JP7757771B2 - Vehicle headlight peripheral structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a peripheral structure for a vehicle headlight.

Traditionally, vehicle bumpers have been attached to the body using bolts and clips. Bumpers have a certain degree of flexibility to allow them to absorb impacts, and applying excessive torque when tightening the bolts can cause them to deform. For this reason, bumper installation work has required careful adjustment to avoid affecting the position relative to the headlights.

For example, Patent Document 1, which describes technology related to vehicle lighting fixtures, discloses a headlamp 1 surrounded by a bumper 2. As shown in Figure 2, Patent Document 1 provides a bumper holder 62 for holding the bumper 2 near the lower edge of the outer lens 6 of the headlamp 1. In Patent Document 1, the bumper 2 is attached by supporting the bumper holder 62 with a support rod 60 that protrudes from the lamp housing 5.

JP 2010-215080 A

However, with the technology of Patent Document 1, the bumper 2 is supported only from the underside of the headlamp 1, which could result in insufficient alignment between the bumper 2 and the headlamp 1. Furthermore, in the event of a minor collision, the bumper 2 and the headlamp 1 may interfere with each other, so there is a need to consider ways to prevent damage to the headlamp 1 in such cases.

In light of these issues, the present invention aims to provide a vehicle headlight peripheral structure that improves the accuracy of the parting line between the bumper and the headlight and prevents damage to the headlight in the event of an impact.

To solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the vehicle headlight peripheral structure of the present invention is a vehicle headlight peripheral structure including a headlight unit attached to the front of the vehicle body and a bumper attached to the vehicle body so as to cover the headlight unit. The bumper has a bumper body exposed to the outside of the vehicle, an opening opened in a predetermined location in the bumper body to expose the headlight unit, and a rib located along the edge of the opening and bending and extending from the bumper body toward the vehicle body. The headlight unit has a base connected to the vehicle body, a lens portion protruding from the base toward the opening and exposed from the opening, an outer light convex portion of the base protruding forward of the vehicle from the outer side of the lens portion in the vehicle width direction and contacting the rib from the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and a lower light convex portion of the base protruding forward of the vehicle from below the lens portion. The bumper further has a lower bumper convex portion located below the opening and protruding downward from the rib and contacting the lower light convex portion.

This invention makes it possible to provide a vehicle headlight peripheral structure that improves the accuracy of the parting line between the bumper and the headlight and prevents damage to the headlight in the event of an impact.

1 is a diagram showing an outline of a vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bumper of FIG. 1( a ) as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. 2 is a view of the headlight structure of FIG. 1 as seen from the front of the vehicle. FIG. 4A to 4C are cross-sectional views of the headlight structure of FIG. 4A to 4C are cross-sectional views of the headlight structure of FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a modified example of the headlight unit of FIG.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle headlight peripheral structure comprising a headlight unit attached to the front of a vehicle body and a bumper attached to the vehicle body so as to cover the headlight unit. The bumper has a bumper body exposed to the outside of the vehicle, an opening opened in a predetermined location in the bumper body to expose the headlight unit, and a rib located along the edge of the opening and extending in a curved manner from the bumper body toward the vehicle body. The headlight unit has a base connected to the vehicle body, a lens portion protruding from the base toward the opening and exposed from the opening, an outer light convex portion of the base protruding forward from the outer side of the lens portion in the vehicle width direction and contacting the rib from the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and a lower light convex portion of the base protruding forward from below the lens portion, and the bumper further has a lower bumper convex portion located below the opening and protruding downward from the rib and contacting the lower light convex portion.

With the above configuration, the bumper rib and lower bumper convex portion contact each light convex portion of the headlight unit, thereby regulating the position of the bumper and enabling the parting line with the bumper around the lens portion to be formed with precision. In particular, with the above configuration, light convex portions are provided on the outer and lower sides of the lens portion in the vehicle width direction. In other words, with the above configuration, the bumper can be brought into contact with each of the left and right headlight units from the outer and lower sides in the vehicle width direction to align them, efficiently improving the precision of the parting line of the headlight units at the front of the vehicle.

