JP6948569B2 - Code switch - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cord switch.

Conventionally, a cord switch has been used to prevent a foreign object (for example, a human body) from being caught in a sliding door or the like of a vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). To prevent foreign matter (eg, the human body) from being caught in the sliding door of the vehicle, the cord switch is installed along the door edge of the sliding door.

The cord switch described in Patent Document 1 has a tubular member having elasticity and insulation properties and a hollow portion formed along the longitudinal direction, and a tubular member having a conductor formed by twisting a plurality of conductor strands. It is provided with a plurality of electrode wires provided on the inner surface of the surface at intervals from each other. In this cord switch, when pressure is applied to a tubular member due to contact with, for example, a human body, at least two of a plurality of electrode wires separated from each other come into contact with each other. Therefore, by detecting the contact of the electrode wires, it is possible to detect the contact of the human body or the like.

International Publication No. 2015/194030

By the way, it is conceivable that the cord switch is installed along the edge of a door such as a sliding door in a more complicated layout. At that time, the cord switch may be installed along a curved portion having a smaller bending radius.

However, when the cord switch is installed along the curved portion having a small bending radius in this way, there is a problem that the tubular member buckles. In this case, even though the foreign matter (for example, the human body) is not in contact with the cord switch, there is a possibility that the electrode wire may come into contact with the cord switch in advance due to buckling of the tubular member.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cord switch capable of suppressing buckling of a tubular member.

The present invention has a hollow tubular member having elasticity and insulation and a conductor portion for the purpose of solving the above problems, and is arranged to face the inside of the tubular member and separated by the elastic force of the tubular member. The conductor portion includes a plurality of electrode wires, and the conductor portion includes a linear body and a plurality of conductor strands spirally twisted around the outer periphery of the linear body. Provided is a cord switch that is easier to extend in the longitudinal direction than each of the plurality of conductor strands.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cord switch capable of suppressing buckling of a tubular member.

It is a figure which shows the cord switch which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, (b) is a perspective view. (A) is a cross-sectional view of the electrode wire, and (b) is an enlarged view of part A of (a).

[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Overall configuration of code switch)
1A and 1B are views showing a code switch according to the present embodiment, FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the cord switch 1 is arranged to face the hollow tubular member 2 having elasticity and insulation and inside the tubular member 2, and is separated by the elastic force of the tubular member 2. It is provided with a plurality of electrode wires 3 and the like.

The tubular member 2 is formed in a cylindrical shape (cylindrical shape in a state where no pressing force is applied from the outside) having a hollow portion 2a along the longitudinal direction. It is desirable that the tubular member 2 is made of a material having low compression set and excellent flexibility, cold resistance, water resistance, chemical resistance, weather resistance and the like. Specifically, as the tubular member 2, for example, a rubber-based composition obtained by cross-linking an ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer, an olefin-based or styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer composition that does not require a cross-linking step, or the like is preferable. Can be used for. The outer diameter of the tubular member 2 is, for example, 4 mm.

The plurality of electrode wires 3 each have a conductor portion 31 and a conductive coating layer 32 that covers the outer periphery of the conductor portion 31. Each of the conductor portions 31 of the plurality of electrode wires 3 is arranged in the center of the conductor portion 31, and is spirally twisted around the linear body 31b extending in the longitudinal direction of the cord switch 1 and the outer periphery of the linear body 31b. It has a plurality of conductor strands 31a and the like. 1 (a) and 1 (b) show a case where four electrode wires 3 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner surface of the tubular member 2, but the number of electrode wires 3 is limited to this. It is not something that is done, and it is sufficient if there are two or more.

In the present embodiment, the plurality of electrode wires 3 are spirally arranged inside the tubular member 2. As a result, the electrode wires 3 can easily come into contact with each other regardless of the direction in which the cord switch 1 is pressed, and it is possible to suppress the detection omission of foreign matter contact.

The conductor wire 31a used for the conductor portion 31 is made of copper or a copper alloy. The surface of the conductor wire 31a may be plated with tin, nickel, silver, zinc or the like for the purpose of increasing heat resistance. The outer diameter of the conductor wire 31a is, for example, 0.1 mm. The details of the conductor portion 31 will be described later.

