JP5276409B2 - Grip-type operation handle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a grip-type operating handle capable of preventing a malfunction by enhancing waterproof performance in a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: In this grip-type operating handle which is formed by connecting front and back covers 1 and 2 together, an insulation-coated electrode 5 of an electrostatic capacitance sensor 4 is arranged on a wall surface of a hollow part 3. A sealing small-tube part 6, the longitudinal end of which is opened to the outside, is formed in a longitudinally passing manner in a connecting boundary surface between the front and back covers 1 and 2 while a central drainage channel 7 larger in cross-sectional area than the sealing small-tube part 6 is formed in the hollow part 3 in a longitudinally passing manner by opening a longitudinal end to the outside. Furthermore, the sealing small-tube part 6 is arranged near a wall surface facing the electrode arrangement face of the hollow part 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a grip type operation handle used as an operation part of a grip type handle device.

As a grip-type operation handle used in the grip-type handle device, one described in Japanese Patent No. 4104496 is known. In this conventional example, the operation handle is formed by accommodating a capacitance sensor in a hollow portion formed by connecting a handle body (back cover) and a cover (front cover) to the front and back.
Japanese Patent No. 410496

  However, in the above-described conventional example, since the sealing state between the front and back covers is determined only by the contact state of the front and back covers, there is a problem that there is a large amount of water intrusion into the hollow part during rain or car wash. Since the capacitance sensor is waterproof and insulated, there will be no short circuit due to water leakage. However, the capacitance sensor is affected by the capacitance around the electrode. There is a risk of malfunction.

  In order to prevent malfunction of the capacitance sensor due to water leakage, it is also effective to restrict the intrusion of water droplets by covering the area affected by water droplets with an insulator as in the conventional example. Has a problem that the volume of the electrode becomes excessive and the hollow portion cannot be effectively used.

  The present invention has been made to eliminate the above-described drawbacks, and an object of the present invention is to provide a grip-type operation handle that can prevent malfunction by improving waterproof performance with a simple structure.

  The grip type operation handle is used as an operation member of a grip type handle device that opens and closes a door by rotating the longitudinal end portion as a fulcrum, and is formed in a hollow shape by connecting the front and back covers 1 and 2. . In order to detect an operation on the operation handle, a capacitance sensor 4 having an insulation coating electrode 5 is stored in the hollow portion 3 of the operation handle.

  In order to reduce the amount of water intruding into the hollow portion 3 and prevent malfunction of the capacitance sensor 4 due to water immersion, a narrow capillary portion 6 for sealing is formed in the longitudinal direction at the connection boundary surface of the front and back covers 1 and 2. The sealing thin tube portion is isolated from the hollow portion 3 at least in the region where the insulating coating electrode 5 is disposed, and is opened to the outside of the operation handle from the end portion in the longitudinal direction.

  The sealing narrow tube portion 6 functions as a dam having an open end with respect to the outside as a dam with respect to inundation from the connection interface of the front and back covers 1 and 2 and regulates the infiltration into the hollow portion 3. It is formed in a small cross-sectional area so that the inside is blocked by a small amount of water immersion. In the sealing capillary 6 having a small cross-sectional area and having an open end, a flow in the open end direction due to the capillary action of water entering the sealing capillary 6 or the inside of the pipe due to intruding water is generated. The effect of reducing the amount of inundation due to the presence of residual air in the pipe due to blockage can be expected. The cross-sectional area of the sealing thin tube portion 6 is experimentally determined in consideration of the waterproof performance determined by the contact state, the contact length, etc. of the connecting interfaces of the front and back covers 1 and 2, more specifically, A value with a significant difference with respect to the sealing effect of 6 is determined.

  As described above, the sealing thin tube portion 6 restricts water intrusion into the hollow portion 3, but does not completely restrict water infiltration into the hollow portion 3. Considering this point, the hollow portion 3 is formed with a central drainage channel 7 whose end is open to the outside. The central drainage channel 7 is substantially configured as a remaining space in which the insulation coating electrode 5 and the like are stored in the hollow portion 3, and each component has continuity in the longitudinal direction, surface flatness, straightness of the route, etc. The central drainage channel 7 is arranged to function well as a drainage channel.

