JP7245151B2 - touch sensor unit - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a touch sensor unit used to detect contact with an obstacle.

2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle such as an automobile is sometimes provided with an opening/closing body (for example, a slide door or a tailgate) that opens and closes an opening provided in the vehicle, and an opening/closing device that drives the opening/closing body. The opening/closing device includes an electric motor as a driving source and an operation switch for turning on/off the electric motor. An electric motor provided in the opening/closing device operates based on the operation of the operation switch to drive the opening/closing body to open or close. Further, among the opening/closing devices, there is an automatic opening/closing device that drives the opening/closing member to open or close regardless of whether or not the operation switch is operated. One conventional automatic opening/closing device includes a touch sensor unit that detects an obstacle sandwiched between an opening and an opening/closing body, and drives the opening/closing body based on the detection result of the touch sensor unit. . For example, when an obstacle is detected by the touch sensor unit, the automatic opening/closing device opens the opening/closing body that has been driven to close until then, or stops the opening/closing body on the spot.

An example of the touch sensor unit as described above is described in Patent Document 1. The touch sensor unit described in Patent Document 1 has a sensor body and a sensor holder in which the sensor body is embedded. The sensor main body includes an insulating tube and two linear electrodes provided in the insulating tube. The two linear electrodes are spirally provided in the insulating tube and are non-contact. intersect each other in the state.

Further, Patent Literature 1 describes a sensor holder containing a metal core for maintaining a desired curved state of the touch sensor unit. According to Patent Document 1, by plastically deforming a metal core built into a sensor holder into a curved shape that follows the shape of an installation location such as a door frame, a touch sensor unit including a sensor holder can conform to the shape of the installation location. can be maintained in a curved state.

JP 2017-203661 A

The method of embedding the cored bar in the sensor holder as described in Patent Document 1 includes a method of embedding the cored bar in the sensor holder when molding the sensor holder, and a method of embedding the cored bar in the sensor holder. There is a method of inserting the metal core in a specific manner.

The core bar inserted into the insertion hole of the sensor holder afterward is not fixed to the sensor holder. Therefore, there is a possibility that the core bar may move in the longitudinal direction inside the insertion hole.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to realize a touch sensor unit in which the position of a metal core contained in a sensor holder is held.

A touch sensor unit of the present invention includes a sensor body, a sensor holder in which the sensor body is embedded, and an electrical component arranged outside the sensor holder and electrically connected to the sensor body. The sensor main body includes a tubular insulator that elastically deforms when an external force is applied, and a plurality of electrodes that are provided inside the tubular insulator and come into contact with each other as the tubular insulator elastically deforms. The sensor holder has an insertion hole extending along the sensor body. A plastically deformable metal core is inserted into the insertion hole of the sensor holder. Also, at least the end portion of the sensor holder, the end portion of the core bar protruding from the end face of the sensor holder, and the electrical component are collectively molded with resin.

In one aspect of the present invention, the end portion of the core bar includes a locking portion that locks onto the end surface of the sensor holder.

In another aspect of the present invention, the locking portion is a portion of the end portion of the core bar deformed such that the dimension in the same direction as the radial direction of the insertion hole is larger than the diameter of the insertion hole. is.

In another aspect of the present invention, the end portion of the tubular insulator protrudes from the end surface of the sensor holder in the same direction as the end portion of the core bar. In addition to the end portion of the sensor holder, the end portion of the core metal, and the electrical component, the end portion of the tubular insulator is also molded together with resin.

According to the present invention, a touch sensor unit is realized in which the position of the metal core contained in the sensor holder is held.

