JP7267036B2 - radar cover - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to radar covers.

In recent years, vehicles are equipped with radar units that detect obstacles and the like around the vehicle using radio waves such as millimeter waves. Such a radar unit is arranged inside a vehicle while being covered from the front with a radar cover on which an identification mark such as an emblem is formed. Since such a radar cover can be visually recognized from the outside of the vehicle, it greatly affects the external impression of the vehicle and is given various patterns. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method of forming a gradation design on a radar cover by inkjet printing.

JP 2010-274754 A

However, in reality, when forming a gradation design, a plurality of arrays of colored dots with different diameters are formed. As a result, when the radar unit is viewed from a distance, the group of colored dots is recognized as a gradation design. For this reason, when a radar cover on which a gradation design is applied by conventional printing is viewed at close range, the colored dots are visually recognized, and the gradation cannot be visually recognized. Therefore, it is desired to realize a radar cover that can express a gradation design without depending on the printing method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to enable formation of a gradation design on a radar cover without using printing.

The present invention employs the following configurations as means for solving the above problems.

A first invention is a radar cover in which a transparent member and a support member arranged on the back side of the transparent member are laminated, and the transparent member and the support member are stacked in a direction along the back surface of the transparent member. A colored light-transmitting layer that can transmit at least part of visible light while changing the depth dimension in the stacking direction with the support member, and a colored light-transmitting layer that is disposed on the back of the colored light-transmitting layer and transmits through the colored light-transmitting layer and a reflective layer that reflects visible light.

A second invention adopts a configuration in which one or both of the colored translucent layer and the reflective layer are provided as part of the support member in the first embodiment.

A third invention employs a configuration in which the reflective layer is a white resin layer in the first or second invention.

In a fourth invention, in any one of the first to third inventions, a glitter film is disposed between the transparent member and the support member and is visible from the outside through the transparent member. Then, a configuration is adopted in which the colored translucent layer is provided along the outer edge of the glitter film when viewed from the stacking direction.

In a fifth aspect based on the fourth aspect, the support member has a black layer that surrounds the glitter film from the outside while being spaced apart from the glitter film when viewed from the stacking direction, and The light layer employs a configuration in which the depth dimension increases from the glitter film toward the black layer.

According to the present invention, a colored light-transmitting layer with a variable depth dimension is provided, and a reflective layer that reflects visible light is provided on the back of the colored light-transmitting layer. According to the present invention, in a region where the colored light-transmitting layer has a large depth dimension, the color viewed from the outside is dark, and on the contrary, in a region where the colored light-transmitting layer has a small depth dimension, the color is visible from the outside. The color that is displayed becomes lighter. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to form a gradation design without printing.

(a) is a front view of a radiator grill provided with a radar cover in one embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is an enlarged front view of the radar cover in one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a radar cover in one embodiment of the invention; FIG. It is a schematic diagram for explaining a manufacturing method of a radar cover in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the radar cover in one embodiment of the present invention;

An embodiment of a radar cover according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1(a) is a front view of a radiator grille 1 having a radar cover 10 of this embodiment. Moreover, FIG.1(b) is an enlarged front view of the radar cover 10 of this embodiment. Moreover, FIG. 2 is sectional drawing of the radar cover 10 of this embodiment.

A radiator grille 1 is provided in the front of the vehicle so as to block an opening leading to the engine room of the vehicle, ensuring ventilation to the engine room and preventing foreign matter from entering the engine room. A radar cover 10 is provided in the center of the radiator grille 1 so as to face the radar unit R (see FIG. 2) arranged in the engine room. The radar unit R has, for example, a transmitter that transmits millimeter waves, a receiver that receives reflected waves, and a calculator that performs arithmetic processing. The radar unit R transmits and receives radio waves that pass through the radar cover 10, and detects the surrounding conditions of the vehicle based on the received radio waves. For example, the radar unit R calculates and outputs the distance to the obstacle, the relative speed of the obstacle, and the like.

The radar cover 10 is arranged to cover the radar unit R when viewed from the front side of the vehicle. As shown in FIG. 2, the radar cover 10 has a bright region 10A representing figures, letters, etc. indicating a recognition mark such as an emblem of a vehicle manufacturer, and visibility of the bright region 10A when viewed from the front side of the vehicle. It is a part having a black region 10B to be improved and a decorative region 10C bordering the bright region 10A. In this embodiment, the decorative region 10C is a region formed with a gradation design in which, for example, the brightness of blue decreases from the bright region 10A toward the black region 10B.

