Piezoelectric cable and wire harness using the same

• US 5,907,213 A
• Filed: 10/30/1997
• Issued: 05/25/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Whitaker Corporation (Meggitt PLC), Measurement Specialties Limited (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Measurement Specialties Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Park, Kyung Tae, Naito, Takaki, Oshima, Ryuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/960,652
• Time in Patent Office: 572 Days
• Field of Search: 310/328
• US Class Current: 310/328
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 10/00 Sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/443 specially adapted for vehicle windows or roofs
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/654 by electrical cables
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2800/342 Deformable
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/55 Windows
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/60 having a coaxial cable structure

Abstract

The present invention provides a low-cost piezoelectric cable and wire harness using the same, which offer a high connection reliability without picking up interference signals in areas where the cable acts as a sensor. Coaxial piezoelectric cable 10 has a piezoelectric material layer 14 disposed between a core conductor 12 and an outer conductor 16. Piezoelectric material layer 14 is polarized and shows piezoelectric properties in a region 20 which extends along a window frame 2 of an automobile, but is not polarized, and therefore shows no piezoelectric properties, in a region 22 in which it is not desired that the cable act as a sensor. Accordingly, there is no pick-up of false signals in the region 22.

Claims

1. A coaxial piezoelectric cable for use in electrically driven windows for detecting foreign objects caught between the window and a frame comprising

a center conductor,

a layer of piezoelectric material covering the center conductor having a polarized region and a non-polarized region adjacent to one another, said polarized region extending along said frame for sensing foreign objects, said non-polarized region non-responsive to sensing foreign objects;

an outer conductor covering the layer of piezoelectric material, and

an outer covering extending along said outer conductor.

2. A piezoelectric cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein an intermediate region is disposed between said polarized region and said non-polarized region.

3. A piezoelectric cable as claimed in claim 1, wherein an electrical connector having a first electrical contact is connected to said center conductor and a second electrical contact is connected to the outer conductor at an end corresponding to said non-polarized region thereby defining a wire harness.

4. A wire harness comprising

a piezoelectric cable having a center conductor, a unitary piezoelectric layer of material having a polarized region and a non-polarized region covering the center conductor, an outer conductor extending along the layer of material and an outer covering extending along said outer conductor, said piezoelectric cable disposed within an automobile door having a window frame portion and a body portion, wherein said polarized region extends along the window frame and said non-polarized region extends along the body portion;

and

an electrical connector attached to the non-polarized region and having electrical contacts respectively connected to the center conductor and the outer conductor.

5. A wire harness as claimed in claim 4, wherein the polarized region is adjacent to said non-polarized region with an intermediate section disposed between the polarized region and the non-polarized region.