JP7635730B2 - Vehicle exterior parts - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to vehicle exterior accessories that are attached to the exterior of a vehicle to decorate the exterior.

In a vehicle equipped with a millimeter-wave radar device, millimeter waves are transmitted from the device toward the outside of the vehicle. The millimeter waves that are reflected by objects outside the vehicle, including preceding vehicles and pedestrians, are received by the millimeter-wave radar device. The millimeter-wave radar device then recognizes the objects using the transmitted and received millimeter waves, and detects the distance between the vehicle and the object, the relative speed, etc.

In the vehicle, exterior vehicle components such as a front grille and an emblem are disposed in front of the millimeter wave radar device in the transmission direction of the millimeter waves.
Conventionally, the above-mentioned vehicle exterior accessories have been required to have the functions of concealing a millimeter wave radar device and transmitting millimeter waves, but in recent years, they have also been required to have a shining function.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a vehicle exterior accessory that includes a decorative main body that decorates the vehicle's exterior and a light source that emits light. The decorative main body includes a transparent member that is transparent to millimeter waves and light. The transparent member includes a light-emitting portion that diffusely reflects (scatters) light. The light source is disposed outside the periphery of the decorative main body. When the light source emits light, the light passes through the transparent member. The light is diffusely reflected as it passes through the light-emitting portion. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from outside the vehicle, the decorative main body (transparent member) appears to be glowing.

JP 2019-217863 A

However, while the above-mentioned conventional vehicle exterior accessories can make the decorative main body shine, the brightness is not sufficient, and there is still room for improvement in terms of making the body shine brighter.

The vehicle exterior accessory that solves the above problem is applied to a vehicle equipped with a millimeter wave radar device that transmits millimeter waves, and is arranged in front of the millimeter wave radar device in the transmission direction of the millimeter waves, and includes a decorative main body that decorates the exterior of the vehicle, a light source that emits light, and a light diffusion reflection member that is millimeter wave transparent and diffusely reflects the irradiated light, the decorative main body includes a base material that diffuses and transmits the irradiated light and has millimeter wave transparency, and a decorative layer that is formed in front of the base material in the transmission direction and has millimeter wave transparency, and the light source, the decorative main body, and the light diffusion reflection member are arranged at a location where the light emitted by the light source is diffusely reflected by the light diffusion reflection member and directed toward the base material.

According to the above configuration, when the light source emits light, the light is irradiated onto the light diffusing and reflecting member. The light is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member and directed toward the base material of the decorative main body. The light irradiated onto the base material is diffused and transmitted by the base material. Note that "light is diffused and transmitted by the base material" means "light is diffused by the base material" and "light is transmitted through the base material."

Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from outside the vehicle, the decorative main body appears bright and white. In particular, the light emitted by the light source is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member, and is then further diffused and transmitted by the base material. Therefore, the vehicle exterior accessory appears brighter white than when the light from the light source is diffused by only one of the light diffusing and reflecting member and the base material.

In the vehicle exterior product, the base material is preferably formed from a resin material in which particles of a light diffusing material are dispersed.
According to the above configuration, when the light diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member is incident on the base material, the light hits the particles of the light diffusing material dispersed in the resin material, and is diffused and transmitted.

In the vehicle exterior product, it is preferable that a rear surface of the base material in the transmission direction has an uneven portion that diffuses and transmits the light irradiated to the rear surface.
According to the above configuration, when light that has been diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member is incident on the uneven portion on the rear surface of the base material in the transmission direction, the light is diffused by and transmitted through the uneven portion.

In the vehicle exterior accessory, the entire light diffusion/reflection member is preferably formed from a resin material having a light diffusion material dispersed therein.
According to the above configuration, when the light emitted by the light source is irradiated onto the light diffusing and reflecting member, the light strikes the particles of the light diffusing material dispersed in the resin material of the light diffusing and reflecting member, and is diffusely reflected.

In the above vehicle exterior accessory, it is preferable that the frontmost part of the light diffusing and reflecting member in the transmission direction is composed of a light diffusing and reflecting layer made of a coating film in which particles of a light diffusing material are dispersed.

According to the above configuration, the light emitted by the light source is irradiated onto the light diffusion reflection layer located at the forefront of the light diffusion reflection member in the transmission direction. When the irradiated light hits the light diffusion material dispersed in the resin material of the light diffusion reflection layer, it is diffusely reflected.

In the vehicle exterior accessory, the light diffusion reflection member is disposed rearward of the decorative main body in the transmission direction, the outer peripheral edge of the decorative main body and the outer peripheral edge of the light diffusion reflection member are joined by an annular joint, the area between the decorative main body and the light diffusion reflection member and surrounded by the joint constitutes a storage section, and the light source is preferably disposed in the storage section.

As described above, by forming a storage section between the decorative main body and the light diffusing and reflecting member and placing a light source in this storage section, the light source is covered and protected by the decorative main body and the light diffusing and reflecting member.

In the vehicle exterior accessory, it is preferable that a portion of the area of the housing part that is away from the joint part toward the inside of the housing part constitutes a passing area of the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device.

According to the above configuration, all of the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device pass through the housing, and the phenomenon in which a portion of the transmitted millimeter waves pass outside the housing does not occur.
In the vehicle exterior accessory, it is preferable that the light source is disposed in a portion of the housing portion that is outside the passage area.

By arranging the light source in a location in the housing that satisfies the above conditions, the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device pass through the location in the housing where there is no light source. The light source does not impede the passage of the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device.

In the vehicle exterior accessory, it is preferable that the light source is disposed at a position away from the light diffusing and reflecting member toward the front in the transmission direction, and emits the light toward the rear in the transmission direction.

According to the above configuration, the light source emits light backward in the transmission direction. When this light is irradiated onto the light diffusing and reflecting member, it is diffusely reflected. A portion of the diffusely reflected light is irradiated onto the base material of the decorative main body.

