JP2005037239A - Mounting structure of sensor device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mounting structure of a sensor device capable of easily adjusting the direction of a detection axis. <P>SOLUTION: In this mounting structure of the sensor device for mounting an infrared sensor device 1 on a mounting part 23 of an instrument panel 20, a sliding contact part 12a of the infrared sensor device 1 is provided in the state of an approximately spherical shape so as to change the direction of the detection axis of the infrared sensor, and the infrared sensor device 1 is mounted movably in the sliding contact state to retention boards 23a, 23b constituting the mounting part 23. The direction of the detection axis can be easily adjusted in the state where the infrared sensor device 1 is mounted on the instrument panel 20 by means of the mounting structure of the sensor device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sensor device mounting structure for fixing a sensor device having directivity in a detection direction to a mounting portion of a mounting member.

  An apparatus for detecting and controlling the temperature inside the vehicle using an infrared sensor is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

In this control device, a conductor plate is fixed to a holding portion provided inside the casing, and on the conductor plate, a sensor casing in which an infrared sensor is housed, an amplifier, and a microprocessor are provided. And it installs in the dashboard vicinity of a vehicle as one sensor unit, and detects infrared rays through the infrared filter provided in the front plate of the casing.
JP-A-12-94923

  The infrared sensor has a directivity characteristic ahead, and the position of the occupant's seat is different for each vehicle. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the direction of the detection axis of the infrared sensor.

  However, as shown in Patent Document 1, the infrared sensor is usually mounted inside the control device as a part of the control device. In order to adjust the angle of the detection shaft, the sensor casing is provided inside the control device casing. It is necessary to install a spacer between the conductor plate and change the angle of the conductor plate. Therefore, adjustment of the direction of the detection axis at the time of prototyping is troublesome, and as a result, it is necessary to change the setting of the sensor unit for each vehicle.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a sensor device mounting structure in which the orientation of a detection shaft can be easily adjusted.

  In order to achieve the above object, a sensor device mounting structure according to claim 1 is a sensor device mounting structure in which a sensor device having directivity in a detection direction is mounted on a mounting portion of a mounting member, wherein the sensor detection shaft The sensor device is mounted so as to be slidable in contact with the mounting portion so as to change the direction of.

  Thus, according to the mounting structure of the sensor device of the present invention, the direction of the detection shaft can be easily adjusted in a state where the sensor device is mounted on the mounting member. Therefore, it is possible to easily adjust the direction of the detection axis of the sensor during trial production.

  As described in claim 2, it is preferable that the sliding surface of the sensor device with respect to the mounting portion has a substantially spherical shape. The shape of the slidable contact surface of the sensor device is not particularly limited as long as the sensor device is slidable and movable on the mounting portion in order to change the direction of the detection axis of the sensor. However, if the sliding surface of the sensor device has a substantially spherical shape, the direction of the detection shaft can be changed regardless of the shape of the mounting member. Further, the adjustment range of the direction of the detection axis can be widened.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the slidable contact surface of the attachment portion has a curved surface that substantially matches the curved surface of the substantially spherical slidable contact surface of the sensor device. When the attachment portion is provided in this manner, the contact area with the sensor device increases, so that the sensor device can be stably held on the attachment portion. Further, when changing the direction of the detection axis of the sensor, the sensor device can be smoothly moved with respect to the attachment portion.

  As described in claim 4, the attachment member may have a through hole, and the sensor device may detect the subject through the through hole. Further, as described in claim 5, the attachment portion may extend from one surface of the base portion of the attachment member in which the through hole is formed. In that case, the attachment part may be comprised from a pair of holding | maintenance board provided in the position which opposes on both sides of a through-hole like Claim 6, for example. In this case, since there is a gap in the direction orthogonal to the pair of opposing holding plates, the sensor device can be greatly tilted in the orthogonal direction. In other words, the range of adjustment of the direction of the detection axis of the sensor can be increased.

  In addition, as described in claim 7, it is preferable that the sensor device is fixed to the mounting member while the sensor maintains the desired direction of the detection axis after the direction of the detection axis is changed. As a result, a single type of sensor device can handle a variety of attachment members. That is, since it is excellent in versatility and the sensor device can be unified, the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  At this time, the fixing method is not particularly limited. For example, as described in claim 8, one of the sensor device and the mounting portion is provided with a convex portion, and the other is provided with a concave portion, and the concave and convex portions are fitted to each other. It is good to fix by doing. In this case, since the concavo-convex portions are formed so that the sensors have a predetermined detection axis direction in a state where the concavo-convex portions are fitted to each other, the sensor can be mounted only by fitting the concavo-convex portions to each other. The sensor device can be easily fixed to the mounting member in a state having a predetermined detection axis direction.

