JP2019135685A - Cable sensor and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cable sensor capable of improving appearance while suppressing peeling of an adhesive member for a long time, and a manufacturing method thereof.SOLUTION: At an opposite side of a side where a sensor holding cylinder 32a is positioned from an adhesive member mounting surface 32c, an adhesive member protective wall 32e is protrusively provided for covering a side portion of a double-coated tape 32d. The adhesive member protective wall 32e is disposed within a range of a width direction crossing a length direction of a foundation part 32b (within a range of a width dimension W) and freely elastically deformable in a height direction crossing the length direction of the foundation part 32b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable sensor used for detecting contact or proximity of an obstacle and a method for manufacturing the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an automatic opening / closing device provided in a vehicle such as an automobile includes an opening / closing body that opens and closes an opening, an electric motor that drives the opening / closing body, and an operation switch that turns on / off the electric motor. . Then, the electric motor is driven by operating the operation switch, whereby the opening / closing body is driven to open or close. However, the automatic opening / closing device can drive the opening / closing body under conditions other than the operation of the operation switch.

  For example, the automatic opening / closing device is provided with a cable sensor that detects that an obstacle is sandwiched between the opening and the opening / closing body. The cable sensor is fixed to the opening or the opening / closing body to detect contact with an obstacle. The automatic opening / closing device opens or closes the opening / closing body that is driven to close regardless of the operation of the operation switch based on the input of the detection signal from the cable sensor. Or stop.

  An example of a cable sensor used in such an automatic opening / closing device is described in Patent Document 1, for example. The foreign matter detection sensor (cable sensor) described in Patent Document 1 includes a long hollow insulator, and two electrode wires are provided therein. And the hollow insulator is adhere | attached with the holding force of a double-sided tape with respect to the bracket fixed to the door panel.

JP 2014-175151 A

  However, the cable sensor described in Patent Document 1 uses a relatively thick double-sided tape to fix the hollow insulator to the bracket. This is because a sufficient adhesive force can be obtained with respect to the bracket and the curved portion of the bracket can be flexibly followed. Therefore, the side part of a double-sided tape is exposed outside, and the problem that the appearance of a cable sensor will fall may arise. Furthermore, there may be a problem that dust or the like adheres to the side of the double-sided tape, and the double-sided tape is easily peeled off at an early stage.

  The objective of this invention is providing the cable sensor which can improve appearance while suppressing peeling of an adhesive member over a long term, and its manufacturing method.

  The cable sensor of the present invention is a cable sensor used to detect contact or proximity of an obstacle, and is integrated with the sensor unit formed in a string shape and along the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit. An elastic base provided on the side of the elastic base opposite to the side on which the sensor unit is provided, an adhesive member mounting surface on which an adhesive member is mounted, and the sensor unit from the adhesive member mounting surface. An adhesive member protective wall that protrudes on the side opposite to the side where the adhesive member is located and covers a side portion of the adhesive member, and the adhesive member protective wall is within a range in the width direction that intersects with the longitudinal direction of the elastic base portion. It is provided and is elastically deformable in the height direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the elastic base.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the adhesive member protective wall includes a first wall surface extending in a direction orthogonal to the adhesive member mounting surface on the outer side in the width direction of the elastic base, and the adhesive on the inner side in the width direction of the elastic base. The second wall surface is inclined with respect to the member mounting surface, and has a tapered shape from the base end side toward the tip end side.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the adhesive force of the adhesive member is greater than the peeling force that peels off the adhesive member accompanying elastic deformation of the adhesive member protective wall.

  The cable sensor manufacturing method of the present invention is a cable sensor manufacturing method used for detecting contact or proximity of an obstacle, wherein the cable sensor includes a sensor part formed in a string shape, and the sensor part. An elastic base provided integrally with the sensor portion so as to extend along the longitudinal direction, and an adhesive member mounting surface provided on the opposite side of the elastic base from the side on which the sensor portion is provided, to which the adhesive member is mounted. An adhesive member protective wall that protrudes from the adhesive member mounting surface to a side opposite to the side where the sensor unit is located and covers a side portion of the adhesive member, and the adhesive member protective wall is provided on the elastic base portion. Provided within the range of the width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction and elastically deformable in the height direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the elastic base, and fixing the adhesive member mounting surface on which the adhesive member is mounted Object To face, it is pressed against the adhesive member to the stationary object, thereby crimping the adhesive member to the stationary object the adhesive member protective wall while elastically deformed.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the adhesive member protective wall includes a first wall surface extending in a direction orthogonal to the adhesive member mounting surface on the outer side in the width direction of the elastic base, and the adhesive on the inner side in the width direction of the elastic base. The second wall surface is inclined with respect to the member mounting surface, and has a tapered shape from the base end side toward the tip end side.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the adhesive force of the adhesive member is greater than the peeling force that peels off the adhesive member accompanying elastic deformation of the adhesive member protective wall.