As the conductive coating layer 32, one having elasticity and insulating property is used. Further, as the conductive coating layer 32, similarly to the tubular member 2, the compression set is small, excellent in flexibility, cold resistance, water resistance, chemical resistance, weather resistance, etc., and has high conductivity and elastic insulation. Those with high adhesion to the body are used. As the conductive coating layer 32, it is more preferable to use a resin used for the tubular member 2 mixed with a conductive filler such as carbon black. That is, it is desirable that the conductive coating layer 32 and the tubular member 2 are made of the same material as the main component. Specifically, the conductive coating layer 32 includes, for example, a rubber-based composition obtained by cross-linking ethylene-propylene-diene copolymer, an olefin-based or styrene-based thermoplastic elastomer composition that does not require a cross-linking step, carbon black, or the like. It is preferable to use the one containing the conductive filler of.

In the cord switch 1, when a pressing force is applied from the outside, the tubular member 2 is elastically deformed, the hollow portion 2a is crushed, and the electrode wires 3 come into contact with each other. Therefore, by detecting the contact (short circuit) of the electrode wire 3, it is possible to detect that a foreign substance such as a human body has come into contact with the cord switch 1.

(Details of conductor portion 31)
FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the electrode wire 3, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of part A thereof. In the cord switch 1 according to the present embodiment, the linear body 31b arranged at the center of the conductor portion 31 is more likely to extend in the longitudinal direction than each of the plurality of conductor strands 31a. Here, "the linear body 31b is easier to extend in the longitudinal direction than each of the plurality of conductor strands 31a" means that the substantially straight conductor strands 31a, which is not spiral, is gripped at both ends and is elongated. The elongation when pulling in the longitudinal direction by grasping both ends of the substantially straight linear body 31b (with the same tensile force as when pulling the conductor wire 31a) is longer than the elongation when pulled in the direction. To say. Further, in the present embodiment, all the conductor strands 31a constituting the conductor portion 31 are spirally twisted around the outer circumference of the linear body 31b. In other words, in the present embodiment, the conductor portion 31 does not include the untwisted conductor wire 31a. The reason for this will be described below.

A twisting method called concentric twisting is known in which a plurality of (for example, six) conductor wires 31a are spirally twisted on the outer circumference of one conductor wire 31a. In this concentric twist, no twist is applied to the conductor wire 31a arranged at the center, so that the conductor portion 31 is difficult to extend in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, when the conductor portion 31 is concentrically twisted, when the cord switch 1 is bent with a small bending radius, the conductor portion 31 cannot follow the elongation of other members and receives the stress of the conductor portion 31 which is difficult to stretch. The tubular member 2 is bent and easily buckled.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the linear body 31b arranged at the center of the conductor portion 31 has a configuration that is easier to extend in the longitudinal direction than the conductor wire 31a. Further, all the conductor strands 31a constituting the conductor portion 31 are spirally twisted around the outer circumference of the linear body 31b. As a result, the conductor portion 31 is easily stretched in the longitudinal direction, and the tubular member 2 is also less likely to buckle. Further, since the conductor portion 31 acts as a reinforcing material for the tubular member 2 and makes the cord switch 1 less likely to be crushed, buckling is less likely to occur as compared with the case where the conductor portion 31 is not provided.

The linear body 31b is preferably made of, for example, a substance having a Young's modulus smaller than that of each of the plurality of conductor strands 31a. As the substance, a substance composed of at least one of rubber, Teflon (registered trademark), polypropylene, polystyrene, and nylon may be used. Further, the linear body 31b may be composed of a twisted body in which a plurality of strands are twisted together. As the twisted body, twisted yarns made of natural fibers and chemical fibers, or conductor twisted wires made of a plurality of conductor strands can be used.

In the present embodiment, the number of conductor strands 31a constituting the conductor portion 31 is set to 6. That is, in the present embodiment, in the concentric twist using the seven conductor strands 31a, the linear body 31b is used instead of the conductor strands 31a arranged at the center.