In the above vehicle exterior accessory, it is preferable that the decorative main body includes, in addition to the base material, a light-shielding portion that blocks the transmission of the light, and a part of the light-shielding portion is configured by a peripheral light-shielding portion that is in close contact with the outer peripheral edge of the base material, and the peripheral light-shielding portion is welded in close contact with the outer peripheral edge of the light diffusion reflection member, and the joint is formed by the welded portion between the peripheral light-shielding portion and the light diffusion reflection member.

According to the above configuration, the peripheral light shielding portion and the outer peripheral edge portion of the light diffusion reflection member are joined by welding. There is no gap between the peripheral light shielding portion and the outer peripheral edge portion, and the two are sealed. Therefore, water from outside the vehicle exterior part is prevented from entering the storage portion through the gap between the peripheral light shielding portion and the outer peripheral edge portion.

In addition, the light-shielding portion, including the peripheral light-shielding portion, blocks the transmission of visible light. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from outside the vehicle, the components behind the peripheral light-shielding portion in the transmission direction cannot be seen.

In the vehicle exterior accessory, the portion of the light shielding portion that is forward of the base material in the transmission direction and surrounded by the peripheral light shielding portion is preferably configured as an intermediate light shielding portion, and a light reflecting portion that reflects the irradiated light backward in the transmission direction is provided between the intermediate light shielding portion and the base material.

According to the above configuration, of the light irradiated from the light source and diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member, that which is directed toward the intermediate light shielding portion is irradiated to the light reflecting portion after passing through the base material. This light is reflected backward in the transmission direction by the light reflecting portion and is irradiated to the light diffusing and reflecting member. In this way, the light diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member is bounced back by the light reflecting portion and returned to the light diffusing and reflecting member. Therefore, more light is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member than when the light reflecting portion is not provided. As a result, more light is diffused and transmitted by the base material, resulting in higher brightness.

In the above vehicle exterior product, the base material is formed with a general portion and a band-shaped protrusion that protrudes forward in the transmission direction beyond the general portion, both sides in the width direction of the protrusion are formed with a pair of side surfaces that are inclined with respect to the transmission direction so that the distance between them increases toward the rear in the transmission direction, the front end surface of the protrusion in the transmission direction is formed with a top surface that connects both side surfaces, the intermediate light-shielding portion is formed forward of the general portion in the transmission direction, a light-shielding layer that blocks the transmission of the light is formed between each side surface of the protrusion and the decorative layer, and it is preferable that the light-shielding layer is not formed between the top surface of the protrusion and the decorative layer.

When the light source is not turned on, light from the light source is not irradiated onto the light diffuse reflecting member. Therefore, the light is not diffusely reflected by the light diffuse reflecting member. As a result, light from the light diffuse reflecting member is not irradiated onto the base material. Therefore, light is not diffused or transmitted through the base material either.

On the other hand, when visible light is incident on the vehicle exterior accessory from the front in the transmission direction, part of the visible light is absorbed by the intermediate shading portion, preventing it from passing through. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from outside the vehicle, the components behind the intermediate shading portion cannot be seen.

In addition, a portion of the visible light is reflected by a portion of the decorative layer that is located in front of the protrusion in the transmission direction. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from outside the vehicle, the decorative layer appears three-dimensionally to protrude forward in the transmission direction. In other words, the portion of the decorative layer on the protrusion that is formed on the top surface appears to be located further forward in the transmission direction than the portions formed on both sides. The portions of the decorative layer on the protrusion that are formed on both sides appear as a shadow behind the portion formed on the top surface in the transmission direction.

In contrast, if light diffused and transmitted by the substrate is irradiated onto the portion of the decorative layer formed on the top surface and the portions formed on both sides when the light source is turned on, the following problem may occur. That is, the portion of the decorative layer formed on the top surface and the portions formed on both sides appear uniformly bright due to the light diffused and transmitted by the substrate. The decorative layer on the protrusion appears to have expanded in the width direction of the protrusion, i.e., appears thicker, compared to when the light source is not turned on.

In this regard, according to the above configuration, a light-shielding layer is formed between each side surface of the protrusion and the decorative layer. The light-shielding layer blocks the transmission of light. Light diffused and transmitted by the base material does not reach the portion of the decorative layer formed on each side surface of the protrusion.

In contrast, no light-shielding layer is formed between the top surface of the protrusion and the decorative layer. Therefore, the portion of the decorative layer formed on the top surface of the protrusion is irradiated with light that is diffused and transmitted by the base material.

When the light source is turned on, the portion of the decorative layer on the protrusion that is formed on the top surface appears bright. The portions of the decorative layer on the protrusion that are formed on each side do not appear bright. Therefore, the decorative layer on the protrusion appears to be of approximately the same width when the light source is turned on and when it is off.

In the above vehicle exterior product, when the substrate is a rear substrate, a front substrate made of a transparent resin material is disposed in front of the decorative layer in the transmission direction in a state of close contact with the decorative layer, and a protective layer is preferably formed between the decorative layer and the rear substrate to cover and protect the decorative layer from the rear in the transmission direction.

According to the above configuration, when the vehicle exterior part is viewed from outside the vehicle, the decorative layer is visible through the transparent front substrate. This decorative layer decorates the vehicle exterior part, and ultimately the surrounding area of the vehicle exterior part on the vehicle.

The decorative layer is also protected by a protective layer that covers it from behind in the transmission direction. The protective layer prevents the decorative layer from peeling off from the front substrate. The protective layer keeps the decorative layer in close contact with the front substrate.

In the above vehicle exterior product, the decorative layer is formed of a metal coating that has the millimeter wave transmittance and shifts the wavelength of the light irradiated from the light source, and the protective layer contains a pigment or dye, and it is preferable that the pigment or dye shifts the color of the light that is incident on the protective layer as it passes through the protective layer to a color such that the light that passes through the decorative layer is white.