  As described in claim 9, an infrared sensor is applicable as the sensor described in claims 1-8. Further, as described in claim 10, an instrument panel for a vehicle is applicable as the attachment member described in claims 1-9.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The sensor device mounting structure of the present invention can be applied to various sensors having directivity in the detection direction. As an applicable sensor, for example, an infrared sensor for an auto air conditioner for a vehicle or a room can be given. In this embodiment, an example in which an infrared sensor device is attached to an instrument panel of a vehicle is shown below.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an infrared sensor device for realizing the mounting structure of the sensor device of the present embodiment, wherein (a) is a plan view seen from the detection target side, and (b) is a side view. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the infrared sensor device 1 includes an infrared sensor (not shown) in a case 10. As the infrared sensor, for example, a so-called can sealing structure in which a thermopile type infrared detection element is hermetically sealed by a sensor case can be used. Near the upper center of the sensor case, an infrared transmission filter is airtightly attached so as to cover the opening.

  The case 10 is made of, for example, a resin material such as ABS, and includes an upper case 11 and a lower case 12 as shown in FIGS. An infrared sensor is housed in an internal space formed by fitting the upper case 11 to the lower case 12.

  The upper case 11 has a substantially circular window portion 11a having a predetermined size in the vicinity of the upper center, and infrared rays are incident into the case 10 through the window portion 11a. The incident infrared rays are detected by the detection element of the infrared sensor through an infrared transmission filter provided in the sensor case. Accordingly, if the distance between the window portion 11a and the infrared sensor is large, the amount of infrared detection may be reduced. Therefore, the infrared sensor is as close as possible to the upper inner surface of the upper case 11, and preferably contacts. It is good to be arranged like this.

  The lower case 12 includes a substantially spherical sliding contact portion 12a that is in sliding contact with a mounting portion provided on the instrument panel, and a substantially cylindrical connector portion 12b that extends from the sliding contact portion 12a and opens at one end. . A connector electrically connected to the infrared sensor through the printed circuit board or the like inside the case 10 protrudes into the connector portion 12b. Therefore, when the infrared ray incident through the window portion 11a of the case 10 is absorbed by the infrared absorption film of the infrared detection element and an electromotive force is generated by the generated heat, the electromotive force is output to the outside as a sensor signal through the connector.

  Next, the mounting structure of the infrared sensor device 1 that is a feature of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1B, FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration around the mounting portion of the instrument panel to which the infrared sensor device 1 is mounted. FIG. 3 is a side view for explaining the orientation adjustment of the detection axis of the infrared sensor. In FIG. 3, only the periphery of the instrument panel mounting portion is shown, and the portion of the infrared sensor device 1 hidden behind the instrument panel is also shown by broken lines.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an instrument panel 20 as an attachment member to which the infrared sensor device 1 is attached includes a base portion 22 in which a through hole 21 is formed and an attachment portion 23 that extends from the non-vehicle inner surface side of the base portion 22. Is done.

  The through-hole 21 has a substantially circular cross section, and is formed with such a size that the base 22 does not interfere with detection when adjusting the direction of the detection axis of the infrared sensor. In the present embodiment, a part of the infrared sensor device 1 (for example, a part of the upper case 11) is disposed in the through hole 21. However, it is not always necessary to arrange a part of the infrared sensor device 1 in the through hole 21. When not arranged, the sliding contact portion 12a of the infrared sensor device 1 moves away from the base portion 22 of the instrument panel 20, and therefore, the attachment portion 23 only needs to be formed with a length capable of holding the sliding contact portion 12a of the lower case 12. . In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 21 is not limited to a substantially circular shape.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting portion 23 includes a pair of holding plates 23 a and 23 b extending from positions facing each other across the through-hole 21 of the substrate 22 (on the non-vehicle inner surface side). 23a and 23b are integrally provided on the base 22 by integral molding. The holding plates 23a and 23b constituting the attachment portion 23 do not need to be integrally provided on the base portion 22 by integral molding, and may be fixed to the base portion 22 by adhesion or the like.

  The slidable contact surfaces of the holding plates 23 a and 23 b with the infrared sensor device 1 have curved surfaces that substantially coincide with the curved surfaces of the substantially spherical slidable contact surfaces of the infrared sensor device 1. Accordingly, when the infrared sensor device 1 is inserted between the holding plates 23a and 23b, the attachment portion 23 contacts the sliding contact portion 12a of the infrared sensor device 1 over a wide range. It is stably attached to the attachment portion 23. Further, since the sliding contact surfaces have curved surfaces that substantially coincide with each other, the infrared sensor device 1 can be smoothly moved with respect to the mounting portion 23 when the direction of the detection axis of the sensor is changed.

