Automotive Door Sensor Hollow Part Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Protectors with sensors installed on automobiles are prone to damage and malfunction due to the thin, weak parts of the hollow structure cracking when convex objects, such as automobile keys, come into contact with them, leading to issues with sensor functionality and water ingress.
Innovation Solution
A coating layer with a Shore D hardness of 7-47 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the hollow part, covering the inner-cabin and outer-cabin side ends, to enhance the strength and durability of the thin parts while maintaining sensor functionality, and the conductive parts are shaped to create a V-shaped space for wider detection ranges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the hollow part is made with thin walls to maintain flexibility for sensor detection, then the sensor can detect objects effectively, but the thin parts are weak and prone to cracking when convex objects abut them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a coating layer specifically to the thin parts of the hollow part's outer peripheral surface, creating local reinforcement only where needed. This allows the thin-walled structure to maintain its flexibility for sensor detection while the coated areas gain enhanced strength and crack resistance against convex objects like automobile keys.
2Reliability
If the hollow part is made with thin walls to maintain flexibility, then the sensor function is preserved, but water can ingress through cracks causing malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The coating layer is applied in advance to the thin parts of the hollow part before any potential water ingress can occur. This preventive measure creates a protective barrier that cushions against future cracking and water penetration, ensuring the sensor function remains reliable over time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a coating layer as a thin film structure on the hollow part's outer surface. This thin film provides protective functionality against water ingress and mechanical damage while maintaining the underlying flexible, thin-walled structure necessary for sensor operation.
3Strength
If a hard coating is applied to strengthen the hollow part, then the strength increases, but the sensor detection sensitivity may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The coating layer is applied selectively only to the thin parts of the hollow part's outer peripheral surface, not the entire surface. This localized approach strengthens vulnerable areas while leaving other areas uncovered, preserving the overall flexibility and detection sensitivity of the sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent specifies that the coating layer's Shore D hardness should be 7-47, optimizing the balance between providing sufficient strength protection and maintaining adequate flexibility for sensor operation. This parameter control ensures the coating protects against cracking while not being so hard as to interfere with detection sensitivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coating layer effectively prevents damage and cracking of the hollow part, maintains sensor functionality by preventing water ingress, and ensures proper operation of the sliding door and sun roof mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
A coating layer with a Shore D hardness of 7-47 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the hollow part
Implementation Method 2
a sensor (pressure sensitive sensor) 80 which outputs a corresponding electric signal upon detecting the object
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
AI summary
A protector with a sensor operatively coupled on a sliding door detects an object by touch between two conductive parts in a hollow part with a space therebetween. The two conductive parts including a conductive part on a lower part of the hollow part as a side of the installation base member and a conductive part on an upper part of the hollow part as a side of a top end are shaped and positioned in a manner that an inner-cabin side end and an outer-cabin side end of the space are continuously provided directly on an inner peripheral surface of the hollow part. A coating layer covers at least an outer peripheral surface of the outer coat of the hollow part having the inner-cabin side end and the outer-cabin side end of the space continuously provided directly on the inner peripheral surface thereof.