Vehicle exterior parts

Abstract

This invention provides a vehicle exterior part that can prevent the outer lens from fogging up due to moisture contained in the air inside the housing. [Solution] The vehicle exterior part comprises a housing 11 that opens outwards, an outer lens 12 that closes the opening of the housing 11, and a light-emitting substrate 13 disposed inside the housing 11. The bottom 15 of the housing 11 has a ventilation hole 16 that allows air to pass inside and outside the housing 11, and a boss 25 that surrounds the opening of the ventilation hole 16 and protrudes outwards from the housing 11. A cover member 26 is positioned at the tip of the protruding boss 25 so as to close the opening of the boss 25. The cover member 26 allows the passage of gases but restricts the passage of liquids. The distance between the cover member 26 and the light-emitting substrate 13 is made long by the boss 25 so that static electricity generated by the cover member 26 does not cause any malfunction of the light-emitting substrate 13.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to exterior parts for vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] The vehicle exterior part shown in Patent Document 1 includes a housing that opens toward the outside of the vehicle, an outer lens that closes the opening of the housing, and a light-emitting substrate disposed in the housing. One end of an electric wire for supplying power is connected to the light-emitting substrate. This electric wire is drawn out to the outside through an electric wire lead-out hole formed at the bottom of the housing. When the LED on the light-emitting substrate emits light, the light from the LED passes through the outer lens. Thereby, the design property of the vehicle exterior part when viewed from the outside of the vehicle can be improved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, due to the relationship such as the layout of the vehicle exterior part with respect to the vehicle and the relationship such as weight reduction of the vehicle exterior part, it is desired to make the vehicle exterior part thinner. However, when the vehicle exterior part is made thinner, the space inside the housing becomes narrower. As a result, since the fluidity of air near the outer lens inside the housing decreases, there is a risk that the outer lens becomes cloudy due to moisture contained in the air.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] Hereinafter, each aspect of the vehicle exterior part that solves the above problems will be described. (Aspect 1)[[ID=An exterior vehicle part comprising a housing that opens to the outside of the vehicle, an outer lens that closes the opening of the housing, and a light-emitting substrate disposed inside the housing, wherein the bottom of the housing has a ventilation hole that allows air to pass inside and outside the housing, and a boss that surrounds the opening of the ventilation hole and protrudes outwards from the housing, and a lid member is disposed at the tip of the boss in the direction of protrusion so as to close the opening of the boss, and the lid member is an exterior vehicle part that allows the passage of gases and restricts the passage of liquids.

[0006] With the above configuration, air can circulate between the inside and outside of the housing through the ventilation holes formed at the bottom of the housing. Therefore, even if the vehicle's exterior parts are made thinner and the space inside the housing becomes narrower, a decrease in airflow near the outer lens inside the housing is suppressed. As a result, fogging of the outer lens due to moisture contained in the air inside the housing is suppressed. In addition, the cover member that closes the opening of the ventilation holes prevents foreign matter such as water and dust from entering the housing through the ventilation holes.

[0007] The cover member described above is made of a material that easily generates static electricity. To prevent static electricity generated by this cover member from causing malfunctions in the function of the light-emitting substrate, the cover member is positioned as follows: Specifically, a boss is formed at the bottom of the housing that surrounds the opening of the ventilation hole and protrudes outward from the housing. The cover member is then positioned in the opening of this boss. By positioning the cover member in this way, a large distance can be created between the cover member and the light-emitting substrate. This makes it possible to suppress static electricity generated by the cover member from interfering with the function of the light-emitting substrate.

[0008] (Aspect 2) An insulating member made of an insulating material is arranged around the boss, and the lid member is attached to a position corresponding to the opening of the boss in the smoke-reducing member (the exterior part for a vehicle according to Embodiment 1).

[0009] With the above configuration, since the lid member is attached to the insulating member arranged around the boss, the effect of static electricity generated by the lid member on the light-emitting substrate can be effectively blocked. (Aspect 3) The exterior part for a vehicle according to Embodiment 2, wherein the cover is positioned at a predetermined distance from the boss so as to cover the area around the boss and the opening.