Such a radar cover 10 includes a transparent member 11, a glitter film 12, and a base member 13 (support member), as shown in FIG. The transparent member 11 is a portion formed of a substantially rectangular transparent resin material and arranged on the outermost side of the vehicle. The transparent member 11 has a smooth front surface in order to enhance the visibility of the glitter film 12 from the outside of the vehicle. In addition, on the back surface of the transparent member 11, a glittering film forming recess 11a in which the glittering film 12 is formed is formed.

The glitter film forming recess 11a has a glitter film 12 formed on the inner wall surface thereof, and the glitter film 12 is stereoscopically visible from the front side of the vehicle. The bright film-forming concave portion 11a is provided along the shape of a figure, character, or the like of a recognition mark such as an emblem of a vehicle manufacturer. By forming the glitter film 12 on the inner wall surface of the glitter film forming recess 11a, the above-described glitter region 10A shown in FIG. 2 is formed. Further, the back surface of the transparent member 11 is directly joined to the base member 13 in the region where the glitter film forming concave portion 11a is not provided.

Such a transparent member 11 is made of a transparent synthetic resin such as colorless PC (polycarbonate) or PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate resin), and has a thickness of about 1.5 mm to 10 mm. Further, the front side surface of the transparent member 11 is subjected to a hard coat treatment for scratch prevention or a clear coat treatment of urethane-based paint, if necessary. If the transparent synthetic resin has scratch resistance, these anti-scratch treatments are unnecessary.

The glitter film 12 is a thin film having a metallic luster (metallic color) provided on the inner wall surface of the glitter film-forming concave portion 11 a of the transparent member 11 and having radio wave transmittance. This glittering film 12 is a metal thin film made of indium (In) formed by, for example, vacuum deposition or sputtering, and is a discontinuous film having many minute gaps. A coat layer may be provided on either or both of the front and back surfaces of the glitter film 12, if necessary. These coat layers are formed, for example, by clear coating using a transparent (including colored transparent) synthetic resin. Alternatively, the coat layer may be a transparent ceramic coat layer made of silicon oxide (SiOx). In this case, the base coat layer and top coat layer made of a resin formed by clear coating or the like have higher heat resistance and higher radio wave transmittance.

The base member 13 is a part fixed (bonded) to the back side of the transparent member 11 and supports the transparent member 11 from the back side. The base member 13 has an engaging portion 13a projecting toward the engine room. The engaging portion 13a has a claw-shaped tip, and the tip is engaged with, for example, a radiator grill body. Further, the base member 13 has a convex portion 13b embedded in the bright film formation concave portion 11a of the transparent member 11 on the surface on the transparent member 11 side.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the base member 13 has a colored translucent layer 14 , a white reflective layer 15 and a black layer 16 . The colored light-transmitting layer 14 is a resin layer that partially transmits visible light incident from the outside through the transparent member 11 , and has a higher transmittance than the white reflecting layer 15 and the black layer 16 . The colored translucent layer 14 is provided along the outer edge of the glitter film 12 (the glitter region 10A) when viewed from the direction in which the transparent member 11 and the base member 13 are laminated (hereinafter referred to as the lamination direction). there is Further, the colored translucent layer 14 is provided so as to be exposed on the front side surface of the base member 13 . The front surface of the colored translucent layer 14 is joined to the rear surface of the transparent member 11 . As shown in FIG. 2, such a colored light-transmitting layer 14 has a depth dimension (depth dimension in the lamination direction) as it separates from the glitter film 12 in the direction along the back surface of the transparent member 11. continuously increasing at a constant rate.

The white reflective layer 15 is a white resin layer provided behind the glitter film 12 and the colored translucent layer 14 . That is, the white reflective layer 15 is covered with the glittering film 12 or the colored light-transmitting layer 14 when viewed from the stacking direction, and the regions (the glittering region 10A and the decorative region 10C) that cannot be directly viewed through the transparent member 11 ). The convex portion 13b described above is formed by the white reflective layer 15. As shown in FIG. Such a white reflective layer 15 reflects the visible light that has passed through the colored light-transmitting layer 14 and returns it to the colored light-transmitting layer 14 again.

