Exterior parts and exterior part units

Abstract

To prevent a joint of two adjacent components from deteriorating a design appearance of an automobile.SOLUTION: An exterior component (100) is attached to an automobile (CR). The exterior component (100) comprises: a front part (110) exposed outside when attached to the automobile (CR) and provided with a pattern (111) having a contour (111o); and a backside (120) positioned on a side opposite to the front part (110). An outer end (110e) of the front surface (110) is composed along the contour (111o) of the pattern (111). The exterior component (100) further comprises a wall (122) provided along the outer end (110e) of the front part (110) on the backside (120). The wall (122) is stored in a groove (202) provided along the outer end (200e) of an adjacent component (200) adjacent to the exterior component (100) when the exterior component (100) is attached to the automobile (CR).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an exterior part and an exterior part unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a radiator grill is attached to the front of an automobile equipped with an internal combustion engine. In the technology of Patent Document 1, a radiator grill and a pair of bumper-integrated fenders are attached to the front end of the vehicle as vehicle exterior parts. The pair of bumper-integrated fenders are disposed on both the left and right sides of the radiator grill. The radiator grill guides the wind generated by the vehicle's travel to a radiator that cools the internal combustion machine. As a result, the radiator is cooled by the wind generated by the vehicle's travel.

[0003] In the technology of Patent Document 1, a window is provided in a radiator grille. A vehicle sensor unit is installed in the window. The vehicle sensor unit includes a cover that covers the front of a millimeter wave radar device, an infrared sensor, etc. A cover main body of the cover is attached to the periphery of the window by clips, screws, claw engagement, etc.

[0004] While the exterior surface of the vehicle body may be colored in a variety of colors selected by the user, such as white, red, blue, and yellow, the radiator grille is usually colored in black, gray, metallic color, and the like. Therefore, the radiator grille is recognized by the user as a different part from the exterior surface of the vehicle body including the bumper-integrated fender. In addition, the cover body attached to the window part of the radiator grille is also recognized by the user as a different part from the radiator grille. The design of the front of the automobile is composed of a plurality of parts that are recognized by the user as different parts. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-8389 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In recent years, automobiles that do not have an internal combustion engine and are driven by an electric motor are becoming popular. In such automobiles that do not have an internal combustion engine, there is no need to guide the wind generated by the vehicle to a radiator inside the vehicle body. Therefore, the design of the front part of the automobile can be configured as a design that does not have a radiator grille. When an automobile has such a design, the front part of the automobile does not necessarily have to be composed of multiple parts. For this reason, the inventor of the present invention considered configuring the exterior parts that make up the design of the front part of the automobile as a single large part that is not limited to functional parts such as a radiator grille.

[0007] However, the larger the exterior part, the larger the manufacturing equipment for the exterior part becomes, and the greater the energy consumption when manufacturing the exterior part. The larger the exterior part, the more difficult it becomes to maintain the overall quality of the exterior part at a high level when manufacturing the exterior part. The larger the exterior part, the greater the effort and cost required to transport the manufactured exterior part. As a result, the amount of energy consumed during manufacturing and transportation and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during such processes also increase. Therefore, the inventor of the present invention considered composing the design of the front part of the automobile from multiple parts.

[0008] However, in a case where the design of an automobile is composed of a plurality of exterior parts, the joint between two adjacent parts may detract from the aesthetic appearance of the automobile design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The present disclosure can be realized in the following forms.

