JP2010025674A - Ultrasonic sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic sensor having a strain-relief section for easily pinching a cable, and preventing the cable from being damaged. <P>SOLUTION: The ultrasonic sensor includes: an ultrasonic element 1 having an ultrasonic oscillator for transmitting, receiving or transceiving ultrasonic waves; a housing 4 having a body 2 and a cover 3 having an opening 20a for passing the ultrasonic waves, and accommodating the ultrasonic element 1; and the strain-relief section 31 formed and integrated with the cover 3, and pinching the cable C routed from the outside between itself and the cover 3 in a strain-relief manner. The strain-relief section 31 includes: a main piece 31a having one end formed and integrated with the cover 3, and flexibly bent between a position separated from the cover 3 at a predetermined distance and a position in which the cable C is pinched between itself and the cover 3; and a clip section 31c provided at the other end of the main piece 31a, and clipped by fingers of a person. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic sensor used for ultrasonic transmission or reception or transmission / reception.

  Conventionally, for example, Doppler that detects the movement of an object by radiating an ultrasonic wave into the monitoring space and detecting the frequency shift of the reflected wave that occurs as a Doppler effect with the movement of the object existing in the monitoring space. 2. Description of the Related Art An ultrasonic sensor used for a moving body detection apparatus of the type is known. In general, such a moving body detection apparatus includes an ultrasonic sensor for transmitting ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic sensor for receiving ultrasonic waves, a transmitting unit, and a receiving unit. There is one in which an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) to be controlled is integrally formed in one casing, or one in which these are configured in separate casings and each part is connected by a lead wire or the like. In the latter case, it is necessary to fix the lead wires and the like so that stress is not applied to the connector to which the lead wires of each ultrasonic sensor are connected during transportation or assembly work when installing the apparatus. An apparatus having such a tension stop structure is disclosed in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2. Hereinafter, the electronic device described in Patent Document 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

This conventional example is a pressure detection device mounted on a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 5, a male connector 101 provided on a sensor main body 102 and a female connector 100 connected to one end of a cable 103, And a tension stopper 104 for integrally tensioning the cable 103 is integrally formed on the side surface of the sensor main body 102. The tension stopper 104 includes a pair of protrusions 104 a and 104 c that support the cable 103 and protrusions 104 b that press the cable 103 alternately. The protrusions 104 a to 104 c sandwich the cable 103 to hold the cable 103. It can be held stably.
JP 2007-35526 A Utility Model Registration No. 3083747

  However, in the above conventional example, in order to hold the cable 103 in the tension stopper 104, the cable 103 must be bent, and there is a problem that the cable 103 is easily damaged. Further, when the cable 103 is formed of a hard outer cover, there is a problem that it is difficult to bend the cable 103 to the tension stopper 104 because the cable 103 is difficult to bend.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic sensor including a tension stopper that can easily hold a cable and prevent the cable from being damaged. And

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes an ultrasonic element having an ultrasonic transducer for transmitting, receiving, or transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves, and an ultrasonic element having an opening through which the ultrasonic waves pass. An ultrasonic sensor comprising: a housing that houses the cable; and a tension stopper that clamps the cable that is integrally formed with the housing and is routed from outside to hold the tension. The stopper part is formed integrally with the casing, and has a main piece that can be flexed between a position away from the casing by a predetermined distance and a position where the cable is sandwiched between the casing and the main section. It is characterized by comprising a picking portion provided at the other end of the piece for picking with a finger of a human hand.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the tension stopper is provided with a projecting piece integrally formed on the other end side of the main piece and covering the peripheral surface of the cable together with the main piece and the housing. It is characterized by that.

  The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 2, the projecting piece is formed with a first taper having an inclination for guiding the cable to a space in which the cable is held from the outside.

  The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the invention of claim 2 or 3, the projecting piece is formed with a second taper having an inclination for guiding the cable from the space where the cable is held to the outside. To do.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the main piece can be bent to a position away from the housing by picking up the knob with the fingers of the hand, and the cable can be easily held. Moreover, since it is not necessary to bend the cable when the cable is held between the tension stoppers, the cable can be prevented from being damaged.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the cable from sliding and dropping in a state where the cable is held between the tension stoppers.

