JPH0731513U - Pressing force detection sensor and vehicle bumper using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Corrected) [Purpose] The sensor is designed to have continuous ridges to improve sensitivity, and this sensor is used to detect pressing force, resulting in a structure that is superior to conventional bumpers. Is easy,
Eliminate damage to property and human body. A pair of plastic electrode plates are covered with a flexible insulating coating material 1d in an insulating state, a lead wire 1f having one end connected to the electrode plate is led out to the outside, and the insulating coating material Protrusions 1e are formed on one surface at desired intervals. A mounting plate such as a veneer plate to be mounted on the bumper, a pressing force detection sensor 1 fixed by an adhesive along the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate, and arranged in contact with the ridge 1e of the pressing force detection sensor 1. A highly rigid pressing plate, a relatively thick cushioning material such as urethane or sponge disposed on the upper surface of the pressing plate, and a vinyl leather covered with the cushioning material side and fixed to the mounting plate. And a cover made of a flexible material.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a belt-shaped pressing force detection sensor that a pair of electrode plates come into contact with each other when a pressing force is applied to be electrically turned on, and an article using this sensor, for example, in an automated guided vehicle or in a factory or warehouse. A bumper for a vehicle such as a forklift that conveys a vehicle bumper such as an unmanned vehicle for detecting that the vehicle has come into contact with other equipment or a human body while traveling and automatically stopping the vehicle. Regarding

[0002]

[Prior art]

 A conventional pressing force detection sensor (hereinafter simply referred to as “sensor”) is a pair of electrode plates that are flexible and curved in a U shape along the longitudinal direction and are covered with a flexible insulating coating material in an insulating state. When a pressing force is applied to the insulating coating material, the electrode plate on the pressed side bends and comes into contact with the other electrode plate facing the insulating cover material, thus serving as a switch.

By the way, in the above-mentioned sensor, since the pressing force is applied to the planar insulating coating material, the electrode plate is not bent unless a considerable pressing force is applied. As low as Therefore, the applicant has formed a ridge on one surface of the insulating coating material along the entire length in the longitudinal direction, and by pressing this ridge, the electrode plate is partially bent to enhance the sensitivity as a switch. We developed a sensor.

A vehicle bumper using this sensor was filed as Japanese Utility Model Application No. 60-180721 (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 62-88929). This is a means for 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 pressing the sensor toward the cushioning material between the back surface of the sensor and the bumper. Is arranged to increase the sensitivity of the sensor.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 By the way, in the sensor described above, since the ridge is formed over the entire length, the ridge acts as a rib of the insulating coating material, and the sensitivity is higher than that without the ridge, In the case where it is used as a sensor for the bumper described above, in order to turn it on by the pressing force via the cushioning material, it will not turn on unless a considerable force acts on the cushioning material. There was a problem that the vehicle would not stop and the equipment could be damaged or the person could be injured if the vehicle only lightly contacted the equipment and the human body.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve sensitivity by forming protrusions of a conventional sensor at predetermined intervals rather than continuously. By using this sensor to detect the pressing force of the bumper, we used a pressing force detection sensor that has a simpler structure than conventional vehicle bumpers and that does not damage the equipment or human body. There is a vehicle bumper provided.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The pressing force detection sensor of the present invention is intended to achieve the above-mentioned object. The means is to cover a pair of plastic electrode plates with a flexible insulating coating material in an insulating state, and The lead wire connected to is led out from the insulating coating material, and the ridges are formed on one surface of the insulating coating material at desired intervals.

In addition, a vehicle bumper using the pressing force detection sensor of the present invention is a flexible insulation with a mounting plate such as a veneer plate mounted on a bumper of a vehicle and a pair of plastic electrode plates in an insulating state. Insulation coating in which a lead wire whose one end is connected to the electrode plate is led out from the insulation coating material and ridges are formed on one surface of the insulation coating material at desired intervals A pressing force detection sensor in which a material is fixed by an adhesive along the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate, a pressing plate having high rigidity arranged in contact with the ridge of the pressing force detection sensor, and the pressing plate A cushioning material having a relatively large thickness, such as urethane or sponge, disposed on the upper surface of the above, and a cover made of a flexible material such as vinyl leather covered from the cushioning material side and fixed to the mounting plate. .

[0009]

[Action]

 In the pressing force detection sensor of the present invention configured as described above, since the ridges are formed on the surface of the insulating coating material at predetermined intervals, the ridges rarely serve as ribs of the insulating coating material. Therefore, the pair of electrode plates come into contact with each other only by lightly pressing the ridge, and the sensitivity as a switch is increased.

Further, since the above-mentioned pressing force detection sensor is incorporated in the bumper of the vehicle and the pressing plate having high rigidity is arranged on the surface of the sensor on which the ridge is formed, the pressing plate is interposed via the cushioning material. Even if the pressing force applied to the sensor is small, the sensor is turned on by the small displacement of the pressing plate, so that the bumper of the vehicle can be stopped immediately even if the bumper of the vehicle lightly contacts the object or the human body.

[0011]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the pressing force detection sensor according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. Reference numeral 1 is a pressing force detection sensor, and a pair of plastic electrode plates 1b and 1c, which are arranged opposite to each other in a state of being insulated by a flexible insulating material 1a in the longitudinal direction, are covered with a flexible insulating material 1d such as vinyl. And the protrusions 1e are formed at desired intervals in the longitudinal direction of one surface of the coating material 1d. 1f is a lead wire having one end connected to the electrode plate.

