Vehicle exterior part

Abstract

To provide an exterior component for a vehicle capable of detecting the position of an obstacle with higher accuracy by an ultrasonic sensor.SOLUTION: The vehicle exterior part 12 includes an ultrasonic sensor 14 that oscillates and receives ultrasonic waves, an exterior part main body 15 that is disposed on a front side in an oscillation direction of the ultrasonic waves oscillated from the ultrasonic sensor 14, covers the ultrasonic sensor 14, and transmits visible light, an intermediate member 16 that is disposed between the exterior part main body 15 and the ultrasonic sensor 14 so as to be in contact with both the exterior part main body 15 and the ultrasonic sensor 14 and transmits visible light, and an annular ultrasonic-wave attenuating portion 17 that is disposed on a surface of the exterior part main body 15 on the ultrasonic sensor 14 side so as to surround a part of the intermediate member 16 and attenuates the ultrasonic waves.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an exterior vehicle part equipped with an ultrasonic sensor. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an ultrasonic sensor disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, is known as a sensor attached to a vehicle bumper to detect obstacles outside the vehicle. Such an ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitter / receiver unit that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic sensor detects obstacles by receiving ultrasonic waves returned from various directions by the transmitter / receiver unit after transmitting ultrasonic waves from the transmitter / receiver unit toward the outside of the vehicle and reflecting them off obstacles. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6207803 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the ultrasonic sensors described above, the transmitting and receiving units receive ultrasonic waves that hit obstacles and are reflected back from various directions. Therefore, even if the ultrasonic sensors described above can detect an obstacle, they have the problem of not being able to accurately determine the location of the obstacle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Various aspects of vehicle exterior parts for solving the above problems will be described below. [Embodiment 1] An exterior part for a vehicle comprising: an ultrasonic sensor that emits and receives ultrasonic waves; an exterior part main body that is arranged forward in the direction of oscillation of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor, covers the ultrasonic sensor, and transmits visible light; an intermediate member that is arranged between the exterior part main body and the ultrasonic sensor so as to be in contact with both the exterior part main body and the ultrasonic sensor and transmits the visible light; and an annular ultrasonic attenuating section that is arranged on the surface of the exterior part main body facing the ultrasonic sensor so as to surround a portion of the intermediate member and attenuates the ultrasonic waves.

[0006] According to the above configuration, ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor are transmitted through the intermediate member and the exterior component main body and are emitted outside the vehicle. When the ultrasonic waves hit an obstacle, they are reflected and transmitted through the exterior component main body and the intermediate member before being received by the ultrasonic sensor. At this time, a portion of the ultrasonic waves reflected off the obstacle are transmitted through the exterior component main body to the ultrasonic attenuation section and attenuated, and are not received by the ultrasonic sensor. That is, the ultrasonic sensor receives only the ultrasonic waves reflected back from a position facing the ultrasonic sensor in the ultrasonic wave emission direction. This allows the ultrasonic sensor to detect the position of the obstacle with higher accuracy. Additionally, the exterior component main body and the intermediate member are configured to transmit visible light. Therefore, when a light source is placed next to or diagonally behind the ultrasonic sensor inside the vehicle, the visible light emitted from the light source passes through the intermediate member and the exterior component main body and is emitted outside the vehicle. This allows the ultrasonic sensor to detect the position of the obstacle with higher accuracy while allowing visible light to pass through.

[0007] [Aspect 2] The vehicle exterior part according to [Aspect 1], wherein the ultrasonic attenuation portion is transparent to visible light. According to the above configuration, when the light source is disposed to the side or diagonally behind the ultrasonic sensor inside the vehicle, the visible light emitted from the light source is emitted to the outside of the vehicle through the intermediate member and the exterior component body, and also passes through the ultrasonic attenuation portion and the exterior component body to the outside of the vehicle. Therefore, the exterior component body can emit light uniformly.

[0008] [Embodiment 3] An exterior part for a vehicle comprising: an ultrasonic sensor that emits and receives ultrasonic waves; an exterior part main body that is arranged forward in the direction of oscillation of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor, covers the ultrasonic sensor, and transmits visible light; and a vibration transmission section that is provided apart from the ultrasonic sensor in an area facing the ultrasonic sensor on the surface of the exterior part main body on the ultrasonic sensor side, and transmits vibrations of the ultrasonic waves to the exterior part main body by resonance and transmits the visible light.