When the decorative layer is formed of a metal coating that has millimeter wave transparency and shifts the wavelength of light irradiated from a light source, the light may be shifted to a color other than white by passing through the decorative layer. In this case, when the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from outside the vehicle, the decorative layer appears to shine in a color other than white, which is the color shifted as described above.

However, the protective layer contains the above-mentioned pigment or dye. In this case, the light incident on the protective layer is shifted to a color that will be white after passing through the decorative layer as it passes through the protective layer. As the shifted light passes through the decorative layer, it is adjusted to white on the blackbody locus.

In the vehicle exterior product, it is preferable that the metal coating is formed of indium, and the protective layer contains a green pigment or dye.
When the metal coating is made of indium as described above, the light is shifted to yellow light by passing through the decorative layer, and when the vehicle exterior accessory is viewed from the outside of the vehicle, the decorative layer appears to shine yellow.

However, as in the above configuration, a protective layer containing a green pigment or dye is used. Then, as the light incident on the protective layer passes through the protective layer, the green pigment or dye shifts the light to a color (green) that will be white after passing through the decorative layer. As the shifted green light passes through the decorative layer, the light is adjusted to white on the blackbody locus.

The above vehicle exterior accessory allows the decorative main body to shine even brighter.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a vehicle exterior accessory according to a first embodiment. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view showing an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 2 . A partial side cross-sectional view of the decorative main body in the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a chromaticity diagram illustrating the effect of adjusting the light transmitted through the decorative layer to be white in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of part B in FIG. 5 .

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an exterior part for a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle is referred to as the front, and the backward direction is referred to as the rear. The up-down direction means the up-down direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction means the vehicle width direction, which coincides with the left-right direction when the vehicle is moving forward. In each drawing, the scale of each part of the vehicle exterior accessory is appropriately changed so that each part can be recognized.

As shown in FIG. 2, a millimeter wave radar device 12 for monitoring the forward direction is mounted in the center of the front of the vehicle 10 in the left-right direction, behind the front grill 11. The millimeter wave radar device 12 has a sensor function of transmitting millimeter waves, a form of electromagnetic waves, toward the outside of the vehicle, within a predetermined angular range in front of the vehicle 10, and receiving millimeter waves reflected by objects outside the vehicle, including preceding vehicles, pedestrians, etc. Millimeter waves are radio waves with a wavelength of 1 mm to 10 mm and a frequency of 30 GHz to 300 GHz.

The millimeter wave radar device 12 has features such as being resistant to bad weather such as rain, fog, and snow, and having a longer detectable distance compared to other methods.
As described above, because the millimeter wave radar device 12 transmits millimeter waves toward the front of the vehicle 10, the transmission direction of millimeter waves by the millimeter wave radar device 12 is a direction from the rear to the front of the vehicle 10. The front in the transmission direction of millimeter waves coincides with the front of the vehicle 10, and the rear in the same transmission direction coincides with the rear of the vehicle 10. Therefore, in the following description, the front in the transmission direction of millimeter waves will be simply referred to as the "front", "front", etc., and the rear in the same transmission direction will be simply referred to as the "rear", "rear", etc.

The thickness (front-rear dimension) of the front grille 11 is not constant, as with a typical front grille. In addition, a metal plating layer may be formed on the surface of the resin base material in the front grille. In this case, the front grille interferes with the transmitted or reflected millimeter waves. Therefore, a window portion 13 is provided in the front grille 11 at a location that is the path of the millimeter waves of the millimeter wave radar device 12, specifically, at a location in front of the millimeter wave radar device 12 in the transmission direction of the millimeter waves. The vehicle exterior part 20 is placed in this window portion 13.

The vehicle exterior accessory 20 includes a decorative main body portion 31, a light diffusion reflection member 71, and a light source 81. Next, each portion that constitutes the vehicle exterior accessory 20 will be described.
<Decorative main body 31>
1 and 2, the decorative main body 31 is for decorating the exterior of the vehicle 10, and has an overall horizontally long, generally elliptical plate shape. The decorative main body 31 is gently curved so as to bulge forward.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the decorative main body 31 includes a rear substrate 32, a light-shielding portion, a front substrate 51, a decorative layer 61, a protective layer 63, and a hard coat layer 65. Note that the decorative layer 61, the protective layer 63, and the hard coat layer 65 are not shown in Figure 2.

<Rear substrate 32>
The rear base material 32 is a member that corresponds to the “base material” in the claims. The rear base material 32 is a member that constitutes the rear half of the decorative main body 31, and has millimeter wave transparency, which is the ability to transmit millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device 12.

The rear substrate 32 is formed from a resin material in which particles of a white light diffusing material are dispersed. Copolymer polycarbonate is used as the resin material. Metal oxides such as titanium oxide and zinc oxide are used as the light diffusing material. The rear substrate 32 diffuses and transmits the light irradiated onto the rear substrate 32 so that the light becomes white light.

In addition, the resin material may be AS (acrylonitrile styrene) resin, PC (polycarbonate) resin, PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) resin, etc. In addition, the light diffusing material may be barium sulfate, silica, etc.

Among them, AS resin has low water absorption. Therefore, when AS resin is used as the resin material, even if the vehicle exterior part 20 is used under high temperature and high humidity, the change in electrical properties such as dielectric constant and dielectric loss tangent due to water absorption is small, and the decrease in millimeter wave transmittance is unlikely to occur. Furthermore, when AS resin is used to form the vehicle exterior part 20, it is unlikely that the heat resistance will decrease due to water absorption and the product strength will not be maintained. Therefore, in these respects, AS resin is suitable as the resin material for the rear substrate 32. In this case, barium sulfate, which shows effective optical properties for AS resin, is suitable as the light diffusing material.