  According to the present invention, the adhesive member protective wall that covers the side portion of the adhesive member is provided on the opposite side of the adhesive member mounting surface from the side where the sensor unit is located, and the adhesive member protective wall is provided on the elastic base portion. It is arranged within the range of the width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction, and is elastically deformable in the height direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the elastic base.

  Thereby, the side part of the adhesive member can be covered, dust and the like can be prevented from adhering to the adhesive member, and peeling of the adhesive member can be prevented over a long period of time.

  Moreover, the external appearance of the cable sensor can be made clear without increasing the dimension in the width direction of the cable sensor, and the appearance can be improved.

  Furthermore, the adhesive member protection wall can be elastically deformed when the adhesive member is adhered to the fixed object. Therefore, the adhesive member can be sufficiently pressed against the object to be fixed, and as a result, the sensor unit can be fixed to the object to be fixed with sufficient fixing strength.

It is a front view which shows the tailgate of a vehicle. It is the side view which looked at the tailgate of Drawing 1 from the side. It is a perspective view which shows a touch sensor unit. It is sectional drawing which follows the AA line of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a cable sensor alone. It is the perspective view which expanded the front end side of the cable sensor. (A), (b) is the elements on larger scale explaining the function of an adhesion member protection wall. (A), (b) is the elements on larger scale corresponding to FIG. 7 explaining Embodiment 2. FIG.

  Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 is a front view showing a tailgate of a vehicle, FIG. 2 is a side view of the tailgate of FIG. 1 viewed from the side, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a touch sensor unit, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the cable sensor alone, FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the front end side of the cable sensor, and FIGS. 7A and 7B are for protecting the adhesive member. The partial expanded sectional view explaining the function of a wall is shown, respectively.

  A vehicle 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a so-called hatchback type vehicle, and an opening 11 through which large luggage can be taken in and out is formed on the rear side of the vehicle 10. The opening 11 is formed as a solid gate arrow and a broken line arrow in FIG. 2 by a tailgate 12 as an opening / closing body that rotates around a hinge (not shown) provided on the rear side of the ceiling of the vehicle 10. Opened and closed.

  In addition, a power tailgate device 13 is mounted on the vehicle 10 according to the present embodiment. The power tailgate device 13 includes an actuator (ACT) 13a with a speed reducer that opens and closes the tailgate 12, a controller (ECU) 13b that controls the actuator 13a based on an operation signal of an operation switch (not shown), And a pair of touch sensor units 20 that detect contact of the object BL.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the touch sensor unit 20 is mounted on each side of the tailgate 12 in the vehicle width direction (left and right sides in the figure). More specifically, the pair of touch sensor units 20 are provided along the curved shape of the door frame on both sides of the tailgate 12 in the vehicle width direction. That is, the pair of touch sensor units 20 is in a curved state following the curved shape of the door frame, and is fixed to the tailgate 12 under the curved state.

  Thus, when the obstacle BL is brought into contact with the touch sensor unit 20 between the opening 11 and the tailgate 12, the cable sensor 30 (see FIG. 3) forming the touch sensor unit 20 is immediately elastically deformed. The

  The pair of touch sensor units 20 are each electrically connected to the controller 13b, and a detection signal generated when the cable sensor 30 is elastically deformed is input to the controller 13b. Based on the input of the detection signal from the touch sensor unit 20, the controller 13 b opens the tailgate 12 that is driven to be closed regardless of the operation of the operation switch, or the tailgate 12 that is driven to be closed on the spot. Stop at. Thereby, the obstacle BL is prevented from being caught.

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the cable sensor 30 is provided with a pair of electrodes 31b and 31c, and a resistor R is electrically connected to the tip side (right side in FIG. 6). . Thus, in a state where the cable sensor 30 is not elastically deformed, the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are not in contact with each other, and the resistance value of the resistor R is input to the controller 13b. That is, when the resistance value of the resistor R is input, the controller 13b determines that the obstacle BL is not caught and continues to drive the tailgate 12 to be closed.