[0009] According to the above configuration, the vibration transmission unit transmits ultrasonic vibrations emitted from the ultrasonic sensor to the exterior part body through resonance, causing a region of the exterior part body corresponding to the vibration transmission unit to vibrate. That is, the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor are transmitted to the exterior part body by the vibration transmission unit and emitted outside the vehicle. When the ultrasonic waves emitted outside the vehicle strike an obstacle, they are reflected, propagate through the exterior part body and the vibration transmission unit, and are received by the ultrasonic sensor. Some of the ultrasonic waves reflected off the obstacle are attenuated in a region of the exterior part body that does not correspond to the vibration transmission unit and are therefore not received by the ultrasonic sensor. That is, the ultrasonic sensor only receives ultrasonic waves reflected and returned from a position facing the ultrasonic sensor in the ultrasonic wave emission direction. This allows the ultrasonic sensor to detect the location of the obstacle with higher accuracy. Additionally, the exterior part body and the vibration transmission unit are configured to transmit visible light. Therefore, when a light source is placed next to or diagonally behind the ultrasonic sensor inside the vehicle, the visible light emitted from the light source passes through the vibration transmission unit and the exterior part body and is emitted outside the vehicle. Therefore, the ultrasonic sensor can detect the position of an obstacle with higher accuracy while allowing visible light to pass through.

[0010] [Aspect 4] An exterior part for a vehicle according to any one of [Aspect 1] to [Aspect 3], characterized in that the exterior part body contains a diffusing material that diffuses the visible light. According to the above configuration, when the light source is placed to the side or diagonally behind the ultrasonic sensor inside the vehicle, the visible light from the light source is diffused by the diffusing material when it passes through the exterior component body and is emitted to the outside of the vehicle, allowing the exterior component body to emit visible light more uniformly. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The present invention can detect the position of an obstacle with higher accuracy using an ultrasonic sensor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of a vehicle on which a vehicle exterior part according to a first embodiment is mounted. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of an exterior component body of a vehicle exterior component according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of a vehicle on which a vehicle exterior part according to a second embodiment is mounted. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a main part of a vehicle on which a vehicle exterior part according to a third embodiment is mounted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] (First embodiment) The first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle 11 will be referred to as the front, and the backward direction will be referred to as the rear. Furthermore, the up-down direction refers to the up-down direction of the vehicle 11, and the left-right direction refers to the vehicle width direction, which coincides with the left-right direction when the vehicle 11 is moving forward.

[0014] <Vehicle 11> As shown in Fig. 1, a vehicle 11 includes a vehicle exterior part 12 and a light source 13. The vehicle exterior part 12 is provided, for example, at the front end of the vehicle 11. The light source 13 is disposed, for example, diagonally above and behind the vehicle exterior part 12 on the vehicle 11, and irradiates the vehicle exterior part 12 with visible light from behind. The light source 13 is formed, for example, of a light emitting diode.

[0015] <Vehicle exterior parts 12> As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle exterior part 12 includes an ultrasonic sensor 14, an exterior part main body 15, an intermediate member 16, and an ultrasonic attenuation portion 17.

[0016] The ultrasonic sensor 14 emits and receives ultrasonic waves. That is, the ultrasonic sensor 14 emits ultrasonic waves forward, which is an example of an emission direction, and receives the ultrasonic waves that hit an obstacle (not shown) and are reflected back.

[0017] The exterior component body 15 is formed in a plate shape from a transparent or translucent synthetic resin that transmits visible light. The exterior component body 15 is formed, for example, from a front grill panel. The exterior component body 15 is disposed forward in the direction of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14, at a distance from the ultrasonic sensor 14, thereby covering the ultrasonic sensor 14 from the front side.

[0018] 1 and 2, the exterior component body 15 contains a large number of diffusion materials 18 that diffuse visible light. The diffusion materials 18 are made of, for example, fine particles. The large number of diffusion materials 18 are contained in the exterior component body 15 in a dispersed state.

[0019] The intermediate member 16 is made of a synthetic resin that transmits visible light. The intermediate member 16 is made of, for example, a transparent lens or a transparent stay. The intermediate member 16 has a columnar shape that extends in the front-to-rear direction. The intermediate member 16 is disposed so that its front end surface contacts the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15 and its rear end surface contacts the ultrasonic sensor 14.

