Safety back-up sensor for a vehicle

• US 7,084,744 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2003
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Coligen Corp.
• Original Assignee: Shih-Hsiung Li
• Inventors: Li, Shih-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John
• Application Number:
  US10/736,795
• Publication Number:
  US 20040183660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/901, 340/903, 340/904, 293/155
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/483 with obstacle sensors of electric or electronic type
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/521 Constructional features

Abstract

A safety back-up sensor, formed with a housing having two ends and a hollow core between the two ends to accommodate a bushing and a signal sensor module. Multiple parallel longitudinal resilient tabs are formed on the housing. The resilient tabs protrude from the exterior surface of the housing and have transverse teeth to prevent the senor body from being dislodged. Longitudinal ribs may be formed on alternate resilient tabs to prevent the sensor body from rotating. With these specially designed transverse teeth and ribs, the sensor is able to counter the external rotating and shifting forces present in various driving conditions and to firmly affix the sensor to a vehicle bumper.

Claims

1. A safety back-up sensor, comprising:

a housing with two ends and an outer surface, a hollow core extending between the ends and a bezel integrally formed on one end, said housing further comprising multiple pairs of parallel longitudinal through slots through the outer surface connected by a transverse through slot at the end near the bezel to form multiple parallel resilient tabs, each said resilient tab extending from a fixed point on the housing to a free end defined by said longitudinal and transverse through slots and protruding from the outer surface of the housing, but not attached to the bezel at the free end; and

a bushing, at least a portion of which is mounted within the housing, said bushing having a signal-sensing transceiver mounted therein.

2. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein each resilient tab is designed to be somewhat convex in shape.

3. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein the inner surface of the housing has a channel between adjacent pairs of resilient tabs, and the bushing has multiple locking ribs on an external wall, whereby the locking ribs are firmly mounted in the channels when the bushing is inserted into the housing.

4. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 3, wherein the external wall of the bushing has an external wall with multiple parallel grooves corresponding to the resilient tabs on the housing;

whereby a gap is created between the bushing and the housing when the bushing is inserted into the housing.

5. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the resilient tab toward the free end has multiple transverse teeth.

6. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the resilient tab toward the free end has multiple axial ribs.

7. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein the alternate resilient tabs have multiple ribs and transverse teeth.

8. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 5, wherein an engagement hole is formed near the fixed end of every resilient tab to attach an end plate to the jacket, wherein the end plate has an outer edge with multiple locking tabs.

9. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 8 wherein an engagement hole is formed near the fixed end of every resilient tab to correspond to a locking tab of the end plate, whereby the end plate is attached to the housing.

10. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 7, wherein an engagement hole is formed near the fixed end of every resilient tab to attach the end plate to the housing.

11. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient tab toward the free end has multiple transverse teeth.

12. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the resilient tab toward the free end has multiple axial ribs.

13. The safety back-up sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein the alternate resilient tabs have multiple ribs and transverse teeth.

14. A method of installing a back-up sensor on a vehicle, said back-up sensor having a housing with a bezel on one end and one or more protrusions extending from the an outer surface of the housing, said protrusions having a leading face, a peak and a diminishing face with said diminishing face at the end near the bezel, comprising the steps of inserting the housing into an installation opening on the vehicle for receiving the housing, passing the leading face and peak of each of the one or more protrusions through the installation opening wherein the peak of each of the one or more protrusions extend a distance from the outer surface of the housing greater than the distance of the outer surface to the installation opening, and positioning the bezel against the vehicle adjacent the installation opening so that the diminishing face of each of the one or more protrusions assert a gripping force on the inner wall of the installation opening.