The rear base material 32 is formed with a general portion 33 and a band-shaped protrusion 34 that protrudes forward from the general portion 33. The general portion 33 corresponds to the background region 21 of the vehicle exterior part 20 in FIG. 1. The protrusion 34 corresponds to the pattern region 22 of the vehicle exterior part 20. Here, the pattern region 22 is composed of a character portion 23 and a ring-shaped portion 24 around it.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rear surface 36 of the rear substrate 32 is largely constituted by a single smooth surface that is gently curved forwardly.
<Light-shielding part>
The light shielding portion includes a peripheral light shielding portion 41 and an intermediate light shielding portion 43. The peripheral light shielding portion 41 and the intermediate light shielding portion 43 are formed of, for example, a mixed material of PC resin and carbon black. The peripheral light shielding portion 41 and the intermediate light shielding portion 43 are black in color and absorb light to block light transmission. The peripheral light shielding portion 41 is provided along the outer peripheral edge portion 35 of the rear base material 32 to form an elliptical ring shape and is in close contact with the outer peripheral edge portion 35. The intermediate light shielding portion 43 is a portion surrounded by the peripheral light shielding portion 41 and is located in front of the general portion 33 of the rear base material 32.

<Front substrate 51>
The front base material 51 is a transparent member constituting the front half of the decorative main body 31. The front base material 51 is made of PC resin and is located forward of the rear base material 32 and the light shielding portion (the peripheral light shielding portion 41 and the intermediate light shielding portion 43). Here, the term "transparent" includes colorless transparent as well as colored transparent (colored transparent). The front base material 51 may be formed of a transparent resin such as PMMA resin instead of PC resin.

The rear part of the front substrate 51 is formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the front parts of both the rear substrate 32 and the light shielding part. That is, a recess 52 recessed forward is formed in the rear part of the front substrate 51 in front of the protrusion 34 of the rear substrate 32. In addition, an annular recess 54 recessed forward is formed in the rear surface of the outer peripheral edge 53 of the front substrate 51. The annular recess 54 is in close contact with the peripheral light shielding part 41 from the front. In addition, a recess 55 recessed forward is formed in the rear part of the front substrate 51 in front of the intermediate light shielding part 43. This recess 55 is in close contact with the intermediate light shielding part 43 from the front.

The front surface 56 of the front base material 51 corresponds to the rear surface 36 of the rear base material 32 and is configured as a single smooth surface that is gently curved so as to bulge forward.
<Decorative layer 61>
As shown in Fig. 3, the decorative layer 61 is formed between the rear substrate 32 and the intermediate light-shielding portion 43 and the front substrate 51. More specifically, the decorative layer 61 is formed in front of the protrusion 34, between the protrusion 34 and the recess 52. Furthermore, the decorative layer 61 is formed in front of the general portion 33, between the intermediate light-shielding portion 43 and the general portion 33. That is, the decorative layer 61 is formed in front of the protrusion 34 at the location where the protrusion 34 is provided. Furthermore, the decorative layer 61 is formed on the rear surface of the intermediate light-shielding portion 43 at the location where the intermediate light-shielding portion 43 is provided.

The decorative layer 61 is composed of a metal film. If the metal film were formed in a continuous state over the entire surface, millimeter waves would be blocked or greatly attenuated. For this reason, the metal film is formed in an island structure by sputtering or vapor deposition of a metal material such as indium (In). In an island structure, the metal film is not continuous over the entire surface, and many fine metal films are laid out in an island shape, slightly spaced apart from each other or partially in contact with each other. By adopting this structure, the metal film has a discontinuous structure, has high electrical resistance, and is millimeter wave transparent. The decorative layer 61 has a metallic luster.

<Protective Layer 63>
The protective layer 63 is a layer for covering and protecting the decorative layer 61 from the rear, and is formed between the decorative layer 61 and the rear base material 32. The protective layer 63 is formed of a colorless transparent or colored transparent material, in this embodiment, a urethane-based paint, and has millimeter wave transparency.

<Hard Coat Layer 65>
The hard coat layer 65 is transparent and has millimeter wave transmittance. The hard coat layer 65 is formed by applying a known hard coat agent to the front surface 56 of the front substrate 51. Examples of the hard coat agent include organic hard coat agents such as acrylate-based, oxetane-based, and silicone-based hard coat agents, inorganic hard coat agents, and organic-inorganic hybrid hard coat agents.

The hard coat layer 65 is located at the forefront of the decorative main body portion 31. The front surface of the hard coat layer 65 constitutes the design surface of the vehicle exterior part 20.
The hard coat layer 65 has a function of preventing scratches on the front substrate 51. In addition, the hard coat layer 65 also has a function of preventing the vehicle exterior part 20 from being altered or deteriorated due to sunlight, wind and rain, temperature changes, and the like.

<Light Diffusion Reflection Member 71>
2 and 3, the light diffusion reflection member 71 is disposed behind the decorative main body 31. The light diffusion reflection member 71 has millimeter wave transparency.

The entire light diffusion reflection member 71 is formed from a resin material in which a white light diffusion material is dispersed. The resin material used is ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer) resin, but other resin materials, such as a polymer alloy of PC resin and ABS resin, may also be used. The light diffusion material used may be, for example, the same as the light diffusion material dispersed in the rear substrate 32.

The light diffusing and reflecting member 71 diffuses and reflects the light irradiated thereon so as to become white light.
The peripheral light shielding portion 41 constituting the outer peripheral edge of the decorative main body portion 31 and the outer peripheral edge portion 72 of the light diffusing and reflecting member 71 are joined by an annular joint portion 73 .

More specifically, the rear end face 42 of the peripheral light shielding part 41 is welded to the front face 74 of the outer peripheral edge part 72 of the light diffusion reflection member 71 by a welding method such as ultrasonic welding. Ultrasonic welding is a method in which pressure and ultrasonic vibration are applied to the intended joining surfaces of two resin parts, and the two resin parts are melted and joined by the generated frictional heat. In this case, the two resin parts are the light diffusion reflection member 71 and the peripheral light shielding part 41, and the intended joining surfaces are the rear end face 42 and the front face 74. The above-mentioned annular joint part 73 is formed by the welded part between the peripheral light shielding part 41 and the light diffusion reflection member 71. The above-mentioned welding may be performed by a welding method other than ultrasonic welding, such as laser welding or hot plate welding.