[0020] That is, the intermediate member 16 is disposed between the exterior component body 15 and the ultrasonic sensor 14 so as to be in contact with both the exterior component body 15 and the ultrasonic sensor 14. In this case, the intermediate member 16 is bonded to each of the exterior component body 15 and the ultrasonic sensor 14 using, for example, a transparent adhesive or a transparent double-sided adhesive tape.

[0021] The ultrasonic attenuation section 17 attenuates ultrasonic waves by absorbing them. The ultrasonic attenuation section 17 is made of an elastic material such as silicone rubber. The ultrasonic attenuation section 17 is formed in an annular shape. The ultrasonic attenuation section 17 is arranged on the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15, which is the surface facing the ultrasonic sensor 14, so as to surround the front end portion, which is part of the intermediate member 16. The front surface of the ultrasonic attenuation section 17 contacts the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15, and the inner peripheral surface contacts the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the intermediate member 16. Note that the ultrasonic attenuation section 17 in this embodiment does not have visible light transparency.

[0022] <Operation of the First Embodiment> 1, when ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14, the emitted ultrasonic waves are transmitted through the intermediate member 16 and the exterior component main body 15 and emitted forward of the vehicle 11, as indicated by the solid arrows in the figure. The ultrasonic waves transmitted forward of the vehicle 11 are reflected when they hit an obstacle (not shown). The reflected ultrasonic waves return, as indicated by the dashed arrows in FIG. 1, and are received by the ultrasonic sensor 14 after being transmitted through the exterior component main body 15 and the intermediate member 16.

[0023] At this time, part of the ultrasonic waves reflected by the obstacle are transmitted to the ultrasonic attenuation section 17 via the exterior component main body 15 and attenuated, and are not received by the ultrasonic sensor 14. In other words, the ultrasonic sensor 14 receives only the ultrasonic waves that are reflected back at a position facing the ultrasonic sensor 14 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the ultrasonic sensor 14 can confirm that there is an obstacle on an extension line ahead of the ultrasonic sensor 14, and the ultrasonic sensor 14 can detect the position of the obstacle with higher accuracy.

[0024] Furthermore, when visible light is irradiated from light source 13 onto vehicle exterior part 12 from the rear, the visible light passes through intermediate member 16 and exterior part main body 15 and is emitted toward the front of vehicle 11, as shown by the white arrow in Fig. 1. At this time, the visible light is diffused by diffusing material 18 as it passes through exterior part main body 15, so that the entire exterior part main body 15 emits uniformly strong light. Furthermore, at this time, intermediate member 16, which is located in front of ultrasonic sensor 14, transmits visible light, so the shadow of ultrasonic sensor 14 does not appear on the front surface of exterior part main body 15. This improves the design of the front surface, which is the design face of exterior part main body 15.

[0025] <Effects of the first embodiment> According to the first embodiment described above in detail, the following effects are achieved. (1-1) A vehicle exterior part 12 includes an ultrasonic sensor 14 that emits and receives ultrasonic waves, an exterior part main body 15 that is arranged forward in the direction of ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14, covers the ultrasonic sensor 14, and transmits visible light, an intermediate member 16 that is arranged between the exterior part main body 15 and the ultrasonic sensor 14 so as to be in contact with both of them and transmits visible light, and an annular ultrasonic attenuating part 17 that is arranged on the rear surface of the exterior part main body 15 so as to surround the front end of the intermediate member 16 and attenuates ultrasonic waves.

[0026] According to the above configuration, as described above in <Operation of the first embodiment>, the design of the front surface, which is the design surface of the exterior component main body 15, can be improved, and the ultrasonic sensor 14 can detect the position of an obstacle with higher accuracy.

[0027] (1-2) In the vehicle exterior component 12, the exterior component body 15 contains a diffusing material 18 that diffuses visible light. According to the above configuration, visible light from light source 13 is diffused by diffusing material 18 when it passes through exterior component body 15 and is emitted to the outside of the vehicle. This allows exterior component body 15 to emit light more uniformly using visible light from light source 13. In addition, since exterior component body 15 includes diffusing material 18, the structure on the rear side (back side) of exterior component body 15 can be concealed.

[0028] (Second embodiment) As shown in Fig. 3, the vehicle exterior part 20 of this second embodiment is the same as the vehicle exterior part 12 of the first embodiment, except that the ultrasonic attenuation portion 17 in the vehicle exterior part 12 of the first embodiment is omitted and the intermediate member 16 is replaced with a metamaterial 21. Therefore, in this second embodiment, only the differences from the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions that overlap with the first embodiment will be omitted. Furthermore, in this second embodiment, the same members as those in the first embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals.

