Vehicle exterior structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle exterior structure which can inhibit deterioration of detection accuracy of a sensor while allowing propagation of sound waves to the outside of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A vehicle exterior structure includes: an exterior member 10 forming a part of an outer shell part of a vehicle; and a sound emission part 30 provided at the inner side of the exterior member 10 and configured to emit sound waves toward the exterior member 10. The exterior member 10 is provided at the outer side of a sensor 50 using electromagnetic waves. The exterior member 10 includes a body 20 having a first area 11 which is a transmission area of the sound waves emitted by the sound emission part 30; and a second area 12 which is a transmission area of the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the sensor 50. The body 20 includes an inhibition part 22 which includes a slit located between the first area 11 and the second area 12 and inhibits propagation of vibration from the first area 11 to the second area 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the exterior structure of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] The vehicle described in Patent Document 1 has a horn located behind the front bumper cover, facing an opening in the front bumper cover. The horn emits an alarm sound to alert the driver to other vehicles or pedestrians. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-103303 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, with increasing demands for electrification of vehicles and reduction of air resistance, there has been a trend toward reducing or eliminating openings in exterior members such as front bumper covers. Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a sound generating section behind the exterior member, and have sound waves emitted from the sound generating section toward the exterior member be transmitted through the exterior member and propagate to the outside of the vehicle.

[0005] However, if a sensor such as a millimeter wave radar device is disposed behind the exterior member together with the sound generating unit, the following inconveniences may occur. That is, as shown in FIG. 10 , part of the radio waves transmitted from the millimeter-wave radar device 90 are reflected by the rear surface of the exterior member 10. The millimeter-wave radar device 90 then receives the reflected radio waves as noise components. When the exterior member 10 vibrates due to sound waves emitted from a sound-generating unit (not shown), the reflection position of the radio waves fluctuates in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the phase of the noise components received by the millimeter-wave radar device 90 fluctuates depending on the position of the exterior member 10 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As a result, the fluctuation in the phase of the noise components may lead to a decrease in the detection accuracy of the millimeter-wave radar device 90. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Various aspects of the vehicle exterior structure for solving the above problems will be described. [Aspect 1] an exterior structure of a vehicle comprising: an exterior member constituting a part of an outer shell of a vehicle; and a sound generating unit provided inside the exterior member and emitting sound waves toward the exterior member, the exterior member being provided outside a sensor that uses electromagnetic waves; the exterior member comprising a main body having a first region that is a transmission region for the sound waves emitted by the sound generating unit and a second region that is a transmission region for the electromagnetic waves transmitted from the sensor; the main body including a slit located between the first region and the second region; and a suppression unit that suppresses propagation of vibrations from the first region to the second region.

[0007] According to this configuration, the first region vibrates due to sound waves emitted from the sound-generating portion of the main body of the exterior member. Here, the vibrations traveling from the first region to the second region are attenuated by the slits. This suppresses the propagation of vibrations from the first region to the second region. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the sensor can be reduced while the sound waves are propagated outside the vehicle.

[0008] [Aspect 2] an exterior member having a sensor that uses at least one of sound waves and electromagnetic waves and that constitutes a part of an outer shell of a vehicle; and a sound generating unit that is provided inside the exterior member and that emits sound waves toward the exterior member, wherein the exterior member has a main body portion that has a first region that is a transmission region for the sound waves emitted by the sound generating unit and a second region that is a region where the sensor is provided, and the main body portion includes a slit located between the first region and the second region and has a suppression unit that suppresses propagation of vibrations from the first region to the second region.

[0009] According to this configuration, the first region vibrates due to sound waves emitted from the sound-generating portion of the main body of the exterior member. Here, the vibrations traveling from the first region to the second region are attenuated by the slits. This suppresses the propagation of the vibrations from the first region to the second region. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the detection accuracy of the sensor while allowing the sound waves to propagate outside the vehicle.

[0010] [Aspect 3] The vehicle exterior structure of aspect 1 or aspect 2, wherein the main body portion has a base material with the slit formed therein, and the suppression portion includes a filling portion filled inside the slit and softer than the base material.

[0011] According to this configuration, since the inside of the slit is filled with a filling portion that is softer than the base material, for example, when the slit opens on the outer surface of the base material, it is possible to prevent the design of the exterior member from being impaired due to the slit. Also, it is possible to prevent an increase in the air resistance of the vehicle. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the rigidity of the exterior member, whether the slit opens on the outer surface of the base material or on the inner surface of the base material.

[0012] [Aspect 4] The vehicle exterior structure according to aspect 3, wherein the exterior member has a covering portion formed from the same material as the filling portion, connected to the filling portion, and covering at least one of the outer surface or inner surface of the base material.

[0013] According to this configuration, for example, in a configuration in which the covering portion covers the outer surface of the base material, the slits and the filling portion are less visible, thereby preventing the design of the exterior member from being impaired.

