ULTRASONIC SENSOR

• US 20090243826A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Touge, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,111,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/00 Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 , e.g. haptic signalling
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/433 using reflection from the obstruction
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/546 Tailgates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2015/938 in the bumper area radar in bumper area G01S2013/93275; bumper with obstacle sensor of electric or electronic type B60R19/483

Abstract

An ultrasonic sensor provided at a flip-up back door that opens and closes via a pivot shaft provided at a rear top of a vehicle, the ultrasonic sensor detecting an object in a vicinity of the vehicle by intermittently transmitting an ultrasonic wave, which hits the object to thereby generate a reflected wave as a reflection of the ultrasonic wave, the ultrasonic sensor including a sensor head provided at the back door and including a transmitter transmitting the ultrasonic wave and a receiver receiving the reflected wave, wherein the sensor head is provided at a position in a vicinity of a centerline of the vehicle in a width direction thereof and where a distance from a corner of an edge portion of the back door to the sensor head is shorter than a distance from the sensor head to a small aboveground structure provided on the ground.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic sensor adapted to be provided at a flip-up back door that opens and closes via a pivot shaft provided at a rear top of a vehicle, a surface of the back door being included in a detection range of the ultrasonic sensor, the ultrasonic sensor detecting an object in a vicinity of the vehicle by intermittently transmitting an ultrasonic wave, which hits the object to thereby generate a reflected wave as a reflection of the ultrasonic wave, the ultrasonic sensor comprising:

a sensor head provided at the back door and including a transmitter transmitting the ultrasonic wave and a receiver receiving the reflected wave, wherein the sensor head is provided at a position in a vicinity of a centerline of the vehicle in a width direction thereof and where a distance from a corner of a distal end edge portion of the back door to the sensor head is shorter than a distance from the sensor head to a small aboveground structure provided on the ground.

2. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the back door is formed into a curved shape to extend in a rearward direction of the vehicle, and the sensor head is provided at the position between a top portion of the curved shape of the back door in a vertical direction of the vehicle and the edge portion of the back door.

3. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the small aboveground structure includes a curbstone provided on the ground.

4. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the position where the sensor head is provided is in a vicinity of a license plate provided at a surface of the back door.

5. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 4, wherein the vicinity of the license plate is positioned close to the pivot shaft relative to the license plate.

6. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1, wherein the position where the sensor head is provided is in a vicinity of a vehicle emblem arranged at an upper side of a license plate provided on a surface of the back door.

7. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 6, wherein the vicinity of the license plate is positioned close to the pivot shaft relative to the license plate.

8. An ultrasonic sensor adapted for being provided at a flip-up back door which is pivoted to a rear-top of a vehicle for covering a surface of the flip-up back door and serving for detecting an object in a vicinity of the vehicle by transmitting ultrasonic waves intermittently to an object and receiving the reflected ultrasonic waves therefrom, the ultrasonic sensor comprising:

a sensor head including a transmitter transmitting the ultrasonic waves and a receiver receiving the reflected waves,

the sensor head being provided at a position in a vicinity of a lateral directional centerline of the vehicle in such manner that a distance from a corner edge of a distal end portion of the back door to the sensor head is shorter than a distance from the sensor head to a small aboveground structure near the vehicle.

9. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 8, wherein the back door is formed at its outer surface into a convex configuration including a top portion and the sensor head is placed at a position between the top portion and the distal end of the back door.

10. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 8, wherein the small aboveground structures include a curbstone provided on the ground.

11. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 8, wherein the position of the sensor head is in a vicinity of a license plate on the outer surface of the back door.

12. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 11, wherein the vicinity of the license plate is positioned at a side of the pivot shaft.

13. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 8, wherein the sensor head is positioned in a vicinity of a vehicle emblem mounted at an upper side of a license plate on the outer surface of the back door.