  On the other hand, when the obstacle BL comes into contact with the touch sensor unit 20 and the cable sensor 30 is elastically deformed, the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are brought into contact with each other and short-circuited. Then, a resistance value (infinite) that does not pass through the resistor R is input to the controller 13b. As a result, the controller 13b detects a change in the resistance value, and executes control to drive the tailgate 12 to open or to stop the tailgate 12 on the spot by using the change in the resistance value as a trigger.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the touch sensor unit 20 includes a cable sensor 30 that is formed in a long string shape and elastically deformed by contact with an obstacle BL (see FIG. 2), and the cable sensor. And a sensor bracket 40 for fixing 30 to the tailgate 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Here, in FIG. 3, in order to make the cable sensor 30 easy to understand, the cable sensor 30 is shaded.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the cable sensor 30 includes a sensor main body 31 and a sensor holder 32 that holds the sensor main body 31. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the base end side of the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c is disposed on the base end side of the cable sensor 30, and the controller 13b (see FIG. 5) is disposed on the base end portion of these electrodes 31b and 31c. 1 and FIG. 2) is provided with a male connector 30a to be attached to the female connector (not shown).

  As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor body 31 includes an insulating tube 31a made of a flexible insulating rubber material or the like. The insulating tube 31a is elastically deformed by the application of an external force, and a pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are held in a spiral shape in a non-contact state on the inner side (inside) of the insulating tube 31a. These electrodes 31b and 31c include a conductive tube 31d made of flexible conductive rubber or the like, and a conductive wire 31e formed by bundling a plurality of copper wires is provided therein.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the inner diameter of the insulating tube 31a is about three times the diameter of the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c. In other words, a minute gap S is formed between the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c facing each other around the axis of the insulating tube 31a so that about one electrode can be inserted.

  Thus, inside the insulating tube 31a, the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are arranged to face each other in the radial direction and are fixed in a spiral shape in the longitudinal direction, and the electrodes are approximately between the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c. A minute gap S that can accommodate one is secured. Thus, regardless of which part of the sensor body 31 is elastically deformed by the obstacle BL (see FIG. 2), the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are brought into contact with each other and short-circuited under substantially the same conditions (pressing force).

  Here, in the touch sensor unit 20 used for the tailgate 12, the diameter dimension of the insulating tube 31a is about 5.0 mm. Therefore, in consideration of the handling of the touch sensor unit 20 with respect to the tailgate 12 and detection sensitivity, it is desirable to provide a pair of electrodes 31b and 31c having a diameter of about 1.0 mm in a spiral shape inside the insulating tube 31a.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are not short-circuited even when the sensor body 31 is wound around a small-diameter column having a radius of 4.0 mm. On the other hand, as a comparative example, in the case where, for example, four identical electrodes are provided in parallel in the same insulating tube, each electrode is mounted even when the sensor body is wound around a large-diameter column having a radius of 7.5 mm. Shorted.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, that is, in the case where the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are spirally provided inside the insulating tube 31a, the door frame curved in a relatively wide angle range from an acute angle to an obtuse angle is used. The tailgate 12 can be accommodated.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the sensor holder 32 is formed into a long string shape by extruding a flexible insulating rubber material and the like, and a hollow in which the sensor main body 31 is accommodated. The sensor holding cylinder 32a and a base portion 32b fixed to the sensor fixing portion 41 (see FIG. 4) of the sensor bracket 40 are provided.

  Here, the sensor holding cylinder 32a and the sensor main body 31 held by the sensor holding cylinder 32a constitute a sensor unit in the present invention. Moreover, the base part 32b comprises the elastic base in this invention. In FIG. 4, a broken line is provided at the boundary between the sensor holding cylinder 32a and the base portion 32b.

  The cross-sectional shape of the sensor holding cylinder 32a along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the sensor holder 32, that is, the short side direction of the sensor holder 32 is formed in a substantially circular shape. The thickness of the sensor holding cylinder 32a is slightly thinner than the thickness of the insulating tube 31a. That is, the sensor holding cylinder 32a can be easily elastically deformed by applying an external force (contact with the obstacle BL).

  Therefore, the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c held by the insulating tube 31a are easily contacted (short-circuited) with each other by elastic deformation of the sensor holding cylinder 32a and the insulating tube 31a. ) Is secured.

  The base portion 32b is provided integrally with the sensor holding cylinder 32a along the longitudinal direction of the sensor holding cylinder 32a. The base portion 32b has a function of fixing the sensor holding cylinder 32a to the sensor fixing portion 41, and the sensor holding cylinder 32a and the sensor main body 31 are attached to the sensor fixing portion 41 of the sensor bracket 40 via the base portion 32b. It is fixed.

  Moreover, the cross-sectional shape along the short direction of the sensor holder 32 in the base part 32b is formed in the substantially trapezoid shape. An adhesive member mounting surface 32c is provided on the opposite side (lower side in FIG. 4) of the base portion 32b to the side where the sensor holding cylinder 32a is provided. The adhesive member mounting surface 32c has both surfaces serving as adhesive members. Tape 32d is attached (attached).