The black layer 16 is a black resin layer arranged outside the white reflective layer 15 when viewed in the stacking direction. The black layer 16 is provided so as to be exposed on the front surface of the base member 13 . The front surface of the colored translucent layer 14 is joined to the rear surface of the transparent member 11 . The black layer 16 is arranged so as to surround the glitter film 12 from the outside while being spaced apart from the glitter film 12 when viewed from the stacking direction. Such a black layer 16 is provided on the outer edge of the base member 13 and is visible through the transparent member 11, forming the above-described black region 10B. Also, the engaging portion 13 a described above is formed of the black layer 16 .

Thus, in the present embodiment, the base member 13 is formed by integrating the colored translucent layer 14 , the white reflective layer 15 and the black layer 16 . Each layer of the base member 13 includes ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer synthetic resin), AES (acrylonitrile-ethylene-styrene copolymer synthetic resin), ASA (acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate), PBT (polyethylene). butylene terephthalate), colored PC, PET, or other synthetic resin, or a composite resin thereof, and has a thickness of about 0.5 mm to 10 mm.

In such a radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, when external light is incident on the transparent member 11 , part of the external light is transmitted through the transparent member 11 and enters the colored translucent layer 14 . The external light incident on the colored light-transmitting layer 14 travels inside the colored light-transmitting layer 14 and reaches the rear surface of the colored light-transmitting layer 14 and is reflected by the white reflective layer 15 . The external light reflected by the white reflective layer 15 is emitted to the outside through the transparent member 11 after passing through the colored transparent layer 14 again. Here, the depth dimension in the stacking direction of the colored light-transmitting layer 14 increases with increasing distance from the bright region 10A when viewed in the stacking direction. Therefore, the distance through which external light passes through the colored translucent layer 14 becomes longer as the distance from the bright region 10A increases. As a result, when viewed from the outside of the transparent member 11, the color becomes darker toward the outside of the decorative region 10C. Therefore, in this embodiment, a gradation-like design is formed in the decoration area 10C by laminating the colored translucent layer 14 and the white reflective layer 15 .

Next, a method for manufacturing the radar cover 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the method of manufacturing the radar cover 10 of this embodiment. First, as shown in FIG. 3A, a transparent member 11 is formed. For example, the transparent member 11 is formed by injection molding. By this injection molding, the transparent member 11 having the bright film forming recesses 11a can be formed, so there is no need to form the bright film forming recesses 11a in a post-process. If necessary, the surface side (the surface facing the outside of the vehicle) or the entire surface of the transparent member 11 may be subjected to a hard coat treatment for improving durability and the like.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, a glitter film 12 is formed. Here, a mask is placed, and the bright film 12 is formed on the inner wall surface of the bright film forming recess 11a by vacuum deposition or sputtering. Such a process shown in FIG. 3B is a glittering film forming process for forming a glittering film on the back surface of the transparent member 11 . In the present embodiment, the bright film forming recess 11a is formed on the back surface of the transparent member 11 in the transparent member forming step described above, and the bright film 12 is formed in the bright film forming recess 11a. Therefore, the bright film 12 can be viewed three-dimensionally without post-processing the transparent member 11 to form recesses.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3(c), the base member 13 is formed. Here, the transparent member 11 provided with the glitter film 12 is placed inside a mold for injection molding, and insert molding is performed by injecting a melted resin into the back side of the transparent member 11 to obtain a base member. form 13. The injection molding here is a so-called three-color molding, and for example, the colored translucent layer 14, the white reflective layer 15, and the black layer 16 are formed in this order. Such a base member 13 is welded to the transparent member 11 by heat during insert molding, and formed on the back surface of the transparent member 11 with the glitter film 12 interposed therebetween. Such a process shown in FIG. 3D is a base member (supporting member) forming process.

In the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment as described above, the transparent member 11 and the base member 13 arranged on the back side of the transparent member 11 are laminated, and as it goes in the direction along the back surface of the transparent member 11, a colored light-transmitting layer 14 that can transmit at least part of visible light while changing the depth dimension in the lamination direction of the transparent member 11 and the base member 13; and a white reflective layer 15 that reflects visible light transmitted through the layer 14 . According to the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, in the region where the colored light-transmitting layer 14 has a large depth dimension, the color visually recognized from the outside becomes darker. In small areas, the color seen from the outside becomes lighter. Therefore, according to the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to form a gradation design without printing.

