Vehicle outer panel assembly

Abstract

This disclosure improves the degree of freedom in the placement of capacitive sensors. [Solution] A vehicle outer panel assembly 100 comprising a resin rear door outer panel 31 and a capacitive touch sensor 40 for detecting contact with the design surface 31A of the rear door outer panel 31, wherein the touch sensor 40 is provided on the inside of the rear door outer panel 31.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the structure of a vehicle outer panel assembly.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques for locking and unlocking a vehicle using a capacitive sensor have been disclosed. For example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose configurations in which a capacitive lock sensor and an unlock sensor are attached to a vehicle door handle to lock and unlock the door.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, since a capacitive sensor may be erroneously detected due to energization, it cannot be arranged on a steel plate. Therefore, in the conventional doors described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, it was necessary to provide the sensor in a resin door handle. Thus, in the conventional doors, the degree of freedom in arranging the sensor was limited.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to improve the degree of freedom in arranging a capacitive sensor.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The vehicle outer panel assembly of this disclosure comprises a resin outer panel and a capacitive touch sensor for detecting contact with the design surface of the outer panel, wherein the touch sensor is provided on the inside of the outer panel.

[0007] By allowing touch sensors to be mounted anywhere on the resin outer panel, the flexibility of touch sensor placement can be improved.

[0008] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the outer panel is a door outer panel constituting a door, and includes a door handle provided on the door outer panel, and the touch sensor may be provided in a location other than the door handle.

[0009] By allowing the touch sensor to be mounted anywhere on the resin door outer panel other than the door handle, the flexibility of touch sensor placement can be improved.

[0010] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the outer panel is a door outer panel constituting a door, and includes a door handle provided on the door outer panel, and the touch sensor may be provided at a height in the vehicle's vertical direction near the height of the door handle.

[0011] This allows for greater flexibility in the placement of touch sensors, while also enabling them to be placed in locations easily accessible to users, thereby improving user experience.

[0012] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the outer panel is a pillar outer panel that constitutes a pillar, and the touch sensor may be provided on the inside of the pillar outer panel.

[0013] This allows for greater flexibility in the placement of touch sensors, while also enabling them to be placed in locations easily accessible to users, thereby improving user experience.

[0014] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the outer panel is a rear door outer panel constituting a rear door at the rear of the vehicle, and includes a rear door handle provided on the rear door outer panel, and the touch sensor may be provided on the inside of the rear door outer panel, forward of the rear door handle.

[0015] This eliminates the need to install separate touch sensors on the front and rear door handles. As a result, the number of touch sensors can be reduced, allowing for a simpler configuration.

[0016] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the outer panel is a front door outer panel constituting a front door at the front of the vehicle, and includes a front door handle provided on the front door outer panel, and the touch sensor may be provided on the inside of the front door outer panel, rearward of the vehicle from the front door handle.

[0017] This eliminates the need to install separate touch sensors on the front and rear door handles. As a result, the number of touch sensors can be reduced, allowing for a simpler configuration.

[0018] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the outer panel may also be provided with an indicator on the design surface that shows the position of the touch sensor.

[0019] Having a display on the door outer panel improves user visibility.

[0020] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the outer panel may have a light-transmitting portion at the position where the touch sensor is located, and may also include a light source located inside the outer panel.

[0021] This can improve user visibility.

[0022] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the touch sensor may be a lock sensor that receives a locking operation of the vehicle.

[0023] Thereby, the degree of freedom in arranging the lock sensor can be improved.

[0024] In the vehicle outer panel assembly of the present disclosure, the outer panel is a slide door outer panel that constitutes a slide door, includes a slide door handle provided on the slide door outer panel, and the touch sensor is provided other than the slide door handle and may be an opening / closing sensor that receives an opening / closing operation of the slide door.

[0025] Thereby, the degree of freedom in arranging the opening / closing sensor of the slide door can be improved.