[0010] (1) According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an exterior part to be attached to an automobile is provided. The exterior part includes a front part that is exposed to the outside when the exterior part is attached to the automobile and that is provided with a pattern having an outline, and a back part that is located on the opposite side to the front part. At least a part of an outer edge of the front part is configured along the outline of the pattern. The exterior part further includes a wall part provided along at least a part of the outer edge of the front part in the back part. The wall part is configured to be received in a groove part provided along an edge of an adjacent part adjacent to the exterior part when the exterior part is attached to the automobile. In such an embodiment, a groove for accommodating a wall portion of the exterior part is present at the joint between the exterior part and the adjacent part, which is visible from the outside when the exterior part is attached to the automobile. Therefore, in the above embodiment, the member spanning the joint between the exterior part and the adjacent part, which is visible from the outside, i.e., the bottom of the groove, is located farther from the front part than in an embodiment without such a groove. Therefore, the member spanning the joint between the exterior part and the adjacent part is less likely to be visible from the outside. As a result, the joint between the exterior part and the adjacent part is less likely to detract from the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile. Furthermore, when the exterior part is attached to the automobile, the member that straddles the joint between the exterior part and the adjacent part, which is visible from the outside, i.e., the bottom of the groove, is arranged along the outline of the pattern on the surface of the exterior part, so that the joint between the exterior part and the adjacent part is unlikely to detract from the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile. (2) The exterior part of the above embodiment may further include a convex portion constituting at least a part of the outer end of the front portion, the convex portion protruding at an end of the exterior part relative to an outer surface of the wall portion along a direction of a plane defined by the front portion, the convex portion having a slope that slopes away from the outer surface of the wall portion toward an apex of the convex portion as it moves from the back portion to the front portion. In this embodiment, when the exterior part is attached to the automobile, the protrusion of the exterior part covers at least a part of the gap defined by the outer surface of the wall part and the inner surface of the groove part. Therefore, compared to an embodiment not including such a protrusion, the gap between the outer surface of the wall part of the exterior part and the inner surface of the groove part of the adjacent part is less likely to be visible from the front of the automobile. Therefore, the joint between the exterior part and the adjacent part is less likely to detract from the aesthetic appearance of the front of the automobile. (3) In the exterior part of the above embodiment, the surface along the inclined surface and the surface defined by the front portion may intersect at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees on the side where the exterior part is present. With this configuration, the gap between the outer surface of the wall portion of the exterior part and the inner surface of the groove portion of the adjacent part can be made less noticeable when viewed from the front of the automobile, compared to a configuration in which the surface along the slope and the surface defined by the front portion intersect at an angle greater than 90 degrees. Furthermore, in an embodiment in which the surface along the inclined surface and the surface defined by the front portion intersect at an angle of less than 45 degrees, a thin portion is formed near the tip of the protrusion. Therefore, when the exterior part is manufactured from a thermoplastic material, the thin portion solidifies before the other portions when the material is cooled, and as a result, sink marks may be formed in part of the exterior part. However, in the above embodiment, a thin portion is not formed near the tip of the protrusion, so sink marks are less likely to occur even when the exterior part is manufactured from a thermoplastic material. (4) The exterior part of the above embodiment may be a front panel attached to the front part of the automobile. (5) According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an exterior part unit to be attached to an automobile. The exterior part unit includes a first part and a second part to be combined with the first part. The first part includes a first surface portion that is exposed to the outside when the first part is attached to the automobile, the first surface portion having a pattern with an outline, and a back portion located on the opposite side to the first surface portion. At least a part of an outer edge of the first surface portion is configured along the outline of the pattern. The first part further includes a wall portion provided along at least a part of the outer edge of the first surface portion on the back portion. The second part includes a groove portion provided along an edge of the second part. When the first part and the second part are combined, the wall portion is accommodated in the groove portion. (6) In the exterior part unit of the above embodiment, the first part may further include a convex portion constituting at least a part of the outer end of the first surface portion, the convex portion protruding at an end portion of the first part relative to an outer surface of the wall portion along a direction of a plane defined by the first surface portion, the convex portion including a slope that slopes away from the outer surface of the wall portion toward an apex of the convex portion as it moves from the rear portion toward the first surface portion. (7) In the exterior part unit of the above embodiment, the surface along the inclined surface and the surface defined by the first surface portion may intersect at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees on the side where the first part is present. (8) In the exterior part unit of the above embodiment, the second part may further include a second surface portion that is exposed to the outside when the second part is attached to an automobile and that has a pattern having an outline, at least a portion of an outer edge of the second surface portion is configured along the outline of the pattern of the second surface portion, and the groove portion is provided along at least a portion of the outer edge of the second surface portion. When the exterior part unit is attached to an automobile, the member that straddles the joint between the first part and the second part, which is visible from the outside, i.e., the bottom of the groove, is arranged along the contour of the pattern on the second surface of the second part. For this reason, too, the joint between the first part and the second part is unlikely to detract from the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile. (9) The exterior part unit of the above embodiment may be a front panel attached to the front part of the automobile. The present disclosure may be realized in various forms other than exterior parts and exterior part units, for example, in the form of automobiles, exterior parts, exterior part units, and automobile manufacturing methods. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the front part of the automobile CR. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the components that make up the front design of the automobile CR. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view showing a grill 300 and a pair of grill sides 100. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. [Diagram 5] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a grill side 100, a bumper 200, and a grill 300 cut along a horizontal plane. [Figure 6] 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of the grill side 100 in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of a groove portion 202 and a wall portion 122 in FIG. 6. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of a grill side 100C of a comparative example. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of an outer end 200Ce of a bumper 200C and an outer end 110e of a front portion of a grill side 100C in FIG. 8. FIG. [Figure 10] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of the grill side 100V1. FIG. [Figure 11]11 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of a groove portion 202V1 and a wall portion 122V1 in FIG. 10. FIG. [Figure 12] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of the grill side 100V2. [Figure 13] 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of a groove portion 202V2 and a wall portion 122V2 in FIG. 12. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of the grill side 100V3. FIG. [Figure 15] 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of a groove portion 202V3 and a wall portion 122V3 in FIG. 14. FIG. [Figure 16] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of a grill side 100V4. FIG. [Figure 17] 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of a groove portion 202V4 and a wall portion 122V4 in FIG. 16. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A. Embodiment: 1 is a perspective view showing the front part of a car CR. The car CR is provided with a pair of grill side panels 100, a pair of bumpers 200, a grill 300, a lower grill 400, a pair of side bezels 500, and an upper bumper 600 at the front part.

[0013] The pair of grill side panels 100, the pair of bumpers 200, the grille 300, the lower grille 400, the pair of side bezels 500, and the upper bumper 600, together with the pair of headlights, constitute the front design of the automobile CR. The pair of bumpers 200, the lower grille 400, and the upper bumper 600 have the same color on their outer surfaces. Specifically, the color is silver.

[0014] The design of the front part of the automobile CR is composed of these multiple parts, which provides the following effects. That is, unlike an embodiment in which the design of the front part of the automobile CR is realized in one part, each part can be manufactured through a different process, such as painting, printing, film attachment, plating, hot stamping, etc. Furthermore, it is easier to maintain the quality of each part at a high level, compared to an embodiment in which the design of the front part of the automobile CR is realized in one part.

