Vehicle front end assembly

A vehicle front end assembly includes a fender, a headlamp assembly and a trim panel. The fender has a front edge portion. The headlamp assembly has a housing and a lens. The lens defines an upper section and a lower section with a slot defined therebetween. The trim panel is installed to the housing within the slot. The trim panel is attached to the housing of the headlamp assembly and is retained by the front edge portion of the fender.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a vehicle front end assembly. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle front end assembly that includes a headlamp assembly with a lens shaped with a decorative slot with a trim panel that is installed to the headlamp assembly within the slot, the trim panel having a projection that is inserted behind an adjacent fender to ensure a secure attachment of the trim panel to the vehicle.

Background Information

Headlamp assemblies are typically made of two basic structural elements, a housing and a lens that attaches to the housing.

SUMMARY

One object of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle front end assembly with a headlamp assembly with a lens shaped with a decorative slot with a trim panel installed to the headlamp assembly within the slot, the trim panel having a projection that extends behind an adjacent fender to ensure a secure attachment of the trim panel to the vehicle.

In view of the state of the known technology, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle front end assembly with a fender, a headlamp assembly and a trim pane. The fender has a front edge portion. The headlamp assembly has a housing and a lens. The lens defines an upper section and a lower section with a slot defined therebetween. The trim panel is installed to the housing within the slot. The trim panel is attached to the housing of the headlamp assembly and is retained by the front edge portion of the fender.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Referring initially toFIG.1, a vehicle10having a vehicle front end assembly12that includes a headlamp assembly14with a trim panel16is illustrated in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

The vehicle10can be any of a variety of vehicle designs, such as an SUV (sports utility vehicle), a sedan, a coupe, a van, pickup truck or a commercial vehicle. The vehicle10can include a frame (not shown) where the body of the vehicle and the vehicle front end assembly12are bolted or otherwise fixed to the frame, or, the vehicle10can be manufactured with unibody construction where the body elements at least partially define the frame of the vehicle10.

The vehicle front end assembly12(herein after front end assembly12) of the vehicle10includes a fender20that defines a front edge portion22. The fender20is attached to frame element(s) (not shown) or unibody constructed element(s) (not shown). The frame element (not shown) or unibody constructed elements (not shown) are conventional structural vehicle elements. Therefore, description of the frame elements and/or unibody constructed elements is omitted for the sake of brevity.

Several directions are defined by the vehicle10, such as a vehicle longitudinal direction DL, inboard directions DI, an outboard directions DOand a vehicle lateral direction VS(a vehicle side-to-side direction), as shown inFIG.1. The inboard directions DI, an outboard directions DOare defined relative to an imaginary centerline (not shown) that extends through the vehicle10in the vehicle longitudinal direction DL.

The headlamp assembly14includes a housing30and a lens32. The housing30is attached to other elements of the front end assembly12, such as structural elements (not show) in a conventional manner. The housing30defines a pair of doghouse structures34shown inFIGS.3-4and6-7. The lens32defines an upper section36, a lower section38, a slot40and a joining section42(FIGS.1-3and5). The slot40is defined between the upper section36and the lower section38. With the trim panel16removed from the headlamp assembly14, the doghouse structures34are visible within the slot40between the upper section46and lower section38of the lens32, as shown inFIGS.3and4.

As shown inFIGS.1-3and5, the upper section36, the lower section38and the joining section42have a common finished surface44that is continuous and uninterrupted throughout the upper section36, the lower section38and the joining section42. The finished surface44is only interrupted by the slot40and any surface contours that can be included for design and/or optical purposes.

As shown inFIG.5, the joining section42extends along a forward end30a(forward edge30a) of the housing30from a forward end46(an inboard end) of the upper section36of the lens32to a forward end48the lower section38. The slot40extends from the joining section42to a rearward end49of the housing30of the headlamp assembly14.

The trim panel16has a main body16athat defines a trim surface50(FIG.8) and an attachment surface52(FIG.9) opposite the trim surface50. The trim surface50(a finished surface) has a smooth contour and is shaped and contoured to fit within the slot40. More specifically, with the trim panel16installed to the housing30of the headlamp assembly14, the trim surface50conforms to contours of a finished surface44of the lens32of the headlamp assembly14. A description of the attachment of the trim panel16to the housing30is provided in greater detail below.

The attachment surface52of the trim panel16includes at least two snap-fitting projections54(FIGS.7,9and10) and a flange or projection56(FIGS.6,11-13and15-18).

The snap-fitting projections54extend rearward from the attachment surface53of the main body16aand are spaced apart from one another by a distance that corresponds to spacing between the doghouse structures34. With the trim panel16installed to the housing30within the slot40, each of the snap-fitting projections54is inserted into and retained within a corresponding one of the doghouse structures34, as shown inFIGS.6and7.

As shown inFIGS.8-9,11-13and15-18, the projection56extends rearward from a rearward area of the attachment surface52of the main body16aof the trim panel16. The projection56has a distal end56athat extends beyond an adjacent outboard end of the trim panel16. A main portion of the projection56is spaced apart and inboard of the trim panel26itself via a projecting portion56b(FIG.13). More specifically, when the trim panel16is installed to the housing30of the headlamp assembly14, the projection56is positioned and dimensioned to extend behind (inboard of) the front edge portion22of the fender20.

The trim panel16is installed to the housing30of the headlamp assembly14by first inserting the projection56behind the front edge portion22of the fender20and pushing the projection56further behind the fender20. Thereafter, the snap-fitting projection54are inserted into respective ones of the doghouse structures34. As well, double sided adhesive tape60is adhered to an inboard end52aof the attachment surface52of the trim panel16. Once the trim panel16is fully installed, pressing of the inboard end of the trim panel16forces the double sided adhesive tape60into an adjacent surface of the housing30thereby further attaching the trim panel16to the housing30.

With the projection56extending behind the fender20, the trim panel16is in effect attached to the housing30of the headlamp assembly14and is retained and positioned by the front edge portion22of the fender20.

Specifically, as shown inFIGS.12-13and15-18, the distal end56aof the projection56extends behind the front edge portion22of the fender20. A gap G is defined between the projection56and the rearward end of the main body16aof the trim panel16. The front edge portion22of the fender20is retained within the gap G. At the same time, the distal end56aof the projection56is prevented from moving in the vehicle lateral directions DS(inboard and outboard directions DIand DO) with the front edge portion22wedged within the gap G.

In order to ensure the strength of projection56, the attachment surface52is provided with a plurality of first ribs62that extend from the attachment surface52of the trim panel16forward of the projection56to an inboard surface of the projection56, as shown inFIGS.10,12and18. The plurality of ribs62have a non-contacting relationship with the front edge portion22of the fender20.

Further, the trim panel16includes at least one second rib64that extends from a rearward end52bof the attachment surface52of the trim panel16to an outboard surface the projection56such that the at least one second rib64contacts the front edge portion22of the fender20, as shown inFIGS.15-17.

The projection56servers several purposes. First, with the fender20retained within the gap G, the headlamp assembly14is more securely retained in position. Consequently, ability of the fit and finish of the vehicle10is improved because the alignment between the headlamp assembly14and the fender20is reliably maintained. Further, over time as the vehicle10ages, rattles and/or vibrations that might otherwise occur between the fender20and the headlamp assembly14are prevented.

The vehicle structures (other than the fender20, the headlamp assembly14and the trim panel16) are conventional components that are well known in the art. Since such vehicle structures are well known in the art, these structures will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. Rather, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the components can be any type of structure and/or programming that can be used to carry out the present invention.