Fig. 2 is a front view showing a tailgate of a vehicle on which the touch sensor unit is mounted; FIG. 10 is a side view showing the tailgate of the vehicle on which the touch sensor unit is mounted; 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a touch sensor unit; FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the structure of the touch sensor unit; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the structure of a touch sensor unit; FIG. 11 is another explanatory diagram showing the structure of the touch sensor unit; FIG. 11 is still another explanatory diagram showing the structure of the touch sensor unit; 4 is a perspective view showing a separator; FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mold portion and a cover member; FIG. 10 is another perspective view showing the mold portion and the cover member; It is explanatory drawing which shows the shaping|molding process of a mold part. It is other explanatory drawing which shows the shaping|molding process of a mold part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the edge part of the cored bar containing a latching|locking part.

An example of a touch sensor unit to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a touch sensor unit 20 according to this embodiment is mounted on a vehicle 10. As shown in FIGS. The illustrated vehicle 10 is a so-called hatchback type vehicle. The rear portion of the vehicle 10 is provided with an opening (rear opening 11) through which large luggage can be taken in and out of the vehicle compartment. The rear opening 11 is opened and closed by an opening/closing body 12 rotatably supported by a hinge (not shown) provided on the rear side of the vehicle 10 . The opening/closing body 12 is called a "tailgate", a "reargate", a "back door", etc., but is called a "tailgate" in this specification.

The vehicle 10 is equipped with a power tailgate device 13 that rotates (opens and closes) the tailgate 12 in the directions indicated by the solid line arrow and broken line arrow in FIG. The power tailgate device 13 includes an actuator 13a with a reduction gear that opens and closes the tailgate 12, a controller 13b that controls the actuator 13a based on the operation of a switch (not shown), and a pair of actuators for detecting an obstacle BL. and a touch sensor unit 20. That is, the touch sensor unit 20 according to this embodiment is one of the components of the power tailgate device 13 mounted on the vehicle 10 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the touch sensor unit 20 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the tailgate 12 . Specifically, the touch sensor units 20 are provided on both side surfaces of the tailgate 12 in the vehicle width direction. More specifically, the touch sensor units 20 are provided on both curved side surfaces (edges) of the tailgate 12 along the shape of the side surfaces. Therefore, when an obstacle BL is caught between the rear opening 11 and the tailgate 12 , the obstacle BL is detected by the touch sensor unit 20 . The touch sensor unit 20 outputs a detection signal when detecting the obstacle BL. A detection signal output from the touch sensor unit 20 is input to the controller 13b. The controller 13b to which the detection signal is input opens the closed tailgate 12 or stops the closed tailgate 12 on the spot regardless of the operation state of the operation switch.

As shown in FIG. 3, the touch sensor unit 20 includes a sensor body 30, a sensor holder 31 and a bracket 32, and these sensor body 30, sensor holder 31 and bracket 32 are integrated.

The bracket 32 shown in FIG. 3 is made of a resin material such as plastic, and has substantially the same length as the side (edge) of the tailgate 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2). appearance. As shown in FIG. 3 , a longitudinal part of the sensor body 30 is fixed to the sensor holder 31 while the remaining part is not fixed to the sensor holder 31 . A sensor holder 31 to which a part of the sensor main body 30 is fixed is fixed (joined) to the bracket 32 . In the following description, the longitudinal part of the sensor body 30 that is not fixed to the sensor holder 31 may be called a "drawer part" to distinguish it from other parts. However, such a distinction is merely a distinction for convenience of explanation.

