Vehicle having a rear light having a screen with tab with visible markings

Abstract

A motor vehicle has a rear light to which a screen, which covers a light housing of the rear light is attached in the region of a water channel arranged or formed adjacent to a rear opening of the motor vehicle. Advantageously, the screen has a passage opening or a cutout that, in the mounted state of the screen, is occupied by a tab of the light housing of the rear light whose shape is complementary to that of the passage opening or the cutout of the screen. The marks relating to the rear light are applied to a tab surface of the tab, and/or are introduced into the tab surface, that is visible from outside the vehicle when the screen is in its mounted state.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle, comprising: a body having a rear opening formed therein and a water channel disposed or formed adjacent to said rear opening; a screen; a rear light having a light housing with a tab, said screen covering said light housing and is attached in a region of said water channel; and said screen having a passage opening or a cutout formed therein that, in a mounted state of said screen, is occupied by said tab of said light housing of said rear light whose shape is complementary to that of said passage opening or said cutout of said screen, said tab having marks relating to said rear light applied to a tab surface of said tab and/or are introduced into said tab surface, that is visible from outside the motor vehicle when said screen is in the mounted state.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein in the mounted state of said screen, said tab is flush with said screen.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said tab is fixedly or releasably connected to said light housing of said rear light.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said marks have market-specific test and/or approval marks, marks for identifying said rear light, revision marks, distinguishing marks, orientation marks and/or symbols.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said marks are introduced in said tab surface of said tab visible from the outside by way of laser marking or by means of a set of tools.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein at least one further marking location for providing and/or introducing further marks is provided at said light housing of said rear light directly adjacent to said tab.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a rear view of a motor vehicle embodied according to the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of that region of the vehicle rear that is relevant to the invention in a case of an open tailgate with a light housing of a rear light of the motor vehicle and a screen in a pre-assembled state thereof according to the prior art;

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of the region of the vehicle rear that is relevant to the invention in the case of an open tailgate with a light housing of the rear light of the motor vehicle and the screen in the pre-assembled state thereof according to the invention; and

(4) FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of the region of the vehicle rear that is relevant to the invention in the case of an open tailgate with the screen of FIG. 3 in a mounted end state thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention.

(6) Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a rear view of a motor vehicle 1, having a tailgate 3 that closes a rear opening 2 of the motor vehicle 1. Rear lights 4a, 4b are arranged on either side of the motor vehicle 1, wherein one part of the rear lights 4a, 4b is mounted to the body and another part is mounted to the gate.

(7) According to FIG. 2, a water channel 9 is formed between a body panel 6, delimiting a rear cargo hold 5 of the motor vehicle 1, with a seal arrangement 7 for the tailgate 3 and a light housing 8 of a body-side rear light 4a, by means of which the water channel 9 water, in particular rainwater and washing water including dirt particles, is guided away from the motor vehicle 1 in a defined manner, as is known. As is further evident from FIG. 2, the rear light 4a or the light housing 8 thereof is assigned the same covering screen 10, which serves both for protection and for decorative purposes.

(8) As has already been explained in the introductory part, statutory provisions require that specific marks 11, such as test and/or approval marks, be arranged in the visible region of the motor vehicle 1. With respect to the rear light 4a, the marks 11, i.e. test and/or approval marks, according to, for example, ECE, CCC, SAE and/or the like are arranged either on the light housing 8 of the rear light 4a, on a lens 12 of the rear light 4a and/or on the screen 10 covering the light housing 8, in the region where the water channel 9 is formed (cf. FIG. 2).

(9) FIG. 2 in this case shows the screen 10 in a pre-assembled state. It has positive-locking means 13, whose counter positive-locking means 14 at the light housing 8 correspond to the former for the preferably releasable attachment of the screen 10 to the light housing 8. As is furthermore shown in FIG. 2, the marks 11 are conventionally arranged for the one part at the light housing 8 and for the other part at the screen 10, in this case so as to be visible from outside the vehicle, preferably provided on the light housing 8 and the screen 10 by laser marking or incorporated therein, which is associated with increased complexity. Alternatively, the marks 11 can also be provided at the light housing 8 and at the screen 10, or be incorporated therein, by means of a set of tools that is known per se.

(10) In order to address this disadvantageous circumstance and/or minimize the complexity, the screen 10 according to FIGS. 3 and 4 has a passage opening 15 that, in the mounted state of the screen 10, is occupied by a tab 16 of the light housing 8/of the rear light 4a that has a complementary shape with respect to the passage opening 15 of the screen 10 and is located in front of the light housing 8 of the rear light 4a. Rather than the passage opening 15, the screen 10 can also have a lateral cutout occupied by the tab 16 (not shown in the drawing).

(11) Accordingly, a tab surface 17 of the tab 16 visible from outside the vehicle is provided in the mounted state of the screen 10 (cf. FIG. 4). The marks 11 already mentioned above are provided, relating to the rear light 4a, on the tab surface 17 of the tab 16 that is visible from outside the vehicle and/or incorporated in said tab surface 17.

(12) As is further evident from FIG. 4, the tab 16, in the mounted state of the screen 10, is substantially flush with the screen 10, as a result of which it is possible, for the one part, to attain a high fluid-tightness with respect to said water channel 9, and, for the other part, other possibilities where water and dirt may accumulate are avoided.

(13) As is additionally evident from FIG. 4, the tab 16 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is fixedly connected to the light housing 8 of the rear light 4a, with further preference is formed in one piece therewith. The light housing 8 substantially consists of a plastic and is preferably produced according to a plastics injection molding method that is known per se. In this respect, the tab 16 can be produced at the light housing 8 particularly easily and cost-effectively. Alternatively, the tab 16 may also be releasably connected to the light housing 8 so as to offer extended possibilities for assigning specific marks 11 to the relevant light housing 8 (not shown in the drawing).

(14) With preference, but not in a restrictive manner, said marks 11 comprise market-specific test and/or approval marks, such as ECE, CCC and/or SAE, marks for identifying the rear light 4a, revision marks, distinguishing marks, orientation marks and/or symbols.

(15) The marks 11 are preferably introduced in the tab surface 17 of the tab 16 visible from the outside by way of laser marking (laser engraving). Alternatively, the marks 11 can also be engraved in the tab 16 by means of the already mentioned set of tools, in particular by means of a pen or a milling cutter, or be provided on the tab 16 by means of a separate plaque (not illustrated in the drawing).

(16) In order to extend the marking possibilities in particular relating to the rear light 4a, at least one further marking location 18 for providing and/or introducing further marks 11a, in the present case indeterminate and denoted with “XYZ,” is provided at the light housing 8 of the rear light 4a directly adjacent to the tab 16. According to this exemplary embodiment, the further marking location 18 is arranged, by way of example, below the tab 16 and is schematically denoted by a dashed line. The further marks 11a may be, for example, internal revision markings of the producer or supplier of the rear light 4a and/or of the light housing 8 with information relating to the building condition, the hardware status, software status, production date, circuit board version of the rear light 4a and/or the like.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(17) 1 Motor vehicle 2 Rear opening 3 Tailgate 4a Rear light 4b Rear light 5 Cargo hold 6 Body panel 7 Seal arrangement 8 Light housing 9 Water channel 10 Screen 11 Mark 11a Mark 12 Lens 13 Positive-locking means 14 Counter positive-locking means 15 Passage opening 16 Tab 17 Tab surface 18 Marking location