Housing for member disposed at vehicle exterior

• US 6,595,576 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Issued: 07/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai RIKA Denki Seisakusho
• Inventors: Ohashi, Yoshio, Ito, Masaaki, Mizutani, Toshinobu, Horio, Wataru, Inayama, Masahide, Kato, Tadayoshi, Imaeda, Kiyohide, Aoki, Masakazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US09/824,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20010028178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 296/152, 296/37.1, 296/37.7, 296/37.13, 296/146.1, 296/180.1, 296/185, 248/479
• US Class Current: 296/152
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/06 mounted on vehicle exterior B60R1/025, B60R1/08 take precedence

Abstract

A housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior is formed by assembling a plurality of parts substantially in a vehicle longitudinal direction. At a matching portion when the plurality of parts are assembled together substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction, a housing outer side end portion of a matching surface substantially at a vehicle frontward side is displaced further outward than a housing outer side end portion of a matching surface substantially at a vehicle rearward side. Or, the housing outer side end portion of the matching surface substantially at the vehicle rearward side may have a curved surface or a flat surface.

Claims

1. A housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior which is formed by assembling a plurality of parts substantially in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the housing comprising:

a matching portion which is exposed at an outer surface of the housing at a boundary of the plurality of parts when the plurality of parts are assembled together; and

parallel matching outside surfaces of the plurality of parts which oppose each other at the matching portion and are aligned substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction,

wherein a housing outer side end portion of the outside matching surface positioned substantially at a vehicle frontward side is displaced further toward an outer side than a housing outer side end portion of the parallel outside matching surface positioned substantially at a vehicle rearward side.

2. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of parts are formed of a synthetic resin material which becomes hard after hardening thereof.

3. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 1, wherein, among the parallel matching surfaces opposing each other and aligned substantially along the vehicle longitudinal direction, said displacement of a housing outer side end portion of the matching surface positioned substantially at the vehicle frontward side with respect to the housing outer side end portion of the matching surface positioned substantially at the vehicle rearward side is 0.5 mm or less.

4. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 3, wherein a distance between the matching surfaces opposing each other substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction is 1.0 mm or less.

5. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 2, wherein one of the plurality of parts assembled together substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction has a fitting portion having a substantially U-shaped connecting portion.

6. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of parts, in an assembled together state, is mounted to a body panel of a vehicle, and a lighting device is accommodated within an assembly of the plurality of parts assembled together.

7. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of parts, in an assembled together state, is mounted at a side of a door of a vehicle, and a mirror is accommodated within an assembly of the plurality of parts assembled together.

8. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 7, wherein a support, which supports the mirror such that the mirror can pivot about axes which are substantially along a vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle longitudinal direction, is accommodated within the assembly.

9. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 8, wherein at least one driving device for pivoting the mirror is accommodated within the assembly.

10. A housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior which is formed by assembling a plurality of parts together substantially in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the housing comprising:

a matching portion which is exposed at an outer surface of the housing at a boundary between the plurality of parts when the plurality of parts are assembled together; and

matching surfaces of the plurality of parts opposing each other at the matching portion substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction,

wherein a corner portion of the matching surface substantially at a vehicle rearward side and the part having the matching surface is formed as a curved surface or as a flat surface which is inclined toward an outer side of the housing with respect to a direction of the matching surface substantially at a vehicle frontward side.

11. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 10, wherein the corner portion is formed at the outer side position of the matching surface substantially at a vehicle rearward side, whereby an airflow can be guided so as to slowly flow on an outer surface of the part having the corner portion.

12. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of parts are formed of a synthetic resin material which becomes hard after hardening thereof.

13. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of parts, in an assembled together state, is mounted to a body panel of a vehicle, and a lighting device is accommodated within an assembly of the plurality of parts assembled together.

14. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of parts, in an assembled together state, is mounted at a side of a door of a vehicle, and a mirror is accommodated within an assembly of the plurality of parts assembled together.

15. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 14, wherein a support, which supports the mirror such that the mirror can pivot about axes which are substantially along a vehicle vertical direction and the vehicle longitudinal direction, is accommodated within the assembly.

16. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 15, wherein at least one driving device for pivoting the mirror is accommodated within the assembly.

17. The housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior according to claim 16, further comprising a lower wall.

18. A housing for a member disposed at a vehicle exterior which is formed by assembling a plurality of parts together substantially in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the housing comprising:

a matching portion which is exposed at an outer surface of the housing at a boundary between the plurality of parts when the plurality of parts are assembled together; and

matching surfaces of the plurality of parts opposing each other at the matching portion substantially in the vehicle longitudinal direction,

wherein said matching surfaces include, at a vehicle rearward side, a corner portion having a rounded surface or a flat surface inclined obliquely to said vehicle longitudinal direction that forms an outer portion of said housing such that an airflow flowing from a vehicle front side to said vehicle rearward side flows over said rounded or oblique surface with less resistance than if said corner portion included a surface orthogonal to said vehicle longitudinal direction.