Further, in the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, the colored translucent layer 14 and the white reflective layer 15 are provided as part of the base member 13 . Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the colored translucent layer 14 and the white reflective layer 15 separately from the base member 13 . In addition, since the gradation design can be formed only by the two layers of the colored light-transmitting layer 14 and the white reflective layer 15, the colored light-transmitting layer 14 and the white reflective layer can be formed without changing the thickness dimension of the base member 13. 15 can be incorporated into the base member 13 .

Moreover, in the radar cover 10 of this embodiment, the white reflective layer 15 consists of a white resin layer. Therefore, it becomes possible to easily incorporate the white reflective layer 15 into a part of the resin-made base member 13 .

Further, in the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, the glitter film 12 is arranged between the transparent member 11 and the base member 13 and is visible from the outside through the transparent member 11. A colored translucent layer 14 is provided along the outer edge of the glitter film 12 when viewed. Therefore, a gradation design can be formed on the radar cover 10 imparted with metallic luster.

In addition, in the radar cover 10 of the present embodiment, the base member 13 has the black layer 16 that is separated from the glitter film 12 and surrounds the glitter film 12 from the outside when viewed from the stacking direction, and the colored light-transmitting layer 14 increases in depth dimension from the bright film 12 toward the black layer 16 . Therefore, in the decorative region 10C, the color can be darkened from the bright region 10A toward the black region 10B, and the brightness of the color can be smoothly connected from the bright bright region 10A to the dark black region 10B. .

Although 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 the above embodiments. The various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and can be variously changed based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the convex portion 13b is provided on the base member 13 has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner core 17 accommodated in the glitter film forming recess 11 a may be provided separately from the base member 13 . In this case, the glitter film 12 can be provided as part of the inner core 17, for example.

Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the radar cover 10 includes the glitter film 12 has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to apply the present invention to a radar cover that does not have the glitter film 12 .

Further, in the above embodiment, the configuration in which the colored translucent layer 14 and the white reflective layer 15 are provided as part of the base member 13 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and both or one of the colored translucent layer 14 and the white reflective layer 15 can be provided separately from the base member 13 .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the depth dimension of the colored translucent layer 14 continuously changes at a constant rate has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the depth dimension of the colored translucent layer 14 changes stepwise. It is also possible to arrange a plurality of colored light-transmitting columns with different depth dimensions at intervals, and use a group of these colored light-transmitting columns as the colored light-transmitting layer.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the white reflective layer 15 made of resin is provided as a reflective layer for reflecting the light transmitted through the colored translucent layer 14 has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to form a metal film on the back surface of the colored translucent layer 14 and use this metal film as a reflective layer. In this case, it is also possible to extend the glitter film 12 to the rear surface of the colored translucent layer 14 and use this glitter film 12 as a reflective layer.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the depth dimension of the colored light-transmitting layer 14 increases or decreases in one direction has been described. However, the invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the depth dimension of the colored translucent layer 14 changes so as to increase or decrease in one direction.

Reference Signs List 1 Radiator grill 10 Radar cover 10A Luminous area 10B Black area 10C Decorating area 11 Transparent member 11a Luminous film forming recess 12 Luminous 13: Base member (supporting member) 14: Colored translucent layer 15: White reflective layer 16: Black layer 17: Inner core R: Radar unit

Claims (5)

A radar cover in which a transparent member and a support member arranged on the back side of the transparent member are laminated,
a colored light-transmitting layer capable of transmitting at least part of visible light, the depth dimension in the lamination direction of the transparent member and the support member changing along the direction along the back surface of the transparent member, and
a reflective layer disposed on the back surface of the colored light-transmitting layer and reflecting visible light transmitted through the colored light-transmitting layer,
The radar cover, wherein the colored translucent layer has a different visible light transmittance from the transparent member, is provided separately from the transparent member , and is arranged on the back surface of the transparent member . 2. The radar cover according to claim 1, wherein one or both of said colored translucent layer and said reflective layer are provided as part of said support member. 3. The radar cover according to claim 1, wherein said reflective layer is a white resin layer. A glittering film disposed between the transparent member and the support member and visible from the outside through the transparent member,
The radar cover according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the colored light-transmitting layer is provided along the outer edge of the glittering film when viewed from the stacking direction. The support member has a black layer that is spaced apart from the glitter film and surrounds the glitter film from the outside when viewed from the stacking direction,
5. The radar cover according to claim 4, wherein the colored translucent layer increases the depth dimension from the glitter film toward the black layer.

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