JP2002318278A - Obstacle detector for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an obstacle detector for vehicle which has its assembly improved without reducing the shield effect. SOLUTION: This obstacle detector for vehicle is provided with three blocks of a housing 1, a lid body 2, and a vibrator block 3; and the housing 1 and a connector part 5 are formed in one body, the housing 1 has a resin-made surface housing part 7 and a metal part (shield case) 6 molded in one body and a substrate 10 having a receiving circuit 12 is provided in the housing. A GND terminal 13 extending to the connector part 5 is formed integrally with the shield case 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle obstacle detector for detecting obstacles around a vehicle and informing the driver of the obstacle, and more particularly to a vehicle obstacle detector which shields electromagnetic noise well. It relates to an object detector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle obstacle detector, a short ring system, a shield case system, and the like are known. Among them, the short ring type is also disclosed in JP-A-10-123235,
The assembly is complicated because a short ring is fitted to the coil to cover the coil portion. In addition, the one that covers the case of the coil portion from outside has a large shielding effect and a large shielding effect.

The shield case type shown in FIG. 5 comprises a resin case 51, a metal shield case 52, a connector 53, and a cover 54. The ultrasonic vibrator 55 is fitted into the holding rubber member 56, and is fitted into the cylindrical portion at the end of the case 51. A circuit board 57 provided with an amplifier, a coil, and the like forming a circuit constituting a receiving unit and an oscillating unit is provided in a metallic shield case 52 fitted in the main body of the case 51.

[0004] A connector pin 58 of the GND terminal is soldered at a terminal connection portion 59 of the GND connection pattern of the circuit board 57. Further, the GND connection pattern of the circuit board 57 is soldered to the shield case 52 at the end 60.

[0005] The manufacturing process of the above-mentioned obstacle detector for a vehicle is as follows.
The circuit board 57 is soldered to the shield case 52 and fitted to the case 51. Further, the ultrasonic vibrator 55 is fitted to the holding rubber member 56 and fitted to a predetermined end of the case 51. Thereafter, the connector pins 58 are soldered, the connector portions 53 are fitted, the reverberation time (damper effect) and the detection area are adjusted, and then the cover 54 is bonded.

[0006]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional shield case type vehicle obstacle detector,
The shield case 52 and the GND connection line of the circuit board 57 are soldered at the end 60 and the circuit board 57
Are soldered at two places, for example, by soldering with the terminal connection portion 59 and the connector pin 58. The obstacle detector for vehicles has a small size, so there is not enough space, and that space is used to avoid contact with other parts, and there is not enough space for soldering. The work was difficult. In addition, there were two soldering points, which resulted in poor assemblability and poor productivity.

The circuit board 57 is connected to the shield case 52.
After soldering it inside, it was necessary to adjust the coil and variable resistance to adjust the reverberation time and the detection area, and a hole was needed in the shield case. Although the outside of the shield case is covered with a cover, it does not prevent electromagnetic noise from entering through the adjustment holes in the metal part of the shield case, and the shielding effect is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle obstacle detector with improved assemblability without reducing the shielding effect.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle obstacle detector which outputs an ultrasonic transducer capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and a signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer. Transmitting means, a receiving means having a receiving circuit for amplifying a signal received by the ultrasonic transducer, and an arithmetic unit for inputting / outputting a signal to / from the receiving circuit, wherein the arithmetic unit, the transmitting means and the receiving means A vehicle obstacle detector of a vehicle obstacle detection system in which the means and the signal line are connected by a signal line, a main body having at least a metal portion surrounding the receiving circuit and a resin portion outside the metal portion, A connector unit, the receiving circuit and the arithmetic unit are connected via the connector unit, the connector unit is integrated with the main body, and at least one pole of metal terminals of the connector unit is the metal One piece with the part Therefore, it characterized in that is.

[0010] With this configuration, the metal part (shield case) and the metal terminal (GND terminal) are integrally connected, and there is no need to solder them. Since the amount of soldering is reduced, manufacturing becomes easier and productivity can be improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle obstacle detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the main body surrounding the receiving circuit is composed of a housing and a lid. .