  The double-sided tape 32d fixes (adheres) the cable sensor 30 to the sensor bracket 40, and is between the sensor holder 32 and the sensor fixing portion 41 along the direction (short direction) intersecting the longitudinal direction of the sensor holder 32. Has been placed. The thickness dimension of the double-sided tape 32d is set to a relatively thick thickness dimension, and specifically, is approximately half the thickness dimension of the sensor bracket 40.

  Thereby, the cable sensor 30 can be adhered to the sensor bracket 40 with a sufficient adhesive force, and the cable sensor 30 can be flexibly followed by following the curved portion CV (see FIG. 3) of the sensor bracket 40. Therefore, both the sensor holder 32 (cable sensor 30) and the sensor fixing portion 41 (sensor bracket 40) are firmly bonded to each other by the double-sided tape 32d.

  The sensor holding cylinder 32a and the base portion 32b are smoothly connected to each other by a pair of inclined surfaces TP. As described above, by providing the inclined surface TP between the sensor holding cylinder 32a and the base portion 32b, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cracks and the like due to stress concentration between the sensor holding cylinder 32a and the base portion 32b. . Thereby, the durability of the sensor holder 32 is improved.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e is provided on the side (lower side in the figure) opposite to the side where the sensor holding cylinder 32a is located. These adhesive member protection walls 32e are provided on the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the base portion 32b (sensor holder 32), and are disposed on both sides in the width direction (both sides in the left-right direction in the figure) intersecting the longitudinal direction of the base portion 32b. Yes. Further, the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e protrude from the adhesive member mounting surface 32c at a predetermined height on the side opposite to the side where the sensor holding cylinder 32a is located. Here, in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7, the broken line is given to the boundary part of the base part 32b and a pair of adhesive member protection wall 32e.

  Specifically, the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e are respectively disposed within the range in the width direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the base portion 32b, that is, within the range of the width dimension W of the base portion 32b. Thereby, it is suppressed that the width dimension W of the base part 32b becomes large, and the cable sensor 30 is prevented from becoming unnecessarily thick. In addition, when the cable sensor 30 becomes thick, the touch sensor unit 20 as a whole is not only enlarged, but also the followability of the cable sensor 30 with respect to the curved shape is reduced.

  In addition, the protruding height of the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e from the adhesive member mounting surface 32c is set to a height that is slightly lower than the thickness of the double-sided tape 32d. Thereby, a minute gap D is formed between the tip portion of the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32 e and the sensor fixing portion 41.

  Thus, by providing a pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e, most of the side portion SD (see FIG. 7A) of the double-sided tape 32d (more than half) is covered, thereby making the double-sided tape Exposure to the outside of 32d is suppressed. Further, since most part of the side portion SD of the double-sided tape 32d is covered with the adhesive member protective wall 32e, dust or the like hardly reaches the side portion SD of the double-sided tape 32d. Therefore, there is no problem that the double-sided tape 32d deteriorates early and peels off early.

  The size of the minute gap D between the adhesive member protection wall 32e and the sensor fixing portion 41 can be arbitrarily set according to needs (specifications) such as the appearance of the cable sensor 30. For example, by making the minute gap D smaller, exposure of the double-sided tape 32d to the outside can be further suppressed, and dust or the like can be more difficult to reach the side portion SD of the double-sided tape 32d.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e are arranged to be mirror image symmetrical on both sides in the width direction of the base portion 32b, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is formed in a substantially triangular shape.

  Specifically, the pair of adhesive member protective walls 32e includes a first wall surface 32e1 extending in a direction orthogonal to the adhesive member mounting surface 32c on the outer side in the width direction of the base portion 32b. That is, the first wall surface 32 e 1 extends straight toward the sensor fixing portion 41. Further, the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e includes a second wall surface 32e2 that is inclined with respect to the adhesive member mounting surface 32c on the inner side in the width direction of the base portion 32b. That is, the second wall surface 32e2 extends in a state inclined toward the sensor fixing portion 41.

  The second wall surface 32e2 gradually approaches the first wall surface 32e1 from the proximal end side (upper side in the figure) to the distal end side (lower side in the figure) of the adhesive member protection wall 32e. . That is, the adhesive member protective wall 32e is tapered from the proximal end side toward the distal end side.

  In this way, by tapering the adhesive member protective wall 32e toward the distal end side, the rigidity of the distal end side of the adhesive member protective wall 32e is weakened, and the distal end side of the adhesive member protective wall 32e is easily elastically deformed. ing. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, when the cable sensor 30 is fixed to the sensor bracket 40, the fixing work (the pressure bonding work of the double-sided tape 32d) can be facilitated. The pressure bonding operation of the double-sided tape 32d will be described in detail later.