  Further, the central drainage channel 7 is formed to have a larger cross-sectional area as compared with the sealing thin tube portion 6 so that the invaded water quickly flows out to the outside. The cross-sectional area of the central drainage portion is set so that the inside of the tube is not blocked by a small amount of water that is closed to the inside of the tube in the sealing tube 6 unlike the above-described sealing tube 6. The

  Accordingly, the water that has entered from the connection interface between the front and back covers 1 and 2 during rain or the like is first blocked by the sealing thin tube portion 6 and partly enters the central drainage channel 7. The water that has entered the central drainage channel 7 having a large cross-sectional area forms a water film and water droplets on the inner wall surface of the pipe and ensures mobility.

  When the rain stops and the water intrusion into the sealing narrow tube section 6 and the central drainage channel 7 stops, there is sufficient space in the central drainage channel 7, so that the invading water evaporates early. Disappears. On the other hand, in the sealing thin tube section 6, the evaporation rate into the gas phase blocked by water is slow, and the moving speed to the open end side is also restricted by the adhesion to the tube wall due to the surface tension. For this reason, the disappearance speed of the water in the sealing thin tube portion 6 is slower than that of the central drainage channel 7, which is an adverse effect on the detection of the capacitance sensor 4.

  The present invention is effective as a simple waterproof means, but when it is infiltrated, the sealing thin tube portion 6 that is poorly drained is disposed in the vicinity of the opposing wall surface of the electrode placement surface in the hollow portion 3, and By disposing the central drainage channel 7 with better water drainage around the insulating coating electrode 5, the amount of water intrusion into the hollow portion 3 is reduced, and at the same time the influence on the capacitance sensor 4 at the time of water immersion is as much as possible. To reduce.

  According to the present invention, malfunction of the capacitance sensor can be prevented by improving waterproof performance with a simple structure.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention configured as an outside handle of a vehicle. The outside handle is connected to the door in a horizontal posture with the left side facing the front of the vehicle in FIG. The outside handle is connected to the door 16 by pivotally supporting a hinge tongue 17 formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the outside handle so as to be horizontally rotatable.

  The door 16 is kept closed by locking the door lock device 18 to the vehicle body, and the other end of the outside handle is shown as an arrow in FIG. When it is rotated so as to be pulled out to “front and rear” and “front and back” based on the mounting posture to the vehicle, the door lock device 18 is unlocked and the door 16 can be opened. An operation protrusion 19 is formed at the other end of the outside handle, and the movement of the operation protrusion 19 due to the rotation operation to the door 16 is transmitted to a transmission means 20 such as a cable using a conversion mechanism (not shown). The door lock device 18 is operated.

  Further, as will be described later, an antenna 9, a capacitance sensor 4, and a push button switch 21 are housed in the hollow portion 3 of the outside handle, and an external connection harness connected to the antenna 9 and the like. 22 is pulled out of the outside handle from the front and connected to a controller (not shown) mounted on the vehicle body.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and subsequent figures, the outside handle is formed by connecting a front cover 1 that provides an outer surface shape in a front view when attached to a door 16 and a back cover 2 that provides a handle for operation. It is formed. The front and back covers 1 and 2 are made of a synthetic resin material in order to reduce the weight and enable communication using the antenna 9.

  The said back cover 2 has the U-shaped cross-section part 13 which formed the U-shaped cross-sectional shape which raises the side wall 11 from the width direction both-sides edge of the bottom wall 10, and open | releases to the surface side. In this embodiment, the U-shaped cross section 13 is formed over the entire length of the back cover 2, and a locking projection 2 a to the front cover 1 is provided at the rear end, and a connecting screw 23 to the front cover 1 is provided at the front end. A screw insertion hole 24 having a seating surface 24a for receiving the head portion 23a is opened (see FIG. 2A). Further, a V-shaped protrusion 2b for partitioning a grip area by the user is provided at the center of the back cover 2 at the front and rear ends, and the sensor housing area 25 substantially coincides with the grip area. Set on the surface.