The touch sensor unit 20 having the basic structure as described above is attached to the vehicle 10 by fixing (joining) the bracket 32 to the edge of the tailgate 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2). At this time, the lead-out portion of the sensor main body 30 is drawn into the tailgate 12 through a lead-in hole provided in the tailgate 12 . Further, the pull-in hole after the pull-out portion is pulled in is closed by the grommet GM attached to the pull-out portion. The touch sensor unit 20 will be described in more detail below.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the sensor main body 30 that constitutes the touch sensor unit 20 includes a tubular insulator 40 and a plurality of sensors that are provided inside the tubular insulator 40 and come into contact with each other as the tubular insulator 40 elastically deforms. and a connector 43 . The sensor holder 31 is made of insulating rubber and has elasticity. That is, the sensor holder 31 elastically deforms when an external force is applied, and returns to its original shape when the external force is removed. Also, the connector 43 is connected to another connector (not shown). By connecting the connector 43 to another connector, the touch sensor unit 20 is electrically connected to the controller 13b (FIGS. 1 and 2), and the detection signal output from the touch sensor unit 20 can be input to the controller 13b. becomes.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor holder 31 has a housing portion 33 and a base portion 34 that are integrally molded. The accommodating portion 33 is hollow, and the sensor main body 30 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 33 . The base portion 34 is provided with an insertion hole 35 extending along the sensor main body 30 accommodated in the accommodation portion 33 , and a plastically deformable metal core 37 is inserted into the insertion hole 35 . In other words, the sensor main body 30 is embedded in the housing portion 33 of the sensor holder 31 and the cored bar 37 is embedded in the base portion 34 of the sensor holder 31 . The bottom surface of the base portion 34 is joined to the bracket 32 (FIG. 3).

The tubular insulator 40 shown in FIG. 4 is a tube made of insulating rubber and has elasticity. That is, the tubular insulator 40 elastically deforms when an external force is applied, and returns to its original shape when the external force is removed. The inner diameter of tubular insulator 40 is about three times the outer diameter of electrodes 41 and 42 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, electrodes 41 and 42 housed in tubular insulator 40 are linear electrodes. The two linear electrodes 41 and 42 are provided spirally inside the tubular insulator 40, and usually intersect repeatedly in a non-contact state. As shown in FIG. 4, the outer peripheral surfaces of the respective linear electrodes 41 and 42 are fixed (welded) to the inner peripheral surface of the tubular insulator 40, and between the two linear electrodes 41 and 42 , there is a gap to accommodate another similar linear electrode.

As shown in FIG. 4, each of the linear electrodes 41 and 42 includes a core wire 50 composed of a plurality of twisted strands 50a and a coating layer (sheath 51) covering the core wire 50. there is The wire 50a in this embodiment is a copper wire. That is, the core wire 50 in this embodiment is a stranded wire made of a plurality of copper wires. Also, the sheath 51 in this embodiment is formed of a conductive resin extruded around the core wire 50 .

As described above, the tubular insulator 40 that accommodates the linear electrodes 41 and 42 has elasticity, and the accommodation portion 33 of the sensor holder 31 that accommodates the sensor main body 30 including the tubular insulator 40 also has elasticity. have. Therefore, when the accommodating portion 33 of the sensor holder 31 is elastically deformed (collapsed) by receiving an external force exceeding a certain level, an external force is applied to the tubular insulator 40 accordingly. Then, the tubular insulator 40 is elastically deformed (collapsed), and the two linear electrodes 41 and 42 come close to each other in the tubular insulator 40 and come into contact with each other. Specifically, the sheath 51 of one linear electrode 41 and the sheath 51 of the other linear electrode 42 are in contact with each other. As a result, the two linear electrodes 41 and 42 are electrically connected (short-circuited).

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, core wires 50 of linear electrodes 41 and 42 are drawn out from one opening 40 a of tubular insulator 40 . The two core wires 50 drawn out from the opening 40a of the tubular insulator 40 are exposed to the outside by partially removing the sheaths 51 (FIG. 4) of the respective linear electrodes 41 and 42. It is part of line 50 . In the following description, the exposed portion of the core wire 50 in the linear electrode 41 is called "connection line 41a", and the exposed portion of the core wire 50 in the linear electrode 42 is called "connection line 42a".