[0029] <Exterior parts for vehicles 20> As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle exterior part 20 includes an ultrasonic sensor 14, an exterior part main body 15, and a metamaterial 21 as an example of a vibration transmitting section.

[0030] The metamaterial 21 has a plurality of unit cells 22 that are provided apart from the ultrasonic sensor 14 and arranged in a lattice pattern over the entire area facing the ultrasonic sensor 14 in the front-to-rear direction on the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15. Each unit cell 22 has a spring pendulum structure in which a mass portion 23 made of a synthetic resin that transmits visible light and a spring portion 24 made of rubber that transmits visible light are joined side by side in the front-to-rear direction.

[0031] That is, the unit cell 22 has a mass portion 23 and a spring portion 24, and is joined to the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15 at the spring portion 24. The unit cell 22 functions as a spring pendulum that moves when ultrasonic waves are incident on it, and therefore resonates with the ultrasonic waves. The unit cell 22 transmits the vibration of the ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic sensor 14 to the exterior component main body 15 through resonance.

[0032] <Operation of the Second Embodiment> 3, when ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14, the emitted ultrasonic waves (indicated by solid arrows in the figure) are incident on each unit cell 22 of the metamaterial 21 through the air. Then, each unit cell 22 functions as a spring pendulum that moves in response to the incident ultrasonic waves, and resonates with the ultrasonic waves. The vibrations of each unit cell 22 due to resonance with the ultrasonic waves are amplified and transmitted to the exterior component body 15, and the amount of ultrasonic waves transmitted through the exterior component body 15 increases.

[0033] As a result, ultrasonic waves transmitted through the exterior part body 15 and emitted forward of the vehicle 11 are reflected when they hit an obstacle (not shown). These reflected ultrasonic waves return as indicated by the dashed arrows in Fig. 3 and are received by the ultrasonic sensor 14 via the exterior part body 15, the metamaterial 21, and the air.

[0034] At this time, part of the ultrasonic waves that hit the obstacle and are reflected are attenuated in areas of the exterior component body 15 that do not correspond to the metamaterial 21, and are therefore not received by the ultrasonic sensor 14. In other words, the ultrasonic sensor 14 receives only the ultrasonic waves that are reflected and returned from positions facing the ultrasonic sensor 14 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the ultrasonic sensor 14 can confirm that there is an obstacle on an extension line ahead of the ultrasonic sensor 14, and the ultrasonic sensor 14 can detect the position of the obstacle with higher accuracy.

[0035] Furthermore, when visible light is irradiated from light source 13 onto vehicle exterior part 12 from the rear side, the visible light passes through metamaterial 21 and exterior part main body 15 and is emitted forward of vehicle 11, as shown by the white arrow in Fig. 3. At this time, the visible light is diffused by diffusing material 18 in the process of passing through exterior part main body 15, so that the entire exterior part main body 15 emits uniformly strong light. Furthermore, at this time, metamaterial 21 located on the front side of ultrasonic sensor 14 transmits visible light, so the shadow of ultrasonic sensor 14 does not appear on the front surface of exterior part main body 15. This improves the design of the front surface, which is the design face of exterior part main body 15.

[0036] <Effects of the second embodiment> According to the second embodiment described above in detail, in addition to the effect (1-2) above, the following effect is achieved.

[0037] (2-1) A vehicle exterior part 20 includes an ultrasonic sensor 14 that emits and receives ultrasonic waves, an exterior part main body 15 that is arranged forward in the direction of ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14, covers the ultrasonic sensor 14, and transmits visible light, and a metamaterial 21 that is provided at a distance from the ultrasonic sensor 14 in an area facing the ultrasonic sensor 14 on the rear surface of the exterior part main body 15, and transmits ultrasonic vibrations to the exterior part main body 15 by resonance and transmits visible light.

[0038] According to the above configuration, as described above in <Operation of the second embodiment>, the design of the front surface, which is the design surface of the exterior component main body 15, can be improved, and the ultrasonic sensor 14 can detect the position of an obstacle with higher accuracy.