[0015] In addition, compared to the case where the design of the front part of the CR car is realized by one part, the manufacturing equipment for each part is smaller. As a result, the labor and cost required for transporting each exterior part can be reduced. As a result, the amount of energy consumed during manufacturing and transportation and the amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the process can be reduced.

[0016] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the components that make up the design of the front part of the automobile CR. The grille 300 is a plate-like member disposed in the center of the front part of the automobile CR (see the center part of Fig. 1). The grille 300 has a substantially octagonal shape with the vertical dimension smaller than the horizontal dimension.

[0017] In this specification, the "left-right direction" refers to the left-right direction assumed for the automobile CR. The "up-down direction" refers to the up-down direction assumed for the automobile CR. The "front-rear direction" refers to the front-rear direction assumed for the automobile CR.

[0018] The surface of the grille 300 that is exposed to the outside when the grille 300 is attached to the automobile CR forms a continuous curved surface. The grille 300 is made of a black or gray material. More specifically, the grille 300 is made of polypropylene.

[0019] A surface of the grille 300 is provided with a plurality of patterns having contours. Each pattern has a hexagonal shape. The closer to the center of the grille 300, the smaller the pattern is. The closer to the center of the grille 300, the larger the interval between adjacent patterns is. The color of the patterns is the same as the color of the pair of bumpers 200, the lower grille 400, and the upper bumper 600. Specifically, the color of the patterns is silver. The portions of the grille 300 other than the patterns are black.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a front view showing the grille 300 and the pair of grill side panels 100. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in Fig. 3. The grille 300 and the pair of grill side panels 100 are attached to an automobile CR and form part of the design of the automobile CR. The grille 300 and the pair of grill side panels 100 are fixed to members located behind them by a plurality of fasteners FX.

[0021] The pair of grill side panels 100 are connected to the left and right sides of the grill 300. The pair of grill side panels 100 are disposed between the grill 300 and the pair of bumpers 200. As a result, the grill side panels 100 function to absorb dimensional errors in the shape of the grill 300, dimensional errors in the shape of the bumpers 200, and installation errors between the grill 300 and the bumpers 200. The grill side panels 100 are made of a black or gray material. More specifically, the grill side panels 100 are made of polypropylene.

[0022] The structure of the grill side 100 will be described below using as an example the right grill side 100 of the pair of grill side 100. The left grill side 100 of the pair of grill side 100 has a structure symmetrical to the right grill side 100 with respect to the center plane of the exterior of the automobile CR. The line where the center plane of the exterior of the automobile CR intersects with each exterior component is shown in Figs. 1 and 3 as a center line CL.

[0023] The grill side 100 includes a first front portion 110 and a first back portion 120 (see the upper part of FIG. 4). The first front portion 110 is a portion that is exposed to the outside when the grill side 100 is attached to the car CR. The first front portion 110 forms a continuous curved surface. The first front portion 110 is provided with a plurality of patterns 111 having an outline 111o (see FIG. 3). Each pattern 111 has a hexagonal shape. The closer the pattern 111 is to the center line CL, the closer it is to a regular hexagon, and the farther the pattern 111 is from the center line CL, the smaller the vertical dimension is than the horizontal dimension. The color of the pattern 111 is the same as the color of the pair of bumpers 200, the lower grill 400, and the pair of bumpers 200. Specifically, the color of the pattern is silver. In the grill side 100, the portions other than the patterns are black.

[0024] In Fig. 3, the first front portion 110 of the grill side 100 is located in an area defined by a dashed line and a dashed double-dashed line. The outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 is configured along the contour 111o of the pattern 111 (see the dashed double-dashed line on the left side of Fig. 3). Specifically, the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 is configured in a zigzag pattern along a part of the contour 111o of each of the multiple patterns 111 having a hexagonal outer shape.

[0025] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the grill side 100, the bumper 200, and the grill 300 cut along a horizontal plane. Fig. 6 is an explanatory view showing an enlarged view of the structure near the grill side 100 in Fig. 5. The first back portion 120 is located on the opposite side of the grill side 100 from the first front portion 110 (see the left part of Fig. 5 and the upper part of Fig. 4).

[0026] The grill side 100 includes a wall portion 122 provided in the first back portion 120 along the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110. The wall portion 122 is configured to protrude from the first back portion 120. The direction in which the wall portion 122 protrudes from the first back portion 120 includes a directional component perpendicular to the first back portion 120 at the portion of the first back portion 120 where the wall portion 122 is provided. The configuration of the wall portion 122 will be described in detail later.

[0027] The pair of bumpers 200 are components that are respectively combined with the pair of grill sides 100. Of the pair of bumpers 200, the right bumper 200 is connected to the right grill side 100 of the pair of grill sides 100 (see the left part of FIG. 3). The bumpers 200 are made of a black or gray material. More specifically, the bumpers 200 are made of polypropylene.

[0028] The bumper 200 comprises a second front portion 210, a second back portion 220, and a groove portion 202 (see the left portion in FIG. 5). The second front portion 210 is exposed to the outside when the bumper 200 is attached to the automobile CR. The second back portion 220 is located on the opposite side of the bumper 200 to the second front portion 210. The groove portion 202 is provided along the outer end 200e of the bumper 200. When the grill side portion 100 and the bumper 200 are combined, the wall portion 122 of the grill side portion 100 is accommodated in the groove portion 202 of the bumper 200.