Here, if the twist pitch of the conductor wire 31a in the conductor portion 31 is too long, it becomes difficult for the conductor portion 31 to extend in the longitudinal direction. The twist pitch of the conductor strand 31a in the conductor portion 31 is preferably at least smaller than the twist pitch (spiral pitch) of the electrode wire 3. The twist pitch of the conductor portion 31 is along the longitudinal direction of the conductor portion 31 from a certain position in the circumferential direction until the arbitrary conductor portion 31 makes one rotation in the circumferential direction of the conductor portion 31 and returns to that position. The distance. Further, the twist pitch of the electrode wire 3 is the distance along the longitudinal direction of the cord switch 1 from a certain position in the circumferential direction of the electrode wire 3 to one rotation in the circumferential direction of the cord switch 1 and returning to that position. Is. The twist pitch of the electrode wire 3 is larger than the twist pitch of the conductor wire 31a, for example, 10.0 mm. The twist pitch of the conductor wire 31a is, for example, 3.0 mm.

Further, it is desirable that the winding direction of the spirals of the plurality of electrode wires 3 and the twisting direction of the conductor strands 31a in the conductor portion 31 are opposite directions. This is because if the winding direction of the spiral of the electrode wire 3 and the twisting direction of the conductor strand 31a in the conductor portion 31 are the same direction, the cord switch 1 is likely to swell (twist) due to the force of untwisting. This is to become. That is, by making the winding direction of the spiral of the electrode wire 3 and the twisting direction of the conductor strand 31a in the conductor portion 31 opposite to each other, it becomes easy to obtain a linear cord switch 1 with less waviness (twist).

Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, each conductor wire 31a is pushed inward in the radial direction through a manufacturing process such as twisting work of the conductor wire 31a when manufacturing the cord switch 1. It will be in a slightly crushed state. That is, in the present embodiment, the conductor strands 31a are slightly deformed from the circular shape before being twisted, and the conductor strands 31a adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction of the conductor portion 31 are pressed against each other and are in contact with each other on the surface. It has become.

In the present embodiment, since the electrode wires 3 are arranged in a spiral shape, when the cord switch 1 is bent, the twist pitch of the electrode wires 3 becomes narrower inside the bend as when the spring is bent. The electrode wire 3 is deformed so that the twist pitch of the electrode wire 3 becomes wider on the outside of the bending. Therefore, in the cord switch 1 in which the electrode wires 3 are arranged in a spiral shape, the bending may be sufficiently followed even if the elongation of the conductor portion 31 is small. However, such a property appears when the twist pitch of the electrode wire 3 is sufficiently short, and when the twist pitch of the electrode wire 3 is long, if the elongation of the conductor portion 31 is small, buckling tends to occur. ..

Further, if the twist pitch of the electrode wire 3 is shortened, the electrode wire 3 included in the unit length of the cord switch 1 becomes long, and the cost also increases. Therefore, it is desired to reduce the cost by making the twist pitch of the electrode wire 3 as long as possible. As in the present embodiment, the linear body 31b arranged at the center of the conductor portion 31 is easier to extend in the longitudinal direction than each of the plurality of conductor strands 31a, and all the conductor elements constituting the conductor portion 31 are formed. By setting the wires 31a in a spirally twisted state, it is possible to realize a cord switch 1 that does not easily buckle even when the twist pitch of the electrode wires 3 is lengthened for cost reduction.

(Modification example)
In the present embodiment, the case where the electrode wire 3 is spirally arranged inside the tubular member 2 has been described, but the electrode wire is linearly arranged inside the tubular member along the longitudinal direction. May be good. The code switch of this modified example has an advantage that it is easy to manufacture and low in cost as compared with the above-mentioned code switch 1 in which the electrode wires 3 are arranged in a spiral shape. However, in this cord switch of this modification, in order to suppress buckling when bending is applied, the electrode wire arranged outside the bending needs to be sufficiently stretched in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, by applying the present invention, the linear body arranged at the center of the conductor portion is easier to extend in the longitudinal direction than each of the plurality of conductor strands, and all the conductor strands constituting the conductor portion are spirally formed. In the twisted state, the electrode wire can be sufficiently stretched in the longitudinal direction, and buckling of the tubular member can be suppressed.

