Vehicle exterior component and exterior structure of vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025229703-A1
Application number	US-202419001815-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 26, 2024
Priority date	Jan 17, 2024
Publication date	Jul 17, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle exterior component includes a light source and a cover panel that covers the light source. The cover panel includes a substrate layer, a light-blocking layer and a non-light-blocking layer arranged side by side in a planar direction, and a colored layer located outward from the light-blocking and non-light-blocking layers. A region of the cover panel that overlaps the non-light-blocking layer and is located outward from the non-light-blocking layer forms a light-transmitting portion through which visible light emitted from the light source passes. A region of the cover panel that overlaps the light-blocking layer and is located outward from the light-blocking layer forms a non-light-transmitting portion through which the visible light emitted from the light source does not pass. When the light source is off, a color difference ΔE in an external appearance between the light-transmitting portion and the non-light-transmitting portion is less than or equal to 5.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A vehicle exterior component, comprising:
a light source configured to emit visible light; and a cover panel that covers the light source, wherein the cover panel includes:
a substrate layer that transmits the visible light;
a light-blocking layer and a non-light-blocking layer that are located outward or inward from the substrate layer, the light-blocking layer and the non-light-blocking layer being arranged side by side in a planar direction; and
a colored layer located outward from the light-blocking layer and the non-light-blocking layer,
a region of the cover panel that overlaps the non-light-blocking layer and is located outward from the non-light-blocking layer forms a light-transmitting portion through which the visible light emitted from the light source passes, a region of the cover panel that overlaps the light-blocking layer and is located outward from the light-blocking layer forms a non-light-transmitting portion through which the visible light emitted from the light source does not pass, and when the light source is off, a color difference ΔE in an external appearance between the light-transmitting portion and the non-light-transmitting portion is less than or equal to 5.

2 . The vehicle exterior component according to claim 1 , wherein
the light source emits the visible light in white, and a transmittance of the visible light in a region of the cover panel that includes the non-light-blocking layer and overlaps the non-light-blocking layer ranges between 5% and 70%, inclusive.

3 . The vehicle exterior component according to claim 1 , wherein
the colored layer has the same configuration in the light-transmitting portion and the non-light-transmitting portion.

4 . The vehicle exterior component according to claim 1 , wherein
part of the light-transmitting portion includes a non-colored portion where the colored layer is not arranged.

5 . The vehicle exterior component according to claim 4 , wherein
the non-light-blocking layer is formed by creating apertures in the light-blocking layer.

6 . The vehicle exterior component according to claim 1 , wherein
the cover panel includes an electromagnetic wave transmission portion that allows electromagnetic waves to pass through.

7 . An exterior structure of a vehicle, the exterior structure comprising:
a first exterior component; and a second exterior component that is located around the first exterior component, wherein the first exterior component is the vehicle exterior component according to claim 1 , and the second exterior component includes a colored layer having the same configuration as the colored layer of the first exterior component.

Assignees

• Toyoda Gosei Kk

Inventors

• Okumura Koji
• Okawa Shintaro
• Fukui Hirotaka
• Ando Hiroaki

Classifications

• B32B2605/00

  Vehicles · CPC title

• B32B2307/4023

  on the layer surface, e.g. ink · CPC title

• B32B2255/20

  Inorganic coating · CPC title

• B32B2255/10

  on synthetic resin layer or on natural or synthetic rubber layer · CPC title

• B60R2019/525

  Radiator grilles · CPC title