[0039] (Third embodiment) 4, the vehicle exterior part 30 of this third embodiment is the same as the vehicle exterior part 20 of the second embodiment, except that an air layer forming part 31 is used as a vibration transmitting part instead of the metamaterial 21 in the vehicle exterior part 20 of the second embodiment. Therefore, in this third embodiment, only the differences from the second embodiment will be described, and descriptions that overlap with the second embodiment will be omitted. Furthermore, in this third embodiment, the same components as in the second embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals.

[0040] <Exterior parts for vehicles 30> As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle exterior part 30 includes an ultrasonic sensor 14, an exterior part main body 15, and an air layer forming part 31 as an example of a vibration transmitting part.

[0041] The air layer forming portion 31 is provided at a distance from the ultrasonic sensor 14 in an area facing the ultrasonic sensor 14 in the front-rear direction on the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15. The air layer forming portion 31 has a bottom wall 32 and side walls 33 and is shaped like a bottomed box with an open front end. The air layer forming portion 31 forms an air layer 34 consisting of an enclosed space formed between the air layer forming portion 31 and the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15 by joining the front end surfaces of the side walls 33 to the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15.

[0042] As a result, the exterior component main body 15 and the bottom wall 32 of the air layer forming portion 31 form a double-wall structure having an air layer 34. In this case, the air layer 34 corresponds to the ultrasonic sensor 14 in the front-to-rear direction. The air layer forming portion 31 is made of a synthetic resin that transmits visible light.

[0043] The thickness (width in the front-to-rear direction) of the air layer 34 is set to match the frequency of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14 so as to cause a resonant transmission phenomenon in which the ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the bottom wall 32 to the exterior component main body 15. The resonant transmission phenomenon is a phenomenon in which, in a double-wall structure in which the air layer 34 is disposed between the exterior component main body 15 and the bottom wall 32, the air layer 34 acts as a spring with respect to the exterior component main body 15, which constitutes the mass, and the bottom wall 32, which also constitutes the mass, causing resonance at a specific frequency and making it easier for the ultrasonic waves to transmit. The bottom wall 32 of the air layer forming portion 31 transmits the vibrations of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14 to the exterior component main body 15 by resonance.

[0044] <Operation of the Third Embodiment> 4, when ultrasonic waves are emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14, the emitted ultrasonic waves (indicated by solid arrows in the figure) enter the bottom wall 32 of the air layer forming portion 31 through the air, causing the bottom wall 32 to vibrate. Then, due to the above-mentioned resonance transmission phenomenon, the bottom wall 32 and the exterior component main body 15 resonate (resonate). That is, the vibration of the bottom wall 32 caused by the ultrasonic waves is transmitted to the exterior component main body 15 by the resonance between the bottom wall 32 and the exterior component main body 15.

[0045] As a result, ultrasonic waves transmitted through the exterior component main body 15 and emitted forward of the vehicle 11 are reflected when they hit an obstacle (not shown). These reflected ultrasonic waves return as shown by the dashed arrow in Fig. 4 and are received by the ultrasonic sensor 14 via the exterior component main body 15, the air layer 34, the bottom wall 32 of the air layer forming portion 31, and the air.

[0046] At this time, some of the ultrasonic waves that hit the obstacle and are reflected are attenuated in areas of the exterior component body 15 that do not correspond to the air layer 34, and are therefore not received by the ultrasonic sensor 14. In other words, the ultrasonic sensor 14 receives only the ultrasonic waves that are reflected back from positions facing the ultrasonic sensor 14 in the front-to-rear direction. Therefore, the ultrasonic sensor 14 can confirm that there is an obstacle on an extension line ahead of the ultrasonic sensor 14, and the ultrasonic sensor 14 can detect the position of the obstacle with higher accuracy.

[0047] Furthermore, when visible light is irradiated from light source 13 onto vehicle exterior part 12 from the rear, the visible light passes through air space forming portion 31 and exterior part main body 15 and is emitted forward of vehicle 11, as shown by the white arrow in Fig. 4. At this time, the visible light is diffused by diffusing material 18 as it passes through exterior part main body 15, so that the entire exterior part main body 15 emits uniformly strong light. Furthermore, at this time, the air space forming portion 31 located in front of ultrasonic sensor 14 transmits visible light, so the shadow of ultrasonic sensor 14 does not appear on the front surface of exterior part main body 15. This improves the design of the front surface, which is the design face of exterior part main body 15.

[0048] <Effects of the third embodiment> According to the third embodiment described above in detail, in addition to the effect (1-2) above, the following effect is achieved.

