Vehicle Door Handle Sensor Shield Against Water Ingress
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle door handle sensors are prone to water ingress, leading to sensing failures when rainwater enters the housing, compromising their functionality.
Innovation Solution
A door structure with a shield between the sensor and a marker on the outer handle's cover member, along with a water stop member and adhesive sealing, protects the sensor from water and dust, ensuring reliable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sensor is provided below the upper wall of the door handle housing for detection functionality, then the sensor can detect user approach or contact, but rainwater can enter the housing and cause sensing failure
Solution Approach 1:
A shield member is introduced as an intermediary component between the sensor and the marker on the door handle. The shield has a light-transmitting portion that allows the sensor to detect the marker while preventing water from reaching the sensor. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by enabling detection functionality while blocking harmful water ingress.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield member functions as a thin protective film or shell that selectively transmits light while blocking water. This thin barrier structure allows the sensor to maintain its detection capability through the shield while the shield itself prevents water from contacting the sensor, thus protecting against sensing failure due to water ingress.
2Ease of operation
If the sensor is exposed on the outer handle surface for easy detection, then detection response is improved, but the sensor becomes vulnerable to water and dust contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The shield member serves as a protective intermediary that allows the sensor to remain effectively exposed for detection while physically blocking water and dust from contaminating the sensor surface. The light-transmitting portion maintains detection responsiveness whereas the shield material prevents harmful substance ingress.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield acts as a thin protective film covering the sensor area. This film is transparent to light signals from the marker but impermeable to water and dust particles, thereby maintaining detection ease while preventing contamination of the sensor.
Data Source
AI summary
A door structure configured so that a sensor within an outer handle can be protected against water. A door structure for a vehicle is provided with: a first cover member constituting the outer surface of an outer handle; a sensor for detecting the approach of a user to the first cover member or the contact of the user with the first cover member; a marker provided on the outer surface of the first cover member at a location overlapping a region to be detected by the sensor; and a shield section provided between the sensor and the marker.