Touch sensor unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11769640-B2
Application number	US-202217584931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2022
Priority date	Feb 3, 2021
Publication date	Sep 26, 2023
Grant date	Sep 26, 2023

Abstract

A touch sensor unit, that is installed on one of an opening provided in a vehicle and an opening and closing body configured to open and close the opening, includes: a touch sensor having a long sensor body; and a bracket configured to hold the touch sensor in a longitudinal direction of the sensor body and fixed to one of the opening and the opening and closing body. One of the touch sensor and the bracket includes an inserting portion including a locking piece, the other of the touch sensor and the bracket includes a holding portion including a locking portion locked to the locking piece and configured to accommodate the inserting portion, and one of the inserting portion and the holding portion is made of an elastomer having an elastic modulus lower than that of the other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A touch sensor unit installed on one of an opening provided in a vehicle and an opening and closing body configured to open and close the opening, the touch sensor unit comprising:
a touch sensor having a sensor body; and
a bracket configured to hold the touch sensor in a longitudinal direction of the sensor body and fixed to one of the opening and the opening and closing body, wherein
one of the touch sensor and the bracket includes an inserting portion including a locking piece,
an other of the touch sensor and the bracket includes a holding portion including a locking portion locked to the locking piece and configured to accommodate the inserting portion,
the inserting portion includes base portion that extends an inserting direction of the inserting portion, the base portion including an internal space that extends in the longitudinal direction, and
one of the inserting portion and the holding portion is made of an elastomer having an elastic modulus lower than that of the other.

2. The touch sensor unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the touch sensor includes the inserting portion made of an elastomer, and
the bracket includes the holding portion.

3. The touch sensor unit according to claim 2 , wherein
when a direction orthogonal to both an inserting direction of the inserting portion with respect to the holding portion and the longitudinal direction is defined as a width direction,
the holding portion includes a bottom wall extending in the longitudinal direction and first and second side walls extending from both ends of the bottom wall in the width direction in a direction opposite to the inserting direction,
the locking portion includes a plurality of first locking portions extending from a tip end portion of the first side wall toward the second side wall in a state of being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of second locking portions extending from a tip end portion of the second side wall toward the first side wall in a state of being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction,
the plurality of first locking portions and the plurality of second locking portions are displaced from each other in the width direction, and
the bottom wall includes a plurality of through holes in portions overlapping the plurality of first locking portions and the plurality of second locking portions in the inserting direction.

4. The touch sensor unit according to claim 3 , wherein
the holding portion includes an erected wall extending from the bottom wall in the inserting direction, and a locking wall extending from a tip end of the erected wall in a direction intersecting the inserting direction, and
when the plurality of through holes are defined as first through holes, the bottom wall includes second through holes in portions overlapping a plurality of locking walls in the inserting direction.

5. The touch sensor unit according to claim 2 , wherein
the sensor body includes a tubular portion made of an insulating elastomer, and first and second conductive portions arranged inside the tubular portion at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and
the inserting portion has an elastic modulus higher than that of the tubular portion.

6. The touch sensor unit according to claim 2 , wherein
the sensor body includes a tubular portion made of an insulating elastomer, and first and second conductive portions arranged inside the tubular portion at intervals in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and
the inserting portion and the tubular portion have different colors.

7. The touch sensor unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the inserting portion has a hollow shape over the longitudinal direction.

8. The touch sensor unit according to claim 1 , wherein
the locking piece includes
a first locking piece that extends outward from a tip end of the base portion of the inserting portion, and
a second locking piece that extends from the tip end of the base portion in a direction opposite to the first locking piece.

9. The touch sensor unit according to claim 8 , wherein
a first tip end surface of the first locking piece and a second tip end surface of the second locking piece are inclined toward a center of the inserting portion in a width direction as advancing in the inserting direction.

10. A touch sensor unit installed on one of an opening provided in a vehicle and an opening and closing body configured to open and close the opening, the touch sensor unit comprising:
a touch sensor having a sensor body; and
a bracket configured to hold the touch sensor in a longitudinal direction of the sensor body and fixed to one of the opening and the opening and closing body, wherein
one of the touch sensor and the bracket includes an inserting portion including a locking piece,
an other of the touch sensor and the bracket includes a holding portion including a locking portion locked to the locking piece and configured to accommodate the inserting portion,
one of the inserting portion and the holding portion is made of an elastomer having an elastic modulus lower than that of the other,
the touch sensor includes the inserting portion made of an elastomer, and
the bracket includes the holding portion,
when a direction orthogonal to both an inserting direction of the inserting portion with respect to the holding portion and the longitudinal direction is defined as a width direction,
the holding portion includes a bottom wall extending in the longitudinal direction and first and second side walls extending from both ends of the bottom wall in the width direction in a direction opposite to the inserting direction,
the locking portion includes a plurality of first locking portions extending from a tip end portion of the first side wall toward the second side wall in a state of being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of second locking portions extending from a tip end portion of the second side wall toward the first side wall in a state of being spaced apart in the longitudinal direction,
the plurality of first locking portions and the plurality of second locking portions are positioned so as to face each other in the width direction, and
the bottom wall includes a plurality of through holes in portions overlapping the plurality of first locking portions and the plurality of second locking portions in the inserting direction.

11. The touch sensor unit according to claim 10 , wherein
in a state in which the touch sensor is mounted on the bracket, the sensor body includes a first elastic piece configured to sandwich the plurality of first locking portions together with the locking piece, and a second elastic piece configured to sandwich the plurality of second locking portions together with the locking piece.

12. The touch sensor unit according to claim 10 , wherein
a tip end surface of each of the plurality of first locking portions includes a first inclined surface that is inclined so as to approach the second side wall as advancing in the inserting direction, and
a tip end surface of each of the plurality of second locking portions includes a second inclined surface that is inclined so as to approach the first side wall as advancing in the inserting direction.

13. The touch sensor unit according to claim 10 , wherein
a gap is provided between a tip end of the inserting portion of the sensor body and the bottom wall of the bracket.

14. The touch sensor unit according to claim 10 , wherein
when a tip end surface of the first side wall is defined as a first end surface and a tip end surface of the sec

Assignees

• Aisin Corp

Inventors

• Osaki Yuki
• Ikai Tomohiro

Classifications

• H01H3/161 Primary

  for actuation by moving a closing member, e.g. door, cover or lid (the switch controlling enclosed equipment H01H9/226; switches operated by a removable member, wherein one single insertion movement of a key comprises an unlocking stroke and a switch actuating stroke, e.g. security switch for safety guards H01H27/002) · CPC title

• E05F15/44

  responsive to changes in electrical conductivity · CPC title

• H01H9/02

  Bases, casings, or covers (accommodating more than one switch or a switch and another electrical component H02B1/26) · CPC title

• B60J5/101

  for non-load transporting vehicles, i.e. family cars including vans · CPC title

• E05Y2400/54

  Obstruction or resistance detection · CPC title