  According to the invention of claim 3, when the cable is held between the tension stoppers, the knob is picked up with the fingers of the hand and the cable is pressed against the first taper to position the main piece away from the casing. Therefore, compared with the case where the first taper is not provided, the cable can be easily held without requiring the force to pick up the knob with the fingers of the hand.

  According to the invention of claim 4, when removing the cable from the tension stopper, the main piece can be bent to a position away from the housing only by pressing the cable against the second taper. Compared with the case where no taper is provided, the cable can be easily detached without requiring a force to pick up the knob with fingers of the hand.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an ultrasonic sensor according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the vertical direction in FIG. 1B is defined as the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1D, the present embodiment incorporates an ultrasonic transducer (not shown) that transmits or receives ultrasonic waves or receives and transmits ultrasonic waves, and an ultrasonic transducer. A so-called open-type ultrasonic element 1 comprising a substantially cylindrical vessel 10 having an opening 10a for allowing ultrasonic waves to pass through and a terminal portion 11 protruding from the vessel 10 and supplying power to the ultrasonic transducer. A substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 4 having an opening 20b communicating with the opening 10a of the ultrasonic element 1 on the lower surface and a substantially bottomed cylindrical storage part 20 for storing the ultrasonic element 1, and a storage part 20 A flat printed wiring board 5 on which the terminal portion 11 of the ultrasonic element 1 is mounted so as to sandwich the ultrasonic element 1 therebetween, and a gap between the storage unit 20 and the ultrasonic element 1 It is comprised from the substantially cylindrical elastic member 6 which fills up.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 4 is formed by abutting and joining each of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped body 2 having an upper surface opened and a substantially rectangular parallelepiped cover 3 having a lower surface opened. The part 20 is integrally formed. The housing 4 is made of a synthetic resin material having elasticity such as plastic resin.

  Locking claws 21 projecting outward are provided on both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the body 2, and are substantially rectangular shaped locking portions that project downward from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the cover 3. It is adapted to be locked in a locking hole 30 a provided through the 30. Further, on both side surfaces of the body 2 in the short direction, mounting pieces 23 projecting outward are respectively projected, and this embodiment is carried out through a substantially circular mounting hole 23 a penetrating the mounting piece 23. The configuration can be screwed to an external device. A pair of substantially cylindrical boss portions 22 are integrally formed inside the body 2 with the storage portion 20 interposed therebetween, and female screw portions 22a are provided inside the boss portions 22, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1 (d), an opening 20b is provided in the lower bottom of the storage unit 20, and the opening 20b widens the range of ultrasonic transmission and reception and determines the directivity of the ultrasonic wave. 20b.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a substantially rectangular through hole 33 is provided in the substantially central portion of the upper surface of the cover 3 so as to cover the through hole 33 and pulled from an external device. A tension stopper 31 that clamps and rotates the cable C to be rotated is integrally formed. Further, a substantially rectangular window hole 32 through which a connector 50 (described later) and a connector C1 provided at one end of the cable C are inserted is provided at one end of the upper surface of the cover 3 in the longitudinal direction. Further, a rib 34 protruding upward is formed integrally with the cover 3 around the periphery of the window hole 32, and the window hole 32 covers the rib 34 except for a portion where the cable C is disposed. It has been broken.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (d), the tension stopper 31 is formed integrally with the cover 3 at one end (the left end in the figure) and at a position away from the cover 3 by a predetermined distance. The main piece 31a that can be freely bent between the cable C and the position at which the cable C is sandwiched between the main piece 31a and the other end (right end portion in the figure) of the main piece 31a. It consists of a projecting piece 31b covering the peripheral surface of the cable C, and a knob 31c provided at the other end of the main piece 31a for picking with a finger of a human hand. Further, on the right side of the protrusion 31b, a first taper 31d having an inclination for guiding the cable C is formed in a space in which the cable C is held from the outside, and on the left side of the protrusion 31b in the same figure. Is formed with a second taper 31e having an inclination for guiding the cable C to the outside from the space in which the cable C is sandwiched. Since the casing 4 is made of a synthetic resin material having elasticity, the main piece 31a also has elasticity. For this reason, when the finger of the hand is released after the knob 31c is picked up by the finger of the hand, it returns to the original position.