  In the sensor housing region 25, an electrode mounting groove 8 having a depth substantially the same as the thickness dimension of an insulating coating electrode 5 to be described later and having a substantially equal width dimension is recessed in the surface of the bottom wall 10. Further, a step portion 15 is formed on the inner wall surface of the side wall 11 substantially corresponding to the range of the sensor housing area 25, and a drain port 2 c is opened slightly outside from both ends of the sensor housing area 25. The drain port 2 c is a rectangular hole that contacts the inner wall surface of the side wall 11 and penetrates the back surface of the back cover 2.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the above-described antenna 9, capacitance sensor 4, and push button switch 21 are mounted on the back cover 2. In this embodiment, the push button switch 21 is used as a locking switch and is attached to the rear end portion of the back cover 2. In order to fix the push button switch 21, the back cover 2 is formed with an L-shaped locking piece 2 d that is opened rearward, and the push button switch 21 is moved forward from the rear opening of the back cover 2. By sliding, both shoulder portions 21a are elastically locked to the locking pieces 2d and mounted.

  The cable 21b of the push button switch 21 that is pulled out from the rear end to the front end is provided with a cable stopper that protrudes at an appropriate position along the side wall 11 and the side wall 11 in order to prevent biting or the like during the connection operation of the front cover 1 It is wired between the projecting protrusions 2e.

  On the other hand, the capacitance sensor 4 is formed by projecting the insulating coating electrode 5 from the side wall 11 of the sensor body 4a accommodating a circuit board (not shown). The insulating material covering the insulating coating electrode 5 also covers the sensor body 4a, and is integrated as a whole. The capacitance sensor 4 is formed such that the sensor body 4a and the insulation coating electrode 5 are of equal width and the bottom wall 10 is on the same plane, is fitted in the electrode mounting groove 8, and is adhesive tape or the like. Fixed using. The antenna 9 is formed to have substantially the same width as the capacitance sensor 4 and is adhered onto the insulating coating electrode 5.

  The front cover 1 is formed in a U-shaped cross-section with a fitting recess 12 that opens in the back direction at the center, and has a hinge tongue piece 17 at the front end and an operation protrusion 19 at the rear end. Prepare. A button opening 1a for exposing the push button is opened at the rear end of the front cover 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the fitting recess 12 has a width dimension that allows the back cover 2 to be fitted without causing a gap at the connection interface as much as possible, and in the fitted state, the side wall of the back cover 2. 11 to a depth covering the entire height. The side wall 11 of the back cover 2 has a connecting interface with the front cover 1 as long as possible, and as a result, the top surface of the side wall 11 is separated from the insulating coating electrode 5 of the capacitance sensor 4 as much as possible. It is formed to have a sufficient height dimension.

  The front cover 1 is provided with a narrow tube forming protrusion 14 that is engaged with a step portion 15 formed on the side wall 11 of the back cover 2. As shown in FIG. 5A, the narrow tube forming protrusion 14 is formed over almost the entire length of the sensor housing region 25 of the back cover 2.

  The front and back covers 1 and 2 are connected by locking a locking projection 2a protruding from the rear end of the back cover 2 to the rear end of the front cover 1, and then moving the front cover 1 around the locking projection 2a. The front end portions of the front and back covers 1 and 2 are made to coincide with each other, and then a connecting screw 23 that passes through the screw insertion hole 24 is screwed into the front cover 1. As shown in FIG. 2, when connecting the front and back covers 1 and 2, a compound material 26 is interposed between the front surface of the antenna 9 and the back surface of the front cover 1, rattling, and maintaining a close contact state in the stacking direction. Is made.