Advantages of the Invention

[0026] The present disclosure can improve the degree of freedom in arranging the capacitive sensor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1] It is a right side view of a vehicle including the vehicle outer panel assembly of the embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a cross-sectional view of the rear door, which is the cross-section A-A shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a side view of the rear door, which is a detailed view of part B shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view of a rear door including the vehicle outer panel assembly of another embodiment. [Figure 5] It is the cross-section C-C shown in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] It is a right side view of a vehicle including the vehicle outer panel assembly of another embodiment, showing the arrangement of the touch sensor and the mark. [Figure 7] It is a view showing other marks. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view of the rear door of a vehicle equipped with an outer panel assembly for another embodiment of the vehicle. [Figure 9] This is a right side view of a vehicle equipped with an outer panel assembly for another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] The vehicle outer panel assembly 100 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The vehicle outer panel assembly 100 of this embodiment has a touch sensor 40 provided on the inside of the rear door outer panel 31 of the rear door 30. Figure 1 is a right side view of a vehicle 200 equipped with the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 of this embodiment. In each figure, FR, UP, and RH indicate the front, top, and right sides of the vehicle 200, respectively. The opposite directions of FR, UP, and RH indicate the rear, bottom, and left sides. Hereafter, when simply referring to the front / rear, left / right, and up / down directions, unless otherwise specified, they refer to the front / rear, left / right, and up / down of the vehicle 200.

[0029] First, the configuration of the vehicle 200 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. The vehicle 200 comprises a body 10, a front door 20, and a rear door 30. The body 10 is constructed by attaching outer panels such as a resin front fender panel 11 and a resin rear fender panel 12 to the outside of a metal frame (not shown). The outer surface of the front fender panel 11 constitutes the design surface 11A of the front fender panel 11, and the outer surface of the rear fender panel 12 constitutes the design surface 12A of the rear fender panel 12.

[0030] The rear door 30 is a hinged door whose front end is rotatably attached to the frame by a hinge, and whose rear end opens and closes toward the side of the vehicle 200. The rear door 30 includes a metal rear door frame 35 (see Figure 2), a resin rear door outer panel 31, a rear door handle 33, a touch sensor 40, and a mark 45. The rear door frame 35 is an annular folded plate member having an opening 37 in the center. As shown in Figure 2, the rear door outer panel 31 has an inner flange 34 that protrudes inward from its outer circumference. The inner flange 34 is attached to the peripheral edge 36 of the rear door frame 35 by bolts 38 and nuts 39. The outer surface of the rear door outer panel 31 constitutes the design surface 31A of the rear door outer panel 31.

[0031] The touch sensor 40 is a capacitive sensor that detects contact with the design surface 31A of the rear door outer panel 31. The touch sensor 40 is a lock sensor that accepts the locking operation of the vehicle 200. As shown in Figure 1, the touch sensor 40 is positioned in front of the rear door handle 33, and its height in the vehicle's vertical direction is close to that of the rear door handle 33. Also, as shown in Figure 2, the touch sensor 40 is mounted on the inner surface 31B of the rear door outer panel 31, in a position that does not overlap with the peripheral edge 36 of the rear door frame 35 when viewed from the vehicle's width direction.

[0032] Mark 45 is an indicator showing the position of the touch sensor 40. Mark 45 is provided on the design surface 31A where the touch sensor 40 is located. The shape of Mark 45 can be freely selected, but for example, it may be shaped like a padlock as shown in Figure 3.

[0033] The rear door outer panel 31, rear door handle 33, touch sensor 40, and mark 45 described above constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 of this embodiment.

[0034] In the above description, the touch sensor 40 was described as being positioned in front of the rear door handle 33 and at a height in the vehicle's vertical direction that is close to the height of the rear door handle 33, but it is not limited to this. Since the rear door 30 is composed of a resin rear door outer panel 31 in all parts except the rear door handle 33, the touch sensor 40 can be placed at any position on the inner surface 31B of the rear door outer panel 31 other than the rear door handle 33. In this case, the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 consists of the rear door outer panel 31, the touch sensor 40, and the mark 45. If the mark 45 is not provided, the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 consists of the rear door outer panel 31 and the touch sensor 40.

[0035] As described above, the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 of the embodiment improves the flexibility of placement of the touch sensor 40 while suppressing false detection of contact by the touch sensor 40 due to electrical current flow with metal parts such as the rear door frame 35, by arranging the touch sensor 40 on the inner surface 31B of the resin rear door outer panel 31.