  As described above, the sensor holder 32 has a non-circular cross-sectional shape along the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction (short direction). Thereby, the rigidity of the base portion 32b is sufficiently increased while the elastic deformation of the sensor holding cylinder 32a and the insulating tube 31a is facilitated. Accordingly, the fixing strength of the cable sensor 30 with respect to the sensor fixing portion 41 by the double-sided tape 32d is improved.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a mold resin portion 32 f as a terminal portion is integrally provided at the terminal of the sensor holder 32 (the tip side of the cable sensor 30). The mold resin portion 32f constitutes a part of the sensor holder 32 and covers the end portion of the insulating tube 31a (see FIG. 4) and the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c (see FIG. 4). Furthermore, a separator SP made of an insulator, one resistor R, and two caulking members SW are provided inside the mold resin portion 32f.

  Thus, the mold resin portion 32f prevents the end portion of the insulating tube 31a, the end portions of the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c, the separator SP, the resistor R, and the pair of caulking members SW from being exposed to the outside. And has a function of protecting these components.

  Here, a long connection portion P1 and a short connection portion P2 are provided at both ends of the resistor R. The long connection portion P1 and the short connection portion P2 are caulked to the conductive wires 31e of the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c by folding the long connection portion P1 180 degrees with respect to the short connection portion P2. Each is electrically connected by the member SW. Thus, the end portions of the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are electrically connected to each other via the resistor R.

  The pair of caulking members SW are caulked by caulking jigs (not shown) such as electric pliers, so that the resistance R is strongly electrically connected to the respective conductive lines 31e of the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c. Connected to. Further, the pair of caulking members SW are respectively arranged so as to be symmetrical on both sides of the separator SP, and are prevented from being short-circuited to each other at the separator SP.

  The mold resin portion 32f sets the end of the sensor holder 32, to which the separator SP, the resistor R, and the like are assembled, in a mold (not shown), and injects a molten rubber material or the like into the mold. It is formed by doing. That is, the component parts such as the separator SP and the resistor R are embedded in the mold resin portion 32f by insert molding.

  Here, the mold resin portion 32f is formed of the same rubber material as that of the sensor holder 32 and has sufficient flexibility. However, for example, a rubber material having a hardness higher than that of the sensor holder 32 can be used to more reliably protect the separator SP, the resistor R, and the like embedded in the mold resin portion 32f.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sensor bracket 40 is formed in a substantially plate shape having two curved portions CV by injection molding a resin material such as plastic. Specifically, the two curved portions CV are provided following the curved shape of the door frame of the tailgate 12 (see FIG. 1). Thus, the sensor bracket 40 is made of plastic, and the hardness of the sensor bracket 40 is higher than the hardness of the cable sensor 30.

  The sensor bracket 40 includes a sensor fixing part 41 and a vehicle body fixing part 42. Each of the sensor fixing part 41 and the vehicle body fixing part 42 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape, and the sensor fixing part 41 is arranged outside the vehicle compartment with the sensor bracket 40 fixed to the tailgate 12 (see FIG. 1). The fixing portion 42 is disposed on the vehicle interior side. Here, the vehicle body fixing portion 42 is a portion fixed to the tailgate 12, and the vehicle body fixing portion 42 is provided with three bolt holes 42a through which fixing bolts (not shown) are respectively inserted. . As a result, the vehicle body fixing portion 42 is firmly fixed to the tailgate 12 without rattling.

  On the other hand, the sensor fixing portion 41 is a portion to which the cable sensor 30 (see FIG. 5) is fixed, and a double-sided tape 32d provided on the cable sensor 30 is provided on the surface of the sensor fixing portion 41 (see FIG. 5). Is affixed. The surface of the sensor fixing portion 41 is smoother than the other portions of the sensor bracket 40 in order to increase the adhesive strength of the double-sided tape 32d. Therefore, the cable sensor 30 can be fixed to the sensor fixing portion 41 with sufficient strength.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an inclined wall 43 is provided between the sensor fixing part 41 and the vehicle body fixing part 42. Thereby, a stepped portion DS having a height dimension H1 is formed between the sensor fixing portion 41 and the vehicle body fixing portion. As described above, the cable sensor 30 can be installed in the vicinity of the outer edge portion of the door frame in the tailgate 12 by providing the height difference H1 between the sensor fixing portion 41 and the vehicle body fixing portion 42. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the sensor holding cylinder 32 a (sensor body 31) protrudes above the vehicle body fixing portion 42 in a state where the cable sensor 30 is attached to the sensor fixing portion 41 with the double-sided tape 32 d. ing. Specifically, a height dimension H2 obtained by adding the thickness dimension of the double-sided tape 32d and the thickness dimension of the thinnest portion of the base portion 32b is larger than the height dimension H1 of the step portion DS. (H2> H1). As a result, the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c held by the insulating tube 31a are disposed above the vehicle body fixing portion 42, and as a result, sufficient sensitivity for pinching detection of the obstacle BL (see FIG. 2) is ensured. .