[0010] According to the above configuration, the air moving in and out of the housing passes through the space between the inner surface of the cover and the outer surface of the insulating material. Furthermore, static electricity generated on the lid member may be propagated to the light-emitting substrate through the housing and the air outside the housing due to the insulating material being positioned around the boss. However, the distance over which static electricity propagates between the lid member and the light-emitting substrate in such propagation is lengthened by the space between the inner surface of the cover and the outer surface of the insulating material. Therefore, the propagation of static electricity from the lid member to the light-emitting substrate through this space becomes less likely.

[0011] (Aspect 4) The bottom of the housing has a rib that protrudes in the same direction as the boss, and the rib covers the top of the cover (vehicle exterior part according to Embodiment 3).

[0012] With the above configuration, since the upper part of the cover is covered with ribs, foreign matter such as water and dust is less likely to enter the space between the inner surface of the cover and the outer surface of the insulating material. As a result, foreign matter is less likely to reach the lid material through the above space.

[0013] (Aspect 5) The vehicle exterior part according to any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 4), wherein the extension of the ventilation hole within the housing is an empty area where the light-emitting substrate is not located.

[0014] According to the above configuration, in the housing, on the extension line of the ventilation hole, there is an empty area where the light-emitting substrate is not arranged. As a result, the distance between the light-emitting substrate and the lid member can be further increased, so that it is possible to more effectively suppress the electrostatic charge generated in the lid member from interfering with the function of the light-emitting substrate.

[0015] (Aspect 6) The light-emitting substrate emits light toward the bottom of the housing, and the bottom of the housing reflects the light from the light-emitting substrate toward the outer lens. The vehicle exterior part according to any one of (Aspect 1) to (Aspect 5).

[0016] In order to make the light emission of the outer lens uniform, it is necessary to make the optical path from the light-emitting substrate to the outer lens a certain length. According to the above configuration, in order to ensure the length of the optical path from the light-emitting substrate to the outer lens, it becomes possible to arrange the light-emitting substrate at a position away from the bottom of the housing. And by arranging the light-emitting substrate in this way, the length of the above optical path for making the light emission of the outer lens uniform can be ensured. Furthermore, due to the above arrangement of the light-emitting substrate, it becomes easy to increase the distance between the lid member and the light-emitting substrate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle exterior part. [Figure 2] It is a front view showing the state of the vehicle exterior part of FIG. 1 as seen from the front side. [Figure 3] It is a rear view showing the state of the vehicle exterior part of FIG. 1 as seen from the back side. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the vehicle exterior part of FIG. 2 as seen from the direction of arrow IV-IV. [Figure 5] It is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the ventilation hole of the vehicle exterior part of FIG. 4.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of an exterior component for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The exterior component for a vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is attached to a vehicle such as an automobile, and is embodied as, for example, a light-emitting emblem. The exterior component for a vehicle includes a housing 11 that opens toward the outside of the vehicle, an outer lens 12 that closes the opening of the housing 11, and a light-emitting substrate 13 disposed within the housing 11.

[0019] On the bottom portion <15> of the housing <11> shown in FIG. 1, ventilation holes <16> for allowing air to flow inside and outside the housing <11> are formed. The ventilation holes <16> are located at the center of the bottom portion <15>. A plurality of mounting portions <17> and a plurality of support portions <18> are formed around the ventilation holes <16> in the bottom portion <15>. The plurality of mounting portions <17> and the plurality of support portions <18> project from the bottom portion <15> of the housing <11> toward the opening of the housing <11>.

[0020] The plurality of mounting portions <17> are for attaching the light-emitting substrate <13> to the housing <11>, and are arranged at intervals around the ventilation holes <16>. The plurality of support portions <18> are for ensuring a defined distance between the light-emitting substrate <13> and the bottom portion <15> of the housing <11>, and are arranged at intervals around the ventilation holes <16>.

