JP7779133B2 - 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 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 and an opening opened in a predetermined location of the bumper body to expose the headlight unit. The headlight unit has a base connected to the vehicle body, a lens portion protruding from the base toward the opening and exposed through the opening, and multiple light protrusions protruding forward of the vehicle from locations on the base surrounding the lens portion. The multiple light protrusions are provided at least above and below the lens portion. The bumper further has multiple bumper recesses provided around the opening in correspondence with the multiple light protrusions. The outer surfaces of the multiple light protrusions facing the lens portion contact the inner surfaces of the corresponding bumper recesses.

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 a first embodiment of the present invention; 1( a ) is a view of the headlight structure of FIG. 1( a ) viewed from the front of the vehicle. 3A and 3B are diagrams showing the headlight unit and the bumper of FIG. 2 . 3 is a cross-sectional view of the headlight structure of FIG. 2 taken along line AA. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the headlight structure of FIG. 2 taken along the line B-B. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the headlight unit of FIG. 6( a ) taken along the line CC. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the holder member of FIG. 6( a ).

One embodiment of the present invention provides a vehicle headlight peripheral structure comprising 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 and an opening opened in a predetermined location of the bumper body to expose the headlight unit. The headlight unit has a base connected to the vehicle body, a lens portion protruding from the base toward the opening and exposed through the opening, and multiple light protrusions protruding forward of the vehicle from areas of the base surrounding the lens portion. The multiple light protrusions are provided at least above and below the lens portion. The bumper further has multiple bumper recesses provided around the opening to correspond to the multiple light protrusions. The outer surfaces of the multiple light protrusions facing the lens portion contact the inner surfaces of the corresponding bumper recesses.

With the above configuration, each light convex portion of the headlight unit contacts the lens side of each bumper concave portion of the bumper, thereby regulating the position of the bumper and enabling the parting line with the bumper to be formed accurately around the lens portion. In particular, with the above configuration, because light convex portions and bumper concave portions are provided above and below the lens portion, it is possible to efficiently prevent and correct any loss of accuracy in the parting line due to vertical distortion caused by the weight of the headlight unit.

Furthermore, with the above configuration, the headlight unit and bumper are not directly fastened together, preventing distortion caused by external forces during fastening. This also makes it possible to form the parting line around the lens with precision and to make it easier to correct the parting line.

The multiple light protrusions protrude from the base in a tapered shape, and the bumper recess contacts the light protrusions closer to the entrance than the center in the depth direction.

With the above configuration, a gap is formed between the tip of the light convex portion and the bottom of the bumper concave portion. This reduces the chance of the bumper concave portion interfering with the light convex portion when an impact is applied to the bumper, such as during a minor collision, and reduces damage to the headlight unit.

The above-mentioned bumper recess has a rectangular entrance on the headlight unit side, and the vertical width of the light protrusion at the center in the protruding direction is the same as the vertical width of the entrance to the bumper recess.

With the above configuration, efficient contact between the light convex portion and the bumper concave portion allows the bumper position to be regulated and the parting line around the lens portion to be formed with precision.

At least one of the multiple light protrusions is located on the inner side of the lens portion in the vehicle width direction.

The above configuration makes it possible to align the headlight unit with the bumper even on the inner side of the lens in the vehicle width direction, making it possible to form a parting line around the lens with high precision.

The above-mentioned headlight unit further has a holder member attached to the base around the lens portion, and multiple light protrusions are provided on the holder member, with a predetermined gap formed between the multiple light protrusions of the holder member and the base.

With the above configuration, providing the light protrusion on the holder member, which is an independent component, makes it easier to adjust the contact between the light protrusion and the bumper, and also makes it possible to standardize the base of the headlight unit across different vehicle models, increasing its versatility. Furthermore, by providing the light protrusion on the holder member, even if the bumper interferes with the light protrusion due to a minor collision, the holder member absorbs the impact, thereby minimizing damage to the base of the headlight unit.

Furthermore, in the above configuration, a gap is formed between the light protrusion of the holder member and the base of the headlight unit, which 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., and reduces damage to the base of the headlight unit.

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.

(First Example)
Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a vehicle headlight peripheral structure (hereinafter referred to as headlight structure 100) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 1(a) is a perspective view showing the headlight structure 100 on the left side of a vehicle. Hereinafter, in Fig. 1 and all other drawings of the present application, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is indicated by arrows F (Forward) and B (Backward), the left and right in the vehicle width direction 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 opening 108 exposes the lens portion 110 of the headlight unit 104, and is formed in an open state that penetrates the bumper body 106 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle near both ends in the vehicle width direction. A garnish 118 is attached to the outside of the bumper body 106 so as to surround the opening 108.