[0049] (3-1) A vehicle exterior part 30 includes an ultrasonic sensor 14 that emits and receives ultrasonic waves, an exterior part main body 15 that is arranged forward in the direction of ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor 14, covers the ultrasonic sensor 14, and transmits visible light, and an air layer forming part 31 that is provided at a distance from the ultrasonic sensor 14 in an area facing the ultrasonic sensor 14 on the rear surface of the exterior part main body 15, and transmits ultrasonic vibrations to the exterior part main body 15 by resonance and transmits visible light.

[0050] According to the above configuration, as described above in <Operation of the third embodiment>, the design of the front surface, which is the design surface of the exterior component main body 15, can be improved, and the ultrasonic sensor 14 can detect the position of an obstacle with higher accuracy.

[0051] <Example of change> The above-described embodiments can be modified as follows: Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and the following modifications can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0052] In the first embodiment, the ultrasonic attenuation section 17 may be transparent to visible light. According to the above configuration, the visible light emitted from the light source 13 is emitted to the outside of the vehicle through the intermediate member 16 and the exterior component main body 15, and is also emitted to the outside of the vehicle after passing through the ultrasonic attenuation portion 17 and the exterior component main body 15. Therefore, the exterior component main body 15 can emit light uniformly.

[0053] In the first embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the ultrasonic attenuating section 17 does not have to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the intermediate member 16. In other words, there may be a gap between the inner peripheral surface of the ultrasonic attenuating section 17 and the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the intermediate member 16.

[0054] In the first embodiment, the intermediate member 16 may be colored as long as it is capable of transmitting visible light. In the second embodiment, an ultrasonic attenuation section 17 may be provided on the rear surface of the exterior component main body 15, which is the surface on the ultrasonic sensor 14 side, so as to surround the metamaterial 21.

[0055] In the third embodiment, an ultrasonic attenuation portion 17 may be provided on the rear surface of the exterior component body 15, which is the surface on the ultrasonic sensor 14 side, so as to surround the air layer forming portion 31. In the first to third embodiments, the exterior component main body 15 may be configured by, for example, a front bumper or a rear bumper.

[0056] In the first to third embodiments, the exterior component body 15 does not necessarily have to include the diffusing material 18 that diffuses visible light. In the first to third embodiments, a color coating may be applied to the surface of the diffusing material 18. In this way, by matching the surface color of the diffusing material 18 to the color of the design of the exterior component main body 15, it is possible to accommodate cases where the light from the light source 13 is a color other than white.

[0057] In the first to third embodiments, the vehicle exterior components 12 , 20 , and 30 may include a light source 13 . In the first to third embodiments, the light source 13 may be configured as a light bulb. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 11...Vehicle 12, 20, 30...Exterior parts for vehicles 13...Light source 14...Ultrasonic sensor 15...Exterior part body 16...Intermediate member 17...Ultrasonic attenuation section 18...Diffusion material 21...Metamaterials as an example of vibration transmission parts 22...Unit cell 23…Parts by mass 24...Spring part 31...Air layer forming section as an example of a vibration transmitting section 32...Bottom wall 33…Side wall 34...Air layer

Claims

1. an ultrasonic sensor that emits and receives ultrasonic waves; an exterior component main body that is disposed forward in the direction of oscillation of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor, covers the ultrasonic sensor, and transmits visible light; an intermediate member that is disposed between the exterior component body and the ultrasonic sensor so as to be in contact with both the exterior component body and the ultrasonic sensor, and that transmits the visible light; an annular ultrasonic attenuation portion that is arranged on a surface of the exterior component main body on the ultrasonic sensor side so as to surround a part of the intermediate member and attenuates the ultrasonic waves; An exterior part for a vehicle.

2. 2. The exterior part for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic attenuation portion is transparent to visible light.

3. an ultrasonic sensor that emits and receives ultrasonic waves; an exterior component main body that is disposed forward in the direction of oscillation of the ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic sensor, covers the ultrasonic sensor, and transmits visible light; a vibration transmission section that is provided apart from the ultrasonic sensor in a region facing the ultrasonic sensor on the surface of the exterior component main body on the ultrasonic sensor side, and that transmits the ultrasonic vibration to the exterior component main body by resonance and allows the visible light to pass through; An exterior part for a vehicle.

4. 4. The exterior part for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the exterior part body contains a diffusing material that diffuses the visible light.

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