[0036] Furthermore, the increased flexibility in the placement of the touch sensor 40 allows it to be positioned in front of the rear door handle 33, at a height close to that of the rear door handle 33 in the vehicle's vertical direction. This position is easily accessible to the user, thereby improving user usability. Additionally, since this position is midway between the front door handle 23 of the front door 20 and the rear door handle 33 of the rear door 30, it eliminates the need to mount separate touch sensors 40 on the front door handle 23 and the rear door handle 33. As a result, the number of touch sensors 40 can be reduced, resulting in a simpler configuration.

[0037] Furthermore, in the vehicle outer panel assembly 100, the touch sensor 40 is mounted in a position that does not overlap with the peripheral edge 36 of the metal rear door frame 35 when viewed from the vehicle width direction, thus preventing the touch sensor 40 from falsely detecting contact due to electrical contact with the peripheral edge 36.

[0038] Furthermore, although the above description has assumed that the touch sensor 40 is mounted on the inner surface 31B of the rear door outer panel 31, it is not limited to this. The touch sensor 40 may be mounted on the inner surface 31B via a film member, for example, rather than being directly mounted on the inner surface 31B, as long as it is provided on the inside of the rear door outer panel 31 so as to be able to detect contact with the design surface 31A.

[0039] Next, a modified example of the vehicle outer panel assembly 100, the vehicle outer panel assembly 110, will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Parts identical to those described earlier with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 will be given the same reference numerals and their descriptions will be omitted. As shown in Figure 4, the vehicle outer panel assembly 110 has the touch sensor 40 positioned on the inner surface 31B of the outer periphery of the rear door outer panel 31.

[0040] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the portion of the peripheral edge 36 where the touch sensor 40 is located is a recessed area 36A that is bent away from the inner surface 31B. The gap S between the touch sensor 40 and the recessed area 36A should be of a length that prevents false detection due to electrical contact with the recessed area 36A. In addition, other recesses (not shown) may be provided in parts of the rear door frame 35 other than the peripheral edge 36 to secure a gap S with the touch sensor 40.

[0041] Thus, the vehicle outer panel assembly 110 is provided with a recess 36A in the rear door frame 35 to secure a gap S between the touch sensor 40 and the metal rear door frame 35 when the touch sensor 40 is in close proximity. This allows the touch sensor 40 to also be placed on the inner surface 31B of the outer periphery of the rear door outer panel 31. This suppresses false detection of contact by the touch sensor 40 due to electrical current flow with metal parts such as the rear door frame 35, while further improving the flexibility of the touch sensor 40's placement.

[0042] Next, several modified examples of the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 will be described with reference to Figure 6. A brief explanation will be given for configurations similar to the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 described earlier with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Note that the vehicle 210 is equipped with the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 and one or more of the vehicle outer panel assemblies 100A to 100F described below, and does not need to be equipped with all of the vehicle outer panel assemblies 100 and 100A to 100F.

[0043] The vehicle outer panel assembly 100A shown in Figure 6 has a touch sensor 40A mounted on the inside of the pillar outer panel 32 of the rear door 30.

[0044] A metal pillar frame (not shown) that forms the outer frame of the center pillar section of the rear door 30 is connected to the upper part of the rear door frame 35. The pillar outer panel 32 is attached to the pillar frame by clips or the like. The outer surface of the pillar outer panel 32 forms the design surface 32A of the center pillar section of the rear door 30. The touch sensor 40A is mounted on the inner surface of the pillar outer panel 32. A mark 45A is provided on the design surface 32A where the touch sensor 40A is located.

[0045] The pillar outer panel 32, the touch sensor 40A, and the mark 45A constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 100A. If the mark 45A is not provided, the vehicle outer panel assembly 100A consists of the pillar outer panel 32 and the touch sensor 40A.

[0046] Vehicle outer panel assemblies 100B and 100C are equipped with touch sensors 40B and 40C mounted on the inside of the front door outer panel 21 of the front door 20.