  Further, the inclined wall portion 43 is inclined at an inclination angle α ° (about 30 degrees) with respect to the normal of the sensor fixing portion 41. Specifically, the inclined wall portion 43 has a steep uphill shape from the sensor fixing portion 41 toward the vehicle body fixing portion 42. As a result, as shown by an arrow M1 in FIG. 4, the cable sensor 30 can be easily fixed to the sensor fixing portion 41 with the cable sensor 30 facing from above the sensor bracket 40. In other words, the inclined wall portion 43 has a function of positioning (guiding) the cable sensor 30 in a state before fixation indicated by a two-dot chain line at a regular fixing position indicated by a solid line.

  Next, a mounting procedure (manufacturing method) of the cable sensor 30 formed as described above to the fixed object, that is, the sensor bracket 40 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, the sensor bracket 40 manufactured in a separate manufacturing process is prepared in advance, and the cable sensor 30 (including the double-sided tape 32d) manufactured in a separate manufacturing process is prepared. Next, as shown by an arrow M <b> 2 in FIG. 7A, the cable sensor 30 faces the sensor fixing portion 41 from above the sensor bracket 40. At this time, the adhesive member mounting surface 32c on which the double-sided tape 32d is mounted faces the sensor fixing portion 41 so as to be parallel to each other.

  Next, as shown by an arrow M2 in FIG. 7A, the double-sided tape 32d is attached to the sensor fixing portion 41 by pressing the base portion 32b (inclined surface TP) of the sensor holder 32 forming the cable sensor 30. Press with a relatively large pressing force F. Then, as shown by the arrow M3 in FIG. 7B, the double-sided tape 32d is crushed from the thickness direction and thinned, and the side part SD of the double-sided tape 32d is also bonded as shown by the arrow M4. It swells toward the member protection wall 32e. However, the magnitude of the pressing force F should not exceed the elastic limit of the double-sided tape 32d (stopped within the elastic deformation range).

  At this time, the adhesive member protection wall 32e is elastically deformed as indicated by an arrow M5 in FIG. That is, the adhesive member protection wall 32e is elastically deformable in the height direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the base portion 32b, and the double-sided tape 32d is elastically deformed to be thinner than the dimension of the minute gap D and becomes thin. Further, the adhesive member protection wall 32e is deformed not toward the double-sided tape 32d but toward the outside of the passenger compartment. Here, the adhesive member protective wall 32e on the opposite side different from that shown in FIG. 7 (the adhesive member protective wall 32e on the right side in FIG. 4) is deformed not toward the double-sided tape 32d but toward the vehicle interior. The

  That is, both of the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32 e are deformed outward in the width direction of the cable sensor 30. This includes a pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e, a first wall surface 32e1 extending in a direction orthogonal to the adhesive member mounting surface 32c on the outer side in the width direction of the base portion 32b, and an adhesive member mounting surface on the inner side in the width direction of the base portion 32b. It originates in having formed from the 2nd wall surface 32e2 inclined with respect to 32c. In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e are faced to be mirror-image-symmetric with each other, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is formed in a substantially triangular shape. The deformation direction is controlled to the outside in the width direction of the cable sensor 30.

  As a result, the pair of elastically deformed adhesive member protection walls 32e do not fall into the double-sided tape 32d side and are not caught in the double-sided tape 32d, and the double-sided tape 32d can be accurately and reliably attached to the sensor fixing portion 41. Can be crimped. Thereby, the mounting work of the cable sensor 30 on the sensor bracket 40 is completed. Here, after the double-sided tape 32d is pressure-bonded to the sensor fixing portion 41, that is, after the pressing force F is released, the elastically deformed double-sided tape 32d returns to its original shape, as shown in FIG. 7 (a) and FIG. It will be in the state.

  As described above in detail, according to the first embodiment, the adhesive member protective wall 32e that covers the side portion SD of the double-sided tape 32d is provided on the side opposite to the side where the sensor holding cylinder 32a is located from the adhesive member mounting surface 32c. The adhesive member protection wall 32e is provided so as to protrude, and is disposed within a range in the width direction (within the range of the width dimension W) intersecting the longitudinal direction of the base portion 32b, and is a height that intersects the longitudinal direction of the base portion 32b. Elastically deformable in the vertical direction.