In addition, with the above configuration, the headlight unit and bumper are not directly fastened together, which reduces distortion of the bumper caused by external forces during fastening. This configuration also makes it possible to accurately form the parting line around the lens and to easily correct the parting line.

The above-mentioned bumper body includes a front wall extending in the vehicle width direction along the front portion of the vehicle body, and a side wall extending from the end of the front wall in the vehicle width direction along the side of the vehicle body toward the rear of the vehicle, with a gap formed between the outer light convex portion and the front wall in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and a gap formed between the outer light convex portion and the side wall in the vehicle width direction.

The outer light convex portion only contacts the rib of the bumper, not the bumper body itself. This configuration reduces the chance of the bumper body interfering with the headlight unit when an impact is applied to the bumper body during a minor collision, etc., and reduces damage to the headlight unit.

The above-mentioned headlight unit further has a specified holder member attached to the periphery of the lens portion of the base, and the outer light convex portion and lower light convex portion are provided on the holder member.

With the above configuration, by providing each light protrusion on a holder member that is a separate part from the headlight unit base, it becomes easier to adjust the degree of contact between each light protrusion and the bumper, and it becomes possible to standardize the headlight unit base across different vehicle models, increasing its versatility. Furthermore, by providing each light protrusion on the holder member, even if the bumper interferes with each light protrusion due to a minor collision, the holder member absorbs the impact, thereby minimizing damage to the headlight unit base.

A specified gap is formed between the lower light convex portion and the base of the holder member.

The above configuration also reduces the chance of the holder member interfering with the base of the headlight unit when the bumper interferes with the holder member during a minor collision, etc., thereby minimizing damage to the base of the headlight unit.

The headlight unit further includes an upper light protrusion that protrudes forward from above the lens portion of the base, and the bumper further includes an upper bumper protrusion that protrudes upward from a rib located above the opening and contacts the side of the upper light protrusion.

With the above configuration, by providing an upper light convex portion above the lens portion and positioning it with the bumper, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of the parting line around the lens portion.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific values shown in these embodiments are merely examples intended to facilitate understanding of the invention and, unless otherwise specified, do not limit the present invention. Furthermore, in this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to avoid redundant explanation, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a vehicle headlight peripheral structure (hereinafter referred to as headlight structure 100) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1(a) is a perspective view showing headlight structure 100 on the left side of a vehicle. Hereinafter, in Figure 1 and all other drawings of this application, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is indicated by arrows F (Forward) and B (Backward), the left and right sides of the vehicle width are indicated by arrows L (Leftward) and R (Rightward), and the vertical direction of the vehicle is indicated by arrows U (Upward) and D (Downward).

The headlight structure 100 is configured to include a bumper 102 and a headlight unit 104. In this embodiment, the bumper 102 is implemented as a front bumper, and is attached to a structure at the front of the vehicle body so as to cover the headlight unit 104. Note that the bumper 102 is not directly fixed to the headlight unit 104.

The bumper body 106 is the portion of the bumper 102 that is exposed to the outside of the vehicle. The bumper body 106 includes a front wall 106a and a side wall 106b. The front wall 106a extends in the vehicle width direction along the front of the vehicle body. The side wall 106b extends from the end of the front wall 106a in the vehicle width direction, curving toward the rear of the vehicle along the side of the vehicle body.

The opening 108 exposes the lens portion 110 of the headlight unit 104, and is formed in a state where it is open so as to penetrate the front wall 106a in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle near both ends of the front wall 106a in the vehicle width direction.

Figure 1(b) shows the bumper 102 in Figure 1(a) removed to expose the headlight unit 104. The headlight unit 104 has a headlight body 112 and a holder member 114 (described below), and is attached to a structure at the front of the vehicle body.

The headlight body 112 is composed of a base 116 and a lens unit 110. The base 116 is the main part of the headlight body 112 and is attached to the vehicle body by multiple fixing parts, such as fixing parts 118a to 118c. The lens unit 110 is a transparent structure that covers the front of the light source, protruding from the base 116 toward the opening 108 and exposed through the opening 108.