[0029] The grill side 100 and the bumper 200 are collectively referred to as the "exterior part unit EPU." The exterior part unit EPU is connected to the left and right sides of the grill 300 (see FIG. 3). The exterior part unit EPU is attached to the front of the automobile CR and constitutes part of the design of the automobile CR. Since the exterior part unit EPU is a plate-shaped member attached to the front of the automobile CR, the exterior part unit EPU is also referred to as the "front panel." Since the grill side 100 is also a plate-shaped member attached to the front of the automobile CR, it is also referred to as the "front panel." Similarly, since the grill 300 is also a plate-shaped member attached to the front of the automobile CR, it is also referred to as the "front panel."

[0030] With this configuration, the groove 202 for accommodating the wall 122 of the grill side 100 is present at the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200, which is visible from the outside when the grill side 100 is attached to the automobile CR (see the left part of FIG. 5, and also FIGS. 6 and 7). Therefore, in this embodiment, the member straddling the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200, which is visible from the outside, i.e., the bottom of the groove 202, is located at a position farther back from the first front part 110 than in an embodiment without such a groove 202. Therefore, the member straddling the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is less likely to be visible from the outside. As a result, the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is less likely to degrade the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile CR. Therefore, the aesthetic appearance of the design can be improved while forming the design of the front part of the automobile CR using multiple parts.

[0031] In this embodiment, when the grill side 100 is attached to the automobile CR, the member that straddles the seam between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200, which is visible from the outside, i.e., the bottom of the groove 202, is arranged along the contour 111o of the pattern 111 of the first surface portion 110 of the grill side 100 (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). Therefore, the seam between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is not easily noticeable. Therefore, from this point of view, the seam between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is unlikely to detract from the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile CR.

[0032] In this embodiment, the wall portion 122 provided at the end of the grill side 100 is accommodated in a groove portion 202 provided along the outer end 200e of the bumper 200 (see FIG. 7). Therefore, the grill side 100 can be accurately positioned relative to the bumper 200. Therefore, the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 are unlikely to detract from the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile CR. Furthermore, when the automobile CR is traveling, the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 can exert the aerodynamic performance intended at the time of design. Therefore, the air resistance of the grill side 100 is unlikely to increase.

[0033] In this embodiment, the grill side 100 includes a wall portion 122. Therefore, the rigidity of the entire grill side 100 is higher than that of an embodiment that does not include such a wall portion. Furthermore, deformation and bending due to shrinkage when molding the grill side 100 are small. Therefore, in the manufacture of the automobile CR, the grill side 100 can be easily assembled to other members with high positional accuracy. Furthermore, after the grill side 100 is attached to the automobile CR, the grill side 100 is unlikely to be deformed by external force.

[0034] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure near the groove portion 202 and the wall portion 122 in Fig. 6. The grill side 100 has a protrusion 115.

[0035] The protrusion 115 constitutes the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 of the grill side 100. The protrusion 115 protrudes from the end of the grill side 100 relative to the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 along the direction of an imaginary plane IS1 defined by the first front portion 110. The plane IS1 is indicated by a dashed line in FIG. 7.

[0036] The protruding portion 115 includes a slope 116 and a slope 117. The slope 117 is inclined in the left-right direction from the first back portion 120 to the first front portion 110 in the first back portion 120 of the grill side 100 so as to approach the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 toward the apex 115p of the protruding portion 115. Since the protruding portion 115 includes the slope 117 as well as the slope 116, the protruding portion 115 does not have a thin portion near the tip.

[0037] The inclined surface 116 is inclined in the left-right direction in the first back portion 120 of the grill side 100 from the first back portion 120 toward the first front portion 110, so as to move away from the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 toward the apex 115p of the convex portion 115.

[0038] With this configuration, when the grill side 100 is attached to the automobile CR, the convex portion 115 of the grill side 100 covers the gap defined by the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 and the inner surface 203 of the groove portion 202. Therefore, compared to an embodiment not including such a convex portion 115, the gap between the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 of the grill side 100 and the inner surface 203 of the groove portion 202 of the bumper 200 is less likely to be visible from the front of the automobile CR. In addition, the structure within the gap between the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 of the grill side 100 and the inner surface 203 of the groove portion 202 of the bumper 200 is less likely to be exposed to external light. Therefore, the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is less likely to degrade the aesthetic appearance of the front of the automobile CR.

[0039] In this embodiment, the inclined surface 116 is inclined so as to move away from the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 as it moves from the first back portion 120 to the first front portion 110. For example, in a mode in which the convex portion 115 is provided with a side surface extending from the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 to the left in FIG. 7, which is an extension of the first back portion 120, instead of such inclined surface 116, the following problem occurs. That is, in order to make the surface of the grill side 100 and the surface of the bumper 200 look like a continuous surface, it is necessary to provide a recess in the bumper 200 to avoid such a convex portion, and to arrange the corner of the convex portion within the recess. In such a mode, high shape accuracy is required for the grill side 100 and the bumper 200. In addition, high accuracy is required for assembling the bumper 200 and the grill side 100.

[0040] However, in this embodiment, the protrusion 115 has an inclined surface 116 that is inclined away from the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 from the first back portion 120 toward the first front portion 110, thereby improving the shape accuracy of the bumper 200 and the grill side 100. Also, the bumper 200 and the grill side 100 can be easily assembled together.