  Thereby, the side part SD of the double-sided tape 32d can be obscured, and dust and the like can be prevented from adhering to the double-sided tape 32d, and peeling of the double-sided tape 32d can be prevented for a long time.

  Moreover, the external appearance of the cable sensor 30 can be made clear without increasing the widthwise dimension of the cable sensor 30, and the appearance can be improved.

  Further, when the double-sided tape 32d is bonded to the sensor fixing portion 41 of the sensor bracket 40, the adhesive member protection wall 32e can be elastically deformed. Therefore, the double-sided tape 32d can be sufficiently pressed against the sensor fixing portion 41, and as a result, the sensor holding cylinder 32a and the sensor body 31 can be fixed to the sensor fixing portion 41 with sufficient fixing strength.

  According to the first embodiment, the adhesive member protection wall 32e includes the first wall surface 32e1 extending in the direction perpendicular to the adhesive member mounting surface 32c on the outer side in the width direction of the base portion 32b, and the inner side in the width direction of the base portion 32b. The second wall surface 32e2 is inclined with respect to the adhesive member mounting surface 32c, and is tapered from the proximal end side toward the distal end side.

  Accordingly, the deformation direction of the pair of adhesive member protective walls 32e can be controlled to the outside in the width direction of the cable sensor 30, and the pair of elastically deformed adhesive member protective walls 32e can be prevented from being caught in the double-sided tape 32d. . Therefore, the double-sided tape 32d can be accurately and reliably crimped to the sensor fixing portion 41.

  Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that portions having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  FIGS. 8A and 8B are partially enlarged sectional views corresponding to FIG. 7 for explaining the second embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the cable sensor 50 of the second embodiment, only the shape of the sensor holder 32 is different from the cable sensor 30 of the first embodiment (see FIG. 7). Specifically, in the sensor holder 32 of the second embodiment, a thin skirt portion 32e3 is integrally provided at the tip portion of the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e.

  The skirt portion 32e3 constitutes a part of the adhesive member protective wall 32e, and extends from the adhesive member mounting surface 32c to the side (upper side in the figure) opposite to the side where the sensor holding cylinder 32a is located (lower side in the figure). Be present. The tip portion of the skirt portion 32e3 is in contact with the sensor fixing portion 41 of the sensor bracket 40 in an elastically deformed state. That is, the length dimension of the skirt portion 32e3 is set to be slightly longer than the dimension of the minute gap D shown in FIG. This prevents the side SD of the double-sided tape 32d from being completely exposed to the outside.

  In addition, the thickness dimension of the skirt portion 32e3 is substantially the same as the thickness dimension on the distal end side of the adhesive member protective wall 32e, whereby the rigidity of the skirt portion 32e3 is greater than the rigidity of the main body portion of the adhesive member protective wall 32e. It is weakened. In FIG. 8, a thin line is provided at the boundary between the adhesive member protection wall 32e and the skirt portion 32e3.

  The procedure for attaching the cable sensor 50 to the sensor bracket 40 is substantially the same as in the first embodiment. At this time, the pair of skirt portions 32e3 is also deformed outward in the width direction of the cable sensor 50 in the same manner as the pair of adhesive member protection walls 32e, whereby the pair of skirt portions 32e3 falls into the double-sided tape 32d side and It is not caught in the double-sided tape 32d.

  Here, after the double-sided tape 32d is pressure-bonded to the sensor fixing portion 41, that is, after the pressing force F is released, the elastically deformed double-sided tape 32d returns to its original shape, as shown in FIG. 8A. become. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, the skirt portion 32e3 is in an elastically deformed state, and the elastic force (repulsive force) accompanying the elastic deformation of the skirt portion 32e3 at this time is added to the sensor fixing portion 41. Is done. That is, the repulsive force of the skirt portion 32e3 becomes a peeling force F1 that acts in the direction of peeling the double-sided tape 32d. However, in the present embodiment, the peeling force F1 is very small with respect to the adhesive force F2 of the double-sided tape 32d (F1 << F2). Therefore, the double-sided tape 32d is not peeled off by the peeling force F1.

  In the second embodiment formed as described above, the same operational effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, in the second embodiment, the side part SD of the double-sided tape 32d can be prevented from being completely exposed to the outside, as compared with the first embodiment (see FIG. 7). Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress dust and the like from adhering to the double-sided tape 32d, and further prevent the double-sided tape 32d from peeling off for a longer period of time.

  It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the adhesive member used in the present invention employs the double-sided tape 32d. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and, for example, an adhesive having fluidity before curing is employed. You can also

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are fixed in a spiral shape inside the insulating tube 31a. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the thickness of the electrodes and the detection required. Depending on performance and the like, four or six electrodes may be provided in a spiral shape or in parallel.

  Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the sensor body 31 in which the pair of electrodes 31b and 31c are fixed in a spiral shape inside the insulating tube 31a is shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sensor body is not limited thereto. A capacitance sensor formed in a long string shape can also be used. In this case, the sensor holder for holding the capacitance sensor is formed of an elastic material having conductivity, for example, a conductive rubber used for a contact material of a remote controller. Thereby, it is possible to detect the proximity of a human.

  In each of the above embodiments, the cable sensors 30 and 50 are fixed to the tailgate 12 of the vehicle 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the slide is located on the vehicle sunroof or on the side of the vehicle. It may be fixed to the door or may be fixed to the vehicle body side of the vehicle. Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the vehicle 10 but also to an automatic door device for opening and closing a doorway of a building.

  In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, installation location, and the like of each component in each of the above embodiments are arbitrary as long as the present invention can be achieved, and are not limited to each of the above embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 11 Opening part 12 Tailgate 13 Power tailgate apparatus 13a Actuator 13b Controller 20 Touch sensor unit 30 Cable sensor 30a Male connector 31 Sensor main body (sensor part)
31a Insulating tube 31b, 31c Electrode 31d Conductive tube 31e Conductive wire 32 Sensor holder 32a Sensor holding cylinder (sensor part)
32b Foundation (elastic base)
32c Adhesive member mounting surface 32d Double-sided tape (adhesive member)
32e Adhesive member protective wall 32e1 First wall surface 32e2 Second wall surface 32e3 Skirt portion (adhesive member protective wall)
32f Mold resin part 40 Sensor bracket (fixed object)
41 Sensor fixing part 42 Car body fixing part 42a Bolt hole 43 Inclined wall part 50 Cable sensor BL Obstacle CV Curved part D Minute gap DS Step part F Pressing force F1 Peeling force F2 Adhesive force P1 Long connection part P2 Short connection part R Resistance S Gap SD Side SP Separator SW Caulking member TP Inclined surface

Claims (6)

A cable sensor used to detect contact or proximity of an obstacle,
A sensor part formed in a string shape;
An elastic base provided integrally with the sensor unit along the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit;
An adhesive member mounting surface provided on the opposite side of the elastic base from the side on which the sensor unit is provided, to which an adhesive member is mounted;
An adhesive member protective wall that protrudes from the adhesive member mounting surface to the side opposite to the side where the sensor unit is located, and covers the side portion of the adhesive member;
With
The adhesive member protection wall is provided within a range in the width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the elastic base, and is elastically deformable in a height direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the elastic base.
Cable sensor. The cable sensor according to claim 1,
The adhesive member protection wall is inclined with respect to the adhesive member mounting surface at a first wall surface extending in a direction orthogonal to the adhesive member mounting surface on the outer side in the width direction of the elastic base, and on the inner side in the width direction of the elastic base. And has a tapered shape as it goes from the proximal side to the distal side.
Cable sensor. The cable sensor according to claim 1 or 2,
The adhesive force of the adhesive member is larger than the peeling force to peel off the adhesive member accompanying elastic deformation of the adhesive member protective wall.
Cable sensor. A method of manufacturing a cable sensor used to detect contact or proximity of an obstacle, comprising:
The cable sensor is
A sensor part formed in a string shape;
An elastic base provided integrally with the sensor unit along the longitudinal direction of the sensor unit;
An adhesive member mounting surface provided on the opposite side of the elastic base from the side on which the sensor unit is provided, to which an adhesive member is mounted;
An adhesive member protective wall that protrudes from the adhesive member mounting surface to the side opposite to the side where the sensor unit is located, and covers the side portion of the adhesive member;
With
The adhesive member protection wall is provided within a range in the width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the elastic base, and is elastically deformable in a height direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the elastic base,
The adhesive member mounting surface on which the adhesive member is mounted faces a fixed object, the adhesive member is pressed against the fixed object, and the adhesive member protective wall is elastically deformed, and the adhesive member is fixed. Crimp to objects
A method for manufacturing a cable sensor. In the manufacturing method of the cable sensor according to claim 4,
The adhesive member protection wall is inclined with respect to the adhesive member mounting surface at a first wall surface extending in a direction orthogonal to the adhesive member mounting surface on the outer side in the width direction of the elastic base, and on the inner side in the width direction of the elastic base. And has a tapered shape as it goes from the proximal side to the distal side.
A method for manufacturing a cable sensor. In the manufacturing method of the cable sensor according to claim 4 or 5,
The adhesive force of the adhesive member is larger than the peeling force to peel off the adhesive member accompanying elastic deformation of the adhesive member protective wall.
A method for manufacturing a cable sensor.

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