JP2007335266A - Pressure detection switch - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pressure detection switch having a high degree of bending freedom and capable of detecting contact with a detected object from all angles with uniform detection sensitivity. <P>SOLUTION: An inside electrode 53 formed to have a linear shape by a flexible conductor is arranged inside an outside electrode 52 formed to have a tubular shape by a flexible conductor. Three spacer members 54 spirally formed of an insulator are arranged between the outside electrode 52 and the inside electrode 53, and by the spacer members 54, gaps are formed between the outside electrode 52 and the inside electrode 53. An inside conductor 55 is arranged in an axis of the inside electrode 53 so as to electrically contact the inside electrode 53, and an outside conductor 56 is arranged inside the outside electrode 52 in an electrically contact state with the outside electrode 52. A detection resistance is connected between the inside conductor 55 and the outside conductor 56 in series. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pressure detection switch that is formed in a cable shape and detects contact of an object to be detected.

  The automatic opening / closing device that automatically opens and closes doors, tailgates, window glass, sunroofs, etc., provided in vehicles such as automobiles, prevents obstacles from being caught by the automatic opening / closing member. Therefore, a pinch prevention function is provided. As a pressure detection switch for detecting pinching, a touch sensor called a cord switch is known. This touch sensor is formed in a cable shape and is attached to an end of an opening / closing body or an end of an opening.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, a pair of electrodes formed in a strip shape on the inner surface of a rubber tube, which is an insulator, are fixed facing each other with a predetermined gap therebetween, and conductors are arranged inside these electrodes, respectively. The rubber tube is crushed by contact with the obstacle that is the object to be detected, the electrodes come into contact with each other, and the conductor is short-circuited through each electrode so that the contact of the obstacle is detected. A touch sensor is described.

Further, Patent Document 2 is configured by fixing four conductive wires arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the rubber tube and spirally arranged in the longitudinal direction, respectively, by contact with an obstacle. A touch sensor is described in which a rubber tube is crushed and one of the conductive wires comes into contact with each other and is short-circuited to detect contact with an obstacle.
Japanese Patent No. 3334477 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-182136

  However, when the touch sensor disclosed in Patent Document 1 is bent with a large curvature, the rubber tube may be crushed by the bending and the electrodes may come into contact with each other. It is difficult to wear them together. In addition, since this touch sensor detects only an external force in a direction that can narrow the gap between the pair of electrodes, there is a problem in that an obstacle that contacts the touch sensor from the lateral direction cannot be detected.

  On the other hand, in the touch sensor described in Patent Document 2, each conductor is arranged in the circumferential direction at equal intervals and in a spiral shape, so that the degree of freedom of bending is increased and from which direction It is also possible to detect contact with other obstacles.

  However, this touch sensor has a problem in that the detection sensitivity of the sensor differs depending on the position where the obstacle touches, that is, the direction in which the external force is applied, because the distance between the electrodes facing each other is different.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensor that has a high degree of freedom in bending and can detect contact of an object to be detected from any direction with uniform detection sensitivity.

  The pressure detection switch according to the present invention is a pressure detection switch that is formed in a cable shape and detects contact of an object to be detected, and has flexibility with an outer electrode formed in a tubular shape by a flexible conductor. An inner electrode formed in a linear shape by a conductor and disposed inside the outer electrode, and a spiral formed by an insulator and disposed between the inner electrode and the outer electrode, the inner electrode and the outer electrode A spacer member that forms a gap between the outer electrode, an outer conductive wire that is disposed inside the outer electrode and is electrically connected to the outer electrode, and is disposed inside the inner electrode and electrically connected to the inner electrode. And a detection resistor connected in series to the lead wire between the inner lead wire and the outer lead wire.

  The pressure detection switch according to the present invention is characterized in that an odd number of the spacer members and the outer conductors are provided.

  The pressure detection switch according to the present invention is configured such that the outer conductor is formed in a spiral shape on the opposite side of the spacer member with respect to the inner conductor, and the spacer member and the outer conductor are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction and It is arranged at equal intervals.

  The pressure detection switch of the present invention is attached to an end of an opening / closing body provided on a vehicle and automatically opened / closed by an automatic opening / closing device or an end of an opening opened / closed by the opening / closing body, and is sandwiched by the opening / closing body. It is characterized by detecting.

