece 5 so as to form an insertion hole 7 between the opposing piece 6 and the claw locking piece 5, into which the claw portions 50 are inserted. The rear end 6a of the opposing piece 6 is located forward of the rear end 5a of the claw locking piece 5.

[0037] According to the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, an insertion hole 7 into which the claw portion 50 of the bumper 101 is inserted is formed between the claw engagement piece 5 and the opposing piece 6. Furthermore, in the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, the rear end 6a of the opposing piece 6 is located forward of the rear end 5a of the claw engagement piece 5. Therefore, the length dimension of the insertion hole 7 in the front-rear direction can be made smaller than when the rear end 6a of the opposing piece 6 and the rear end 5a of the claw engagement piece 5 are located at the same position in the front-rear direction. Therefore, according to the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, the protrusion 21a of the cavity mold 21 for forming the insertion hole 7 of the mold 20 used when manufacturing the bumper grille 1 can be made shorter, thereby reducing the load on the mold 20 during manufacturing.

[0038] In the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, the opposing piece 6 has a rear wall surface 6b and a front wall surface 6c. The rear wall surface 6b extends forward from the rear end 7a of the insertion hole 7 in a direction approaching the hook engaging piece 5. The front wall surface 6c extends rearward from the front end 7b of the insertion hole 7 in a direction approaching the hook engaging piece 5 and is connected to the rear wall surface 6b.

[0039] In the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, a boundary portion 6d that locally abuts against the claw portion 50 is provided at the connecting portion between the rear wall surface 6b and the front wall surface 6c. This allows the opposing piece 6 to be pressed firmly against the claw portion 50, making it possible to firmly press the claw portion 50 inserted into the insertion hole 7.

[0040] In addition, in the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, the hook engaging piece 5 has a rear wall surface 5b and a front wall surface 5c. The rear wall surface 5b approaches the opposing piece 6 as it moves forward from the rear end 7a of the insertion hole 7. The front wall surface 5c approaches the opposing piece 6 as it moves rearward from the front end 7b of the insertion hole 7 and is connected to the rear wall surface 5b.

[0041] In the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, a boundary portion 5d that locally abuts against the claw portion 50 is provided at the connecting portion between the rear wall surface 5b and the front wall surface 5c. This allows the claw locking piece 5 to be pressed firmly against the claw portion 50, making it possible to firmly press the claw portion 50 inserted into the insertion hole 7.

[0042] In addition, in the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, the boundary 6d between the rear wall surface 6b and the front wall surface 6c is located at the same position in the front-rear direction as the boundary 5d between the rear wall surface 5b and the front wall surface 5c.

[0043] According to the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, the position of the boundary portion 6d and the boundary portion 5d can be used as a parting line to form the bumper grille 1 by injection molding, which simplifies the structure of the mold 20 used to form the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment.

[0044] Furthermore, in the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, the facing piece 6 has a rigidity adjusting rib 6e provided on the surface opposite to the surface facing the claw engaging piece 5, which adjusts the rigidity of the facing piece 6. According to the bumper grille 1 of this embodiment, the strength of the facing piece 6 can be adjusted. Therefore, for example, it is possible to set the strength of the facing piece 6 so that the claw portions 50 inserted into the insertion holes 7 do not come out of the insertion holes 7 due to vehicle vibration or the like.

[0045] (Second embodiment) Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the description of this embodiment, the description of the same parts as those in the first embodiment will be omitted or simplified.

[0046] 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the bumper grille mounting portion 4A of the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the rear end 6a of the opposing piece 6 of the bumper grille mounting portion 4A of the present embodiment is located rearward of the rear end 6e1 of the rigidity adjusting rib 6e.

[0047] In the bumper grille of this embodiment having such a configuration, the facing piece 6 extends further rearward than in the first embodiment. Therefore, in the bumper grille of this embodiment, the facing piece 6 can hold the claw portions 50 inserted into the insertion holes 7 so that they do not come out of the insertion holes 7 due to vehicle vibration or the like.

[0048] It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the bumper grille is provided with both the mounting portion 4A of this embodiment and the mounting portion 4 of the first embodiment.

[0049] While 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-described embodiments. The shapes and combinations of the components shown in the above-described embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements, etc., without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0050] For example, in the above embodiment, a configuration has been described in which the vehicle exterior part of the present invention is attached to the bumper 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the mating member to which the vehicle exterior part of the present invention is attached may be a member different from the bumper 101.

