Ultrasonic sensor

1. An ultrasonic sensor adapted to be provided at a flip-up back door that opens and closes via a pivot shaft provided at a rear top of a vehicle, a surface of the back door being included in a detection range of the ultrasonic sensor, the ultrasonic sensor detecting an object in a vicinity of the vehicle by intermittently transmitting an ultrasonic wave, which hits the object to thereby generate a reflected wave as a reflection of the ultrasonic wave, the ultrasonic sensor comprising:

a sensor head provided at the back door and including a transmitter transmitting the ultrasonic wave and a receiver receiving the reflected wave, wherein the sensor head is provided at a position in a vicinity of a centerline of the vehicle in a width direction thereof and where a distance from a corner of a distal end edge portion of the back door to the sensor head is shorter than a distance from the sensor head to a small aboveground structure provided on the ground.

2. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the back door is formed into a curved shape to extend in a rearward direction of the vehicle, and the sensor head is provided at the position between a top portion of the curved shape of the back door in a vertical direction of the vehicle and the edge portion of the back door.

3. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the small aboveground structure includes a curbstone provided on the ground.

4. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the position where the sensor head is provided is in a vicinity of a license plate provided at a surface of the back door.

5. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 4 , wherein the vicinity of the license plate is positioned close to the pivot shaft relative to the license plate.

6. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the position where the sensor head is provided is in a vicinity of a vehicle emblem arranged at an upper side of a license plate provided on a surface of the back door.

7. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 6 , wherein the vicinity of the license plate is positioned close to the pivot shaft relative to the license plate.

8. An ultrasonic sensor adapted for being provided at a flip-up back door which is pivoted to a rear-top of a vehicle for covering a surface of the flip-up back door and serving for detecting an object in a vicinity of the vehicle by transmitting ultrasonic waves intermittently to an object and receiving the reflected ultrasonic waves therefrom, the ultrasonic sensor comprising:

a sensor head including a transmitter transmitting the ultrasonic waves and a receiver receiving the reflected waves,

the sensor head being provided at a position in a vicinity of a lateral directional centerline of the vehicle in such manner that a distance from a corner edge of a distal end portion of the back door to the sensor head is shorter than a distance from the sensor head to a small aboveground structure near the vehicle.

9. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 8 , wherein the back door is formed at its outer surface into a convex configuration including a top portion and the sensor head is placed at a position between the top portion and the distal end of the back door.

10. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 8 , wherein the small aboveground structures include a curbstone provided on the ground.

11. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 8 , wherein the position of the sensor head is in a vicinity of a license plate on the outer surface of the back door.

12. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 11 , wherein the vicinity of the license plate is positioned at a side of the pivot shaft.

13. The ultrasonic sensor according to claim 8 , wherein the sensor head is positioned in a vicinity of a vehicle emblem mounted at an upper side of a license plate on the outer surface of the back door.