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DE-102025146245-A1 - VEHICLE EXTERIOR COMPONENT

DE102025146245A1DE 102025146245 A1DE102025146245 A1DE 102025146245A1DE-102025146245-A1

Abstract

An exterior vehicle component comprises a housing open towards the exterior of the vehicle, an external lens that closes an opening in the housing, a light-emitting substrate located inside the housing, and a cover component. The bottom of the housing has a vent hole and a projection surrounding the opening of the vent hole and projecting towards the exterior of the housing. The cover component is positioned to cover an opening of the projection at a distal end of the projection. The cover component allows the flow of gas while restricting the flow of liquid.

Inventors

  • Yuto ARAI
  • Hideki Toyoyama

Assignees

  • TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20251110
Priority Date
20241113

Claims (6)

  1. Vehicle exterior component, comprising: a housing (11) open towards the outside of the vehicle, an external lens (12) closing an opening of the housing (11), a light-emitting substrate (13) arranged inside the housing (11), and a cover component (26), wherein: a bottom (15) of the housing (11) has a vent hole (16) allowing air to flow into and out of the housing (11), and a projection (25) surrounding an opening of the vent hole (16) and projecting towards the outside of the housing (11), the cover component (26) being arranged to close an opening of the projection (25) at a distal end of the projection (25) in a projecting direction, and the cover component (26) allowing the flow of gas while restricting the flow of liquid.
  2. Vehicle exterior component according to Claim 1 , furthermore with an insulating component (27) made of an electrically insulating material and arranged around the projection (25), wherein the cover component (26) is attached to the insulating component (27) at a position corresponding to the opening of the projection (25).
  3. Vehicle exterior component according to Claim 2 , furthermore with a cover (29) arranged such that it covers a circumference and the opening of the projection (25) at a predetermined distance from the projection (25).
  4. Vehicle exterior component according to Claim 3 , wherein the bottom (15) of the housing (11) has a rib (32) which projects in the same direction as the projection (25), and the rib (32) covers an upper side of the cover (29).
  5. Vehicle exterior component according to one of the Claims 1 until 4 , in which an area within the housing (11) along an extension of a length of the vent hole (16) is an empty space (AK) in which the light-emitting substrate (13) is not arranged.
  6. Vehicle exterior component according to one of the Claims 1 until 5 , wherein the light-emitting substrate (13) is configured to emit light towards the bottom (15) of the housing (11), and the bottom (15) of the housing (11) is configured to reflect light from the light-emitting substrate (13) towards the outer lens (12).

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Technical field The present disclosure relates to an external vehicle component. 2. State of the art JP 2012 - 126 339 A Disclosing a vehicle exterior component, the component comprises a housing open towards the vehicle exterior, an external lens that closes the housing opening, and a light-emitting substrate located within the housing. One end of an electrical wire for supplying power is connected to the light-emitting substrate. The electrical wire exits to the outside through a cable entry hole formed in the base of the housing. When the LEDs of the light-emitting substrate are caused to emit light, the light from the LEDs passes through the external lens. This enhances the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle exterior component when viewed from the outside. Given the design requirements for vehicle exterior components, such as the one described above, and the need to reduce the weight of such components, reducing their thickness is desirable. However, making the exterior component thinner reduces the available space inside the housing. Consequently, airflow near the outer lens within the housing is restricted, which can lead to reduced air circulation. As a result, moisture present in the air inside the housing can cause the outer lens to fog up. BRIEF SUMMARY This brief summary is intended to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form, which are further described in detail below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential characteristics of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to serve as an aid in determining the scope of protection of the claimed subject matter. In general terms, a vehicle exterior component has a housing open towards the outside of the vehicle, an external lens that closes an opening in the housing, a light-emitting substrate located inside the housing, and a cover component. The bottom of the housing has a vent hole that allows air to flow in and out of the housing and a projection surrounding the opening of the vent hole, extending towards the outside of the housing. The cover component is positioned at a distal end of the projection to close an opening in the projection. The cover component allows the flow (passage) of a gas while restricting the flow (passage) of a liquid. Further features and aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description, the drawings, and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 1 This is a perspective exploded view of a vehicle exterior component.2 is a front view seen from the front, showing the vehicle's exterior components. 1 shows.3 is a rear view seen from the back, showing the vehicle's exterior components. 1 shows.4 is a cross-sectional view showing the vehicle's exterior component of 2 indicates when viewed in the direction of arrow IV-IV.5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a structure that forms a vent hole in the vehicle's exterior component. 4 exhibits. The same reference symbols refer to the same elements throughout the drawings and detailed descriptions. The drawings are not to scale, and the relative size, proportions, and representation of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity, representation, and simplification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION This description assumes a comprehensive understanding of the described methods, devices, and/or systems. Modifications and equivalents of the described methods, devices, and/or systems are obvious to a person skilled in the art. The sequence of operations is exemplary and, with the exception of operations that necessarily follow a specific order, can be modified by a person skilled in the art. Descriptions of functions and construction Names that are known to a professional may be omitted. Exemplary embodiments can take different forms and are not limited to the examples described. However, the described examples are detailed and complete and demonstrate to the person skilled in the art the full scope of protection of the disclosure. In this description, “at least one of A and B” should be understood to mean “only A, only B or both A and B”. A vehicle exterior component according to one embodiment is now described with reference to 1 to 5 described. The vehicle exterior component, which is in 1 to 3 The component shown is attached to a vehicle, such as an automobile, and is embodied, for example, as an illuminated emblem. The vehicle exterior component has a housing 11 that is open (opens) towards the vehicle exterior, an outer lens 12 that closes the opening of the housing 11, and a light-emitting substrate 13 that is arranged inside the housing 11. A base 15 of the housing 11, which is in 1 As shown, the housing 11 has a vent hole 16, allowing air to flow in and out. The vent hole 16 is located in the center of the base 15. The base 15 has several mounting areas 17 and several bearing areas 18 around the vent hole 16. The mounting areas 17 and the bearing areas 18 project from the base 15 of the ho