JP2523675Y2 - Vehicle bumper - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an automatic guided vehicle or a factory or warehouse using a belt-shaped pressing force detection sensor which is electrically turned on by applying a pressing force to a pair of electrode plates. A bumper for a vehicle, such as a forklift, for transporting the vehicle, the bumper for a vehicle such as an unmanned traveling vehicle for automatically stopping the vehicle by detecting that the vehicle has come into contact with other objects or the human body during traveling. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional pressing force detection sensor (hereinafter, referred to as a sensor).
The sensor is simply a pair of electrode plates having plasticity and curved in a U-shape along the longitudinal direction and covered with a flexible insulating coating material in an insulated state. When the is acted on, the electrode plate on the pressed side bends and comes into contact with another electrode plate facing the electrode plate, thereby serving as a switch.

In the above-mentioned sensor, since a pressing force is applied to a planar insulating coating material, the electrode plate does not bend unless a considerable pressing force is applied. The sensitivity was low. Therefore, the present applicant has formed a ridge on one surface of the insulating covering material with respect to the entire length in the longitudinal direction, and by pressing the ridge, the electrode plate partially bends to increase the sensitivity as a switch. A sensor has been developed.

A vehicle bumper using this sensor is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 60-180721 (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-889).
No. 29). This involves mounting the sensor on the front surface of the bumper, arranging a cushioning material such as sponge on the front surface of the sensor, and arranging means for pressing the sensor toward the cushioning material between the rear surface of the sensor and the bumper. Then, the sensitivity of the sensor is increased.

[0005]

By the way, in the above-mentioned sensor, since the ridge is formed over the entire length, the ridge serves as a rib of the insulating coating material and has no ridge. Although the sensitivity is higher than the above, when used as a sensor for the above-mentioned bumper, in order to turn on by the pressing force via the cushioning material, it is turned on unless a considerable force acts on the cushioning material. Therefore, there is a problem that the vehicle does not stop and the equipment may be damaged or the person may be injured if the bumper only makes light contact with the object or the human body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to improve the sensitivity by forming the ridges of the conventional sensor at predetermined intervals without being continuous. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle bumper that improves sensitivity and does not damage equipment or a human body by using a pressure detection sensor for a bumper.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A pressing force detection sensor according to the present invention achieves the above-mentioned object, and its means is to provide plasticity in a longitudinal direction of a mounting plate such as a veneer plate mounted on a vehicle bumper. A pressing force detection sensor in which two electrode plates are opposed to each other in an insulated state and the peripheral surface of which is covered with a flexible insulating coating material having a ridge formed at desired intervals on one surface is bonded with the ridge side facing upward. Fixed, a rigid pressing plate is disposed in contact with the ridge of the pressing force detection sensor, and a relatively thick cushioning material such as urethane or sponge is disposed on the upper surface of the pressing plate. A cover made of a soft material such as vinyl leather is placed over the cushioning material and fastened to the mounting plate.

[0008]

In the vehicle bumper of the present invention having the above-described structure, a pressing force detection sensor in which protrusions are formed at predetermined intervals on the surface of the insulating coating material is incorporated into the bumper of the vehicle. Since the pressing plate having high rigidity is arranged on the surface where the ridge is formed, even if the pressing force applied to the pressing plate via the cushioning material is small, the sensor is turned on by a small displacement of the pressing plate, and therefore, the vehicle is turned on. Even if the bumper gently comes into contact with objects or the human body, it can be stopped immediately.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a pressing force detecting sensor used in a vehicle bumper according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 1 denotes a pressing force detection sensor, which is a pair of plastic electrode plates 1b and 1c which are opposed to each other while being insulated by a flexible insulating material 1a in the longitudinal direction, and which is a covering material 1d made of a flexible insulating material such as vinyl. And covering material 1
The protrusions 1e are formed at desired intervals in the longitudinal direction of one surface at d. 1f is a lead wire having one end connected to the electrode plate.

In the pressing force detecting sensor 1 according to the present invention, the pair of electrode plates 1b and 1c are always made of the insulating material 1a.
The electrode plates 1b, 1c
Are not in contact, and are therefore off as switches. In this state, when the ridge 1e is pressed, the insulating coating 1d bends downward and displaces the electrode plate 1b downward, so that it comes into contact with the electrode plate 1c to be turned on as a switch.