  The infrared sensor device 1 has a slidable contact portion 12a having a substantially spherical shape, and is slidably attached to the holding plates 23a and 23b constituting the attachment portion 23 so as to be movable. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the direction of the detection axis of the infrared sensor can be adjusted from a direction perpendicular to the plane of the base 22 of the instrument panel 20 (broken arrow direction) to a predetermined direction (for example, solid arrow direction). . In the present embodiment, the attachment portion 23 includes a pair of holding plates 23a and 23b, and each holding plate 23a and 23b is formed to occupy about 1/4 of the periphery of the through hole 21 as shown in FIG. Has been. Accordingly, the mounting portion 23 has a gap in a direction orthogonal to the pair of opposing holding plates 23a and 23b. Therefore, when the infrared sensor device 1 is moved in sliding contact with the mounting portion 23, infrared light is transmitted in the orthogonal direction. The direction of the detection axis of the sensor can be taken widely.

  Such adjustment of the direction of the detection axis of the infrared sensor is normally performed at the prototype stage, and the infrared sensor device 1 is temporarily fixed to the mounting portion 23 of the instrument panel 20 at that stage. Therefore, in mass production, the infrared sensor device 1 is fixed to the mounting portion 23 of the instrument panel 20 while maintaining the direction of the detection axis determined at the time of trial manufacture. The fixing method is not particularly limited. For example, the infrared sensor device 1 may be fixed to the instrument panel 20 by adhesion, welding, screwing, or the like. In this embodiment, it shall be fixed by fitting and it demonstrates below using FIG.4 and FIG.5. FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining the convex portion, and FIG. 5 is a side view for explaining the fitting state. 4 corresponds to FIG. 1B, and FIG. 5 corresponds to FIG. In FIG. 5, the portion of the infrared sensor device 1 hidden by the instrument panel 20 is also shown by broken lines for convenience.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the infrared sensor device 1 is formed with a convex portion 30. The convex portion 30 is provided integrally with the lower case 12 by integral molding, for example, and is a portion of the sliding contact portion 12a that is in contact with the mounting portion 23 when the detection axis of the infrared sensor is set in a desired direction, and is 2 at the diagonal position. One is provided. Note that the number of convex portions 30 formed is not limited to two, and at least one convex portion 30 may be provided. Moreover, the convex part 30 does not need to be integrally provided in the lower case 12 by integral molding, and may be fixed to the lower case 12 by adhesion or the like.

  A recess 31 is formed in the instrument panel 20. The concave portion 31 is provided in a portion corresponding to the convex portion 30 of each holding plate 23a, 23b constituting the attachment portion 23.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the infrared sensor device 1 is inserted between the holding plates 23 a and 23 b of the mounting portion 23 to be mounted, and the convex portions 30 and the concave portions 31 are fitted and fixed. In this state, the detection axis of the infrared sensor is in a desired direction adjusted at the prototype stage. In this manner, by forming the convex portion 30 and the concave portion 31, the infrared sensor device 1 can be easily fixed to the instrument panel 20 while maintaining the direction of the detection axis of the infrared sensor. At that time, in order to improve the appearance from the inside of the vehicle as shown in FIG. 5, the shape of the instrument panel 20 may be a shape corresponding to the shape of the infrared sensor device 1 (the shape of the base 22 is adjusted in FIG. 5). .

  In addition, it is preferable that the formation position of the convex part 30 provided in the infrared sensor apparatus 1 is always provided in a fixed position. If only the formation position of the recess 31 provided in the attachment portion 23 is adjusted for each vehicle, the infrared sensor device 1 can be used for various types of vehicles.

  As described above, when the infrared sensor device 1 of the present embodiment is used, it is possible to easily adjust the orientation of the detection axis of the infrared sensor at the time of prototyping.

  Further, it is not necessary to prepare the infrared sensor device 1 having different settings for each vehicle even during mass production, and one type of infrared sensor device 1 can be used for various vehicles. That is, the infrared sensor device 1 of the present embodiment is excellent in versatility and can be unified into one type, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