[0047] The front door 20, like the rear door 30, is a hinged door whose front end is rotatably attached to the frame by a hinge, and whose rear end opens and closes toward the side of the vehicle 200. The front door 20 includes a metal front door frame (not shown), a resin front door outer panel 21, and a front door handle 23. The outer surface of the front door outer panel 21 constitutes the design surface 21A of the front door outer panel 21. The vehicle outer panel assembly 100B has a touch sensor 40B located in front of the front door handle 23, at a position where its height in the vehicle's vertical direction is close to the height of the front door handle 23. The vehicle outer panel assembly 100C has a touch sensor 40C located on the outer periphery of the front door outer panel 21 behind the front door handle 23, at a position where its height in the vehicle's vertical direction is close to the height of the front door handle 23. The mounting structure of the front door outer panel 21 to the front door frame, and the mounting structure of the touch sensors 40B and 40C to the front door outer panel 21 are the same as those of the vehicle outer panel assembly 110 described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Marks 45B and 45C are provided on the design surface 21A where the touch sensors 40B and 40C are located.

[0048] The front door outer panel 21, the touch sensor 40B, the front door handle 23, and the mark 45B constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 100B. Furthermore, the front door outer panel 21, the touch sensor 40C, the front door handle 23, and the mark 45C constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 100C.

[0049] Similar to the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 described earlier, the touch sensors 40B and 40C can be placed at any position on the inner surface of the front door outer panel 21 other than the front door handle 23. In this case, the vehicle outer panel assemblies 100B and 100C consist of the front door outer panel 21, the touch sensors 40B and 40C, and the marks 45B and 45C. If the marks 45B and 45C are not provided, the vehicle outer panel assemblies 100B and 100C consist of the front door outer panel 21 and the touch sensors 40B and 40C.

[0050] Vehicle outer panel assembly 100D, like vehicle outer panel assembly 100A, has a touch sensor 40D mounted on the inside of the pillar outer panel 22 of the front door 20.

[0051] Similar to the rear door 30, a metal pillar frame (not shown) that forms the outer frame of the center pillar section of the front door 20 is connected to the upper part of the front door frame (not shown). The pillar outer panel 22 is attached to the pillar frame by clips or the like. The outer surface of the pillar outer panel 22 constitutes the design surface 22A of the center pillar section of the front door 20. The touch sensor 40D is mounted on the inner surface of the pillar outer panel 22. A mark 45D is provided on the design surface 22A where the touch sensor 40D is located.

[0052] The pillar outer panel 22, the touch sensor 40D, and the mark 45D constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 100D. If the mark 45D is not provided, the vehicle outer panel assembly 100A consists of the pillar outer panel 22 and the touch sensor 40D.

[0053] The vehicle outer panel assembly 100E consists of a resin front fender panel 11 with a touch sensor 40E mounted on its inner surface. A mark 45E is provided on the design surface 11A where the touch sensor 40E is located. The front fender panel 11, the touch sensor 40E, and the mark 45E constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 100E. If the mark 45E is not provided, the vehicle outer panel assembly 100E consists of the front fender panel 11 and the touch sensor 40E.

[0054] Furthermore, the vehicle outer panel assembly 100F has a touch sensor 40F attached to the inner surface of a resin rear fender panel 12. A mark 45F is provided on the design surface 12A where the touch sensor 40F is located. The rear fender panel 12, the touch sensor 40F, and the mark 45F constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 100F. If the mark 45F is not provided, the vehicle outer panel assembly 100F consists of the rear fender panel 12 and the touch sensor 40F.

[0055] Next, with reference to Figure 7, other forms of Mark 46 will be described. Mark 46 consists of the word "LOCK" in white letters on a black background. Like Mark 45, Mark 46 is placed on the design surface 31A where the touch sensor 40 is located.

