Decorative Grille for a Vehicle Front

Abstract

A decorative grille for a front of a vehicle is provided. The decorative grille has a grille frame connectible to the vehicle front, and a lighting device. The decorative grille frame accommodates the lighting device. The lighting device is located entirely behind a point which is frontmost relative to the vehicle longitudinal direction of the decorative grille frame.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A decorative grille for a vehicle front of a vehicle, comprising: a decorative grille frame connectable to the vehicle front; and a lighting device, wherein the decorative grille frame receives the lighting device, and the lighting device is arranged completely behind a frontmost point of the decorative grille frame in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

12. The decorative grille according to claim 11, wherein the decorative grille frame accommodates ribs spaced apart from one another, and the lighting device is arranged in front of the ribs in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

13. The decorative grille according to claim 11, wherein the lighting device is arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction behind a contour delimiting the decorative grille frame to the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction and having the frontmost point, at least in a region in which the lighting device extends along the contour.

14. The decorative grille according to claim 13, wherein the lighting device is arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction completely behind the contour delimiting the decorative grille frame to the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

15. The decorative grille according to claim 11, wherein the lighting device is arranged inside and/or outside the decorative grille frame, and the lighting device extends in parallel to the contour delimiting the decorative grille frame to the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

16. The decorative grille according to claim 11, wherein the lighting device has an outer skin and a light source arranged inside the outer skin, the outer skin includes at least two different materials, a first of the two materials is light-opaque to a light emitted by the light source, and a second of the two materials is light-transmissive to the light emitted by the light source and/or has volume-scattering properties.

17. The decorative grille according to claim 16, wherein the outer skin of the lighting device is U-shaped in cross section and has two outer legs extending essentially in parallel to the vehicle longitudinal direction and one inner leg connecting the two outer legs, at least one of the two outer legs of the outer skin includes the first material or is made thereof, and the inner leg of the outer skin includes the second material or is made thereof, so that a defined light outlet surface for light emitted by the light source is formed in front in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

18. The decorative grille according to claim 16, wherein the two materials are plastics and/or the outer skin of the lighting device is manufactured as a materially-bonded composite.

19. The decorative grille according to claim 18, wherein the plastics are chromed plastics.

20. A vehicle front for a vehicle, comprising: the decorative grille according to claim 11, wherein the decorative frille is connected to the vehicle front.

21. A vehicle comprising the vehicle front according to claim 20.

22. The vehicle according to claim 21, wherein the vehicle is a passenger vehicle.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a decorative grille according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the decorative grille from FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] A decorative grille 1 is shown in a perspective view alone in FIG. 1, i.e., a vehicle front of a vehicle, to which the decorative grille 1 is attachable, is not shown.

[0051] Furthermore, a Cartesian coordinate system is shown in FIG. 1, wherein X corresponds to a vehicle longitudinal direction, Y to a vehicle width direction, and Z to a vehicle vertical direction.

[0052] FIG. 1 corresponds here to a view essentially from the vehicle longitudinal direction X and slightly offset from the vehicle width direction Y.

[0053] In the installed state of the decorative grille, an engine compartment of the vehicle is generally arranged behind the decorative grille. Depending on the installed drive assembly, an air flap arrangement having an airflow controller can be installed between the engine compartment and the decorative grille.

[0054] FIG. 2 is a sectional view in a plane spanned by the vehicle longitudinal direction X and vehicle vertical direction Z, to which the vehicle width direction Y is perpendicular as a normal vector.

[0055] In FIG. 2, the region of the decorative grille 1 circled in FIG. 1 and identified by the designation A-A is shown in section, wherein FIG. 2 corresponds to a schematic diagram.

[0056] The decorative grille 1 is described in detail hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0057] The decorative grille 1 has a decorative grille frame 2 connectable to the vehicle front, ribs 4 spaced apart from one another, and a lighting device 3 arranged in front of the ribs 4 in the vehicle longitudinal direction X. The decorative grille 1 furthermore comprises a ring or trim 5 including chromium, which covers a frontmost contour 21 of the decorative grille frame 2 described in detail later.

[0058] The decorative grille frame 2 accommodates the ribs 4 and the lighting device 3. The lighting device 3, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 2, is arranged here completely behind a frontmost point of the decorative grille frame 2 in the vehicle longitudinal direction X.

[0059] More precisely, the lighting device 3 is arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction X in the present embodiment completely behind the contour 21 having the frontmost point and delimiting the decorative grille frame 2 to the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction X.

[0060] In the present case, the frontmost contour 21 of the decorative grille frame 2 extends essentially in parallel to the vehicle vertical direction Z and forms a type of protective shield for the lighting device 3 arranged behind it.

[0061] In the event of an impact of an external impactor on the decorative grille, for example the pendulum in the ECE-R42 pendulum test, the frontmost contour 21 of the rigidly embodied decorative grille frame 21 absorbs the energy of the impactor and passes it on to a component of the vehicle front arranged behind the decorative grille 2 in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

[0062] This prevents the impactor from coming into contact with the lighting device 3 and damaging it.

[0063] In the present case, the lighting device 3 is arranged inside the decorative grille frame 2 and below the frontmost contour 21 of the decorative grille frame 2 in the vehicle vertical direction Z.

[0064] The lighting device 3 follows the frontmost contour 21 of the decorative grille frame 2, i.e., the lighting device 3 extends in parallel to the contour 21 delimiting the decorative grille frame to the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction X.

[0065] Additionally or alternatively, it is contemplated that the lighting device 3 is arranged following the frontmost contour 21 in the same manner outside the decorative grille frame 2.

[0066] The lighting device 3 has an outer skin 31 and a light source 32 arranged inside the outer skin 31.

[0067] The outer skin 31, which essentially has a U shape in the cross section shown in FIG. 2, comprises at least two different materials.

[0068] More precisely, the outer skin 31 of the lighting device 3 is essentially U-shaped in cross section and has two outer legs and one inner leg extending essentially in parallel to the vehicle longitudinal direction X and connecting the two outer legs.

[0069] A first of the two materials is light-opaque to light emitted by the light source 32. A second of the two materials is light-transmissive to light emitted by the light source 32 and has volume-scattering properties.

[0070] In the present case, the second material, i.e., the light-transmissive material, is formed as a type of carrier structure 313 in a U shape. Two parts 311, 312 acting as an aperture and made of the first, i.e., the light-opaque material, are externally attached to the two outer legs of the carrier structure 313. A defined light outlet surface for the light emitted by the light source 32 is thus formed in the front in the vehicle longitudinal direction X.

[0071] It is contemplated that the two materials include plastics, for example, polycarbonate, in particular chromed plastics, or consist thereof. The outer skin 31 of the lighting device 3 can be manufactured as a materially-bonded composite in this case.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0072] 1 decorative grille [0073] 2 decorative grille frame [0074] 21 contour delimiting the decorative grille frame to the front [0075] 3 lighting device [0076] 31 outer skin [0077] 311, 312 light-opaque aperture [0078] 313 light-transmissive carrier structure [0079] 32 light source [0080] 4 ribs [0081] 5 trim