Figure 1(b) shows the bumper 102 in Figure 1(a) removed to expose the headlight unit 104.

The headlight unit 104 is composed of a base 114 and a lens 110. The base 114 is the main part of the headlight unit 104 and is attached to the vehicle body by multiple fixing parts, such as fixing parts 116a to 116d. The lens 110 is a transparent structure that covers the front of the light source, and protrudes from the base 114 toward the opening 108, and is exposed through the opening 108.

The headlight unit 104 is provided with upper light protrusions 120, 122 and lower light protrusions 124, 126 as parts for positioning the bumper 102. The upper light protrusions 120, 122 and lower light protrusions 124, 126 are parts that protrude forward of the vehicle and are provided on a flange portion 128 of the base 114 around the lens portion 110.

The upper light protrusions 120, 122 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction on the flange portion 128 above the lens portion 110. The lower light protrusions 124, 126 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction on the lower side of the lens portion 110.

Figure 2 is a view of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 1(a) 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 128 (see Figure 1(b)) is covered and hidden by the bumper body 106.

Figure 3 shows the headlight unit 104 and bumper 102 of Figure 2. Figure 3(a) shows the headlight unit 104 of Figure 2 as viewed from the front of the vehicle.

The upper light convex portion 120 has a central portion 130 extending in the vehicle width direction, and upper and lower ribs 132, 134 extending up and down on both left and right ends of the central portion 130. The lower light convex portion 124 has a top surface portion 136 extending in the vehicle width direction, and sidewall ribs 138, 140 extending downward from both left and right ends of the top surface portion 136.

Figure 3(b) is a view of the area around the opening 108 of the bumper 102 in Figure 2, viewed from the rear of the vehicle. Around the opening 108 of the bumper 102, multiple bumper recesses, such as the upper bumper recess 142, are provided as areas into which multiple light protrusions, such as the upper light protrusion 120 described above, are inserted.

Above the opening 108, upper bumper recesses 142, 144 are provided side by side in the vehicle width direction, corresponding to the upper light protrusions 120, 122. Below the opening 108, lower bumper recesses 146, 148 are provided side by side in the vehicle width direction, corresponding to the lower light protrusions 124, 126. These bumper recesses are formed as rectangular depressions with entrances on the headlight unit 104 side, which is the rear of the vehicle.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 2. Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 2, spanning from the upper light convex portion 120 to the lower light convex portion 124.

The lower outer surface of the upper light convex portion 120, which faces the lens portion 110, contacts the inner surface of the upper bumper recess 142. The upper outer surface of the lower light convex portion 124, which faces the lens portion 110, contacts the inner surface of the lower bumper recess 146. With this configuration, the headlight unit 104 is in a state where the periphery of the opening 108 is gripped from above and below by the upper light convex portions 120, 122 and the lower light convex portions 124, 126.

The headlight unit 104 described above utilizes the upper light convexities 120, 122 and lower light convexities 124, 126 to regulate the position of the bumper 102, enabling the parting line with the bumper 102 around the lens portion 110 to be formed with precision. In particular, with this configuration, because the light convexities and bumper concave portions are provided above and below the lens portion 110, it is possible to efficiently prevent and correct any loss in the precision of the parting line due to vertical distortion caused by the weight of the headlight unit 104.

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 headlight unit 104 and to easily correct the parting line.

Figure 4(b) is an enlarged view of the area around the upper light protrusion 120 in Figure 4(a). The upper light protrusion 120 protrudes in a tapered shape from the flange portion 128 of the base 114. The upper bumper recess 142 is configured to contact the upper light protrusion 120 in a range toward the entrance of the center of the depth dimension D1.

With this configuration, a gap S1 is formed between the tip end of the upper light convex portion 120 and the bottom of the upper bumper recess 142. In addition, gaps S2 and S3 are also formed between the bumper 102 and the headlight unit 104 above and below the upper light convex portion 120. This reduces the chance of the upper bumper recess 142 interfering with the upper light convex portion 120 when an impact is applied to the bumper 102 due to a minor collision or the like, thereby suppressing damage to the headlight unit 104.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of the headlight structure 100 in Figure 2. As described above, a gap S1 is formed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the tip of the upper light convexity 120 and the bottom of the upper bumper concavity 142. Similarly, a gap S4 is formed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the tip of the upper light convexity 122 and the bottom of the upper bumper concavity 144. This configuration reduces the chance of the upper bumper concavities 142, 144 interfering with the upper light convexities 120, 122 when an impact is applied to the bumper 102 from the front of the vehicle, such as during a minor collision, thereby minimizing damage to the headlight unit 104.