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the touch sensor unit 20 further has a resistor R as an electrical component arranged outside the sensor holder 31 . One end of the resistor R is provided with a short connecting portion C1, and the other end of the resistor R is provided with a long connecting portion C2. The long connecting portion C2 is folded back 180 degrees and arranged parallel to the short connecting portion C1. As shown in FIG. 5, the connection line 41a of the linear electrode 41 and the short connection portion C1 are connected to each other by the connection member SW1. As shown in FIG. 6, the connection line 42a of the linear electrode 42 and the long connection portion C2 are connected to each other by another connection member SW2.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, part of the sensor main body 30 embedded in the housing portion 33 of the sensor holder 31 protrudes from the end portion 31a of the sensor holder 31. As shown in FIGS. A portion of the cored bar 37 embedded in the base portion 34 of the sensor holder 31 protrudes from the end portion 31 a of the sensor holder 31 . Specifically, the end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40 and the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 protrude from the end surface 31b of the sensor holder 31 . In other words, the part of the tubular insulator 40 protruding from the end face 31b of the sensor holder 31 is the end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40 . A portion of the cored bar 37 protruding from the end face 31b of the sensor holder 31 is the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the touch sensor unit 20 further has a separator 60 as an insulating member. As shown in FIG. 8, the separator 60 has a generally flat plate-like separator body 61 and a generally columnar insertion projection 62 protruding from one longitudinal end of the separator body 61 . However, the separator main body 61 and the insertion protrusions 62 are integrally formed of an insulating material such as plastic.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the insertion protrusion 62 of the separator 60 extends from the opening 40a of the tubular insulator 40 to between the two linear electrodes 41 and 42 accommodated in the tubular insulator 40. inserted. Also, the separator body 61 of the separator 60 is interposed between the two connecting wires 41a and 42a to prevent contact (short circuit) between the connecting wires 41a and 42a. Specifically, the resistor R, the short connection portion C1, the connection line 41a, and the connection member SW1 are arranged on one side (upper side) of the separator body 61, and the long connection portion C2, the connection line 42a, and the connection member SW2 are It is arranged on the other side (lower side) of the separator main body 61 .

As shown in FIG. 8 , two closing portions 63 are formed at the tip of the separator body 61 so as to surround the base of the insertion projection 62 . A recess 63a for avoiding the connection line 41a (FIG. 5) is provided in the center of the closed portion 63 formed on the upper side of the separator body 61, and is formed on the lower side of the separator body 61. A recess 63b is formed in the center of the closing portion 63 to avoid the connection line 42a (FIG. 6). These two recesses 63a and 63b are provided at positions 180 degrees apart in the circumferential direction of the insertion protrusion 62. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the connecting wire 41a is drawn out onto the separator body 61 through the inside of the recess 63a and connected to the short connecting portion C1. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the connection line 42a is led out onto the separator body 61 through the inside of the recess 63b and connected to the long connection portion C2. Also, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the front surfaces of the two closing portions 63 are abutted against the end surface of the tubular insulator 40 . In other words, the insertion protrusion 62 is inserted into the tubular insulator 40 until the front surfaces of the two blocking portions 63 abut against the end faces of the tubular insulator 40 . As a result, the opening 40 a of the tubular insulator 40 is closed by the closing portion 63 . More specifically, most of the gap between the inner peripheral surface of the tubular insulator 40 and the outer peripheral surface of the linear electrodes 41 and 42 (sheath 51) in the opening 40a of the tubular insulator 40 is the closed portion 63. blocked by

In the following description, the connection lines 41a and 42a, the resistor R, the connection members SW1 and SW2, and the separator main body 61 may be collectively referred to as an "electric connection portion".

Refer to FIG. 3 again. A mold portion 44 is provided on one longitudinal end side of the touch sensor unit 20 . 9 and 10, the molded portion 44 includes an end portion 31a of the sensor holder 31, an end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40 projecting from the end surface 31b of the sensor holder 31, and an end portion of the cored bar 37. 37b, a resin molded body that encloses an electrical connection provided outside the sensor holder 31; That is, the end portion 31a of the sensor holder 31, the end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40, the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37, and the electrical connection portion are all molded with resin.