  According to the present invention, since the gap is held between the outer electrode and the inner electrode by the spiral spacer member, when the pressure detection switch is bent, the outer electrode and the inner electrode can be easily contacted. Therefore, the degree of freedom of bending of the pressure detection switch can be increased. In addition, the spacer member arranged in a spiral between the outer electrode and the inner electrode can make the gap between the outer electrode and the inner electrode uniform, so that the contact of the object to be detected from all directions is uniform. Can be detected.

  In addition, according to the present invention, by providing an odd number of spacer members and outer conductors, the degree of freedom in bending is further increased, and the gap between the outer electrode and the inner electrode is further uniformed to further uniform the detection sensitivity. be able to. In this case, the detection sensitivity can be further uniformed by arranging the odd number of spacer members and the outer conductors alternately in the circumferential direction at equal intervals.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, the pinching by the opening / closing body that automatically opens and closes can be accurately detected by the pressure detection switch, so that the safety of the automatic opening / closing device including the pressure detection switch can be improved.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a side view showing a one-box type vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle provided with a touch sensor as a pressure detection switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  A vehicle 11 shown in FIG. 1 is a one-box type passenger car, and a slide door 14 as an opening / closing body is provided on a side portion of the vehicle body 12 in order to open and close an opening portion 13 provided on the side portion. . As shown in FIG. 2, the slide door 14 is provided with a roller assembly 15, and the roller assembly 15 is guided by a guide rail 16 fixed to the side of the vehicle body 12. In FIG. 2, it can be opened and closed between a fully open position indicated by a solid line and a fully closed position indicated by a one-dot chain line. In addition, a curved portion 16a that curves toward the vehicle interior side is provided on the vehicle front side of the guide rail 16, and the slide door 14 is the same as the side surface of the vehicle body 12 by the roller assembly 15 being guided by the curved portion 16a. It is closed in a state where it is drawn into the inside of the vehicle body 12 so as to fit within the surface. Although not shown, the roller assembly 15 is also provided in the upper and lower portions (upper portion and lower portion) of the front end portion of the slide door 14 in addition to the portion (center portion) shown in the drawing, and the opening portion of the vehicle body 12 corresponding thereto. Guide rails (not shown) corresponding to the upper portion and the lower portion are also provided at the upper and lower portions of 13, and the slide door 14 is supported by the vehicle body 12 at a total of three locations.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle 11 is provided with an automatic opening / closing device 21 (hereinafter referred to as an opening / closing device 21) in order to automatically open and close the slide door 14. The opening / closing device 21 has a drive unit 22 that is fixed to the inside of the vehicle body 12 adjacent to a substantially central portion of the guide rail 16 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and from the drive unit 22 toward the vehicle front side and the rear side. Cables 23a and 23b are drawn out, and the cable 23a drawn from the drive unit 22 to the vehicle front side is connected to the roller assembly from the vehicle front side (closed side) via a reversing pulley 24a provided at the front end of the guide rail 16. 15 is connected to the roller assembly 15 from the vehicle rear side (open side) via a reversing pulley 24b provided at the rear end of the guide rail 16. The drive unit 22 drives the cables 23a and 23b. When the cables 23a and 23b are driven by the drive unit 22, the slide door 14 is pulled by the cables 23a and 23b on the vehicle front side or rear side. It is designed to open and close automatically. That is, the switchgear 21 is a so-called cable type.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a control system of the automatic opening / closing apparatus shown in FIG.

  The drive unit 22 includes an electric motor 25 as a drive source and a speed reducer 26 fixed to the electric motor 25. The speed of the electric motor 25 is reduced to a predetermined number of rotations by the speed reducer 26 and output. It is output from the shaft 27. As the electric motor 25, for example, a motor that can rotate in both forward and reverse directions, such as a brushed DC motor or a brushless DC motor, is used. A drum 28 formed in a cylindrical shape is fixed to the output shaft 27, and the cables 23 a and 23 b are wound around the outer peripheral surface of the drum 28 a plurality of times. As a result, when the electric motor 25 rotates in the forward direction, the drum 28 rotates clockwise in FIG. 3 so that the cable 23a on the closing side is wound around the drum 28, and the slide door 14 is pulled by the cable 23a and automatically closes. To do. On the other hand, when the electric motor 25 rotates in the reverse direction, the drum 28 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3 and the open cable 23b is wound around the drum 28, and the slide door 14 is pulled by the cable 23b and automatically opens. To do.