As shown in Figure 3(b), the upper bumper recess 142 has a rectangular entrance on the headlight unit 104 side, with a short side h1 extending vertically and a long side h2 extending in the vehicle width direction. As shown in Figure 4(b), the vertical width W1 near the center of the upper light protrusion 120 in the protruding direction is the same as the vertical width of the entrance of the upper bumper recess 142, i.e., the short side h1.

With the above configuration, the upper light convex portion 120 is inserted from the center of its protrusion to the tip end into the upper bumper recess 142, allowing the tip end to efficiently contact the upper bumper recess 142. This allows the headlight unit 104 to regulate the position of the bumper 102 and accurately form a parting line with the bumper 102 around the periphery of the lens portion 110.

The width of the upper light convexity 120 in the vehicle width direction can be set to a dimension narrower than the long side h2 of the upper bumper recess 142. This configuration allows a gap to be formed between the inner wall of the upper bumper recess 142 and each side of the upper light convexity 120 in the vehicle width direction. This configuration also reduces the possibility of an impact being transmitted from the upper bumper recess 142 to the upper light convexity 120 in the event of a minor collision, etc.

(Second Example)
6A and 6B are diagrams showing an outline of a vehicle headlight peripheral structure (hereinafter referred to as headlight structure 200) according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing a headlight unit 202 included in the headlight structure 200. From FIG. 6 onwards, components that are the same as those already described in the above embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and thus descriptions of these components will be omitted. Furthermore, in the following description, components with the same names as those already described will have the same functions unless otherwise specified, even if they are given different reference numerals.

The headlight unit 202 is configured with a holder member 204. The holder member 204 is a resin member independent of the headlight body 206, and is provided with multiple light protrusions, such as an upper light protrusion 208. The holder member 204 is attached to the flange portion 128 of the base 114 around the lens portion 110 using bolts or the like.

The holder member 204 has upper light protrusions 208, 210, lower light protrusions 212, 214, outer light protrusions 216, 218, and inner light protrusions 220, 222.

The upper light convex portions 208, 210 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction above the lens portion 110. The lower light convex portions 212, 214 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction below the lens portion 110.

The outer light protrusions 216, 218 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction on the outer side of the lens unit 110 in the vehicle width direction. The inner light protrusions 220, 222 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction on the inner side of the lens unit 110 in the vehicle width direction.

Figure 6(b) is a view of the area around the opening 108 in the bumper 224 of the headlight structure 200, viewed from the rear of the vehicle.

On the upper side of the opening 108 of the bumper 224, upper bumper recesses 226, 228 are provided side by side in the vehicle width direction, corresponding to the upper light protrusions 208, 210 (see Figure 6(a)). On the lower side of the opening 108, lower bumper recesses 230, 232 are provided side by side in the vehicle width direction, corresponding to the lower light protrusions 212, 214.

Outer bumper recesses 234, 236 are provided vertically side by side on the outer side of the opening 108 in the vehicle width direction, corresponding to the outer light protrusions 216, 218. Inner bumper recesses 238, 240 are provided vertically side by side on the inner side of the opening 108 in the vehicle width direction, corresponding to the inner light protrusions 220, 222.

In Figure 6(a), the lower outer surfaces of the upper light convex portions 208, 210, which face the lens portion 110, contact the inner surfaces of the upper bumper concave portions 226, 228. The upper outer surfaces of the lower light convex portions 212, 214, which face the lens portion 110, contact the inner surfaces of the lower bumper concave portions 230, 232.

The inner outer surfaces of the outer light convex portions 216, 218, which face the lens portion 110, contact the inner surfaces of the outer bumper concave portions 234, 236. The outer outer surfaces of the inner light convex portions 220, 222, which face the lens portion 110, contact the inner surfaces of the inner bumper concave portions 238, 240.

With the above configuration, the headlight unit 202 can grip the area around the opening 108 in the bumper 224 from above, below, left and right using the light protrusions of the holder member 204.