[0014] Furthermore, whether the slits are formed on the outer surface of the substrate or on the inner surface of the substrate, the filling portion and the covering portion can be formed integrally, which makes it easy to form the filling portion and the covering portion.

[0015] [Aspect 5] The vehicle exterior structure according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the slit is groove-shaped and surrounds the entire periphery of the first region.

[0016] According to this configuration, since the entire periphery of the first region is surrounded by the groove-shaped slit, the propagation of vibrations from the first region to the outside of the first region can be suppressed over the entire periphery of the first region. This further suppresses the propagation of vibrations from the first region to the second region. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of the detection accuracy of the sensor while allowing sound waves to propagate outside the vehicle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the detection accuracy of the sensor while propagating sound waves outside the vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle in one embodiment of the exterior structure of the vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an exterior member of a first modified example. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an exterior member of a second modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 and is a front view of an exterior member of a third modified example. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an exterior member according to a fourth modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 and is a front view of an exterior member of a fifth modified example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing that the reflection position of the radio wave transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device varies depending on the position of the rear surface of the exterior member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle will be simply referred to as the longitudinal direction L, and the front and rear of the longitudinal direction L will be simply referred to as the front and rear, respectively. The width direction of the vehicle will be simply referred to as the vehicle width direction W, and the vertical direction of the vehicle will be simply referred to as the vertical direction Z. In this embodiment, the external structure of the vehicle is embodied as the front structure of the vehicle.

[0020] 1, an exterior member 10 that constitutes part of the outer shell of the vehicle is provided at the front of the vehicle. The exterior member 10 is, for example, a front grille. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a sound generating unit 30 that emits sound waves toward the exterior member 10 and a sensor 50 that uses electromagnetic waves are provided behind, that is, inside, the exterior member 10.

[0021] <Sound Section 30> 2 and 3, the sound producing unit 30 is, for example, a vibrator that vibrates the exterior member 10. When the sound producing unit 30 is a vibrator, it is preferable that the sound producing unit 30 is disposed in contact with the exterior member 10.

[0022] The sound generating unit 30 is electrically connected to a control unit 40 that controls the operation of the sound generating unit 30 . The external structure of the vehicle of this embodiment is configured so that sound waves generated when the exterior member 10 is vibrated by the sound generating unit 30, which is a vibrator, propagate to the outside of the vehicle.

[0023] The sound waves are, for example, an approach notification sound that is emitted to notify people approaching the vehicle that the vehicle is approaching. The sound waves have a predetermined frequency within the range of, for example, 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Note that the predetermined frequency may include, in addition to the fundamental frequency, a frequency that is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency that is two or more.

[0024] The fundamental frequency of the approach warning sound is preferably within the range of 20 Hz to 5000 Hz. <Sensor 50> 2, the sensor 50 is, for example, a well-known millimeter wave radar device. A millimeter wave radar device transmits and receives millimeter waves, which are radio waves with wavelengths on the order of millimeters.

[0025] <Exterior member 10> 2, the exterior member 10 includes a main body 20 having a first region 11 that is a region that transmits sound waves emitted by the sound generator 30, and a second region 12 that is a region that transmits electromagnetic waves transmitted from the sensor 50. The first region 11 and the second region 12 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction W.

[0026] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the main body portion 20 includes a slit 23 located between the first region 11 and the second region 12, and has a suppression portion 22 that suppresses the propagation of vibration from the first region 11 to the second region 12.

[0027] The main body 20 has a base material 21 made of a hard resin material, such as ABS, PC, PP, or PE. The slit 23 is provided in the base material 21. The slit 23 is, for example, a groove-like shape that opens to the rear surface, i.e., the inner surface, of the base material 21. The slit 23 surrounds the entire periphery of the first region 11.

[0028] The inside of the slit 23 is filled with a filling portion 24 that is softer than the base material 21. The soft material that forms the filling portion 24 is preferably a soft resin material such as polyurethane, or an elastic material such as rubber or elastomer.

[0029] In this embodiment, the slit 23 and the filling portion 24 form the suppressing portion 22 . The exterior member 10 has a covering portion 25 that is continuous with the filling portion 24 and covers the inner surface of the base material 21. The covering portion 25 is made of the same material as the filling portion 24.

[0030] Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. The first region 11 vibrates due to sound waves emitted from the sound generating section 30 of the main body 20 of the exterior member 10. Here, the vibrations traveling from the first region 11 to the second region 12 are attenuated by the slits 23. This suppresses the propagation of the vibrations from the first region 11 to the second region 12.

[0031] According to the vehicle exterior structure according to the present embodiment described above, the following advantageous effects can be obtained. (1) The main body 20 of the exterior member 10 includes a slit 23 located between the first region 11 and the second region 12, and has a suppression portion 22 that suppresses the propagation of vibration from the first region 11 to the second region 12.