  By connecting the front and back covers 1, 2, a side surface and a front outer wall surface are formed by the front cover 1, and a rear outer wall surface is formed by the back cover 2, which is open to the outside via the drain port 2 c. The outside handle is formed. As shown in FIGS. 2B and 5, in the grip region, the hollow portion 3 is divided into two with the antenna 9 or the capacitance sensor 4 as a partition wall, and communicates with the drain port 2 c at the front and rear ends. A drainage channel 7 is formed.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2B, 2C, and 2D, when the front and back covers 1 and 2 are connected, the space between the top surface of the side wall 11 of the back cover 2 and the inner wall of the front wall of the front cover 1 is shown. An appropriate gap is set to form a sealing capillary 6. As shown in FIG. 2B, in the sensor housing region 25, the sealing thin tube portion 6 is isolated from the hollow portion 3 by the thin tube forming protrusion 14, and communicates with the drain port 2c at both front and rear ends. FIG. 5A shows the position of the sealing thin tube portion 6 with hatching. In order to facilitate understanding of the relationship between the sealing thin tube portion 6 and the thin tube forming protrusion 14, only the left side of the sealing thin tube portion 6 is shown. Further, FIG. 5B shows the positions of the sealing thin tube portion 6, the central drainage channel 7, and the drainage port 2c.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the insulation coating electrode 5 of the capacitance sensor 4 is disposed along the rear wall of the outside handle while being mounted on the vehicle door 16. When the user puts his hand on the grip area of the outside handle and is detected by the electrostatic capacitance sensor 4 arranged in the nearest place, an ID request signal is output from the antenna 9 toward the portable device possessed by the user, When the authentication for the ID signal included in the response signal from the portable device is established, the door lock device 18 is unlocked.

  Water that has entered from the connection boundary between the front and back covers 1 and 2 in the event of rain, etc. is first blocked in the sealing narrow tube portion 6, and when it becomes hydrophilic in the hollow portion 3, the outside handle is quickly removed from the outside handle. The electrostatic capacity sensor 4 is prevented from malfunctioning due to water.

It is a figure which shows this invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a top view. FIGS. 4A and 4B are cross-sectional views of the operation handle, wherein FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2A-2A in FIG. 1A, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2B-2B in FIG. FIG. 2C is a sectional view taken along line 2C-2C, and FIG. 4D is a sectional view taken along line 2D-2D in FIG. 4 in an assembled state. It is the disassembled perspective view which shows a front and back cover, (a) is the figure seen from the surface side, (b) is the figure seen from the back side. It is a figure which shows a back cover. It is a figure which shows a front cover, (a) is a rear view, (b) is a front view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front cover 2 Back cover 3 Hollow part 4 Capacitance sensor 5 Insulation coating electrode 6 Narrow tube part for sealing 7 Central drainage channel 8 Electrode installation groove 9 Antenna 10 Bottom wall 11 Side wall 12 Fitting recessed part 13 U-shaped cross section 14 Narrow tube formation Ridge 15 for step

Claims (5)

A grip-type operation handle that is formed by connecting front and back covers, and in which an insulating coating electrode of a capacitance sensor is arranged on the wall surface of the hollow part,
On the connection boundary surface of the front and back cover in the region where the insulating coating electrode is disposed, a narrow tube portion for sealing whose longitudinal end is opened to the outside is formed in the longitudinal direction,
In the hollow portion, a central drainage channel having a larger cross-sectional area than the narrow tube portion for sealing is formed in the longitudinal direction with the longitudinal end portion opened to the outside,
And the narrow tube part for a seal is a grip type operation handle arranged near the opposing wall surface of the electrode arrangement surface in the hollow part.   The grip type operation handle according to claim 1, wherein the insulating coating electrode is recessed in either the front or back cover and is fitted into an electrode mounting groove having a depth substantially equal to the thickness of the insulating coating electrode. It has an antenna that communicates with the ID transmitter owned by the user,
The grip type operation handle according to claim 2, wherein the antenna is laminated and fixed on the insulating coating electrode to cover the insulating coating electrode. The capacitance sensor has a U-shaped cross section that rises from both side edges of the bottom wall, and is disposed on the inner wall of the U-shaped cross section that is fitted into a fitting recess formed in the front cover. And
4. The grip type operation handle according to claim 1, wherein the sealing thin tube portion is formed at an upper end portion of a side wall of a back cover. The sealing thin tube part is formed by surrounding the top surface of the side wall of the back cover with a front cover,
5. A seal engagement portion is formed by engaging the tip of a thin tube forming protrusion that protrudes from the front cover and forms the inner inner wall of the seal thin tube portion with a stepped portion formed on the front cover. Grip-type operation handle as described.

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