JPH11222036A - Touch sensor for electric motor-driven slide door - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch sensor for an electric motor-driven slide door enhanced in detecting power of foreign matter. SOLUTION: A front side in a coating part 31 of a protector 3 is a soft resin molded part 33, consequently is easily crushed with a skin part 21 of a touch sensor 1 in a press direction of abutting foreign matter. Here, the protector 3, since it is molded by a hard resin from the soft resin molded part 33 over to a fixed part 32, has high rigidity, therefore it does not escape by tumbling in a press direction before crushing of the skin part 21 of the touch sensor 1. Since the soft resin molded part 33 in the coating part 31 of the protector 3 is extended to a side of the fixed part 32 with a coating thickness fixed in a side part in an in-room side, even when the foreign matter in a rearward tilted condition is allowed to abut, the soft resin molded part 33 is surely pressed, to be easily crushed with the skin part 21 of the touch sensor 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a touch sensor for an electric sliding door disposed on a front end face of a door.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electric sliding door touch sensor for detecting that a front end of a door has contacted a foreign substance when a door is closed has a sensor body covered and protected by a resin protector. Then, when the foreign matter comes into contact and the protector is pressed, the touch sensor is crushed and becomes conductive.

[0003]

However, if the rigidity of the resin protector is high, the touch sensor is unlikely to be crushed. If the rigidity of the protector is low, the touch sensor may fall down in the pressing direction and escape before the touch sensor is crushed. Therefore, in any case, there is a problem that the detection sensitivity of the foreign matter is inferior. The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and has as its object to provide a touch sensor for an electric sliding door with improved detection sensitivity for foreign substances.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a touch sensor for an electric sliding door, comprising: a front end face having a flange portion protruding forward; A sensor body is provided along the flange portion and partially disposed so as to protrude forward from the flange portion, a covering portion covering the sensor body, and a fixing portion to the front end surface of the door. A resin protector is formed, and a portion of the covering portion projecting forward from the flange portion is formed of a resin softer than other portions.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a touch sensor for an electric sliding door according to the first aspect, wherein the soft resin molded portion of the covering portion projecting forward from the flange portion is formed into a chamber. It is characterized in that the coating thickness is constant at the inner side portion and is extended to the fixed portion side.

[0006]

According to the touch sensor for an electric sliding door according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the electric sliding door is closed, when the foreign object comes into contact with the front end surface of the door, the protector is pressed. When the protector is pressed, the touch sensor is crushed and becomes conductive, and detects foreign matter. Since the protector is made of soft resin, the part protruding forward from the flange on the front end face of the door is used to detect foreign substances more easily than the case where the touch sensor, which is easily crushed, is made of a single hard resin material. Sensitivity can be increased. Further, the protector is formed of a hard resin from the soft resin molded portion to the fixed portion, so that the protector has high rigidity. Therefore,
Before the touch sensor is crushed, the touch sensor does not fall down in the pressing direction and escape.

According to the touch sensor for an electric sliding door according to the second aspect, when a foreign object is caught from the indoor side,
The foreign matter contacts the protector in a state of being inclined rearward due to the structure of the body. At this time, since the soft resin molding portion of the covering portion of the protector extends to the fixed portion side with the coating thickness being constant at the indoor side, foreign matter that is sandwiched while being inclined rearward can be prevented. Press the part.
Therefore, even when a foreign object is caught from the indoor side, the touch sensor is crushed and the foreign object can be reliably detected.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a touch sensor (hereinafter simply referred to as a touch sensor) 1 for an electric sliding door according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electric sliding door unit showing a state where the touch sensor 1 is disposed, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG.

