9. Door pinch detection system that combines a door end rubber with a built-in pressure-sensitive sensor

We have developed a door pinch detection system that combines a door end rubber with a built-in pressure-sensitive sensor and a non-contact power supply device. This system can transmit detection information between the frequently moving side sliding door and the carbody without the connecting by cable.

The pressure-sensitive sensor built into the door end rubber changes from non-conductive to conductive when it detects pinching or dragging (Figure 1).
The non-contact power supply device also supplies power from the master unit to the slave unit without contact. Therefore, pinching or dragging can be determined by the presence or absence of power supply form a non-contact power supply device (Figure 2).
The shape of the door end rubber with a built-in pressure-sensitive sensor is asymmetrical between the interior and exterior. This design maintains high sensitivity for detecting pinching while making it easier to detect dragging outside the vehicle (Figure 1).
Since this pressure-sensitive sensor can detect deformations caused by loads of 10 N or more, it can detect pinching of intermediate objects with diameters of 10 mm or less and the dragging of thin strings, such as cell phone straps, which have been difficult to detect with conventional systems (Figure 3).

The system was tested 1 million times, which is equivalent to more than 10 years of opening and closing of an actual vehicle, with no system malfunctions or false detection.
Additionally, after installing this system on an actual vehicle for about a year, it was found that although detection occurred due to contact with the door end rubber in situations with a low risk of dragging and other incidents, there were no instances of missed detection or false alarms.