  At least one of a drive circuit for driving the ultrasonic element 1 by mounting the electronic component 51 on the printed wiring board 5 and a conversion circuit for converting the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic element 1 into a received signal. Either one is provided. These circuits are changed according to the application of the present embodiment. For example, if the present embodiment is used for transmitting ultrasonic waves, a drive circuit is provided on the printed wiring board 5 and ultrasonic waves (reflected waves) are applied. If it is used for receiving waves, a conversion circuit may be provided. Of course, both of the above circuits may be provided. In addition, a connector 50 to which one end of the cable is connected is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction of the printed wiring board 5, and each of the parts facing the bosses 22 of the body 2 has a substantially circular shape. The screw insertion hole 5a is penetrated. Further, a pair of substantially circular terminal portion insertion holes 5b through which the terminal portions 11 of the ultrasonic element 1 are inserted are provided, and soldering is performed with the terminal portions 11 being inserted into the terminal portion insertion holes 5b. By doing so, the terminal portion 11 is joined to the circuit pattern of the printed wiring board 5.

  The elastic member 6 is formed to have a dimension that covers the side surface of the ultrasonic element 1, and presses against the side surface of the storage unit 20 when the ultrasonic element 1 is stored in the storage unit 20, thereby centering the opening 10 a of the ultrasonic element 1. And positioning so that the positional relationship with the center of the horn portion 20a does not shift.

  Hereinafter, the assembly method of this embodiment will be described. First, after the ultrasonic element 1 is covered with the elastic member 6, the terminal portion 11 is stored in the storage unit 20 with the terminal portion 11 facing upward. Next, the printed wiring board 5 is placed on the upper surface of the ultrasonic element 1 with the terminal portion 11 inserted into the terminal portion insertion hole 5b, and the assembly screw 7 is inserted into the female screw portion of the boss portion 22 through the screw insertion hole 5a. The printed wiring board 5 is screwed to the body 2 by being screwed to 22a. Then, after soldering the terminal portion 11 to the circuit pattern on the printed wiring board 5, the locking claw 21 of the body 2 is locked to the locked portion 30 of the cover 3 to couple the cover 3 to the body 2. Thus, the present embodiment is completed (see FIG. 3A).

  When an external device is connected to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, a connector C1 provided at one end of a cable C routed from the external device is connected through a window hole 32. Connect to the connector 50 of the printed wiring board 5. At this time, the cable C is clamped by the tension stopper 31 to be tensioned so that the connector 50 is not stressed even when the cable C is pulled during transportation or during assembly work when installing the present embodiment. can do.

  Here, in this embodiment, since the tension stopper 31 has the main piece 31a and the knob 31c as described above, the main piece 31a is separated from the cover 3 by picking the knob 31c with fingers of the hand. The cable C can be easily clamped simply by releasing the finger of the hand from the knob 31c by placing the cable C in a position where the cable C is clamped with the main piece 31a bent. Further, since it is not necessary to bend the cable C when the cable C is held between the tension stoppers 31, the cable C can be prevented from being damaged.

  By the way, in an ultrasonic sensor like this embodiment, in order to adjust the sensitivity of the ultrasonic element 1 at the time of an assembly operation, it is necessary to remove the one-end cable C and reconnect it to another adjusting device. Even in such a case, in the present embodiment, the cable C can be easily detached if the main piece 31a is bent by picking the knob 31c with fingers of the hand as described above.

  Further, since the projecting piece 31b is formed on the main piece 31a, even when the cable C is slid to the projecting piece 31b side in a state where the cable C is held between the tension stoppers 31, the projecting piece 31b further increases the length. Since the movement is prevented, the cable C can be prevented from sliding and dropping.

  When the protruding piece 31b is provided as described above, when the cable C is clamped by the tension stopper 31 or removed from the tension stopper 31, the knob 31c is picked with fingers of the hand so that the cable C is not caught on the protruding piece 31b. Must pick up. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the first taper 31d is formed on the protruding piece 31b, when the cable C is clamped between the tension stoppers 31, the knob 31c is picked up with fingers of the hand and the cable By pressing C against the first taper 31d, the main piece 31a can be bent upward to such an extent that the cable C is not caught by the protruding piece 31b. Therefore, as compared with the case where the first taper 31d is not provided, the cable C can be easily held between the tension stoppers 31 without requiring a force to pick up the knob 31c with a finger of a hand.