[0041] In order to facilitate the manufacture of the bumper 200 and to make the outer shape of the bumper 200 safer, the corners of the bumper 200 are generally rounded (see 210e in FIG. 7). If the protrusion 115 having the slope 116 was not provided at the end of the grill side 100 in the first embodiment, the corners of the opening end of the groove 202 would have an angle of less than 90 degrees. As a result, the arc length of the circular curved surface provided at the corners of the opening end of the groove 202 would be large (see FIG. 11). As a result, the boundary between the second surface 210 of the bumper 200 and the first surface 110 of the grill side 100 would be easily noticeable.

[0042] However, in this embodiment, a convex portion 115 having a slope 116 is provided at the end of the grill side 100, and a slope 216 that faces the slope 116 of the grill side 100 in a substantially parallel manner is provided at the corner of the opening end of the groove portion 202. Therefore, the arc length of the circular curved surface of the corners at both ends of the slope 216 becomes smaller (see 210e in FIG. 7). As a result, the boundary between the second surface portion 210 of the bumper 200 and the first surface portion 110 of the grill side 100 becomes less noticeable. This can improve the aesthetic appearance of the design of the front part of the automobile CR.

[0043] An imaginary plane IS2 along the slope 116 of the protrusion 115 of the grill side 100 and a plane IS1 defined by the first front portion 110 intersect at an angle θ on the side where the grill side 100 exists (see the lower right part of FIG. 7). Specifically, θ is 60 degrees.

[0044] With this configuration, the gap between the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 of the grill side 100 and the inner surface 203 of the groove portion 202 of the bumper 200 can be made less noticeable when viewed from the front of the automobile CR, compared to, for example, a configuration in which the surface IS2 along the slope 116 and the surface IS1 defined by the first surface portion 110 intersect at an angle greater than 90 degrees.

[0045] For example, in a configuration in which the surface IS2 along the inclined surface 116 and the surface IS1 defined by the first surface portion 110 intersect at an angle of less than 45 degrees, a portion near the tip of the protrusion 115 is thinner than other portions of the grill side 100. Therefore, when the grill side 100 is manufactured from a thermoplastic material, the thinner portion solidifies before the other portions when the material is cooled. As a result, sink marks may occur in some parts of the grill side 100. However, in the above configuration, there is no thin portion near the tip of the protrusion 115, so sink marks are less likely to occur even when the grill side 100 is manufactured from a thermoplastic material.

[0046] Fig. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of the grill side 100C of the comparative example. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of the outer end 200Ce of the bumper 200C of the comparative example and the outer end 110e of the front part of the grill side 100C in Fig. 8.

[0047] In the comparative grill side 100C shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the groove 202 is not present at the seam between the grill side 100C and the bumper 200C, which is visible from the outside when the grill side 100C is attached to an automobile (see Figs. 6 and 7). Therefore, in the comparative grill side 100C, the member spanning the seam between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200, which is visible from the outside, is located near the front part of the grill side 100C and the front part of the bumper 200C. Therefore, the member spanning the seam is easily visible from the outside. As a result, the seam between the grill side 100C and the bumper 200C is likely to detract from the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile.

[0048] The grill side 100C of the comparative example does not include the wall portion 122. Therefore, when the grill side 100C is connected to the bumper 200C, it is not combined with the structure of the bumper 200C (see FIG. 7). Therefore, it is difficult to accurately position the grill side 100C relative to the bumper 200C in the left-right direction of FIG. 8 (see FIG. 9). Therefore, the grill side 100C and the bumper 200C may deteriorate the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile. Furthermore, the grill side 100C and the bumper 200C may not be able to exhibit the aerodynamic performance intended at the time of design when the automobile is traveling. Therefore, the air resistance of the grill side 100C may be increased.

[0049] The grill side 100C of the comparative example does not have the wall portion 122. Therefore, the rigidity of the entire grill side 100C is low. In other words, the grill side 100C is easily distorted due to its own weight. Therefore, it is difficult to assemble the grill side 100C to other components with high positional accuracy during automobile manufacturing. In addition, after the grill side 100C is installed in the automobile, the grill side 100C is easily deformed by external forces.

[0050] In this embodiment, the grill side 100 is also called an "exterior part." The grill side 100 is also called a "first part." The bumper 200 is also called an "adjacent part." The bumper 200 is also called a "second part." The first front portion 110 is also called a "front portion." The first back portion 120 is also called a "back portion."

[0051] B. Variations of the embodiment: Modifications 1 to 4 of the embodiment are described below. Components of the modifications that correspond to components of the embodiment are described by adding V1 to V4, which include numbers corresponding to the number of the modification, to the end of the components of the embodiment.

[0052] B1. Variation 1: FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of the grill side 100V1 of the first modification. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure in the vicinity of the groove portion 202V1 and the wall portion 122V1 in FIG. 10. The grill side 100V1 of the first modification does not have a protrusion 115 (see FIG. 7). In the bumper 200V1 of the first modification, the shape of the corner of the opening end of the groove portion 202V1 facing the end 100V1e of the grill side 100V1 is different from that of the bumper 200 of the embodiment. Other points of the grill side 100V1 and the bumper 200V1 of the first modification are the same as those of the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 of the embodiment.

[0053] In the grill side 100V1 and bumper 200V1 of the first modification, a groove 202V1 for accommodating a wall 122V1 of the grill side 100V1 is provided at the joint between the grill side 100V1 and the bumper 200V1. Therefore, the member spanning the joint between the grill side 100V1 and the bumper 200 is difficult to see from the outside.