[0051] Furthermore, the present invention can employ the configurations described in the following supplementary notes.

[0052] (Appendix 1) A vehicle exterior part that is attached from the rear to a mating member having a claw portion that protrudes from the front to the rear, a mounting portion into which the claw portion is inserted and locked, The mounting portion is a pawl locking piece to the rear end of which the pawl portion is directly locked; an opposing piece disposed opposite the claw locking piece so as to form an insertion hole into which the claw portion is inserted between the opposing piece and the claw locking piece; and The rear end of the opposing piece is located forward of the rear end of the hook engaging piece. An exterior part for a vehicle.

[0053] (Appendix 2) The facing piece is a rear wall surface of the opposing piece that approaches the pawl engaging piece as it moves forward from the rear end of the insertion hole; a front wall surface of the opposing piece that approaches the pawl engaging piece as it moves rearward from the front end of the insertion hole and is connected to the rear wall surface of the opposing piece; have 2. A vehicle exterior part according to claim 1.

[0054] (Appendix 3) The claw engagement piece is a rear wall surface of the pawl locking piece that approaches the opposing piece as it moves forward from the rear end of the insertion hole; a front wall surface of the hook engaging piece that approaches the opposing piece as it moves rearward from the front end of the insertion hole and is connected to the rear wall surface of the hook engaging piece; have 3. A vehicle exterior part according to claim 2.

[0055] (Appendix 4) 4. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 3, wherein a boundary between the rear wall surface of the opposing piece and the front wall surface of the opposing piece is located at the same position in the front-to-rear direction as a boundary between the rear wall surface of the claw locking piece and the front wall surface of the claw locking piece.

[0056] (Appendix 5) The vehicle exterior part according to any one of appendices 1 to 4, wherein the facing piece has a rigidity adjustment rib provided on a surface opposite to the surface facing the hook engaging piece to adjust the rigidity of the facing piece.

[0057] (Appendix 6) 6. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 5, wherein the rear end of the facing piece is located rearward of the rear end of the rigidity adjusting rib. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1...bumper grille (vehicle exterior part), 2...frame portion, 3...lattice forming wall, 4...mounting portion, 4A...mounting portion, 5...claw engaging piece, 5a...rear end, 5b...rear wall surface (rear wall surface of claw engaging piece), 5c...front wall surface (front wall surface of claw engaging piece), 5d...boundary portion, 6...opposing piece, 6a...rear end, 6b...rear wall surface (rear wall surface of opposing piece), 6c...front wall surface (front wall surface of opposing piece), 6d...boundary portion, 6e...rigidity adjusting rib, 6e1...rear end, 7...insertion hole, 7a...rear end, 7b...front end, 20...mold, 21...cavity mold, 21a...projection portion, 22...core mold, 22a...projection portion, 50...claw portion, 51...engaging projection, 100...vehicle, 101...bumper (mating member)

Claims

1. A vehicle exterior part that is attached from the rear to a mating member having a claw portion that protrudes from the front to the rear, a mounting portion into which the claw portion is inserted and locked, The mounting portion is a pawl locking piece to the rear end of which the pawl portion is directly locked; an opposing piece disposed opposite the claw locking piece so as to form an insertion hole into which the claw portion is inserted between the opposing piece and the claw locking piece; and The rear end of the opposing piece is located forward of the rear end of the hook engaging piece. An exterior part for a vehicle.

2. The facing piece is a rear wall surface of the opposing piece that approaches the pawl engaging piece as it moves forward from the rear end of the insertion hole; a front wall surface of the opposing piece that approaches the pawl engaging piece as it moves rearward from the front end of the insertion hole and is connected to the rear wall surface of the opposing piece; have 2. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 1.

3. The claw engagement piece is a rear wall surface of the pawl locking piece that approaches the opposing piece as it moves forward from the rear end of the insertion hole; a front wall surface of the hook engaging piece that approaches the opposing piece as it moves rearward from the front end of the insertion hole and is connected to the rear wall surface of the hook engaging piece; have 3. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 2.

4. 4. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 3, wherein a boundary between the rear wall surface of the opposing piece and the front wall surface of the opposing piece is located at the same position in the front-to-rear direction as a boundary between the rear wall surface of the claw engagement piece and the front wall surface of the claw engagement piece.

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