[0012] This makes it possible to perform the adjustment work with the lid open and close the cover later, so that the adjustment work can be facilitated, and there is no need to make a hole in the metal part for the adjustment. Good noise shielding can be achieved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle obstacle detector according to the first or second aspect, the metal terminal integrally connected to the metal portion is formed integrally with the metal portion. It is characterized by having been done.

The metal terminal integrally connected to the metal portion does not have to be soldered to the shield case and is formed as a connector terminal, so that the connection operation is easy,
The connector terminal can be firmly connected to the GND connection line of the circuit board.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vehicle obstacle detector according to any one of the first to third aspects, the resin portion and the metal portion are integrally formed. And When integrally molded by insert molding, the production becomes easy and the connection can be made firmly.

According to the present invention, as described above, one soldering portion is provided.
Since it is configured to reduce the number of places and sealed after adjustment, the assemblability is improved by at least the reduced number of soldered parts, and the manufacture is facilitated. Further, since it is not necessary to make a hole in the shield case, the shield effect can be improved accordingly.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view showing an example of a configuration of an obstacle detector for a vehicle according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an example of a shield case according to the first example. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of an obstacle detection system for a vehicle.

The vehicle obstacle detector according to the present embodiment has a housing 1 and a cover 2 as shown in FIG.
, And a vibrator block 3, a main body 4 is formed by the housing 1 and the lid 2, and the housing 1 and the connector section 5 are integrally formed.

The housing 1 is formed integrally with a metal box-shaped shield case 6 as a metal portion and a resin surface housing member 7 as a resin portion covering the outside thereof. Is provided with a circuit board 10, and a cavity is filled with a filler. The lid 2 is integrally formed of a metal plate 8 and a resin lid member 9 covering the metal plate 8 so as to cover the opening of the shield case 6 at the upper part of the housing 1. Lid 2
The metal plate 8 and the shield case 6 are electrically connected to each other to seal the inside. A circuit board 10 disposed in a space inside the housing 1 includes a receiving circuit 11 and a preamplifier 12.
Etc. are provided. The GND terminal 13 electrically connected to the GND pattern of the circuit board 10 is formed on the connector section 5. The GND terminal 13 is formed integrally with the shield case 6 and is electrically connected to a GND line pattern of the circuit board 10 by soldering.

As shown in FIG. 2, a development of the shield case 6 is formed from a single metal plate together with the formation of the GND terminal 13 and then bent to form a box. The original shape of the shield case 6 is such that the bottom 6a forming the bottom surface is partially cut out to form the terminal connection portion 13a, and the GND terminal 1 is a member extending from the bottom 6a.
Form 3 Further, a side surface portion 6b forming one side surface
Is formed by a member extending from the bottom portion 6a, and a side surface portion 6c forming another surface adjacent to the side surface portion is formed by a side surface portion 6b.
It is formed by a member extended from. Similarly, the side surface 6d facing the side surface 6c is formed to extend from the bottom 6a, and the side surface 6e facing the side surface 6b is formed to extend from the bottom 6a.

The connection portion 13a of the GND terminal 13 is cut out so as to form a contact portion 13b at the tip of the extension, and a cut 6f is formed at the root protruding from the bottom 6a. By forming the contact portion 13b in this manner, conduction and soldering between the terminal and the connection portion of the board can be ensured. By forming the cut 6f at the root portion, it is possible to easily form the GND terminal 13 by bending the GND terminal 13 so that the extension direction is parallel or perpendicular to the bottom surface.

The vibrator block 3 has an ultrasonic vibrator fitted in a hard resin case via a cushion material such as rubber or resin. This structure is similar to the structure of the vibrator portion shown in the conventional example, except that it is formed independently in the vibrator block 3 of the present embodiment. Then, connecting portions respectively connected to the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the vibrator block 3 are formed on opposing surfaces of the vibrator block 3 and the housing 1, respectively. The positive electrode of the ultrasonic transducer is preamplifier 1.
The second positive electrode and the negative electrode are connected to predetermined connection portions of the circuit board 10. Further, the receiving circuit 11 of the circuit board 10 and a microcomputer as an arithmetic unit are connected via the connector unit 5.