[0054] In the grill side 100V1 and bumper 200V1 of the first modified example, the wall 122V1 provided at the end of the grill side 100V1 is accommodated in the groove 202V1 provided along the outer end 200V1e of the bumper 200V1 (see FIG. 11). Therefore, the grill side 100 can be accurately positioned relative to the bumper 200.

[0055] In the grill side 100V1 and bumper 200V1 of the first modified example, the grill side 100V1 also includes a wall portion 122V1. Therefore, the rigidity of the entire grill side 100V1 is higher than in an embodiment that does not include such a wall portion.

[0056] B2. Variation 2: Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure near the grill side 100V2 of the modified example 2. Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the structure near the groove 202V2 and the wall 122V2 in Fig. 12. In the grill side 100V2 of the modified example 2, the shape of the convex portion 115V2 is different from the convex portion 115 of the grill side 100 of the embodiment (see Fig. 7). In the bumper 200V2 of the modified example 2, the shape of the corner of the opening end of the groove 202V2 facing the convex portion 115V2 of the grill side 100V2 is different from the bumper 200 of the embodiment. The grill side 100V2 and the bumper 200V2 of the modified example 2 are otherwise the same as the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 of the embodiment.

[0057] In the second modification, the plane IS2 along the slope 116V2 of the protrusion 115V2 of the grill side 100V2 and the plane IS1 defined by the first front portion 110V2 intersect at θV2 on the side where the grill side 100V2 exists (see the lower right part of FIG. 13). Specifically, θV2 is 80 degrees. Therefore, in the second modification, the portion near the tip of the protrusion 115V2 is even less likely to cool during the manufacture of the grill side 100V2. Therefore, when the grill side 100V2 is manufactured from a thermoplastic material, sink marks are even less likely to occur.

[0058] B3. Variation 3: FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged structure near the grill side 100V3 of the modified example 3. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged structure near the groove 202V3 and the wall 122V3 in FIG. 14. In the bumper 200V3 of the modified example 3, the shape of the groove 202V3 is different from the shape of the groove 202 of the bumper 200 of the embodiment. In the grill side 100V3, the first front portion 110V3 is connected to the bumper 200V3 so as to be disposed at a position retreated by d from the front portion 210V3 of the bumper 200V3 at the connection portion between the two. Specifically, d is 1 mm. The grill side 100V3 and the bumper 200V3 of the modified example 3 are otherwise the same as the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 of the embodiment.

[0059] The first surface portion 110V3 of the grill side 100V3 and the surface portion 210V3 of the bumper 200V3 form a generally continuous curved surface that is convex toward the front of the automobile CR (see FIG. 14). In such a convex curved shape, the grill side 100V3, which protrudes more from the bumper 200V3, is positioned slightly back, thereby achieving the following effects. That is, the first surface portion 110V3 of the grill side 100V3 and the surface portion 210V3 of the bumper 200V3, which are seen through a gap, tend to appear as a continuous curved surface. As a result, the aesthetic appearance of the design formed by the grill side 100V3 and the bumper 200V3 can be further improved.

[0060] B4. Variation 4: FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged structure near the grill side 100V4 of the fourth modification. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged structure near the groove 202V4 and the wall 122V4 in FIG. 16. In the bumper 200V4 of the fourth modification, the shape of the groove 202V4 is different from the shape of the groove 202V1 of the bumper 200V1 of the first modification. In the grill side 100V4, the first front portion 110V4 is connected to the bumper 200V4 so as to be disposed at a position retreated by d from the front portion 210V4 of the bumper 200V4 at the connection portion between the two. Specifically, d is 1 mm. The grill side 100V4 and the bumper 200V4 of the fourth modification are otherwise the same as the grill side 100V1 and the bumper 200V1 of the first modification.

[0061] In the fourth modification, by setting the more protruding grill side 100V4 slightly back, the first surface portion 110V4 of the grill side 100V4 and the surface portion 210V4 of the bumper 200V4 are more likely to appear as a continuous curved surface. As a result, the aesthetic appearance of the design formed by the grill side 100V4 and the bumper 200V4 can be further improved.

[0062] B5. Variation 5: In the above embodiment, the bumper 200 has no pattern. In contrast, in the modified example 5, the bumper 200 has a pattern. The other points of the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 of the modified example 5 are the same as those of the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 of the embodiment.

[0063] In the fifth modification, the second surface portion 210 of the bumper 200 is provided with a plurality of patterns 211 having an outline 211o. Each pattern has a hexagonal shape. The color of the pattern 211 is the same as the color of the lower grille 400 and the upper bumper 600. Specifically, the color of the pattern 211 is silver. At least a portion of the plurality of patterns 211 is surrounded by a black line. In the middle left part of FIG. 3, the pattern 211 is indicated by a dashed line. The pattern 211 is not provided on the bumper 200 of the above embodiment.

[0064] In the fifth modification, a portion of outer end 210e of second surface portion 210 of bumper 200 is configured along a portion of contour 211o of pattern 211 of second surface portion 210. Groove portion 202 is provided along outer end 210e of second surface portion 210.

[0065] When the exterior part unit EPU is attached to the automobile CR, the member spanning the seam between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200, which is visible from the outside, i.e., the bottom of the groove 202, is disposed along the contour 211o of the pattern 211 of the second surface portion 210 of the bumper 200. For this reason, the seam between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is unlikely to detract from the aesthetic appearance of the front part of the automobile CR.