The area between the decorative main body 31 and the light diffusing and reflecting member 71 and surrounded by the joint 73 constitutes the storage section 75. A part of the area of the storage section 75 that is away inward from the joint 73 is used as a passing area 76 for the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device 12 (see FIG. 1).

<Light source 81>
2 and 3, the light source 81 is configured by a light emitting diode (LED) chip. In the first embodiment, a plurality of light sources 81 are used. Each light source 81 is configured by mounting an LED element 83 on a substrate 82.

Each light source 81 is disposed in the housing 75 at a location outside the passage area 76. In the first embodiment, some of the light sources 81 are disposed at a location above the passage area 76, and the remaining light sources 81 are disposed at a location below the passage area 76.

The light source 81 , the decorative main body 31 and the light diffusing and reflecting member 71 are disposed at locations where the light from the light source 81 is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member 71 and directed toward the rear base material 32 .
To satisfy the above conditions, each light source 81 is disposed with the LED element 83 positioned rearward of the substrate 82. Moreover, the LED element 83 of each light source 81 is spaced forward from the light diffusing and reflecting member 71 and emits light rearward.

The vehicle exterior part 20 is placed in the window portion 13 of the front grille 11 in an upright state and attached to the front grille 11. There are no particular limitations on the structure for attaching the vehicle exterior part 20 to the front grille 11. The vehicle exterior part 20 is attached to the front grille 11 by, for example, clips, screws, claw engagement, etc. The vehicle exterior part 20 may be attached to the vehicle body (not shown) instead of the front grille 11.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment configured as above will be described, along with the effects that accompany the operation.
In the vehicle exterior accessory 20 of the first embodiment, the peripheral light shielding portion 41 constituting the peripheral portion of the decorative main body portion 31 and the outer peripheral edge portion 72 of the light diffusion reflection member 71 are joined by an annular joint portion 73 to form a storage portion 75 consisting of a closed space. A plurality of light sources 81 are arranged in this storage portion 75. Therefore, each light source 81 can be covered by the decorative main body portion 31 and the light diffusion reflection member 71. When an external force is applied to the vehicle exterior accessory 20, the external force can be received by the decorative main body portion 31 and the light diffusion reflection member 71. The external force is prevented from reaching each light source 81, and each light source 81 can be protected from the external force.

The joint 73 is formed by welding the rear end surface 42 of the peripheral light shielding portion 41 to the front surface 74 of the outer peripheral edge portion 72 of the light diffusion reflection member 71. There is no gap between the peripheral light shielding portion 41 and the outer peripheral edge portion 72, and the peripheral light shielding portion 41 and the outer peripheral edge portion 72 are sealed. This prevents rain, water from melting ice and snow, water used when washing a car, etc. from entering the storage portion 75 from between the peripheral light shielding portion 41 and the outer peripheral edge portion 72, improving waterproofing.

The decorative layer 61 is further protected by a protective layer 63 that covers it from behind. This protective layer 63 prevents the decorative layer 61 from peeling off from the front substrate 51, and keeps the decorative layer 61 in close contact with the front substrate 51.

When millimeter waves are transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device 12, the millimeter waves pass through the light diffusion reflection member 71, the storage section 75, and the decorative main body section 31 in that order. A part of the area of the storage section 75 that is away from the joint section 73 toward the inside of the storage section 75 constitutes a passing area 76 for the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device 12 (see Figures 1 and 2). Therefore, all of the transmitted millimeter waves pass through the storage section 75. The phenomenon in which part of the transmitted millimeter waves pass outside the storage section 75 does not occur.

The LED element 83 for each light source 81 is located in a location in the housing section 75 that is above or below the passing area 76. Therefore, the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device 12 pass through a location in the housing section 75 where there is no light source 81. Each light source 81 does not impede the passage of the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device 12.

The millimeter waves that pass through the decorative main body 31 are reflected by objects in front of the vehicle, including preceding vehicles and pedestrians, and then pass through the decorative main body 31, the storage section 75, and the light diffusion reflection member 71 in that order. The millimeter waves are received by the millimeter wave radar device 12. The decorative layer 61, which is made of a metal coating, has an island structure and is discontinuous, so it has high electrical resistance and is millimeter wave transparent.

The millimeter wave radar device 12 recognizes the object based on the transmitted and received millimeter waves, and detects the distance and relative speed between the vehicle 10 and the object.
Moreover, the LED element 83 for each light source 81 emits light backward. A light diffusion reflection member 71 is located behind each light source 81. Therefore, light emitted by each light source 81 is irradiated onto the light diffusion reflection member 71. The irradiated light hits particles of a white light diffusion material dispersed in the resin material of the light diffusion reflection member 71 and is diffusely reflected. The light diffused and reflected by the light diffusion reflection member 71 to become white light travels toward the rear base material 32. The light irradiated onto the rear base material 32 hits particles of a white light diffusion material dispersed in the resin material and is diffused and transmitted to become white light.

Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the decorative main body 31 appears bright and white. In particular, the light emitted by each light source 81 is diffusely reflected by the light diffusion reflecting member 71, and then diffused and transmitted by the rear base material 32. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the vehicle exterior accessory 20 appears brighter white than when the light from each light source 81 is diffused by only one of the light diffusion reflecting member 71 and the rear base material 32.