The holder member 114 is a resin member that is attached to the periphery of the lens portion 110. The holder member 114 is attached to the flange portion 120 of the base portion 116 that surrounds the lens portion 110 using bolts or the like. The holder member 114 has multiple light protrusions, such as an outer light protrusion 122 and a lower light protrusion 124, and each light protrusion is used to position the bumper 102.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the bumper 102 in Figure 1(a) shown from the rear of the vehicle. The bumper 102 is provided with a rib 126 that borders the rear side of the vehicle of the opening 108. The rib 126 is formed to extend and curve from the bumper body 106 toward the rear of the vehicle body along the edge of the opening 108. The outer light protrusions 122 and other parts of the holder member 114 (see Figure 1(b)) mentioned above interfere with this rib 126 to position the bumper 102.

An upper bumper protrusion 128 and a lower bumper protrusion 130 are provided around the rib 126 as positions for the headlight unit 104. The upper bumper protrusion 128 is provided above the opening 108 and protrudes upward and toward the rear of the vehicle from the upper side of the rib 126. The lower bumper protrusion 130 is provided below the opening 108 and protrudes downward from the lower side of the rib 126.

Figure 3 is a view of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 1 as viewed from the front of the vehicle. Figure 3(a) is a view of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 1(a) as viewed from the front of the vehicle. When the headlight structure 100 is viewed from the front of the vehicle, the lens portion 110 of the headlight unit 104 is surrounded by the bumper body 106, and the flange portion 120 (see Figure 1(b)) and holder member 114 are covered and hidden by the bumper body 106.

Figure 3(b) is a view of the headlight unit 104 in Figure 1(b) viewed from the front of the vehicle. When viewed from the front of the vehicle, the holder member 114 is shaped to surround the flange portion 120 around the lens portion 110, extending from the outer side in the vehicle width direction to the lower side.

The outer light convex portion 122 and the lower light convex portion 124 are portions of the holder member 114 that protrude toward the front of the vehicle. The outer light convex portion 122 is formed on the outer side of the lens portion 110 in the vehicle width direction. The lower light convex portion 124 is formed below the lens portion 110.

In addition to the light protrusions described above, the headlight body 112 also has an upper light protrusion 132. The upper light protrusion 132 also protrudes forward of the vehicle and is located on the flange portion 120 above the lens portion 110.

Figure 4 shows cross-sectional views of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 3(a). Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 3(a) taken along line A-A.

A bumper recess 134 is formed on the rear side of the bumper 102 around the opening 108 by the bumper body 106 and the rib 126. Each of the light protrusions described above fits into this bumper recess 134, positioning the bumper 102.

The outer light protrusion 122 is fitted into the bumper recess 134 of the bumper 102 at a location on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The outer light protrusion 122 contacts the rib 126 from the outer side in the vehicle width direction and grips the rib 126 at the inner part in the vehicle width direction.

Figure 4(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of the headlight structure 100 of Figure 3( a ). The lower light convex portion 124 contacts a lower bumper convex portion 130 of the bumper 102. More specifically, below the lens portion 110, the lower bumper convex portion 130 protrudes downward from the lower surface of the rib 126, and the lower end of this lower bumper convex portion 130 contacts an upper surface 136 of the lower light convex portion 124 of the holder member 114.

As shown in Figure 3(b), the lower light protrusion 124, when viewed from the front of the vehicle, has a lower portion 124a and an inner portion 124b located on the vehicle widthwise inner side of the lower portion 124a. The inner portion 124b extends higher than the lower portion 124a, and an interior angle 138 is formed between the inner portion 124b and the lower portion 124a. The lower bumper protrusion 130 described above fits into this interior angle 138, with its lower end contacting the upper surface 136 of the lower portion 124a.

Figure 5 shows cross-sectional views of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 3(a). Figure 5(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 3(a). As shown in Figure 5(a), the inner portion of the lower bumper convex portion 130 in the vehicle width direction contacts the outer side surface 140 in the vehicle width direction of the inner portion 124b of the lower light convex portion 124.

Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line D-D of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 3(b). The upper bumper protrusion 128 contacts the upper light protrusion 132 of the flange portion 120. Specifically, the upper bumper protrusion 128 protrudes upward and rearward from the rib 126 above the opening 108 (see Figure 2), and contacts the outer side of the upper light protrusion 132 in the vehicle width direction.

As described above, in this embodiment, the outer light convex portion 122, lower light convex portion 124, and upper light convex portion 132 are provided around the lens portion 110 of the headlight unit 104, and each light convex portion comes into contact with the rib 126 of the bumper 102, the lower bumper convex portion 130, and the upper bumper convex portion 128. This allows the headlight unit 104 to regulate the position of the bumper 102. With this configuration, it is possible to precisely form the parting line between the lens portion 110 and the opening 108 to the set width, etc.

In this embodiment, outer light convex portions 122 and lower light convex portions 124 can be provided on the outer and lower sides of each lens portion 110 in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, the bumper 102 can be brought into contact with the left and right headlight units 104 from the outer and lower sides in the vehicle width direction to align them, efficiently improving the accuracy of the parting lines of the headlight units 104 at the front of the vehicle. In particular, with this configuration, the lower side of the lens portion 110 can be supported by the bumper 102, making it possible to correct misalignment of the parting lines due to the weight of the headlight units 104 with a simple configuration.

In this embodiment, an upper light convex portion 132 is also provided above the lens portion 110 to position the bumper 102, thereby further improving the accuracy of the parting line around the lens portion 110.

In this embodiment, the headlight unit 104 and the bumper 102 are not directly fastened to each other, which reduces distortion of the bumper 102 caused by external forces during fastening. This configuration also makes it possible to accurately form the parting line around the lens portion 110 and to easily correct the parting line.

In this embodiment, by providing the outer light convex portion 122 and the lower light convex portion 124 on the holder member 114, which is a separate part from the headlight body 112, it is possible to easily adjust the degree of contact between the outer light convex portion 122 and the lower light convex portion 124 and the bumper 102. In addition, by making the holder member 114 an independent part, it is possible to standardize the headlight body 112 between different vehicle models, thereby increasing its versatility.

Furthermore, by providing the outer light protrusion 122, etc. on the holder member 114, even if the bumper 102 interferes with the outer light protrusion 122, etc. due to a minor collision, the holder member 114 absorbs the impact, making it possible to prevent damage to the headlight body 112.

Referring again to Figure 4(a), a gap S1 is formed in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the tip of the outer light convex portion 122 and the front wall 106a of the bumper body 106. Furthermore, a gap S2 is formed in the vehicle width direction between the outer light convex portion 122 and the side wall 106b.

The outer light protrusion 122 contacts only the rib 126 of the bumper 102, and does not contact the bumper body 106. This configuration reduces the chance of the bumper body 106 interfering with the headlight unit 104 when an impact is applied to the bumper body 106, such as during a minor collision, and prevents damage to the headlight unit 104.

In Figure 4(b), a gap S3 is also formed in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the lower light protrusion 124 of the holder member 114 and the lower bumper protrusion 130 of the bumper 102. Furthermore, a gap S4 is formed in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the lower light protrusion 124 of the holder member 114 and the flange portion 120 of the headlight body 112.

The formation of gaps S3 and S4 also reduces the chance of the holder member 114 interfering with the headlight body 112 when the bumper 102 interferes with the holder member 114 during a minor collision, etc., thereby minimizing damage to the headlight body 112.

Figure 6 shows a modified version (headlight unit 200) of the headlight unit shown in Figure 3(b). In Figure 6, the same components as those already described in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and explanations of these components will be omitted. Furthermore, in the following explanation, components with the same names as those already described will have the same functions, even if they are given different reference numerals, unless otherwise specified.

The headlight unit 200 of this modified example differs in configuration from the headlight unit 104 of FIG. 3(b) in that the holder member 114 (see FIG. 3(b)) is omitted and the outer light convex portion 202 and the lower light convex portion 204 are provided directly on the flange portion 120.