  The speed reducer 26 includes an electromagnetic clutch (not shown). When the slide door 14 is manually opened and closed, the power transmission path between the electric motor 25 and the output shaft 27 is interrupted and cut off by the electromagnetic clutch. 14 manual opening and closing operation force is reduced. Although not shown, a tensioner is provided between the drum 28 and the slide door 14, and the cable tension is kept constant by the tensioner.

  A multi-pole magnetized magnet 31 having a large number of magnetic poles magnetized in the circumferential direction is fixed to the output shaft 27, and two Hall ICs 32a, When the output shaft 27 rotates, a pulse signal having a period proportional to the rotational speed of the output shaft 27 is output from the Hall ICs 32a and 32b.

  In order to control the operation of the electric motor 25, a control device 33 is connected to the electric motor 25. The control device 33 has a function as a so-called microcomputer having a microprocessor (CPU), a memory such as a ROM and a RAM (not shown), and is connected to the electric motor 25 by wiring.

  Hall ICs 32a and 32b are connected to the control device 33, and the control device 33 detects the rotation speed of the output shaft 27, that is, the moving speed of the slide door 14, based on the period of the pulse signal input from the Hall ICs 32a and 32b. Be able to. Further, the control device 33 detects the rotation direction of the electric motor 25, that is, the moving direction of the slide door 14 based on the appearance timing of these pulse signals, and further, when the slide door 14 is at the reference position (for example, the fully closed position). The opening / closing position of the slide door 14 can be detected by integrating or counting the pulse signals starting from.

  In order to command the opening / closing operation of the sliding door 14, the sliding door 14 is provided with a door handle 34 having a function as an opening / closing switch. When the door handle 34 is operated by an operator such as an occupant, an opening / closing command signal is input from the door handle 34 to the control device 33, and the control device 33 receives the input opening / closing command signal, the opening / closing position of the slide door 14, and opening / closing. The speed and the like are calculated according to the control program stored in the memory, and the operation control of the electric motor 25 is executed based on the calculation result. For example, when the door handle 34 is operated to the close side and a command signal for closing the slide door 14 is input to the control device 33, the electric motor 25 is driven forward by the control device 33 and the slide door 14 is automatically Operates in the closing direction. Conversely, when the door handle 34 is operated to the open side and a command signal for opening the slide door 14 is input to the control device 33, the electric motor 25 is driven reversely by the control device 33, and the slide door 14 is automatically Operates in the opening direction.

  In order to detect the contact between the sliding door 14 and the obstacle (detected object) and the obstacle being caught by the sliding door 14 due to the contact, the traveling direction when the sliding door 14 is closed on the vehicle front side, that is, the sliding door 14 is closed. A touch sensor unit 41 is attached to the end that is the side.

  4 (a) and 4 (b) are perspective views showing details of the touch sensor unit, FIG. 5 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line in a). FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the touch sensor shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the touch sensor unit 41 has a sensor holder 42 formed of rubber that is a flexible insulator, and the sensor holder 42 is provided on the slide door 14. The bracket 43 is fixed so as to be sandwiched between the sensor holders 42, and the front end of the bracket 43 protrudes further toward the vehicle front side than the end of the slide door 14. A mounting hole 42a penetrating in the vertical direction of the vehicle is formed in a portion of the sensor holder 42 that protrudes toward the vehicle front side from the end of the slide door 14, and a touch sensor formed in a cable shape in the mounting hole 42a. 51 is installed.

  Note that the sensor holder 42 may be fixed to the tip of the slide door 14 as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the touch sensor 51 includes an outer electrode 52 and an inner electrode 53, and the outer electrode 52 is a flexible material such as conductive rubber (ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM)). It is formed in a tubular shape (tube shape) by a conductive conductor, and the inside is hollow. The inner electrode 53 is linearly formed of a flexible conductor such as conductive rubber like the outer electrode 52, and is disposed coaxially with the outer electrode 52 inside (hollow part) of the outer electrode 52. ing.