In FIG. 3 , part of the visible light incident on the vehicle exterior accessory 20 from the front passes through the hard coat layer 65 and the front substrate 51 in this order.
A portion of the visible light is absorbed by the peripheral light-shielding portion 41 and the intermediate light-shielding portion 43 located in the background region 21. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior part 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the peripheral light-shielding portion 41 and the intermediate light-shielding portion 43 appear to be located behind (at the rear of) the hard coat layer 65 and the front substrate 51. Moreover, the peripheral light-shielding portion 41 and the intermediate light-shielding portion 43 appear to be blackish. Members behind the peripheral light-shielding portion 41 and the intermediate light-shielding portion 43 are not visible.

In addition, a portion of the visible light is reflected by the decorative layer 61 located in the pattern region 22. Therefore, when the pattern region 22 of the vehicle exterior part 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the decorative layer 61 appears to be located behind (at the rear of) the hard coat layer 65 and the front substrate 51. Moreover, in the pattern region 22, since the decorative layer 61 is formed between the recessed portion 52 and the protrusion 34, the decorative layer 61 appears three-dimensional as if it is protruding forward. Furthermore, since the decorative layer 61 is formed from a metal coating, it appears to shine like metal.

In this way, the vehicle exterior part 20 is decorated by the intermediate shading part 43 located in the background area 21, the decorative layer 61 located in the pattern area 22, and the peripheral shading part 41 located on the outer periphery of the decorative main body part 31, improving the appearance of the vehicle exterior part 20 and its surrounding areas.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the vehicle exterior part will be described.
In the second embodiment, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 3, a light reflecting portion 85 that reflects irradiated light backward is provided between the general portion 33 and a portion of the protective layer 63 that is behind the intermediate light shielding portion 43. For example, a reflective sheet that reflects light is used as the light reflecting portion 85. The reflective sheet is attached to the above-mentioned portion of the rear surface of the protective layer 63 with a pressure-sensitive adhesive, an adhesive, or the like. Alternatively, the light reflecting portion 85 may be formed by a coating film in which particles of a white light diffusing material are dispersed. Furthermore, the light reflecting portion 85 may be resin molded using a resin material in which a white light diffusing material is dispersed.

The configuration other than the above is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.
Therefore, according to the second embodiment, in addition to obtaining the same actions and effects as the first embodiment, the following actions and effects are obtained.

Of the light emitted from the light source 81 and diffusely reflected by the light diffusion reflecting member 71, that which is directed toward the intermediate light shielding portion 43 is irradiated onto the light reflecting portion 85. This light is reflected backward by the light reflecting portion 85 and irradiated onto the light diffusion reflecting member 71. In this way, the light diffusely reflected by the light diffusion reflecting member 71 is bounced off the light reflecting portion 85 and returned to the light diffusion reflecting member 71. Therefore, more light is diffusely reflected by the light diffusion reflecting member 71 than when the light reflecting portion 85 is not provided. As a result, the amount of light diffused and transmitted by the rear base material 32 is increased, thereby increasing the brightness.

Third Embodiment
Next, a third embodiment of a vehicle exterior part will be described with reference to FIG.
The rear base material 32 is formed with a general portion 33 and a strip-shaped protrusion 34 that protrudes forward from the general portion 33. An intermediate light-shielding portion 43 is formed in front of the general portion 33. In these respects, the third embodiment is common to the first embodiment.

Although not described in the first embodiment, the band-shaped protrusion 34 has a pair of side surfaces 37 and a top surface 38. The pair of side surfaces 37 are located on both sides in the width direction of the protrusion 34 (both the top and bottom in FIG. 4). The two side surfaces 37 are inclined with respect to the transmission direction (front-to-back direction) so that the distance between them, or in other words, the width of the protrusion 34 increases toward the rear. The inclination angles of the two side surfaces 37 with respect to the front-to-back direction may be the same or different. The top surface 38 is located at the front end of the protrusion 34 and connects the front ends of the two side surfaces 37 together.

Furthermore, in the third embodiment, a light shielding layer 87 that blocks the transmission of light is formed between the protrusion 34 and the decorative layer 61 and protective layer 63 at locations facing each side surface 37. The light shielding layer 87 is not formed between the top surface 38 of the protrusion 34 and the decorative layer 61 and protective layer 63. The light shielding layer 87 may or may not be formed behind the intermediate light shielding portion 43 between the decorative layer 61 and protective layer 63 and the general portion 33.

The configuration other than the above is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.
Therefore, according to the third embodiment, the same actions and effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

When the light source 81 is not lit, the light from the light source 81 is not irradiated onto the light diffuse reflection member 71. Therefore, the light is not diffusely reflected by the light diffuse reflection member 71. Accordingly, the light from the light diffuse reflection member 71 is not irradiated onto the rear base material 32. Therefore, the light is not diffused or transmitted by the rear base material 32 either.

On the other hand, when visible light is incident on the vehicle exterior accessory 20 from the front, part of the visible light is absorbed by the intermediate shading portion 43 and is blocked from passing through. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the components behind the intermediate shading portion 43 cannot be seen.

In addition, a portion of the visible light is reflected by the portion of the decorative layer 61 located in front of the protrusion 34. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior part 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, as described above, the decorative layer 61 appears three-dimensionally to protrude forward. That is, the portion of the decorative layer 61 on the protrusion 34 formed on the top surface 38 appears to be located further forward than the portions formed on both side surfaces 37. The portions of the decorative layer 61 on the protrusion 34 formed on both side surfaces 37 appear to be in shadow behind the portion formed on the top surface 38.

In contrast, if the light diffused and transmitted by the rear substrate 32 is irradiated to the portion of the decorative layer 61 formed on the top surface 38 and the portions formed on both sides 37 when the light source 81 is turned on, the following problem may occur. That is, the light diffused and transmitted by the rear substrate 32 makes the portion of the decorative layer 61 formed on the top surface 38 and the portions formed on both sides 37 appear uniformly bright. W1 in FIG. 4 indicates the width of the decorative layer 61 on the protrusion 34 that is visible at this time. The decorative layer 61 on the protrusion 34 appears thicker in the width direction of the protrusion 34 by the amount of the decorative layer 61 formed on both sides 37 compared to when the light source 81 is not turned on.