As described above, the molded portion 44 straddles the end 31 a of the sensor holder 31 , the end 40 b of the tubular insulator 40 , and the end 37 b of the cored bar 37 . As a result, the end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40 and the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 protruding in the same direction from the end face 31b of the sensor holder 31 are fixed to the sensor holder 31 . That is, the molded portion 44 not only waterproofs and protects the end portion of the touch sensor unit 20 including the electrical connection portion, but also prevents the sensor main body 30 including the tubular insulator 40 and the metal core 37 from moving. It also functions as a fixing means that regulates and holds these positions.

From the viewpoint of allowing the mold portion 44 to function as the fixing means, the projection length L1 (FIG. 7) of the end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40 with respect to the end surface 31b of the sensor holder 31 is preferably 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm. 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm is more preferable, and around 0.75 mm is even more preferable. The protruding length L2 (FIG. 7) of the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 with respect to the end surface 31b of the sensor holder 31 is preferably 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm, more preferably 1.5 mm to 2.5 mm, and 2.0 mm. Before and after is more preferable.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 , the mold portion 44 is covered with a cover member 70 that covers at least a portion of the components of the electrical connection through the mold portion 44 . In other words, the cover member 70 is provided around the mold portion 44 that encloses the electrical connection portion and partially covers the surface of the mold portion 44 .

The mold part 44 shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is a resin molding made by injection molding using a mold. The molding process of the mold portion 44 includes at least a "separator assembly process" and a "mold resin injection process". In the separator assembling process, as shown in FIG. 11, the separator 60 is arranged at a predetermined position and in a predetermined orientation. Specifically, the resistor R, the short connecting portion C1, the connecting wire 41a and the connecting member SW1 are arranged on one side (upper side) of the separator main body 61, and the long connecting portion C2, the connecting wire 42a and the connecting member SW2 are arranged on the separator main body. A separator 60 is inserted between the main body of the resistor R and the elongated connecting portion C2 so as to be arranged on the other side (lower side) of the resistor 61 . After that, the inserting protrusion 62 of the separator 60 is inserted between the two linear electrodes 41 and 42 in the tubular insulator 40 through the opening 40 a of the tubular insulator 40 . At this time, the insertion projection 62 is inserted into the tubular insulator 40 until the front surface of the closing portion 63 of the separator 60 hits the end face of the tubular insulator 40 . As a result, the separator main body 61 is interposed between the short connecting portion C1, the connecting wire 41a and the connecting member SW1 and the long connecting portion C2, the connecting wire 42a and the connecting member SW2, thereby preventing contact (short circuit) therebetween. be. Further, the opening 40a of the tubular insulator 40 is closed by the closing portion 63 with substantially no gap. The tip of the insertion projection 62 is tapered to facilitate insertion between the linear electrodes 41 and 42 . The diameter of the insertion protrusion 62 is slightly larger than the diameter of the linear electrodes 41 and 42, and it enters between the linear electrodes 41 and 42 while slightly pushing the linear electrodes 41 and 42 aside. Therefore, the insertion protrusion 62 inserted between the two linear electrodes 41 and 42 will not come off carelessly.

In the mold resin injection process, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the end 31a of the sensor holder 31, the end 40b of the tubular insulator 40, the end 37b of the cored bar 37, and the electrical connection portion are formed of gold (not shown). It is placed inside the cover member 70 set in the mold.

After that, the mold portion 44 is formed by injecting molten resin into the mold. At this time, the opening 40 a of the tubular insulator 40 is closed by the closing portion 63 of the separator 60 . Therefore, the molten resin does not flow into the tubular insulator 40, and even if it does flow, the amount is very small.

Further, when the molten resin is injected into the mold, pressure (injection pressure) of the molten resin acts on each part of the sensor holder 31, the sensor main body 30 and the core bar 37 arranged in the mold. For example, the injection pressure acts on the end portion 31 a of the sensor holder 31 , the end portion 40 b of the tubular insulator 40 and the end portion 37 b of the cored bar 37 . The injection pressure acting on the outer peripheral surface of the end portion 31a of the sensor holder 31 (hereinafter referred to as "radial pressure") acts on the tubular insulator 40 and the metal core 37 via the end portion 31a, hold down On the other hand, the injection pressure (hereinafter referred to as “axial pressure”) acting on the end faces of the tubular insulator 40 and the cored bar 37 pushes them into the sensor holder 31 .