[0021] The light-emitting substrate <13> is disposed within the housing <11> so as to be substantially parallel to the bottom portion <15>. A central hole <19> is formed at the center of the light-emitting substrate <13>. Further, mounting holes <20> are respectively formed at positions corresponding to the mounting portions <17> of the bottom portion <15> on the light-emitting substrate <13>. At positions avoiding the central hole <$19> and the mounting holes <20> on the light-emitting substrate <13>, it is possible to contact the support portions <$18> of the bottom portion <15>.

[0022] The light emitted from the light-emitting substrate 13 passes through the outer lens 12 that covers the opening of the housing 11. This improves the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle's exterior parts when viewed from outside the vehicle. The outer lens 12 is covered by a surface panel 21. The surface panel 21 has holes 22 to 24 of a predetermined shape, such as letters, formed at predetermined positions, and is formed so that light does not pass through areas other than these holes 22 to 24. As a result, when the light-emitting substrate 13 emits light, the areas of the outer lens 12 corresponding to the holes 22 to 24 of the surface panel 21 can be illuminated.

[0023] <Internal structure of vehicle exterior parts> As shown in Figure 4, the light-emitting substrate 13 inside the housing 11 is attached to the mounting portion 17 of the bottom 15 by a screw 14. More specifically, the screw 14 is passed through the mounting hole 20 of the light-emitting substrate 13 and screwed into the mounting portion 17 of the bottom 15, thereby attaching the light-emitting substrate 13 to the mounting portion 17. At this time, the light-emitting substrate 13 is in contact with a support portion 18 that protrudes from the bottom 15, as shown in Figure 1. In this way, the light-emitting substrate 13 is supported by the bottom 15 of the housing 11 via the support portion 18.

[0024] When the light-emitting substrate 13 is attached to the housing 11 in this manner, the central hole 19 of the light-emitting substrate 13 is positioned corresponding to the ventilation hole 16 in the bottom 15 of the housing 11. In other words, because the central hole 19 is formed in the light-emitting substrate 13, the extension of the ventilation hole 16 within the housing 11 shown in Figure 4 becomes an empty area AK where the light-emitting substrate 13 is not placed.

[0025] The light-emitting substrate 13 is equipped with an LED 13a that emits light toward the bottom 15 of the housing 11. The bottom 15 of the housing 11 is designed to reflect the light from the LED 13a of the light-emitting substrate 13 toward the outer lens 12. Specifically, the surface of the bottom 15 facing the light-emitting substrate 13 is coated to reflect the light from the LED 13a. As a result, the light from the LED 13a is reflected by the bottom 15 and then passes through the outer lens 12.

[0026] In order to illuminate the outer lens 12 uniformly through this light transmission, it is preferable to increase the length of the light path from the LED 13a to the outer lens 12. As described above, by reflecting the light from the LED 13a at the bottom 15 and then transmitting it through the outer lens 12, it is possible to secure a path of the required length for the light path from the LED 13a to the outer lens 12 even when the exterior parts for the vehicle are made thinner.

[0027] <Structure around ventilation holes in vehicle exterior parts> As shown in Figure 5, a cylindrical boss 25 is formed at the bottom 15 of the housing 11. The boss 25 surrounds the opening of the ventilation hole 16 and protrudes outward from the housing 11. A lid member 26 is positioned at the tip of the protruding part of the boss 25 so as to close the opening of the boss 25. The lid member 26 allows the passage of gases while restricting the passage of liquids. Specifically, the lid member 26 is made of a material that can achieve this. However, such materials tend to generate static electricity.

[0028] A cylindrical insulating member 27 made of an insulating material such as rubber is placed around the boss 25, i.e., on the outer circumferential surface of the boss 25. The insulating member 27 is fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the insulating member 27. Multiple protrusions 28 are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the insulating member 27 at intervals in the circumferential direction. The cover member 26 is attached to the insulating member 27 at a position corresponding to the opening of the boss 25. More specifically, the cover member 26 is attached to the above position with an adhesive or the like.

[0029] The area around the boss 25 and the opening, in other words, the area around the insulating member 27 and the opening, are covered by a cover 29 made of an insulating material such as rubber. This cover 29 comprises a cylindrical side wall 30 and a bottom wall 31 that closes one end of the side wall 30 in the axial direction. The inner circumferential surface of the side wall 30 of the cover 29 is in contact with the tips of the multiple protrusions 28 on the insulating member 27.