Like the outer light protrusion 122 in Figure 4, the outer light protrusion 202 contacts the rib 126 from the outside in the vehicle width direction and grips the rib 126 with its inner portion in the vehicle width direction. The outer light protrusion 202 can also form a gap S1 with the front wall 106a and a gap S2 with the side wall 106b.

Similar to the lower light protrusion 124 in Figure 4(b), the lower end of the lower bumper protrusion 130 contacts the upper surface of the lower light protrusion 204. The lower light protrusion 204 can also form a gap S3 between itself and the lower bumper protrusion 130 of the bumper 102.

This headlight unit 200 also utilizes the outer light convex portion 202 and lower light convex portion 204 to regulate the position of the bumper 102 and accurately form the parting line between the lens portion 110 and the opening 108. Furthermore, the headlight unit 200 forms gaps S1, S2, and S3 (see Figure 4) between the outer light convex portion 202 and lower light convex portion 204 and the bumper 102, thereby reducing the chance of interference with the bumper body 106 during a minor collision, etc., and preventing damage.

As a further modification, a light convex portion having a configuration symmetrical in the vehicle width direction to the above-described outer light convex portion 122 (see FIG. 3(b)) can be provided at a location on the inner side of the lens portion 110 in the vehicle width direction. In this case, the holder member 114 may be configured to surround the lens portion 110 to the inner side in the vehicle width direction, or the light convex portion may be provided directly on the flange portion 120 on the inner side of the lens portion 110 in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, the bumper 102 can be positioned in the range from the outer side of the lens portion 110 to the lower side and inner side in the vehicle width direction, making it possible to form the parting line around the lens portion 110 with greater precision.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art could conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be used in vehicle headlight peripheral structures.

100...Headlight structure, 102...Bumper, 104...Headlight unit, 106...Bumper body, 106a...Front wall, 106b...Side wall, 108...Opening, 110...Lens portion, 112...Headlight body, 114...Holder member, 116...Base, 118a-118c...Fixing portion, 120...Flange portion, 122...Outer light protrusion, 124...Lower light protrusion, 124a...Lower portion, 124b...Inner portion, 126...Rib, 128...Upper bumper protrusion, 130...Lower bumper protrusion, 132...Upper light protrusion, 134...Bumper recess, 136...Top surface, 138...Inner angle, 140...Side, S1-S3...Gap, 200...Headlight unit, 202...Outer light protrusion, 204...Lower light protrusion

Claims (5)

A headlight peripheral structure for a vehicle includes a headlight unit attached to a front part of a vehicle body and a bumper attached to the vehicle body so as to cover the headlight unit,
The bumper is
A bumper body exposed to the outside of the vehicle;
an opening formed in a predetermined position of the bumper body to expose the headlight unit;
a rib provided along an edge of the opening and extending from the bumper body toward the vehicle body,
The headlight unit is
a base connected to the vehicle body;
a lens portion protruding from the base toward the opening and exposed from the opening;
an outer light convex portion of the base portion that protrudes forward from a side of the lens portion on an outer side in the vehicle width direction and contacts the rib from the outer side in the vehicle width direction;
a lower light convex portion that protrudes from below the lens portion of the base portion toward the front of the vehicle,
The bumper further includes a lower bumper protrusion provided below the opening, protruding downward from the rib and contacting the lower light protrusion. the bumper body includes a front wall extending in a vehicle width direction along a front portion of the vehicle body, and a side wall extending from an end of the front wall in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle along a side portion of the vehicle body,
a gap is formed between the outer light protrusion and the front wall in the vehicle longitudinal direction;
2. The vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein a gap is formed in the vehicle width direction between the outer light protrusion and the side wall. The headlight unit further includes a predetermined holder member attached to the periphery of the lens portion of the base,
3. The vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein the outer light protrusions and the lower light protrusions are provided on the holder member. The vehicle headlight peripheral structure described in claim 3, characterized in that a predetermined gap is formed between the lower light protrusion of the holder member and the base. the headlight unit further includes an upper light convex portion that protrudes forward of the vehicle from above the lens portion of the base portion,
5. The vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein the bumper further has an upper bumper convex portion provided above the opening, protruding upward from the rib and contacting a side portion of the upper light convex portion.