  Further, since the second taper 31e is formed on the projecting piece 31b, when the cable C is removed from the tension stopper 31, the knob 31c is picked up by the finger of the hand and the cable C is changed to the second taper 31e. By pressing, the main piece 31a can be bent upward to such an extent that the cable C is not caught by the protruding piece 31b. Therefore, as compared with the case where the second taper 31e is not provided, the cable C can be easily detached from the tension stopper 31 without requiring a force to pick up the knob 31c with a finger of a hand.

  Further, since the rib 34 is provided on the peripheral portion of the window hole 32 of the cover 3, it is possible to prevent the cable C and the connector C1 from being inadvertently touched when the present embodiment is assembled to an external device. It is possible to make it difficult to disconnect the connector C1. Note that the rib 34 prevents the cable C and the connector C1 from being inadvertently touched as described above, and the connector C1 can be removed even if the rib 34 is present.

  In addition, this embodiment is used for the mobile body detection apparatus which detects the movement of an object by detecting the frequency shift of the reflected wave which arises as a Doppler effect with the movement of the object which exists in the monitoring space. As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), this moving body detection apparatus includes an ultrasonic sensor A for transmission and an ultrasonic sensor B for reception according to this embodiment, and each ultrasonic sensor A. , B each having a long box-shaped housing 9 opened on one side, a drive signal to the ultrasonic sensor A for transmission and reception from the ultrasonic sensor B for reception received in the housing 9 It is comprised from ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 8 provided with the signal processing circuit which processes a signal.

  The housing 9 is installed on the ceiling of the vehicle, for example, and on the surface opposite to the side where the ultrasonic sensors A, B and the ECU 8 are housed, the ultrasonic wave oscillated from the ultrasonic sensor A is transmitted to the monitoring space in the vehicle. A substantially circular transmission port 9a for transmitting a wave and a substantially circular wave receiving port 9b for receiving a reflected wave from an object existing in the monitoring space by the ultrasonic sensor B are provided. Yes. The ultrasonic sensors A and B and the ECU 8 are connected to each other by a cable C (partially omitted), and the cable C is tensioned by a tension stopper 31 of each ultrasonic sensor A and B.

  As described above, the present embodiment is suitable for the moving body detection apparatus as described above, but the application of the present embodiment is not limited to the moving body detection apparatus, and may be used for other apparatuses. Needless to say.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic sensor according to the present invention, where (a) is a top view, (b) is a side view seen from one direction, and (c) is seen from a direction different from the one direction. (D) is a sectional view. It is an exploded perspective view same as the above. It is a whole perspective view same as the above, (a) is a figure which shows the state before connecting a cable, (b) is a figure which shows the state which connected the cable. It is a figure which shows the moving body detection apparatus using this embodiment, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a front view. It is a whole perspective view which shows the electronic apparatus (pressure detection apparatus) provided with the conventional tension stop part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic element 31 Tension | tensile_strength part 31a Main piece 31c Knob part 4 Case C Cable

Claims (4)

  An ultrasonic element having an ultrasonic transducer that transmits or receives ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic transducer that has an opening that allows ultrasonic waves to pass through, and a housing that stores the ultrasonic elements are formed integrally with the casing. An ultrasonic sensor provided with a tension stopper that clamps a cable drawn from outside with the casing to stop the tension, and one end of the tension stopper is formed integrally with the casing. In addition, a main piece that can be flexed between a position that is a predetermined distance away from the case and a position that holds the cable between the case and a finger of a human hand provided at the other end of the main piece. An ultrasonic sensor comprising a picking part for picking.   2. The ultrasonic wave according to claim 1, wherein the tension stopper is provided with a projecting piece that is integrally formed on the other end side of the main piece and covers the peripheral surface of the cable together with the main piece and the housing. Sensor.   The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 2, wherein the projecting piece is formed with a first taper having an inclination for guiding the cable into a space where the cable is held from outside. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 2, wherein the projecting piece is formed with a second taper having an inclination for guiding the cable from a space where the cable is held to the outside.

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