The touch sensor 1 includes a sensor main body 2 and a protector 3. The sensor main body 2 is made of a flexible material by bringing a long conductive portion 21 made of an elastic material such as rubber or soft synthetic resin into close contact with a conductive thin wire, or applying a conductive rubber coating. 4
And two electrode wires 22 to 25. The electrode wires 22 to 25 are respectively fitted in four fitting grooves 26 formed in a spiral shape with a phase difference of 90 degrees on the inner circumference of the outer cover 21. When the outer skin portion 21 is pressed and elastically deformed, any one or all of the electrode wires 22 to 25 come into contact with each other to conduct electricity, and when the outer skin portion 21 is restored, the contacted electrode wires 22 to 25 Are separated from each other and become non-conductive.

The sensor body 2 is formed with a long protector 3 surrounding the outer periphery of the outer cover 21 by integral molding of resin. The protector 3 includes a covering portion 31 for covering the outer skin portion 21 with a uniform thickness (about 1 mm) and a fixing portion 32 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Part of the covering portion 31 is E
The covering portion 31 and the fixing portion 32, which are formed of a soft resin of a PDM sponge and excluding the soft resin molded portion 33, are made of EP.
It is formed of DM solid rubber hard resin. The soft resin molded portion 33 is attached to an electric sliding door described later.
1 is extended to the fixed portion 32 side from the outdoor portion, and extends over an angle θ to a constricted portion 34 where the fixed portion 32 and the covering portion 31 are continuous. It is formed. A long reinforcing member 35 having a U-shaped cross section is embedded in the fixing portion 32. And approximately U
The ridge 36 and the ridge 3
A pair of ridges 37 opposed to 6 are integrally formed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a flange portion 12 is formed on a front end surface of the electric slide door 11 on which the touch sensor 1 is provided. An L-shaped fitting bracket 14 is fastened by a mounting screw 15 to the inside of the flange portion 12 to which the sealing member 13 is attached. The touch sensor 1 sequentially fits the fixing portion 32 of the protector 3 along the fitting mounting bracket 14, and
Is formed so as to protrude forward from the flange portion 12.

As shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 4, the touch sensor 1 disposed on the electric sliding door 11
The electrode wires 22 and 24 and the electrode wires 23 and 25 are electrically connected at one end. The other ends of the electrode wires 23 and 24 are electrically connected via the resistor Rd. Further, the electrode wires 22 and 25 are connected to a power supply at the other end. However, a current detection element 27 is interposed in the electrode wire 25. The current detection element 27 outputs a signal when a current of a predetermined value or more flows through the electrode line 25.

With the above circuit, the electrode wire 22 is connected to the electrode wire 2
The current flowing to the electrode line 25 via the electrodes 3 and 24 usually flows via the resistor Rd. On the other hand, the outer skin 2 of the touch sensor 1
1 is pressed and elastically deformed, and at least the electrode wires 22 to 2
When any two or more of the contacts 5 come into contact and conduct, the current flows without passing through the resistor Rd (1 kΩ). Therefore, if a current flows through this circuit at a constant voltage, the current value changes and the current flowing through the circuit increases. By detecting this increase in current and outputting a signal from the current detection element 27, the outer skin portion 21 of the touch sensor 1 is crushed,
That is, it is understood that a foreign object is detected when the door is closed.
This signal is input to an electronic control unit ECU that controls opening and closing of the electric slide door 11 according to a predetermined program.

When a foreign object 41 outside the vehicle comes into contact with the touch sensor 1, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), first, a protector projecting forward from the flange portion 12 on the front end surface of the electric slide door 11. Contact 3 Since the front side of the covering portion 31 of the protector 3 is the soft resin molded portion 33, the touch sensor 1
Easily crushed together with the outer skin portion 21. At this time, since the protector 3 is molded from a hard resin from the soft resin molded portion 33 to the fixed portion 32, the protector 3 has high rigidity,
The outer skin 21 of the touch sensor 1 does not fall down in the pressing direction before crushing and escape.