[0056] Next, another embodiment of the vehicle outer panel assembly 120 will be described with reference to Figure 8. Parts identical to those described earlier with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0057] As shown in Figure 8, the rear door outer panel 31 is provided with a light-transmitting section 47 at the location where the touch sensor 43 is positioned. A light source casing 48 is also provided inside the rear door outer panel 31, surrounding the touch sensor 43. A light source 49 is located inside the light source casing 48. The touch sensor 43 has multiple through-holes 44 through which light from the light source 49 passes. The through-holes 44 are positioned to match the positions of the characters of the mark 46, as described with reference to Figure 7. The light source 49 may be composed of, for example, an LED. This allows the light from the light source 49 to illuminate the characters of the mark 46, improving the visibility of the mark 46.

[0058] The rear door outer panel 31, touch sensor 43, light-transmitting section 47, light source 49, and mark 46 constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 120. However, if the mark 46 is omitted and the position of the touch sensor 43 is indicated by illumination from the light source 49, the vehicle outer panel assembly 120 consists of the rear door outer panel 31, touch sensor 43, light-transmitting section 47, and light source 49.

[0059] In the above explanation, the touch sensor 43 was described as having a through hole 44, but it is not limited to this, and it may be made of a light-transmitting material and may not have a through hole 44.

[0060] Next, another embodiment of the vehicle outer panel assembly 130 will be described with reference to Figure 9. Parts similar to those described earlier with reference to Figures 1 to 3 will be briefly explained.

[0061] The vehicle outer panel assembly 130 has a touch sensor 80 mounted on the inside of the sliding door outer panel 71 of the rear sliding door 70 of the vehicle. Here, the touch sensor 80 is an open / close sensor that receives the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 70.

[0062] First, let's briefly describe the vehicle 220 equipped with a sliding door 70. Similar to the vehicle 200 described earlier with reference to Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle 220 is equipped with a body 50, a front door 60, and a rear sliding door 70. The body 50 is constructed by attaching outer panels such as a resin front fender panel 51 and a resin rear fender panel 52 to the outside of a metal frame (not shown).

[0063] The front door 60 at the front of the vehicle is a hinged door whose front end is rotatably attached to the frame by a hinge, and whose rear end opens and closes toward the side of the vehicle 220. The front door 60 includes a metal front door frame (not shown), a resin front door outer panel 61, and a front door handle 63.

[0064] The rear sliding door 70 of the vehicle is a sliding door that slides in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. Like the rear door 30, the sliding door 70 includes a metal sliding door frame (not shown), a resin sliding door outer panel 71, a sliding door handle 73, a touch sensor 80, and a mark 85. The sliding door outer panel 71 is attached to the sliding door frame with bolts or the like. The outer surface of the sliding door outer panel 71 constitutes the design surface 71A of the sliding door outer panel 71.

[0065] The touch sensor 80 is positioned behind the sliding door handle 73, at a height in the vehicle's vertical direction that is close to the height of the sliding door handle 73. The touch sensor 80 is mounted on the inner surface of the sliding door outer panel 71. A mark 85, which indicates the position of the touch sensor 80, is provided at the location where the touch sensor 80 is positioned on the sliding door outer panel 71. The shape of the mark 85 can be freely selected. Since the touch sensor 80 is an opening / closing sensor that receives the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 70, the mark 85 may be a combination of two shapes, for example, as shown in Figure 9: a pentagonal front shape with a pointed tip facing forward, and a pentagonal rear shape with a pointed tip facing backward. Here, the tip of the front shape indicates the closing direction of the sliding door 70, and the tip of the rear shape indicates the opening direction of the sliding door 70.

[0066] Furthermore, similar to the vehicle outer panel assembly 100 described earlier with reference to Figures 1 to 3, the touch sensor 80 may be mounted on the inner surface of the sliding door outer panel 71 via a film member, for example, rather than being directly mounted on the inner surface, as long as it is provided on the inside of the sliding door outer panel 71 so as to be able to detect contact with the design surface 71A.

[0067] The sliding door outer panel 71, sliding door handle 73, touch sensor 80, and mark 85 described above constitute the vehicle outer panel assembly 130 of this embodiment.

[0068] The vehicle outer panel assembly 130 described above can improve the flexibility of placement of the touch sensor 80, which is an opening / closing sensor that receives the opening and closing operation of the sliding door 70.