In this regard, in the third embodiment, a light shielding layer 87 is formed between each side surface 37 of the protrusion 34 and the decorative layer 61. The light shielding layer 87 absorbs light and blocks its transmission. The light diffused and transmitted by the rear substrate 32 does not reach the portion of the decorative layer 61 formed on each side surface 37 of the protrusion 34.

In contrast, no light shielding layer 87 is formed between the top surface 38 of the protrusion 34 and the decorative layer 61. Therefore, light diffused and transmitted by the rear substrate 32 reaches the portion of the decorative layer 61 formed on the top surface 38 of the protrusion 34.

When the light source 81 is turned on, the portion of the decorative layer 61 on the protrusion 34 that is formed on the top surface 38 appears bright, but the portions that are formed on the side surfaces 37 do not appear bright. W2 in FIG. 4 indicates the width of the decorative layer 61 on the protrusion 34 that appears bright at this time.

Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the decorative layer 61 on the protrusion 34 appears to have approximately the same width when the light source 81 is turned on and when it is not turned on, improving the design.
Fourth Embodiment
Next, a fourth embodiment of the vehicle exterior part 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the fourth embodiment, the decorative layer 61 is formed of a metal coating that has millimeter wave transparency and shifts the wavelength of light irradiated from the light source 81. The metal coating is formed of indium. In these respects, the fourth embodiment is common to the first embodiment.

In the fourth embodiment, the protective layer 63 contains a pigment or dye that satisfies the following conditions.
Condition: The color of light incident on the protective layer 63 is shifted during the process of transmission through the protective layer 63 so that the light becomes white after transmission through the decorative layer 61.

When the metal coating is formed of indium as described above, the protective layer 63 contains a green pigment or dye.
The configuration other than the above is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the same elements as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.

Fig. 5 shows a chromaticity diagram in which the color of light is represented by plane coordinates (Cx, Cy). The color of light is indicated by its coordinate position on the chromaticity diagram. Fig. 6 shows an enlarged view of part B in Fig. 5.
As described above, when the decorative layer 61 is formed of a metal coating, the light is shifted to a color different from white by passing through the decorative layer 61. When the vehicle exterior accessory 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the decorative layer 61 appears to shine in a color different from white, which is the color shifted as described above.

When the metal coating is made of indium, the light is shifted to yellow light by passing through the decorative layer 61, as shown by the arrow X in FIG. 6. When the vehicle exterior accessory 20 is viewed from outside the vehicle 10, the decorative layer 61 appears to glow yellow.

However, in the fourth embodiment, the protective layer 63 contains the above-mentioned pigment or dye. Therefore, the light incident on the protective layer 63 is shifted to a color that becomes white after passing through the decorative layer 61 as it passes through the protective layer 63. As the shifted light passes through the decorative layer 61, the light is adjusted to a white color on the blackbody locus.

As described above, the protective layer 63 contains a green pigment or dye. Then, in the process of transmitting the light incident on the protective layer 63, the light is shifted to a color (green) by the green pigment or dye as shown by the arrow Y in FIG. 6 such that the light becomes white after transmitting through the decorative layer 61. By transmitting the shifted green light through the decorative layer 61, the light can be adjusted to a white color on the blackbody locus (not shown) as shown by the arrow Z in FIG. 6. Therefore, when the vehicle exterior accessory 20 is viewed from the front of the vehicle 10, the decorative layer 61 can be made to appear to glow in white.

The above-described embodiments can also be implemented as modified examples as follows. The above-described embodiments and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other to the extent that there is no technical contradiction.

<Regarding rear substrate 32>
In order to diffuse light in the rear base material 32, instead of dispersing a light diffusing material in the resin material forming the rear base material 32, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 4, a concave-convex portion 89 that diffuses and transmits light irradiated to the rear surface 36 of the rear base material 32 may be formed on the rear surface 36 of the rear base material 32. Note that the concave-convex portion 89 is exaggerated in Fig. 4 for convenience of illustration.

In this way, when the light diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member 71 enters the uneven portion 89, the light is diffused and transmitted by the uneven portion 89. Therefore, the light irradiated to the decorative main body portion 31 can be diffused and transmitted by the rear base material 32 so as to become white.

<Light Diffusion Reflection Member 71>
As indicated by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 3, the frontmost part of the light diffusing and reflecting member 71 may be configured with a light diffusing and reflecting layer 91 made of a coating film in which white light diffusing material particles are dispersed. In Fig. 3, the part of the light diffusing and reflecting member 71 in front of the two-dot chain line indicates the light diffusing and reflecting layer 91.

In this way, the light emitted by the light source 81 is irradiated onto the light diffuse reflection layer 91 of the light diffuse reflection member 71. When the irradiated light hits the light diffusing material dispersed in the resin material of the light diffuse reflection layer 91, it is diffusely reflected.

<Decorative layer 61>
The metal coating constituting the decorative layer 61 may be formed of a metal material other than indium. When this modification is applied to the fourth embodiment, the protective layer 63 contains a pigment or dye of a different color from that of the fourth embodiment.

<Light Source 81>
The number of light sources 81 used may be different from that in the above embodiment.
The light source 81 may be disposed in a location of the accommodation portion 75 that is offset in the left-right direction from the passage area 76 .

- A light source that emits light based on a principle different from that of an LED that emits electroluminescence may be used as the light source 81. For example, a light source that emits light by incandescence, fluorescence, discharge, chemical luminescence, laser emission, etc.