Further, the touch sensor 1 detects a foreign substance 4 existing in the vehicle.
When the second member 2 comes into contact, as shown in FIG. 5B, the foreign matter 42 comes into contact with the protector 3 in a state of being inclined backward in the shape of the body. At this time, since the soft resin molded portion 33 of the covering portion 31 of the protector 3 is extended toward the fixing portion 32 with the covering thickness being constant at the indoor side, foreign matter 4
Even if 2 is inclined backward, the soft resin molded part 3 is surely
3 is easily crushed together with the outer skin portion 21 of the touch sensor 1 in the pressing direction of the contacted foreign matter 42. Since the protector 3 is formed of a hard resin from the soft resin molding portion 33 to the fixing portion 32, the protector 3 has high rigidity, and the protector 3 falls down in the pressing direction and escapes before the outer skin portion 21 of the touch sensor 1 is crushed. There is no.

As described above, the outer skin portion 21 of the touch sensor 1
Reaction load F when detecting a foreign substance 41 or 42 by crushing
Was measured by pressing a flat plate having a length of 50 mm against the touch sensor 1 from above. As shown in FIG. 6, when the sensor body 2 is a single body, the weight is 1.8 kg, and when the covering portion 31 is formed of a single hard resin material, the weight is 4.5 kg. When it was provided, the weight was 2.2 kg. As described above, by providing the soft resin molded portion 33 on the covering portion 31 of the protector 3, the foreign object detection sensitivity of the touch sensor 1 can be maintained substantially equal to the detection sensitivity of the sensor body 2 alone. Further, since the fixing portion 32 is formed of a hard resin, it is possible to reliably detect the fixing portion 32 regardless of the pressing direction of the foreign matter 41 or 42 in contact.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of the touch sensor diagnosis processing by the electronic control unit ECU. This touch sensor diagnosis processing is for diagnosing whether any of the electrode wires 22 to 25 is disconnected before the operation of the electric slide door unit. When the process starts and the closing switch of the electric slide switch is turned on in step S10, the touch sensor 1 is turned on in step S15.
It is determined whether or not the resistance value of the resistor Rd is detected as the resistance value of the circuit. If none of the electrode wires 22 to 25 is disconnected and the outer skin portion 21 of the touch sensor 1 is not pressed, the resistance value of the resistor Rd is detected. Further, when the electrode wires 22 to 25 are disconnected, or when the outer skin portion 21 of the touch sensor 1 is pressed to conduct to detect foreign matter, the resistance value of the resistor Rd is not detected. Therefore,
If the above is normal, the electric slide door system is operated in step S20. If the resistance value of the resistance value Rd is not detected, the electric slide door system is deactivated in step S25, and an alarm signal is generated in step S30.

According to the touch sensor diagnosis processing described above, before the electric slide door system is operated, the pinch of a foreign object is detected to notify an abnormality or the electrode wires 22 to 25 of the touch sensor 1 which cannot be observed from the outside. Disconnection can be detected to ensure safety.

As shown in FIG. 8, the sensor body may have a structure in which a conductive rubber 53 in which a conductive wire 52 is buried is provided in an outer skin portion 51 at intervals.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away enlarged perspective view showing the structure of a touch sensor 1 according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an electric sliding door unit showing a state where the touch sensor 1 is provided.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of the touch sensor 1.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a contact state of a foreign substance.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing a reaction load F when a foreign object is detected.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of a diagnosis process of the touch sensor 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing another structure of the touch sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Touch sensor 2 ... Sensor body 3 ... Protector 11 ... Electric slide door 12 ... Flange part 21 ... Skin part 22-25 ... Electrode wire 31 ... Coating part 32 ... Fixed part 33 ... Soft resin molded part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A sensor body provided on a front end surface of a door having a flange portion protruding forward and formed along the flange portion and partially disposed so as to protrude forward from the flange portion. A covering portion for covering the sensor body and a resin protector having a fixing portion to the front end face of the door, wherein a portion of the covering portion protruding forward from the flange portion is softer than other portions. A touch sensor for an electric sliding door, characterized in that the touch sensor is made of the following resin. 2. The soft resin molded portion of the covering portion projecting forward from the flange portion is extended to the fixed portion side with a constant covering thickness at a side portion on the indoor side. The touch sensor for an electric sliding door as described in the above.