Patent ID: 8593161

Claim:
A contact detection apparatus comprising: a door body; a first electrode made of a flexible conductive material and extending throughout a contact detection range; a second electrode apart from the first electrode and extending on a back side of the first electrode, the second electrode being directly electrically connected to the door body; a joint member made of an insulating material and connecting the first electrode and the second electrode to form a tubular structure with the second electrode being inside the tubular structure; and a detector that detects direct contact of an object with the first electrode based on a capacitance of the first electrode; wherein: the first electrode comprises a projection inwardly extending from the interior of the first electrode toward the second electrode and an embedded conductor extending along a length of the first electrode, the extending projection being disposed independently from the embedded conductor; and the first electrode is exposed to direct exterior contact in both a first direction opposite the second electrode and a second direction crossing the first direction, the first electrode being in direct physical contact with the second electrode when pushed in the first direction and the projection of the first electrode being in direct physical contact with the second electrode when pushed in the second direction.