[0066] C. Other embodiments: C1. Alternative embodiment 1: (1) In the above embodiment, the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 is configured along the contour 111o of the pattern 111 (see the two-dot chain line on the left side of FIG. 3). As a result, the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is configured along the contour 111o of the pattern 111. When the pattern applied to the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 includes a linear portion, such as a narrow gap between adjacent hexagons, the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 are preferably configured as follows. That is, the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 are preferably configured such that the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is connected to a linear portion having a width that is approximately the same as the width recognized by a human when the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 is visually recognized. By adopting such an embodiment, the joint between the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 can form an integrated design together with a linear pattern.

[0067] (2) In the above embodiment, the first front portion 110 is provided with a pattern 111 having an outline 111o (see FIG. 3). Each pattern has a hexagonal outline. However, the pattern provided on the first front portion may be any shape, such as an ellipse, a pentagon, or an octagon. However, it is preferable that the pattern has an outline rather than a gradation. In a two-dimensional pattern, the "outline" may be the boundary between two parts made of different colors.

[0068] The pattern may also be three-dimensional. In a three-dimensional pattern, the "contour" includes the outer surface of the pattern. In a three-dimensional pattern, the "contour" includes the boundary line between two faces that make up the outer surface of the pattern.

[0069] (3) In the above embodiment, the grill side 100 includes a wall portion 122 provided in the first back portion 120 along the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 (see FIG. 7). The wall portion 122 may be provided along the entire circumference of the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110, or may be provided along a portion of the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110.

[0070] (4) In the above embodiment, the protrusion 115 constitutes the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 of the grill side 100 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). However, the protrusion 115 does not have to be provided along the entire circumference of the grill side 100. In other words, the protrusion 115 only needs to be provided on at least a portion of the outer periphery of the grill side 100. The protrusion 115 may constitute the entire outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 of the grill side 100, or may constitute only a portion of it.

[0071] (5) In the above embodiment, the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 is configured along the contour 111o of the pattern 111 (see the two-dot chain line on the left side of FIG. 3). The outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 may be configured along the contour of the pattern over the entire circumference of the grill side 100, or may be configured along the contour of the pattern over a portion of the entire circumference of the grill side 100.

[0072] In the above embodiment, the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 is configured along a part of the contour 111o of each of the multiple patterns 111 (see the two-dot chain line on the left side of FIG. 3). However, for example, when the outer shape of the first front portion 110 of the grill side 100 matches the outer shape of the patterns, the outer end 110e of the first front portion 110 may be configured along the entire circumference of the contour 111o of the pattern 111.

[0073] (6) In the above embodiment, in this embodiment, the wall portion 122 provided at the end of the grill side 100 is accommodated in the groove portion 202 provided along the outer end 200e of the bumper 200 (see FIG. 7). Therefore, the grill side 100 can be positioned accurately relative to the bumper 200. For example, by designing the gap between the outer surface 123 of the wall portion 122 and the inner surface 203 of the groove portion 202 to be smaller at multiple positions along the groove portion 202 than at other positions, the grill side 100 can be positioned more accurately relative to the bumper 200.

[0074] C2. Alternative embodiment 2: In the above embodiment, the grill side 100 has the protrusion 115 (see FIG. 7). However, the exterior part may have no protrusion, as in the first and fourth modified examples (see FIGS. 11 and 17).

[0075] C3. Alternative embodiment 3: In the above embodiment, the imaginary plane IS2 along the slope 116 of the convex portion 115 of the grill side 100 and the plane IS1 defined by the first front portion 110 intersect at 60 degrees on the side where the grill side 100 exists (see θ in the lower right part of FIG. 7). In the second modification, the plane IS2 along the slope 116V2 of the convex portion 115V2 of the grill side 100V2 and the plane IS1 defined by the first front portion 110V2 intersect at 80 degrees on the side where the grill side 100V2 exists (see θV2 in the lower right part of FIG. 13). However, the grill side may be configured so that the imaginary plane IS2 along the slope 116 of the convex portion 115 of the grill side 100 and the plane IS1 defined by the first front portion 110 intersect at other angles, such as 45 degrees, 70 degrees, or 90 degrees. However, the grill side is preferably configured so that an imaginary plane IS2 along the slope 116 of the protrusion 115 of the grill side 100 and a plane IS1 defined by the first front portion 110 intersect at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees.

[0076] The "surface defined by the front portion" is not limited to a flat surface, but may be a curved surface as in the above embodiment. The "surface defined by the front portion" is determined by a Bézier curve that passes through the contour of the front portion. The "surface defined by the front portion" is extended by a tangent at the end of the grill side to form a surface IS1.

[0077] The "surface along the slope" is extended by a straight line at the end of the slope to form surface IS2. The angle between surface A and surface B is the angle on the plane that intersects with surfaces A and B, and is determined by the angle when the plane is positioned at the position where the magnitude of the angle is the largest.

[0078] C4. Alternative embodiment 4: In the above embodiment, the exterior part unit EPU and the grill side 100 are a front panel attached to the front part of the automobile CR. However, the exterior part unit and the exterior part are not limited to the front panel of the automobile, and may be a side panel attached to the side of the automobile, or a rear panel attached to the rear part of the automobile.