Here, the end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40 and the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 protrude from the end surface 31b of the sensor holder 31 in advance. Therefore, even if the radial pressure and the axial pressure act simultaneously, the end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40 and the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 will not all be pushed into the sensor holder 31 . Furthermore, if the flow of the molten resin in the mold is controlled so that the radial pressure acts before the axial pressure acts, the end portion 40b of the tubular insulator 40 and the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 can be detected by the sensor. It is also possible to completely or almost completely avoid being pushed into the holder 31 .

In order to more reliably prevent the end of the cored bar from being pushed into the sensor holder by the axial pressure, the end of the cored bar may be provided with a locking portion. For example, the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 shown in FIG. The illustrated engaging portion 38 is a portion of the end portion 37 b deformed so that the dimension in the same direction as the radial direction of the insertion hole 35 is larger than the diameter of the insertion hole 35 . The illustrated engaging portion 38 can be formed, for example, by crushing the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 radially inwardly of the cored bar 37 to deform it into a plate shape. Alternatively, the engaging portion 38 may be formed by partially crushing or bending the end portion 37b of the cored bar 37 in the axial direction. When forming the engaging portion 38 by crushing the end portion 37b in the axial direction, take measures such as temporarily fixing the core metal 37 so that the end portion 37 is not buried in the insertion hole 35. is preferred.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the invention.

10 vehicle 11 rear opening 12 opening and closing body (tailgate)
13 Power Tailgate Device 13a Actuator 13b Controller 20 Touch Sensor Unit 30 Sensor Main Body 31 Sensor Holder 31a (Sensor Holder) End 31b (Sensor Holder) End 32 Bracket 33 Housing 34 Base 35 Insertion Hole 37 Core Metal 37b ( Core metal) end 38 Locking portion 40 Tubular insulator 40a (tubular insulator) opening 40b (tubular insulator) end 41 Electrode (linear electrode)
42 electrodes (linear electrodes)
41a, 42a Connection wire 43 Connector 44 Molded portion 50 Core wire 50a Wire 51 Sheath 60 Separator 61 Separator main body 62 Insertion projection 63 Closed portion 63a, 63b Concave portion 70 Cover member BL Obstacle C1 Short connecting portion C2 Long connecting portion CP Cap GM Grommet R Resistance SW1, SW2 Connection member

Claims (4)

A touch sensor unit including a sensor body, a sensor holder in which the sensor body is embedded, and an electrical component disposed outside the sensor holder and electrically connected to the sensor body,
The sensor body includes a tubular insulator that elastically deforms when an external force is applied, and a plurality of electrodes that are provided inside the tubular insulator and come into contact with each other as the tubular insulator elastically deforms,
The sensor holder has an insertion hole extending along the sensor body,
a plastically deformable core bar is inserted into the insertion hole of the sensor holder;
At least the end of the sensor holder, the end of the core bar protruding from the end surface of the sensor holder, and the electrical component are collectively molded with resin,
touch sensor unit. the end portion of the core bar includes a locking portion that locks to the end surface of the sensor holder;
The touch sensor unit according to claim 1. The locking portion is a portion of the end portion of the core bar deformed so that the dimension in the same direction as the radial direction of the insertion hole is larger than the diameter of the insertion hole.
The touch sensor unit according to claim 2. an end portion of the tubular insulator protrudes from the end surface of the sensor holder in the same direction as the end portion of the cored bar;
In addition to the end portion of the sensor holder, the end portion of the core metal, and the electrical component, the end portion of the tubular insulator is also molded together with resin,
The touch sensor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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