(Actions and effects of embodiments)
As described above, in the code switch 1 according to the present embodiment, the linear body 31b arranged at the center of the conductor portion 31 is easier to extend in the longitudinal direction than each of the plurality of conductor strands 31a, and the electrodes The conductor wire 31a constituting the conductor portion 31 of the wire 3 is spirally twisted around the outer circumference of the linear body 31b. As a result, the conductor portion 31 is easily stretched in the longitudinal direction, so that it is possible to prevent the tubular member 2 from buckling even when the cord switch 1 is bent with a small bending radius, and the allowable bendability is increased. An excellent cord switch 1 can be realized. As a result, it is possible to realize a code switch 1 that can handle a more complicated layout.

(Summary of embodiments)
Next, the technical idea grasped from the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to the reference numerals and the like in the embodiment. However, the respective reference numerals and the like in the following description are not limited to the members and the like in which the components in the claims are specifically shown in the embodiment.

[1] A hollow tubular member (2) having elasticity and insulation and a conductor portion (31) are provided so as to face each other inside the tubular member (2) and separated by the elastic force of the tubular member (2). A plurality of electrode wires (3) are provided, and the conductor portion (31) is a plurality of conductors spirally twisted around the linear body (31b) and the outer periphery of the linear body (31b). A cord switch (1) having a wire (31a) and the linear body (31b) being more easily extended in the longitudinal direction than each of the plurality of conductor wires (31a).

[2] The code switch (1) according to [1], wherein the linear body (31b) is made of a substance having a Young's modulus smaller than that of each of the plurality of conductor strands (31a).

[3] The code switch (1) according to [2], wherein the linear body (31b) is made of at least one of rubber, Teflon (registered trademark), polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and nylon.

[4] The cord switch according to [1], wherein the linear body (31b) is a twisted body in which a plurality of strands are twisted together.

[5] The code switch (1) according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the outer periphery of the conductor portion (31) is covered with a conductive coating layer (32).

[6] The code switch (1) according to [5], wherein the conductive coating layer (32) is made of a rubber composition or a thermoplastic elastomer composition containing a conductive filler.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments described above do not limit the invention according to the claims. It should also be noted that not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the means for solving the problems of the invention. In addition, the present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 ... Cord switch 2 ... Tubular member 2a ... Hollow part 3 ... Electrode wire 31 ... Conductor part 31a ... Conductor wire 31b ... Linear body 32 ... Conductive coating layer

Claims (5)

Hollow tubular members with elasticity and insulation,
A plurality of electrode wires having a conductor portion, which are arranged opposite to each other inside the tubular member and separated by the elastic force of the tubular member, and
With
The conductor portion has a linear body and a plurality of conductor strands spirally twisted around the outer periphery of the linear body.
Said linear body, cord switch formed of a material having a smaller Young's modulus than the respective longitudinal direction rather ease stretched, and said plurality of conductors wires than each of the plurality of conductors wires. The cord switch according to claim 1 , wherein the linear body is made of at least one of rubber, Teflon (registered trademark), polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and nylon. Hollow tubular members with elasticity and insulation,
A plurality of electrode wires having a conductor portion, which are arranged opposite to each other inside the tubular member and separated by the elastic force of the tubular member, and
With
The conductor portion has a linear body and a plurality of conductor strands spirally twisted around the outer periphery of the linear body.
It said linear body, cord switch consisting rather easy to stretch in the longitudinal direction than the respective, twist and a plurality of strands twisted together coalescence of the plurality of conductors wires. The code switch according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the outer periphery of the conductor portion is covered with a conductive coating layer. The cord switch according to claim 4 , wherein the conductive coating layer comprises a rubber composition or a thermoplastic elastomer composition containing a conductive filler.

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