The above-described headlight unit 202 also utilizes the top, bottom, and left and right light protrusions to regulate the position of the bumper 224, allowing for the precise formation of a parting line between the bumper 224 and the lens portion 110. This configuration also makes it possible for the headlight structure 200 to efficiently prevent and correct a decrease in the accuracy of the parting line due to vertical distortion caused by the weight of the headlight unit 202.

In this embodiment, by providing each light protrusion on the holder member 204, which is a separate part from the headlight body 206, it is possible to easily adjust the degree of contact between each light protrusion and the bumper 224. In addition, by making the holder member 204 a separate part, it is possible to standardize the headlight body 206 between different vehicle models, thereby increasing its versatility.

Furthermore, by providing each light protrusion, etc. on the holder member 204, even if the bumper 224 interferes with each light protrusion due to a minor collision, the holder member 204 absorbs the impact, thereby minimizing damage to the headlight body 206.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the headlight unit 202 shown in Figure 6(a) taken along the line CC. The upper light protrusion 208 protrudes in a tapered shape from the front surface of the holder member 204. The upper bumper recess 226 is formed as a space between an opening in the bumper 224 and the garnish 118.

In this embodiment, a gap S5 is formed between the tip of the upper light protrusion 208 and the bottom of the upper bumper recess 226. Furthermore, a gap S6 is formed in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the upper light protrusion 208 of the holder member 204 and the front surface of the headlight body 206.

By providing the above gaps S5 and S6, when an impact is applied to the bumper 224, such as during a minor collision, the upper bumper recess 226 is less likely to interfere with the upper light protrusion 208, and the upper light protrusion 208 of the holder member 204 is less likely to interfere with the headlight body 206. This configuration makes it possible to reduce damage to the headlight body 206.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing a modified version (holder member 250) of the holder member 204 in Figure 6(a). The holder member 250 has a configuration similar to that of the holder member 204 in Figure 6(a), except that the outer portions of the lens unit 110, including the outer light convex portions 216, 218, on the vehicle width direction outer side are omitted.

The holder member 250 also makes it possible to optimally position the bumper 224 (see Figure 7) by utilizing the upper light convex portions 208, 210, the lower light convex portions 212, 214, and the inner light convex portions 220, 222, and to accurately form a parting line between the bumper 224 and the lens portion 110 around the periphery.

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, 108...opening, 110...lens portion, 114...base portion, 116a-116d...fixing portion, 118...garnish, 120, 122...upper light convex portion, 124, 126...lower light convex portion, 128...flange portion, 130...center portion, 132, 134...upper and lower ribs, 136...top surface portion, 138, 140...side wall ribs, 142, 144...upper bumper recess, 146, 148...lower bumper recess, h1...short Side, h2...long side, S1-S6...gap, 200...headlight structure, 202...headlight unit, 204...holder member, 206...headlight body, 208, 210...upper light protrusion, 212, 214...lower light protrusion, 216, 218...outer light protrusion, 220, 222...inner light protrusion, 224...bumper, 226, 228...upper bumper recess, 230, 232...lower bumper recess, 234, 236...outer bumper recess, 238, 240...inner bumper recess, 250...holder member

Claims (5)

A vehicle headlight structure including a headlight unit attached to a front portion 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;
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;
a plurality of light protrusions protruding from the base portion around the lens portion toward the front of the vehicle;
the plurality of light convex portions are provided at least above and below the lens portion,
the bumper further has a plurality of bumper recesses provided around the opening in correspondence with the plurality of light protrusions,
The vehicle headlight peripheral structure is characterized in that the outer surfaces of the plurality of light convex portions on the lens portion side of the light convex portions contact the inner surfaces of the corresponding bumper concave portions. The plurality of light protrusions protrude from the base in a tapered shape,
2. The vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein the bumper recess contacts the light protrusion at a position closer to an entrance than a center in a depth direction. The bumper recess has a rectangular entrance on the headlight unit side,
3. The vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein the light convex portion has a vertical width at the center in the protruding direction that is equal to the vertical width of the entrance of the bumper concave portion. A vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one of the plurality of light protrusions is provided on the inner side of the lens portion in the vehicle width direction. the headlight unit further includes a holder member attached to a portion of the base around the lens portion,
The plurality of light protrusions are provided on the holder member,
5. The vehicle headlight peripheral structure according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined gap is formed between the plurality of light protrusions of the holder member and the base portion.