[0032] With this configuration, the above-mentioned effects are achieved, and the detection accuracy of the sensor 50 can be reduced while the sound waves are propagated to the outside of the vehicle. (2) Since the inside of the slit 23 is filled with the filling portion 24 that is softer than the base material 21, the rigidity of the exterior member 10 can be prevented from decreasing.

[0033] (3) The filling portion 24 and the covering portion 25 can be integrally formed. Therefore, the filling portion 24 and the covering portion 25 can be easily formed. (4) Since the entire periphery of the first region 11 is surrounded by the groove-shaped slits 23, the propagation of vibrations in the first region 11 to the outside of the first region 11 can be suppressed over the entire periphery of the first region 11. This further suppresses the propagation of vibrations from the first region 11 to the second region 12. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress a decrease in the detection accuracy of the sensor 50 while allowing sound waves to propagate outside the vehicle.

[0034] <Modification> This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0035] As in the first modified example shown in FIG. 4, the covering portion 25 may be omitted from the above embodiment. As in a second modified example shown in Fig. 5, the slit 23 may be a groove-like opening on the front surface, i.e., the outer surface, of the base material 21. In this case, the covering portion 25 may cover the outer surface of the base material 21. In this case, the slit 23 and the filling portion 24 become less visible, which prevents the provision of the slit 23 from impairing the design of the exterior member 10. Furthermore, the covering portion 25 may be omitted in the second modified example.

[0036] As in a third modified example shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the slit 23 may be a hole penetrating the base material 21. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6 , the slit 23 may be provided extending in the up-down direction Z and positioned between the first region 11 and the second region 12. Furthermore, the first region 11 may be surrounded by a plurality of slits 23A, 23B, and 23C in addition to the slit 23. The slit 23A is positioned above the first region 11 and extends in the vehicle width direction W. The slit 23B is positioned below the first region 11 and extends in the vehicle width direction W. The slit 23C is positioned on the opposite side of the slit 23 across the first region 11 in the vehicle width direction W and extends in the up-down direction Z. In this case, for example, the slits 23, 23A, 23B, and 23C are filled with filling portions 24, 24A, 24B, and 24C.

[0037] As in the fourth modified example shown in FIG. 8, the filling portions 24, 24A, 24B, and 24C may be omitted from the third modified example. In the above embodiment and each modification, the sensor 50 may be embodied as a LiDAR.

[0038] In the above embodiment and each modified example, the exterior member 10 is provided in front of, i.e., outside, the sensor 50 using electromagnetic waves, but the exterior member 10 may have a sensor using at least one of sound waves and electromagnetic waves.

[0039] For example, as in a fifth modified example shown in FIG. 9 , an exterior member 110 is provided with a sensor 150, a so-called clearance sonar, that detects the distance to an object using ultrasonic waves. The exterior member 110 is, for example, a front bumper cover. A main body 120 of the exterior member 110 has a first region 111 that is a region that transmits sound waves emitted by the sound generator 30, and a second region 112 that is a region in which the sensor 150 is provided. Even in this case, the main body 120 includes a slit 123 located between the first region 111 and the second region 112, and is provided with a suppression unit 122 that suppresses propagation of vibration from the first region 111 to the second region 112, thereby achieving the same effects as the effects and effect (1) of the above embodiment.

[0040] The exterior member 10 is not limited to the front grille exemplified in the above embodiment and the front bumper cover exemplified in the fifth modified example. The exterior member of the present disclosure can also be embodied as a fog lamp cover, a bonnet hood, or a cowl louver. The exterior member of the present disclosure can also be embodied as a fender, a fender arch, a rocker molding, a roof side molding, or a pillar. The exterior member of the present disclosure can also be embodied as a rear garnish, a rear spoiler, or a rear bumper cover. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] 10,110...Exterior materials 11,111…First area 12,112…Second area 20,120...Main body 21...Base material 22,122…Suppression part 23,123...slit 24...Filling section 25...Covering part 30...Phonetic section 40...Control unit 50,150...sensor 90...Sensor

Claims

1. an exterior member that constitutes a part of the outer shell of the vehicle; a sound generating unit provided inside the exterior member and configured to generate sound waves toward the exterior member, the exterior member is provided outside the sensor using electromagnetic waves, the exterior member includes a main body having a first region that is a transmission region for the sound wave emitted by the sound generator and a second region that is a transmission region for the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the sensor, the main body portion includes a slit located between the first region and the second region, and has a suppression portion that suppresses propagation of vibration from the first region to the second region. The exterior structure of the vehicle.

2. the main body portion has a base material on which the slit is provided, The suppression portion is filled inside the slit and includes a filling portion softer than the base material. The vehicle exterior structure of claim 1 .

3. The exterior member has a covering portion formed of the same material as the filling portion, connected to the filling portion, and covering at least one of an outer surface or an inner surface of the base material. The vehicle exterior structure of claim 2.

4. The slit is groove-shaped and surrounds the entire periphery of the first region. The vehicle exterior structure of claim 1 .

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