  Between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53, for example, three spacer members 54 formed in a spiral shape by an insulator such as rubber are disposed, and the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 are formed by these spacer members 54. A gap is formed between them. Thereby, in the normal state, the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 are electrically insulated from each other by the spacer member 54. These spacer members 54 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction so that the gap between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 at each position in the longitudinal direction and circumferential direction of the touch sensor 51 is made uniform. It has become.

  Inside the inner electrode 53, an inner conductor 55 is disposed along the axis. The inner conductor 55 is electrically connected to the inner electrode 53, and penetrates the inner electrode 53 in the longitudinal direction as shown in FIG. 6, and one end thereof is connected to the control device 33.

  Inside the outer electrode 52, three outer conductors 56 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. As shown in FIG. 5A, these outer conductors 56 are located on the opposite side of the corresponding spacer member 54 with respect to the inner conductor 55, and are arranged in a spiral like the spacer member 54. Yes. That is, the spacer members 54 and the outer conductors 56 are arranged alternately and at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around the inner conductor 55. Further, the outer conductor 56 is electrically connected to the outer electrode 52, and when the outer electrode 52 contacts the inner electrode 53, the outer conductor 56 is short-circuited to the inner conductor 55 via the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53. It has become so.

  As shown in FIG. 6, each of the three outer conductors 56 penetrates the outer electrode 52 in the longitudinal direction and is folded at the end of the outer electrode 52 and connected in series to form a series circuit. One end of the circuit is grounded, and the other end is connected in series to the other end of the inner conductor 55 via a detection resistor 57. That is, the detection resistor 57 is connected in series between the inner conductor 55 and the outer conductor 56. As a result, when a detection current is supplied from the control device 33, the detection current flows through each outer conductor 56 via the inner conductor 55 and the detection resistor 57.

  FIGS. 7A to 7C are cross-sectional views illustrating states in which the touch sensor detects contact of an obstacle.

  Next, detection of an obstacle contact by the touch sensor 51 will be described with reference to FIG.

  For example, when the sliding door 14 is automatically closing and an obstacle comes into contact with the sensor holder 42 attached to the end thereof, the outer electrode 52 of the touch sensor 51 is deformed together with the sensor holder 42 by the contact. Thus, the outer electrode 52 contacts the inner electrode 53. When the outer electrode 52 contacts the inner electrode 53, the outer conductor 56 and the inner conductor 55 are short-circuited via these electrodes 52, 53, and a short-circuit current that does not pass through the detection resistor 57 flows through each of the conductors 55, 56. This short circuit current becomes a detection signal, and the control device 33 detects the contact of the obstacle. When the detection signal is input, the control device 33 reversely moves or stops the sliding door 14 in the opening direction, and thereby avoids the obstacle being caught by the sliding door 14.

  Here, in this touch sensor 51, since the gap between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 is provided by the three spiral spacer members 54, this gap is made uniform, and FIG. As shown in (c), even if an obstacle comes into contact with the touch sensor 51 from any direction in the circumferential direction, the detection sensitivity does not greatly differ. The pinch detection accuracy can be increased. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, when an obstacle comes into contact with the upper side of the touch sensor 51 in the drawing, the outer electrode 52 is pushed by the obstacle, and the spacer member 54 and the inner electrode 53 are pushed together with the outer electrode 52. Thus, the inner electrode 53 contacts the outer electrode 52 on the lower side in the figure. Further, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, when an obstacle comes in contact with the touch sensor 51 obliquely upward in the drawing, the outer electrode 52 pushed by the obstacle remains as it is. However, since the gap between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53, that is, the stroke of the outer electrode 52 at this time is the same as that shown in FIG. 7A, the detection sensitivity is also equivalent.

  As described above, in the touch sensor 51, the spiral spacer member 54 is disposed between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53, and a gap is maintained between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 by the spacer member 54. As a result, the gap between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 can be made uniform. Therefore, the contact of the obstacle from all directions can be detected with uniform detection sensitivity. In particular, by arranging three spacer members 54 and three outer conductors 56, the degree of freedom of bending of the touch sensor 51 is further increased, and the gap between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 is further uniformed, thereby detecting sensitivity. Can be made more uniform. Further, by arranging the three spacer members 54 and the three outer conductors 56 alternately and at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, the gap between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 is further uniformed, and detection sensitivity is further increased. It can be made uniform.

