A pressure-sensitive sensor, includes a hollow tubular member including an elastic insulating material; and n electrode wires (n being an integer of not less than 3) arranged away from one another and held inside the tubular member, wherein when an external pressure is applied to the tubular member, the tubular member elastically deforms such that at least two of the n electrode wires contact with each other, and wherein the n electrode wires extend linearly and parallel to a central axis of the tubular member.

A touch sensor unit, that is installed on one of an opening provided in a vehicle and an opening and closing body configured to open and close the opening, includes: a touch sensor having a long sensor body; and a bracket configured to hold the touch sensor in a longitudinal direction of the sensor body and fixed to one of the opening and the opening and closing body. One of the touch sensor and the bracket includes an inserting portion including a locking piece, the other of the touch sensor and the bracket includes a holding portion including a locking portion locked to the locking piece and configured to accommodate the inserting portion, and one of the inserting portion and the holding portion is made of an elastomer having an elastic modulus lower than that of the other.

An elastically resilient hollow section has an electrically operating switch rail that is fixedly integrated in a chamber of the hollow section. The switch rail has a jacket composed of an elastomer, and is actuable on a deformation of the hollow section. The switch rail projects freely from the hollow section at least one end of the hollow section.

A multi-modal sensing transducer may include a force concentrator having an external sensing surface. The multi-modal sensing transducer may also include at least one electrode coupled to the force concentrator. Further, the multi-modal sensing transducer may include at least one force sensitive element disposed adjacent to the at least one electrode. Moreover, the multi-modal sensing transducer may include at least one air gap disposed between the at least one electrode and the at least one force sensitive element.

A linear detector element includes an outer sheath having a first end and a second end, one or more shape memory responsive elements within the outer sheath and between the first end and the second end and first and second conductive wires passing through at least a portion of the outer sheath and through the one or more shape memory responsive elements. The one more shape memory responsive elements include a shape memory actuator surrounding the first and second conductive wires and that has an expanded size and a contracted size and that is sized and arranged such that when the shape memory actuator is in the contracted state the first and second conductive wires contact one another and when the shape memory actuator is in the expanded state the first and second conductive wires do not contact one another.

A closing edge safety device that triggers a safety response upon contact with an obstacle. The body of the safety device is an elastically deformable profile element that encloses a switch chamber containing a switching strip that carries an electrical current. A prechamber with a switching nub is placed at the leading edge of the safety device, in front of the switch chamber. When an external force is applied to the leading edge of the safety device, the switching nub transmits the force to the switch chamber, which also deforms, causing an interruption in the electrical current on the switching strip, thereby triggering the desired safety response of the closing edge safety device. The closing edge safety device provides improved response to large-area as well as small-area contact with an obstacle and is also suitable for use as a limit switch.

A spacer for a foreign object detection sensor including an elongated hollow sheath, two conductive members, and two core wires buried in the two conductive members, the spacer being used for a terminal portion of the foreign object detection sensor and including a first member including an insertion portion configured to be inserted into a space between the two conductive members, and a concave-shaped second member including a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion at which a locking portion is provided to be locked to a first end of the first member, the second end portion which is opposed to the locking portion and is connected to a second end of the first member via an integral hinge, the second member containing one of the two conductor portions inside a closed cross-section formed between the first member and the second member.

A first separator that prevents a pair of electrodes from short-circuiting each other is provided on end parts of the pair of electrodes in a longitudinal direction thereof, a first molded resin part that covers the first separator is provided on an end part of an insulation tube in a longitudinal direction thereof, a part of the first separator) on one side in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction and another part of the first separator on the other side in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction are each exposed to outside. When the first separator is embedded in the first molded resin part through insert molding, the first separator can be supported by a lower mold and an upper mold, portions of the first separator supported by the pair of molds at this time are portions exposed to outside.

A pressure-sensitive sensor, includes a hollow tubular member including an elastic insulating material; and n electrode wires (n being an integer of not less than 3) arranged away from one another and held inside the tubular member, wherein when an external pressure is applied to the tubular member, the tubular member elastically deforms such that at least two of the n electrode wires contact with each other, and wherein the n electrode wires extend linearly and parallel to a central axis of the tubular member.

A pinch detection switch includes a pressure sensing structure including at least one linear pressure sensing member with multiple conductor wires spaced apart from each other in an inner side of a tubular elastic body, and a tubular cover member to be attached to an end on a forward side in a moving direction of a movable body, and which is formed with a hollow portion which receives the pressure sensing structure. The pressure sensing structure includes a coating member which covers the at least one linear pressure sensing member, and which faces an inner surface of the hollow portion at both its ends in a width direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the movable body and an extending direction of the cover member. A position in the width direction of the at least one linear pressure sensing member in the hollow portion is defined by the coating member.