The step of forming the housing 1 having the above-described structure is as follows. First, the shield case 6 is formed from one metal plate.
The shield case 6 and the GND terminal 13 are molded by press molding at the same time as or after the original shape of the GND terminal 13 is obtained. Next, the circuit board 10 is arranged in the shield case 6, and the GND terminal 13 and the pattern for GND connection of the circuit board 10 are soldered. Next, shield case 6
And the shield case 6 are integrally formed with the surface case member 7 having the connector portion 5 by setting the
Mold. As described above, since it is not necessary to solder the shield case 6 and the GND pattern of the circuit board 10, the manufacture becomes easier at least by that amount, and the productivity can be improved. Manufacturing is also facilitated by the fact that the connector portion is formed in the housing by integral molding.

In addition to the housing 1, the lid 2 is integrally formed of a metal plate 8 and a resin lid member 9 covering the metal plate. In this case, when the lid 2 is fitted into the housing 1 and integrated therewith, an exposed portion is provided on the metal plate 8 so that the metal plate 8 is electrically connected to the shield case 6.

Further, the vibrator block 3 is made up of a housing 1, a cover 2
It is manufactured separately. If necessary, the reverberation time is adjusted so that the vibration of the ultrasonic transducer converges quickly after the transmission of the ultrasonic wave, and the detection area is adjusted.

Next, the cover 2 is fitted to the housing 1, the vibrator block 3 is fitted to the housing 1, and the poles of the housing 1 and the vibrator block 3 are conducted to form a detector portion. I do. In addition,
The filling of the shield case 6 with the filling member may be performed at the time of integral molding, before the fitting of the lid 2, or at the same time. Since the receiving circuit 11 can be completely shielded by the metal plate 8 and the shield case 6, electromagnetic wave noise can be shielded and an accurate obstacle detector can be obtained.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 16 and the detector block 17 constitute a vehicle obstacle detection system. The control unit 16 includes a microcomputer 20, a transmission signal amplification circuit 21,
It has a reception signal amplification circuit 25 and a waveform shaping circuit 26. The detector block 17 includes the vibrator block 3 having the ultrasonic vibrator 22, the reverberation absorbing circuit 23, and the preamplifier 1.
Two. The housing 1 is provided with a reverberation absorbing circuit 23, a preamplifier 12, and the like of the vehicle obstacle detection system mounted on a circuit board 10. In the system having the above configuration, the receiving circuit 11 is the preamplifier 1 shown in FIG.
Two. Reverberation absorption circuit 23 or preamplifier 1
2. Connected to the microcomputer 20 via the transmission signal amplification circuit 21 or the reception signal amplification circuit 25 and the waveform shaping circuit 26.

Microcomputer 2 as arithmetic unit
Numeral 0 acts to output a signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer 22 to output an ultrasonic wave, and the transmission means has a transmission signal amplifier circuit 21. The receiving means includes a receiving circuit 11 for amplifying a signal received by the ultrasonic transducer 22.
(Preamplifier 12), a received signal amplification circuit 25 and a waveform shaping circuit 26.

In the reverberation absorbing circuit 23, the ultrasonic transducer 22 is electrically and mechanically vibrated by the applied transmission signal.
Since the signal due to the vibration cannot be distinguished from the reflected signal from the obstacle, the signal is converged as soon as possible after transmission so that both signals can be distinguished.

Next, a method of detecting an obstacle by the vehicle obstacle detection system configured as shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

First, a transmission signal is output from the microcomputer 20 to the transmission signal amplifier circuit 21 and output to the post-amplification detector block 17. In the detector block 17, the transmission signal is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 22, and is converted from an electric signal into a mechanical signal. The mechanical signal becomes the vibration of the air and is radiated as ultrasonic waves into the air. When there is an obstacle, the ultrasonic wave is reflected there and is again input to the ultrasonic vibrator 22, converted into a mechanical signal, and further converted into an electric signal.

The electric signal is amplified by a reception signal amplifier circuit 25, converted into a digital signal by a waveform shaping circuit 26, and input to the microcomputer 20, where the presence or absence of an obstacle is determined and reported.