A rigid plate is disposed on the upper surface of the ridge 1e of the sensor 1, and when a pressing force is applied to this plate, the pressing force acts on all the ridges 1e, and the sensor 1 is displaced downward. The electrode plate 1b comes into contact with the electrode plate 1c, but here, the ridge 1e is not formed on the entire surface of the insulating coating material 1d. When formed, the action of the rib 1e as a rib is half that formed over the entire length.
The electrode plates 1b and 1c come into contact with each other with half the pressing force against the one in which the ridge 1e is formed on the entire length, and the sensitivity is increased.

Next, a case where the above-mentioned pressing force detection sensor is mounted on a bumper B of a vehicle A such as an automatic guided vehicle shown in FIG. 1 and automatically stopped when it comes into contact with other objects or a human body will be described with reference to FIG. I do. Reference numeral 2 denotes a mounting plate such as a thick veneer which is fixed to the bumper B using bolts and nuts 2a, and has a lead hole 2b for leading out a lead wire 1f.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a double-sided adhesive tape for adhering the side of the sensor 1 on which the ridge 1e is not formed to the mounting plate 2 and is attached in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the bumper B. Lead wire 1f is hole 2 in mounting plate 2.
It is derived outside from b. As a means for attaching the sensor 1 to the attachment plate 2, an adhesive may be used.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a rigid pressing plate disposed on the upper surface of the ridge 1e of the sensor 1 bonded and fixed to the mounting plate 3, and is made of a material which is not partially deformed. Reference numeral 5 denotes a cushioning material such as urethane or sponge, which is relatively thick, and is fixed to the pressing plate 4 with an adhesive or the like. Reference numeral 6 denotes a box-shaped cover made of a flexible material such as vinyl leather which wraps the whole, and a mounting piece 6a having an opening is staggered to the mounting plate 2.

In the vehicle bumper thus configured, when the cover 6 comes into contact with other objects or the human body during traveling of the vehicle, the cover 6 is first deformed, and this deformation is caused by the cushioning material 5.
Is transmitted to the pressing plate 4 via the Accordingly, the pressing plate 4 moves toward the mounting plate 2 and presses the ridge 1e of the sensor 1. As a result, the ridge 1e is deformed to move the electrode plate 1b to the electrode plate 1c side, so that the electrode plates 1b and 1c come into contact with each other and send out that the electrode plate 1b has been turned on as a switch via the lead wire 1f.

Based on the result, a detection circuit (not shown) mounted on the vehicle A sends a signal for stopping the vehicle to stop the vehicle A. The pressing force caused by the contact of the other object or the human body with the bumper B is reduced by a smaller pressing force than the conventional pressing force because the ridges 1e of the sensor 1 are formed at desired intervals. As a result, the vehicle A stops even if the contact with other objects or the human body is weak, so that the objects are not damaged or the human body is injured.

[0017]

According to the present invention, as described above, the pressing force detecting sensor is mounted on the mounting plate fixed to the bumper of the vehicle, and the rigid pressing plate is disposed on the ridge formed on the pressing force detecting sensor. As a result, the pressing force applied to the pressing plate via the cushioning material is applied, and even if the pressing force is small, the pressing plate presses the entire ridge, so that the pressing force detection sensor is turned on and the vehicle stops. Therefore, even if the bumper lightly touches the object or the human body, it can be stopped immediately, and there is an effect that the object is not damaged or the human body is injured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressing force detection sensor used in a vehicle bumper according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a vehicle such as an automatic guided vehicle equipped with the bumper of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the bumper of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pressing force detection sensor 1a Insulating material 1b, 1c Electrode plate 1d Insulating coating material 1e Ridge 1f Lead wire 2 Mounting plate 4 Pressing plate 5 Buffer material 6 Cover

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Agency reference number FI Technical display location H01H 13/52 4235-5G H01H 13/52 D

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] A ridge is formed on a mounting plate such as a veneer plate attached to a bumper of a vehicle in a longitudinal direction so that two plastic plates having flexibility are opposed to each other in an insulated state, and a circumferential surface is formed at a desired interval on one surface. A pressing force detection sensor covered with a flexible insulating coating material is adhesively fixed with the ridge side facing upward, and a rigid pressing plate is disposed in contact with the ridge of the pressing force detection sensor, and furthermore, Urethane on the upper surface of the pressing plate,
A bumper for a vehicle, wherein a relatively thick cushioning material such as a sponge is disposed, and a cover made of a soft material such as vinyl leather is covered from the cushioning material side and fastened to the mounting plate.