[0030] As a result, a predetermined distance is maintained between the outer surface of the insulating member 27 and the side wall 30 of the cover 29. Therefore, a predetermined distance is also maintained between the side wall 30 of the cover 29 and the outer surface of the boss 25. Furthermore, at this time, a predetermined distance is also maintained between the opening of the boss 25, i.e., the opening of the insulating member 27, and the bottom wall 31 of the cover 29. Therefore, a predetermined distance is also maintained between the bottom wall 31 of the cover 29 and the opening of the boss 25.

[0031] A rib 32 is formed at the bottom 15 of the housing 11, protruding in the same direction as the boss 25. This rib 32 is intended to cover the upper part of the cover 29. More specifically, as shown in Figure 5, the rib 32 not only covers the upper part of the cover 29, but also covers the sides of the side walls 30 of the cover 29 by extending downward along the circumferential direction of the side walls 30 of the cover 29. In other words, the rib 32 has a shape that is open downwards.

[0032] Next, the effects and advantages of the vehicle exterior parts of this embodiment will be described. (1) A ventilation hole 16 is formed in the bottom 15 of the housing 11. This ventilation hole 16 is closed by a cover member 26 that allows the passage of gas but restricts the passage of liquid. As a result, air can move back and forth between the inside and outside of the housing 11 through the ventilation hole 16. Consequently, even if the exterior parts for the vehicle are made thinner and the space inside the housing 11 is narrowed, a decrease in the airflow near the outer lens 12 inside the housing 11 is suppressed. This suppresses fogging of the outer lens 12 by moisture contained in the air inside the housing 11. In addition, the cover member 26 that closes the opening of the ventilation hole 16 prevents foreign matter such as water and dust from entering the housing 11 through the ventilation hole 16.

[0033] (2) The lid member 26 is made of a material that easily generates static electricity. To prevent static electricity generated by the lid member 26 from causing abnormalities in the function of the light-emitting substrate 13, the lid member 26 is positioned as follows: A boss 25 is formed at the bottom 15 of the housing 11, surrounding the opening of the ventilation hole 16 and protruding outwards from the housing 11. The lid member 26 is then positioned at the opening of the boss 25. By positioning the lid member 26 in this way, the distance between the lid member 26 and the light-emitting substrate 13 can be increased. This prevents static electricity generated by the lid member 26 from interfering with the function of the light-emitting substrate 13. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to provide capacitors or the like on the light-emitting substrate 13 to suppress the effects of static electricity, the manufacturing cost of the light-emitting substrate 13 can be kept low.

[0034] (3) Since the cover member 26 is attached to the insulating member 27 which is arranged around the boss 25, the effect of static electricity generated in the cover member 26 on the light-emitting substrate 13 can be effectively blocked.

[0035] (4) Air moving in and out of the housing 11 passes through the space between the inner surface of the cover 29 and the outer surface of the insulating member 27. Also, static electricity generated on the lid member 26 may be propagated to the light-emitting substrate 13 through the air outside the housing 11 and the housing 11, due to the insulating member 27 being positioned around the boss 25. However, the distance over which static electricity propagates between the lid member 26 and the light-emitting substrate 13 in such propagation is lengthened by the space between the inner surface of the cover 29 and the outer surface of the insulating member 27. As a result, the propagation of static electricity from the lid member 26 to the light-emitting substrate 13 through the above space becomes less likely.

[0036] (5) Because the upper part of the cover 29 is covered by the rib 32, foreign matter such as water and dust is less likely to enter the space between the inner surface of the cover 29 and the outer surface of the insulating member 27. As a result, foreign matter is less likely to reach the lid member 26 through the above space.

[0037] (6) The extension of the ventilation hole 16 within the housing 11 is an empty area AK where the light-emitting substrate 13 is not located. This allows for a greater distance between the light-emitting substrate 13 and the lid member 26, thereby more effectively suppressing static electricity generated on the lid member 26 from interfering with the function of the light-emitting substrate 13.