The vehicle obstacle detector according to the present invention is not limited to the above example. For example, a housing accommodating a circuit board having a receiving circuit may be formed straight and integrally with the connector portion without bending as shown in FIG. The housing 30 in this figure is formed integrally from a shield case 32 and a front housing member 34 having a connector portion 33.

The shield case 32 is formed in a box shape having a bottom surface 32a, and the lid 35 is integrated with one side surface 32b. The GND terminal 36 is formed so as to be connected to the bottom surface 32a, and the other terminals 37a and 37b are connected to the shield case 32.
Is formed so as not to conduct, and is connected to a predetermined pattern on the circuit board.

In the housing 30 according to this example, the lid 3
5 is provided with a fitting groove 38 on a discontinuous side surface (the surface on the right front side in FIG. 3) so that a vibrator block (not shown) is attached. On the other hand, a fitting projection is formed on a vibrator block (not shown) so as to fit into the fitting groove 38 of the housing 30.

[0037]

As described above, in the vehicle obstacle detector according to the present invention, at least the metal part surrounding the receiving circuit, the resin part outside the metal part, and the connector part integrated with the main body are provided. The receiving circuit and the arithmetic unit are connected via the connector section, and at least one pole of the metal terminals of the connector section is integrally connected to the metal section. This eliminates the need to solder the circuit board on which the receiving circuit is mounted and the metal part, thereby facilitating manufacture and improving productivity.

According to the vehicle obstacle detector according to the second aspect, the main body accommodating the receiving circuit is composed of the housing and the lid, and after the receiving circuit is disposed in the housing, the lid is opened. The reverberation time and the detection area can be adjusted with the lid removed. As a result, it is not necessary to make a hole in the seal member for adjustment, so that a good seal can be obtained.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the metal portion and the metal terminal are integrally formed, the metal portion and the metal terminal do not have to be electrically connected by soldering. Attachment can be reduced, and productivity can be improved.

According to the vehicle obstacle detector according to the fourth aspect, since the resin portion and the metal portion (shield case) are integrally formed, the manufacture is easy and the connection can be made firmly.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded view, partially broken away, showing the configuration of a vehicle obstacle detector according to the present application.

FIG. 2 is a development view of a shield case constituting the main part.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a detection system including a vehicle obstacle detector according to the present application.

FIG. 4 is a partially broken perspective view of a housing constituting another example of the vehicle obstacle detector according to the present application.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional vehicle obstacle detector.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Housing 2 Lid 3 Transducer block 5 Connector part 6 Shield case (metal part) 9 Resin lid member 10 Circuit board 11 Receiving circuit 12 Preamplifier (receiving circuit) 13 GND terminal (metal terminal) 20 Arithmetic unit (microcomputer) 22 Ultrasonic transducer

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Nakazono 1048 Kazuma Kadoma, Kadoma-shi, Osaka F-term in Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. (reference) 5J083 AA02 AB13 AC17 AC18 AE10 AF05 CA17 CA20 CA35 CA38

Claims (4)

[Claims] An ultrasonic transducer capable of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, transmitting means for outputting a signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer, and a receiving circuit for amplifying a signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. A vehicle obstacle of an obstacle detection system for a vehicle, comprising: a receiving unit having a receiving unit; and an arithmetic unit for inputting and outputting a signal to and from the receiving circuit. An object detector, comprising a main body having at least a metal part surrounding the receiving circuit and a resin part outside the metal part, and a connector part, and the receiving circuit and the arithmetic unit via the connector part. , The connector unit is integrated with the main body, and at least one pole of the metal terminals of the connector unit is integrally connected to the metal part. 2. The vehicle obstacle detector according to claim 1, wherein a main body surrounding the receiving circuit is composed of a housing and a lid. 3. The vehicle obstacle detection device according to claim 1, wherein the metal terminal integrally connected to the metal portion is formed integrally with the metal portion. vessel. 4. The vehicle obstacle detector according to claim 1, wherein the housing has the resin portion and the metal portion integrally formed.