In the pressing force detection sensor 1 of the present invention configured as described above, the pair of electrode plates 1b and 1c are always separated by the insulating material 1a, so that the pair of electrode plates 1b and 1c are in contact with each other. No, and therefore is off as a switch. In this state, when the ridge 1e is pressed, the insulating coating material 1d bends downward and displaces the electrode plate 1b downward, so that the switch comes into contact with the electrode plate 1c to be turned on.

Then, a plate having rigidity is arranged 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 plate is displaced downward. Therefore, the electrode plate 1b comes into contact with the electrode plate 1c, but here, since the ridge 1e is not formed on the entire surface of the insulating coating material 1d, for example, the ridge 1e has a half length or the like. When the ribs are formed at intervals, the action of the ribs of the protrusions 1e is half that of the ribs formed over the entire length. Therefore, the electrode plate is pressed with a pressing force that is half that of the ribs formed on the entire length. 1b and 1c come into contact with each other, which increases the sensitivity.

Next, a case where the above-described sensor is attached to the bumper B of the vehicle A such as the 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. Reference numeral 2 is an attachment plate such as a thick plate veneer fixed to the bumper B by using bolts and nuts 2a, and a lead hole 1b for drawing out the lead wire 1f is formed.

Reference numeral 3 denotes a double-sided adhesive tape for adhering the side of the sensor 1 on which the protrusion 1e is not formed to the mounting plate 2, and is mounted parallel to the longitudinal direction of the bumper B. The lead wire 1f is led out from the hole 2b of the mounting plate 2 to the outside. An adhesive may be used as a means for attaching the sensor 1 to the attachment plate 2.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a pressing plate having rigidity, which is arranged on the upper surface of the protrusion 1 e of the sensor 1 adhered and fixed to the mounting plate 3, and is made of a material that is not partially deformed. Reference numeral 5 denotes a cushioning material such as urethane and sponge, which has a relatively large thickness 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 that wraps the entire body, and a mounting piece 6a at the opening is fixed to the mounting plate 2 by a stagger.

In the vehicle bumper configured as described above, when the cover 6 comes into contact with another device or a human body during traveling of the vehicle, the cover 6 is first deformed, and this deformation is caused via the cushioning member 5. It is transmitted to the pressing plate 4. Therefore, the pressing plate 4 moves to the mounting plate 2 side, so that the protrusion 1e of the sensor 1 is pressed. As a result, the ridge 1e is deformed to move the electrode plate 1b to the side of the electrode plate 1c, so that the electrode plates 1b and 1c come into contact with each other and send the fact that the switch is turned on via the lead wire 1f.

A detection circuit (not shown) mounted on the vehicle A sends a result of this signal to stop the vehicle by sending a signal to stop the vehicle. The pressing force caused by the contact of the other object or human body with the bumper B is smaller than the conventional pressing force because the protrusions 1e of the sensor 1 are formed at desired intervals. Since it will be turned on as a switch, the vehicle A will stop even if the contact with other equipment and the human body is weak, so that the equipment will not be damaged or the human body will not be injured.

[0019]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, the ridges of the pressing force detection sensor are formed on the surface of the insulating coating material at predetermined intervals, so that the ridges do not serve as the ribs of the insulating coating material. However, the pair of electrode plates come into contact with each other only by lightly pressing the ridge, and the sensitivity as a switch is increased.

Further, since the pressing plate having high rigidity is arranged on the ridge of the pressing force detection sensor having high sensitivity, even if the pressing force applied to the pressing plate via the cushioning material is small, the sensor can be displaced by the small displacement of the pressing plate. Therefore, even if the bumper of the vehicle lightly hits the object or the human body, it can be stopped immediately, and it has the effect of not damaging the object or injuring the human body. is there.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pressing force detection sensor 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 automated 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]

 1 Pressing force detection sensor 1a Insulation material 1b, 1c Electrode plate 1d Insulation coating material 1e Projection 1f Lead wire 2 Mounting plate 4 Pressing plate 5 Buffer material 6 Cover

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI technical display location H01H 13/52 D 4235-5G

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A pair of plastic electrode plates are covered with a flexible insulating covering material in an insulating state, and a lead wire whose one end is connected to the electrode plate is led out from the insulating covering material, and A pressing force detection sensor, wherein protrusions are formed on one surface of the insulating coating material at desired intervals. 2. A lead having a mounting plate such as a veneer plate mounted on a bumper of a vehicle and a pair of plastic electrode plates covered with a flexible insulating coating material in an insulating state, and having one end connected to the electrode plate. The wire is led out from the insulating coating material, and the insulating coating material having protrusions formed on one surface of the insulating coating material at desired intervals is fixed by an adhesive along the longitudinal direction of the mounting plate. A pressing force detection sensor, a highly rigid pressing plate arranged in contact with the protrusion of the pressing force detection sensor, and a relatively thick buffer such as urethane or sponge arranged on the upper surface of the pressing plate. A bumper for a vehicle using a pressing force detection sensor, comprising a material and a cover made of a flexible material such as vinyl leather which is covered from the cushioning material side and fixed to the mounting plate.