<Applicable Targets of the Vehicle Exterior Part 20>
The vehicle exterior accessory 20 can also be applied to a case where the millimeter wave radar device 12 is mounted in a location other than the front of the vehicle 10, for example, in the rear. In this case, the millimeter wave radar device 12 transmits millimeter waves toward the rear of the vehicle 10. The vehicle exterior accessory 20 is disposed in front of the millimeter wave radar device 12 in the transmission direction of the millimeter waves, that is, in a location that is rear of the vehicle 10 with respect to the millimeter wave radar device 12.

Similarly, the vehicle exterior accessory 20 can also be applied to a case in which the millimeter wave radar device 12 is mounted on the diagonal front side or diagonal rear side of the vehicle 10 .
The vehicle exterior product 20 is applied to an object that is attached to the vehicle 10 in front of the millimeter wave radar device 12 in the transmission direction of millimeter waves, decorates the vehicle 10, and has millimeter wave transparency. Examples of the vehicle exterior product 20 include emblems, ornaments, marks, front grilles, etc.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Vehicle 12 Millimeter wave radar device 20 Vehicle exterior part 31 Decoration main body 32 Rear base material (base material)
33: General portion 34: Protrusion 36: Rear surface 37: Side surface 38: Top surface 41: Peripheral light-shielding portion (constituting a part of the light-shielding portion)
43... Intermediate light shielding portion (constituting a part of the light shielding portion)
DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS 51: front base material 61: decorative layer 63: protective layer 71: light diffusion reflection member 72: outer peripheral edge portion 73: joint portion 75: storage portion 76: passing area 81: light source 85: light reflection portion 87: light shielding layer 89: uneven portion 91: light diffusion reflection layer

Claims (14)

An exterior accessory for a vehicle that is applied to a vehicle equipped with a millimeter wave radar device that transmits millimeter waves and is disposed in front of the millimeter wave radar device in a transmission direction of the millimeter waves,
The vehicle has an ornamental main body that decorates an exterior of the vehicle, a light source that emits light, and a light diffusing and reflecting member that has millimeter wave transparency and diffuses and reflects the irradiated light,
The decorative main body portion includes a base material that diffuses and transmits the irradiated light and has millimeter wave transmittance, and a decorative layer that is formed forward of the base material in the transmission direction and has millimeter wave transmittance,
The light source, the decorative main body, and the light diffusing and reflecting member are disposed at locations where the light emitted from the light source is diffusely reflected by the light diffusing and reflecting member and directed toward the base material,
The light diffusing and reflecting member is disposed behind the ornamental main body in the transmission direction,
The outer peripheral edge of the decorative main body and the outer peripheral edge of the light diffusing and reflecting member are joined by an annular joint,
The area between the decorative main body and the light diffusing and reflecting member and surrounded by the joint constitutes a storage section,
The light source is an exterior accessory for a vehicle that is disposed in the housing portion . The vehicle exterior part according to claim 1, wherein the base material is formed from a resin material in which particles of a light diffusing material are dispersed. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 1, wherein the rear surface of the base material in the transmission direction has an uneven portion that diffuses and transmits the light irradiated to the rear surface. The vehicle exterior part according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the entire light diffusion reflection member is formed from a resin material in which a light diffusion material is dispersed. The vehicle exterior part according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the frontmost part of the light diffusion reflection member in the transmission direction is composed of a light diffusion reflection layer made of a coating film in which particles of a light diffusion material are dispersed. 6. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 1, wherein a part of a region of the housing portion that is away from the joint toward the inside of the housing portion constitutes a passing region of the millimeter waves transmitted from the millimeter wave radar device. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 6 , wherein the light source is disposed in a portion of the housing part that is outside the passage area. The vehicle exterior product according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the light source is disposed at a position away from the light diffusing and reflecting member toward the front in the transmission direction, and the light source emits the light toward the rear in the transmission direction. The decorative main body includes, in addition to the base material, a light-shielding portion that blocks the transmission of the light,
A portion of the light-shielding portion is constituted by a peripheral light-shielding portion in a state of being in close contact with an outer peripheral edge portion of the base material,
the peripheral light shielding portion is welded in close contact with the outer peripheral portion of the light diffusion reflection member,
The vehicle exterior part according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the joint is formed by a welded portion between the peripheral light shielding portion and the light diffusing and reflecting member. a portion of the light-shielding portion that is surrounded by the peripheral light-shielding portion in front of the base material in the transmission direction is configured as an intermediate light-shielding portion,
The vehicle exterior part according to claim 9 , wherein a light reflecting portion that reflects the irradiated light backward in the transmission direction is provided between the intermediate light shielding portion and the base material. The base material is formed with a general portion and a band-shaped protrusion that protrudes forward in the transmission direction from the general portion,
both sides of the protrusion in a width direction are formed by a pair of side surfaces inclined with respect to the transmission direction such that a distance therebetween increases toward the rear in the transmission direction, and a front end surface of the protrusion in the transmission direction is formed by a top surface connecting the both side surfaces,
the intermediate light-shielding portion is formed in front of the general portion in the transmission direction,
11. The vehicle exterior part according to claim 10, wherein a light-shielding layer that blocks the transmission of the light is formed between each side surface of the protrusion and the decorative layer, and the light-shielding layer is not formed between the top surface of the protrusion and the decorative layer. When the substrate is used as a rear substrate,
a front base material formed of a transparent resin material is disposed in close contact with the decorative layer in front of the decorative layer in the transmission direction;
The vehicle exterior part according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein a protective layer is formed between the decorative layer and the rear base material to cover and protect the decorative layer from the rear in the transmission direction. The decorative layer is formed of a metal coating that has the millimeter wave transmittance and shifts the wavelength of light irradiated from the light source,
The protective layer contains a pigment or a dye,
The vehicle exterior part according to claim 12, wherein the pigment or the dye shifts the color of the light incident on the protective layer during the process of the light passing through the protective layer to a color such that the light passes through the decorative layer and becomes white. the metal coating is formed of indium;
The vehicle exterior part according to claim 13 , wherein the protective layer contains a green pigment or dye.

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