[0079] C5. Alternative Embodiment 5: In the above embodiment, the exterior part unit EPU includes the grill side 100 and the bumper 200. However, the technology disclosed above is not limited to the grill side 100 and the bumper 200 being combined, and can also be applied to, for example, the bumper 200 and the grill 300 being combined.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the grill side 100 as the first part and the pair of bumpers 200 as the second part constitute the design of the front part of the automobile CR. However, the first part and the second part are not limited to the design of the front part of the automobile, but can also constitute the design of the side part or the rear part of the automobile. The technology can also be applied to products other than automobiles. That is, the technology disclosed above can be applied to any exterior parts that can be combined. However, it is preferable that at least one of the exterior parts to be combined has a pattern with an outline.

[0081] C6. Alternative Embodiment 6: In the above-mentioned modification 5, part of outer end 210e of second surface portion 210 of bumper 200 is configured along part of contour 211o of pattern 211 of second surface portion 210 (see the middle left part of FIG. 3). However, as shown in the embodiment, second surface portion 210 of bumper 200 does not have pattern 211, and outer end 210e of second surface portion 210 of bumper 200 does not have to be configured along contour 211o of pattern 211.

[0082] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be realized in various configurations without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the technical features of the embodiments corresponding to the technical features in each aspect described in the Summary of the Invention can be appropriately replaced or combined to solve some or all of the above-mentioned problems or to achieve some or all of the above-mentioned effects. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it can be appropriately deleted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 100...grill side, 100C...grill side, 100V1...grill side, 100V1e...end, 100V2...grill side, 100V3...grill side, 100V4...grill side, 110...first surface portion, 110V1...first surface portion, 110V2...first surface portion, 110V3...first surface portion, 110V4...first surface portion, 110e...outer end , 111...pattern, 111o...outline, 115...convex portion, 115V2...convex portion, 115V3...convex portion, 115p...vertex, 116...slope, 116V2...slope, 116V3...slope, 120...first back portion, 122...wall portion, 122V1...wall portion, 122V2...wall portion, 122V3...wall portion, 122V4...wall portion, 123...outer surface, 200...bumper, 200 C...bumper, 200Ce...outer end, 200V1...bumper, 200V1e...outer end, 200V2...bumper, 200V3...bumper, 200V4...bumper, 200e...outer end, 202...groove, 202V1...groove, 202V2...groove, 202V3...groove, 202V4...groove, 203...inner surface, 210...second surface, 210V1...surface part, 210V2...surface part, 210V3...surface part, 210V4...surface part, 210e...outer edge, 211...pattern, 211o...outline, 220...second back part, 300...grill, 400...lower grill, 500...side bezel, 600...upper bumper, CL...center line, CR...automobile, EPU...exterior part unit, IS1...imaginary surface, IS2...imaginary surface

Claims

1. An exterior part to be attached to an automobile, a surface portion that is exposed to the outside when the exterior part is attached to the automobile, the surface portion having a contoured pattern; A back portion located on the opposite side to the front portion, At least a portion of the outer edge of the front portion is configured along the contour of the pattern; The exterior part further includes: The back portion includes a wall portion provided along at least a portion of the outer edge of the front portion, The wall portion is configured to be received in a groove portion provided along an edge of an adjacent part adjacent to the exterior part when the exterior part is attached to an automobile, The exterior part further includes: a protrusion constituting at least a part of the outer end of the front portion, the protrusion protruding from an outer surface of the wall portion at an end of the exterior part along a direction of a plane defined by the front portion; The protrusion has a slope that slopes from the back portion to the front portion and away from the outer surface of the wall portion toward an apex of the protrusion.

2. The exterior part according to claim 1, an exterior part, wherein the surface along the inclined surface and the surface defined by the front portion intersect at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees on a side where the exterior part is present.

3. An exterior part according to any one of claims 1 to 2, An exterior part which is a front panel attached to the front of the automobile.

4. An exterior part unit to be attached to an automobile, A first part; A second part that is assembled with the first part, The first part is a first surface portion that is exposed to the outside when the first part is attached to the automobile, the first surface portion having a pattern with an outline; a back portion located on the opposite side to the first front portion, At least a part of the outer edge of the first surface portion is configured along the contour of the pattern, The first part further comprises: The back portion includes a wall portion provided along at least a portion of the outer end of the first front portion, the second part includes a groove along an edge of the second part; When the first component and the second component are assembled together, the wall portion is received in the groove portion, The first part further comprises: a protrusion constituting at least a part of the outer end of the first surface portion, the protrusion protruding from an outer surface of the wall portion at an end portion of the first component along a direction of a plane defined by the first surface portion; The protrusion has a slope that slopes away from the outer surface of the wall portion toward an apex of the protrusion from the back portion toward the first front portion.

5. The exterior part unit according to claim 4, an exterior part unit, wherein the surface along the inclined surface and the surface defined by the first surface portion intersect at an angle of 45 to 90 degrees on the side where the first part is present.

6. An exterior part unit according to any one of claims 4 to 5, The second part further comprises: a second surface portion that is exposed to the outside when the second part is attached to the automobile and that has a pattern having an outline; At least a part of the outer edge of the second surface portion is configured along the contour of the pattern of the second surface portion, The groove portion is provided along at least a portion of the outer end of the second front portion.

7. An exterior part unit according to any one of claims 4 to 6, An exterior part unit which is a front panel attached to the front of the automobile.

Images