[0069] In the above explanation, the touch sensor 80 was described as being mounted on the inner surface of the sliding door outer panel 71, but it is not limited to this, and may also be mounted on the inner surface of the resin pillar outer panel 72.

[0070] As explained above, this disclosure allows the touch sensors 40, 40A-40F, and 80 to be mounted anywhere on the resin outer panels 11, 12, 21, 22, 31, 32, 71, and 72, thereby improving the flexibility of placement for the touch sensors 40, 40A-40F, and 80.

[0071] In the above description, the touch sensors 40, 40A to 40D were described as being installed on the rear door 30 or the front door 20, but the description is not limited to this. If the design surface of the back door or luggage door is made of a resin outer panel, the capacitive touch sensor 40 may be mounted on the inner surface of the outer spring that makes up the back door or luggage door. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0072] 10, 50 Body, 11, 51 Front fender panel, 11A, 12A, 21A, 22A, 31A, 32A, 71A Design surface, 12, 52 Rear fender panel, 20, 60 Front door, 21, 61 Front door outer panel, 22, 32, 72 Pillar outer panel, 23, 63 Front door handle, 30 Rear door, 31 Rear door outer panel, 31B Inner surface, 33 Rear door handle, 34 Inner flange, 35 Rear door frame, 36 Peripheral edge, 36A Recess, 37 Opening, 38 Bolt, 39 Nut, 40, 40A~40F, 43, 80 Touch sensor, 44 Through hole, 45, 45A~45F, 46, 85 Mark (display), 47 Light-transmitting part, 48 Light source casing, 49 Light source, 70 sliding door, 71 sliding door outer panel, 73 sliding door handle, 100, 100A to 100F, 110, 120, 130 vehicle outer panel assembly, 200, 210, 220 vehicle.

Claims

1. Vehicle outer panel assembly, The outer panel is made of resin, The system includes a capacitive touch sensor that detects contact with the design surface of the outer panel, The touch sensor is provided on the inside of the outer panel. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

2. The vehicle outer panel assembly according to claim 1, The aforementioned outer panel is a door outer panel that constitutes a door, The door handle provided on the door outer panel includes, The touch sensor is provided in a location other than the door handle. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

3. The vehicle outer panel assembly according to claim 1, The aforementioned outer panel is a door outer panel that constitutes a door, The door handle provided on the door outer panel includes, The touch sensor is positioned so that its height in the vehicle's vertical direction is near the height of the door handle. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

4. The vehicle outer panel assembly according to claim 1, The aforementioned outer panel is a pillar outer panel that constitutes a pillar, The touch sensor is provided on the inside of the pillar outer panel. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

5. The vehicle outer panel assembly according to claim 2, The aforementioned outer panel is a rear door outer panel that constitutes the rear door at the rear of the vehicle. The rear door handle provided on the rear door outer panel includes, The touch sensor is located in front of the rear door handle and on the inside of the rear door outer panel. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

6. The vehicle outer panel assembly according to claim 2, The aforementioned outer panel is a front door outer panel that constitutes the front door at the front of the vehicle. The front door handle provided on the front door outer panel includes, The touch sensor is located behind the front door handle and on the inside of the front door outer panel. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

7. A vehicle outer panel assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The outer panel is provided with a display on its design surface indicating the position of the touch sensor. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

8. A vehicle outer panel assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The outer panel has a light-transmitting portion at the position where the touch sensor is located. The outer panel is equipped with a light source located inside it. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

9. An outer panel for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The aforementioned touch sensor is a lock sensor that accepts the vehicle's locking operation. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

10. The outer panel for a vehicle according to claim 8, The aforementioned touch sensor is a lock sensor that accepts the vehicle's locking operation. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

11. The outer panel for a vehicle according to claim 9, The aforementioned touch sensor is a lock sensor that accepts the vehicle's locking operation. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

12. The vehicle outer panel assembly according to claim 1, The outer panel is a sliding door outer panel that constitutes a sliding door. The sliding door handle provided on the sliding door outer panel includes, The touch sensor is provided in a location other than the sliding door handle and is an opening / closing sensor that receives the operation of opening and closing the sliding door. A vehicle outer panel assembly featuring the following characteristics.

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