  In addition, by using the touch sensor 51 for detecting the pinching of the obstacle by the slide door 14 that automatically opens and closes, the pinching can be detected with high accuracy, and thus the safety of the opening / closing device 21 including the touch sensor 51 can be detected. Can increase the sex.

  On the other hand, the touch sensor 51 is configured to hold a gap between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 by the spiral spacer member 54, so that even if the touch sensor 51 is greatly bent, each spacer member 54 A gap between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 is maintained, and the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 do not easily come into contact with each other. As described above, the touch sensor 51 has a high degree of freedom in bending, and can be easily attached along a complicated shape such as an end of the slide door 14.

  As described above, in this touch sensor 51, since the gap is held between the outer electrode 52 and the inner electrode 53 by the spiral spacer member 54, the degree of freedom of bending of the touch sensor 51 can be increased. it can.

  FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  In the touch sensor 51 shown in FIG. 5, three spacer members 54 and three outer conductors 56 are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which one each is provided like the touch sensor 61 shown in FIG. It is good. Also in this case, the outer conductive wire 56 is spirally disposed inside the outer electrode 52 and is disposed on the opposite side of the spacer member 54 with respect to the inner conductive wire 55.

  In FIG. 8, members corresponding to the members described above are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the present embodiment, the touch sensor 51 is attached to the end of the slide door 14 as an opening / closing body, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the touch sensor 51 is attached to the end of the opening 13. May be.

  In the present embodiment, the slide door 14 is illustrated as an opening / closing body. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the opening / closing body such as a hinged door, back door, window glass, sunroof, trunk lid, etc. The sensor 51 may be attached, or the touch sensor 51 of the present invention may be attached to the end of the opening that is opened and closed by these opening and closing bodies.

It is a side view showing a one-box type vehicle. It is a top view which shows the automatic opening / closing apparatus for vehicles provided with the touch sensor as a pressure detection switch which is one embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the control system of the automatic opening / closing apparatus shown in FIG. (A), (b) is a perspective view which shows the detail of a touch sensor unit. (A) is a cross-sectional view of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 4, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a). FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 5. (A)-(c) is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the touch sensor each detected the contact of the obstruction. (A) is a cross-sectional view which shows the modification of the touch sensor shown in FIG. 5, (b) is sectional drawing which follows the AA line in the figure (a).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Vehicle 12 Car body 13 Opening part 14 Sliding door (opening-closing body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15 Roller assembly 16 Guide rail 16a Bending part 21 Automatic switching device 22 Drive unit 23a, 23b Cable 24a, 24b Reverse pulley 25 Electric motor 26 Reduction gear 27 Output shaft 28 Drum 31 Multipolar magnetized magnet 32a, 32b Hall IC
33 Control Device 34 Door Handle 41 Touch Sensor Unit 42 Sensor Holder 42a Mounting Hole 43 Bracket 51 Touch Sensor 52 Outer Electrode 53 Inner Electrode 54 Spacer Member 55 Inner Conductor 56 Outer Conductor 57 Detection Resistance 61 Touch Sensor

Claims (4)

A pressure detection switch that is formed in a cable shape and detects contact of an object to be detected,
An outer electrode formed in a tubular shape by a flexible conductor;
An inner electrode formed in a linear shape by a flexible conductor and disposed inside the outer electrode;
A spacer member formed in a spiral shape by an insulator and disposed between the inner electrode and the outer electrode to form a gap between the inner electrode and the outer electrode;
An outer conductor disposed inside the outer electrode and electrically connected to the outer electrode;
An inner conductor disposed inside the inner electrode and electrically connected to the inner electrode;
A pressure detection switch comprising a detection resistor connected in series to the conductive wire between the inner conductive wire and the outer conductive wire.   2. The pressure detection switch according to claim 1, wherein an odd number of the spacer members and the outer conductors are provided.   3. The pressure detection switch according to claim 2, wherein the outer conductor is formed in a spiral shape on the opposite side of the spacer member with respect to the inner conductor, and the spacer member and the outer conductor are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. And a pressure detection switch characterized by being arranged at equal intervals.   The pressure detection switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an end of an opening / closing member provided in a vehicle and automatically opened / closed by an automatic opening / closing device or an end of an opening / closing portion opened / closed by the opening / closing member. A pressure detection switch, which is attached to and detects pinching by the opening / closing body.

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