[0038] (7) In order to make the light emission of the outer lens 12 uniform, the light path from the light-emitting substrate 13 to the outer lens 12 needs to be long enough. For this reason, the following is used for the light-emitting substrate 13 and housing 11 of the vehicle exterior parts. Specifically, the LED 13a of the light-emitting substrate 13 is designed to emit light toward the bottom 15 of the housing 11. The bottom 15 of the housing 11 is designed to reflect the light from the LED 13a of the light-emitting substrate 13 toward the outer lens 12. By using such a light-emitting substrate 13 and housing 11, it becomes possible to position the light-emitting substrate 13 at a distance from the bottom 15 of the housing 11 in order to secure the length of the light path from the light-emitting substrate 13 to the outer lens 12. And by positioning the light-emitting substrate 13 in this way, the length of the light path required to make the light emission of the outer lens 12 uniform can be secured. Furthermore, the above-described arrangement of the light-emitting substrate 13 makes it easy to create a large distance between the lid member 26 and the light-emitting substrate 13.

[0039] The above embodiment can also be modified as follows, for example. The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented to the extent that they do not contradict each other technically. Although the structure is designed to reflect the light from the LED 13a of the light-emitting substrate 13 towards the outer lens 12 at the bottom 15 of the housing 11, it is not necessarily required to adopt this structure. In other words, the light-emitting substrate 13 may be arranged to emit light directly from the LED 13a towards the outer lens 12.

[0040] • The empty area AK within the housing 11 does not necessarily need to be provided. That is, by omitting the central hole 19 of the light-emitting substrate 13, the light-emitting substrate 13 may be positioned on the extension of the ventilation hole 16 within the housing 11.

[0041] The position of the ventilation holes 16 at the bottom 15 of the housing 11 may be changed as appropriate. The number of ventilation holes 16 may be changed as appropriate. In this case, the number of insulating members 27 and ribs 32 will also be changed to match the number of ventilation holes 16.

[0042] The rib 32 may cover only the upper part of the cover 29. Rib 32 may be omitted. The cover 29 does not necessarily have to be made of an insulating material.

[0043] Cover 29 may be omitted. The insulating member 27 may be omitted, and the cover member 26 may be attached to the opening of the boss 25 with adhesive or the like.

[0044] The present invention may also be applied to other vehicle exterior parts besides illuminated emblems, such as lighting grilles. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 11… Housing 12…Outer lens 13…Light-emitting substrate 13a…LED 14... screw 15...bottom 16…Ventilation holes 17…Mounting part 18...Support part 19...Central hole 20…Mounting holes 21…Surface panel 22~24…hole 25... Boss 26... Lid component 27…Insulating material 28…Protrusion 29...cover 30...Side wall 31...Bottom wall 32... Rib

Claims

1. A vehicle exterior part comprising a housing that opens to the outside of the vehicle, an outer lens that closes the opening of the housing, and a light-emitting substrate disposed inside the housing, The bottom of the housing is formed with a ventilation hole that allows air to pass through the inside and outside of the housing, and a boss that surrounds the opening of the ventilation hole and protrudes outward from the housing. A cover member is positioned at the tip of the boss in the protruding direction so as to close the opening of the boss. The aforementioned lid member is an exterior part for a vehicle that allows the passage of gases while restricting the passage of liquids.

2. An insulating member made of an insulating material is placed around the boss. The exterior part for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the cover member is attached to a position corresponding to the opening of the boss in the insulating member.

3. The exterior part for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the cover is positioned at a predetermined distance from the boss so as to cover the area around the boss and the opening.

4. The bottom of the housing has a rib that protrudes in the same direction as the boss. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 3, wherein the rib covers the upper part of the cover.

5. The exterior vehicle part according to claim 1, wherein the extension of the ventilation hole within the housing is an empty area where the light-emitting substrate is not located.

6. The light-emitting substrate emits light toward the bottom of the housing, The vehicle exterior part according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bottom of the housing reflects light from the light-emitting substrate toward the outer lens.

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