  In the present embodiment, the slidable contact portion 12a of the infrared sensor device 1 has a substantially spherical shape, and the slidable contact surfaces of the holding plates 23a and 23b constituting the mounting portion 23 of the instrument panel 20 are in contact with the slidable contact surface. The example which has the curved surface which substantially corresponds with the curved surface of the 1 sliding contact part 12a was shown. However, the sliding contact portion 12a is not limited to the above example as long as the sliding contact portion 12a can move while being in sliding contact with the mounting portion 23. For example, the sliding contact portion 12a may have a substantially spherical shape, and the sliding contact surface of the attachment portion 23 may have a shape (for example, a flat surface) that does not have a curved surface that substantially matches the substantially spherical shape. When the sliding contact portion 12a has a substantially spherical shape, the direction of the detection shaft can be changed regardless of the shape of the contact surface of the mounting portion 23, and the adjustment range of the direction of the detection shaft can be widened. Further, the shape of the sliding contact portion 12a may be a cylindrical shape or a polygonal column shape. For example, in the case of a quadrangular prism shape, a pair of holding plates 23a and 23b that constitute the mounting portion 23 may be provided so as to be in contact with the opposing planes of the quadrangular prism, respectively. However, when the slidable contact portion 12a has a polygonal prism shape, the infrared sensor device 1 is slidably contacted with the mounting portion 23 only in a plane direction in contact with the holding plates 23a and 23b (a direction perpendicular to the opposing holding plates 23a and 23b). It is possible to move.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the attachment part 23 showed the example which consists of a pair of holding plate 23a, 23b extended from the base 22 of the instrument panel 20. As shown in FIG. However, the aspect of the attachment portion 23 is not limited to the above example. For example, the attachment portion 23 may be provided in an annular shape while extending from the base portion 22 of the instrument panel 20, or may be a structure divided into three or more instead of a pair. In addition, the through hole 21 may serve as the attachment portion 23 instead of extending from the base portion 22. However, when the through hole 21 is used as the attachment portion 23, it is difficult to form the concave portion 31 or the convex portion 30 on the inner surface of the through hole 21 later. Therefore, it is preferable that the attachment portion 23 is provided separately from the through hole 21.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the example using the infrared sensor apparatus 1 which does not have the convex part 30 was shown in the step of orientation adjustment of the detection axis of an infrared sensor. However, a convex portion 30 is provided in advance on the sliding contact portion 12a of the infrared sensor device 1 from the detection shaft orientation adjustment stage, and after adjusting the detection shaft orientation, a desired portion of the mounting portion 23 is maintained in order to maintain the orientation of the detection shaft. You may provide the recessed part 31 in a position. However, when the convex portion 30 is provided from the orientation adjustment stage of the detection shaft, the convex portion 30 is in contact with the mounting portion 23 in the orientation adjustment step, and therefore an error may occur in the orientation of the detection shaft after fitting. Therefore, after preparing the infrared sensor device 1 that does not have the convex portion 30 for adjusting the direction of the detection axis, and adjusting the direction of the detection axis using the infrared sensor device 1, it is attached to maintain the direction of the detection axis. It is preferable to provide the concave portion 31 at a desired position of the portion 23 (or to provide the mounting portion 23 (including the instrument panel 20) having the concave portion 31 at the desired position).

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the convex part 30 was provided in the infrared sensor apparatus 1, and the example in which the recessed part 31 was provided in the instrument panel 20 was shown. However, the reverse is also possible.

  Moreover, the example in which the through-hole 21 is formed in the instrument panel 20 which is an attachment member in this embodiment was shown. However, the structure which does not have the through-hole 21 depending on an attachment member may be sufficient.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the infrared sensor apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is the top view seen from the detection target side, (b) is a side view. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the attachment part periphery of an instrument panel. It is a side view for demonstrating direction adjustment of the detection axis of an infrared sensor. It is a side view for demonstrating a convex part. It is a side view for demonstrating a fitting state.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Infrared sensor device 10 ... Case 12a ... Sliding contact part 20 ... Instrument panel 23 ... Mounting part 23a, 23b ... Holding plate 30 ... Convex part 31 ... Concave part

Claims (10)

A sensor device mounting structure for mounting a sensor device having directivity with respect to a detection direction to a mounting portion of a mounting member,
An attachment structure for a sensor device, wherein the sensor device is slidably attached to the attachment portion so as to change a direction of a detection axis of the sensor. 2. The sensor device mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein a sliding contact surface of the sensor device with respect to the mounting portion has a substantially spherical shape. The sensor device mounting structure according to claim 2, wherein the sliding surface of the mounting portion with respect to the sensor device has a curved surface substantially coincident with a curved surface of the substantially spherical sliding surface of the sensor device. The sensor device mounting structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mounting member has a through hole, and the sensor device detects a subject through the through hole. The sensor device mounting structure according to claim 4, wherein the mounting portion extends from one surface of the base portion in which the through hole is formed. The sensor device mounting structure according to claim 5, wherein the mounting portion includes a pair of holding plates provided at positions facing each other across the through hole. The sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sensor device is fixed to the mounting member while the sensor maintains the desired direction of the detection axis after changing the direction of the detection axis. Device mounting structure. 8. The sensor device mounting structure according to claim 7, wherein the sensor device and the mounting portion have a convex portion on one side and a concave portion on the other side, and are fixed by fitting the concave and convex portions to each other. . 9. The sensor device mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an infrared sensor. The sensor device mounting structure according to claim 1, wherein the mounting member is an instrument panel for a vehicle.

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