Patent Publication Number: US-11661765-B2

Title: Lock and lid lock for appliance

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present application relates to a mechanical lock, and in particular to a lock and a lid lock. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Currently, electrical appliances usually require lock mechanisms of a high security level. Take a washing machine as an example, the lid of a large cylinder washing machine needs to be locked by a lock mechanism to prevent possible harms to human body when the washing machine runs at a high speed (or when the machine still runs at a high speed after being turned off due to inertia). 
     However, most locks are complex to operate with, occupy a large space and may not be manually unlocked conveniently. 
     SUMMARY 
     A lock and a lid lock are provided according to embodiments of the present application, to solve or alleviate at least one or more technical challenges in the existing technology, and at least to provide a helpful choice or create a favorable condition for this purpose. 
     To implement the above objects, in one aspect of the present application, a lock is provided according to an embodiment of the present application. The lock includes a base, and a driving mechanism, a sliding mechanism, a connecting mechanism and a locking mechanism which are disposed on the base. The driving mechanism includes a driving unit and a screw rod, the driving unit driving the screw rod to rotate. The sliding mechanism includes a gear and a sliding block connected to the gear, the gear being engaged with the screw rod, to drive the sliding block to move linearly. The connecting mechanism comprises a first end connected to the sliding block, and a second end connected to the locking mechanism, the connecting mechanism converting the linear movement of the sliding block into rotational movement of the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism is rotatably connected to the base and comprises a locking portion to unfold or retract relative to the base along with the rotation of the locking mechanism. 
     In an embodiment, the sliding mechanism comprises a pair of gears which engage on opposite two sides of the screw rod symmetrically. 
     In an embodiment, the gear is connected to the sliding block via a gear shaft; and an elastic element is disposed between the gear and the gear shaft for providing a frictional force between the gear and the gear shaft to prevent a relative rotation therebetween. 
     In an embodiment, the gear shaft has a stepped contour and includes a first stepped portion and a second stepped portion; the inner surface of the gear is matched with the stepped contour of the gear shaft and comprises a first stepped surface corresponding to the first stepped portion, and the elastic element is clamped on the first stepped portion and is in interference fit with the second stepped surface. 
     In an embodiment, the elastic element is sheathed on the gear shaft and includes a protruding end clamped in a recess in the inner wall of the gear. 
     In an embodiment, the sliding block includes a guide portion; the guide portion includes an extension portion perpendicular to the movement direction of the sliding block and comprising a guide hole, the screw rod passing through the guide hole of the guide portion; and a gap is provided between the guide hole and the screw rod. 
     Another aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a lid lock structure, comprising an upper lid, a casing and the above-mentioned lock, wherein the upper lid is configured to be buckled to the casing; the lock is configured to be disposed in the casing, and a locking hole being disposed in the upper lid at a position corresponding to the lock; and the locking portion is configured to be rotatable relative to the casing to extend out of the same, for being locked in the locking hole. 
     In an embodiment, the lock is arranged in the casing in a vertical manner, and the locking portion rotates outwards towards the upper portion of the casing. 
     In an embodiment, the lock is arranged in the casing in a horizontal manner, and the locking portion rotates outwards towards the inner side of the casing. 
     In an embodiment, a gap is provided between the upper lid and the casing, to accommodate a sheet-like plate which slides therein. 
     The above summary only intends to illustrate the purpose of the description, and does not intend to be limiting in any form. In addition to the above described illustrative aspects, embodiments and features, further aspects, embodiments and features of the present application will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The same reference numerals in the drawings will be used to refer to the same or like parts or elements throughout the drawings, unless specified otherwise. These drawings may not be necessarily drawn according to the scales. It should be understood that these drawings only depict some embodiments of the present application, and shall not be regarded as limiting to the scope of the present application. 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic structural view of a lock according to an embodiment of the present application in which the locking portion is in a retracted state; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic structural view of a lock according to an embodiment of the present application in which the locking portion is in an unfolded state; 
         FIG.  3   a    is an exploded view of a lock according to an embodiment of the present application in which the gear is connected to the sliding block; 
         FIG.  3   b    is an exploded view of a lock according to another embodiment of the present application in which the gear is connected to the sliding block; 
         FIG.  3   c    is an exploded view of a lock according to still another embodiment of the present application in which the gear is connected to the sliding block; 
         FIG.  4    is a partial cross-sectional view of a lock according to an embodiment of the present application in which the gear is connected to the sliding block; 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic structural view of the connecting mechanism and the locking mechanism of a lock according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG.  6    is a schematic structural view of a lock connected to a shell according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG.  7    is an overall cross-sectional view of a lock according to an embodiment of the present application in which the base and the shell are connected; 
         FIG.  8    is a schematic structural view of a lid lock structure according to an embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG.  9    is a schematic structural view of a lid lock structure according to another embodiment of the present application; 
         FIG.  10    is a schematic structural view of a lid lock structure according to an embodiment of the present application in which the locking portion is in a retracted state; 
         FIG.  11    is a schematic structural view of a lid lock structure according to an embodiment of the present application in which the locking portion is in an unfolded state; 
         FIG.  12    is a schematic view of a lid lock structure according to another embodiment of the present application when manual unlocking needs to be performed; 
         FIG.  13    is a schematic view of a lid lock structure according to yet another embodiment of the present application when manual unlocking needs to be performed; and 
         FIG.  14    is a schematic view of a lid lock structure according to yet another embodiment of the present application when manual unlocking needs to be performed. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     In the following, only some embodiments are briefly described. As can be recognized by those skilled in the art, various modifications may be made to the described embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the drawings and the description are substantially regarded as exemplary intrinsically rather than restrictive. 
     In the first aspect of the present application, a lock  100  is provided. 
     The lock  100  of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 - 7   , in an embodiment, the lock  100  of the present application includes a base  1 ; and a driving mechanism  2 , a sliding mechanism  3 , a connecting mechanism  4  and a locking mechanism  5  which are disposed on the base  1 . 
     According to an embodiment, the driving mechanism  2  includes a screw rod  21  and a driving unit  22 . The driving unit  22  can drive the screw rod  21  to rotate. In addition, the driving mechanism  2  further includes a socket  23  (which will be described later). 
     The sliding mechanism  3  includes a gear  301  and a sliding block  302  connected to the gear  301 . The gear  301  engages with the screw rod  21 . Thus, when the screw rod  21  rotates, the gear  301  will also move linearly in an axial direction of the screw rod  21 . Further, the gear  301  is capable of driving the sliding block  302  connected thereto to slide linearly. 
     The connecting mechanism  4  includes one end connected to the sliding block  302 , and the other end connected to the locking mechanism  5 . The connecting mechanism  4  is rotatably connected to the base  1 . In this way, the linear movement of the sliding block  302  may be converted by the connecting mechanism  4  into rotation of the locking mechanism  5  relative to the base  1 . 
     The locking mechanism  5  is provided with a locking portion  501 , which may rotate along with the rotation of the locking mechanism  5  and may form different angles with the direction of motion of the sliding block  302  in the rotation process, i.e., the locking portion  501  may rotate to unfold or to retract relative to the base. It can be easily understood that the locking portion  501  has an angle range which may be set as required. 
     In an embodiment, specifically as shown in the state transition from  FIG.  1    to  FIG.  2   , when a locking operation is needed, the driving mechanism  2  is started, the screw rod  21  rotates forwards, and the gear  301  engages with the screw rod  21 , then runs backwards and drives the sliding block  302  to move backwards. The sliding block  302  at this moment pulls the connecting mechanism  4  to rotate clockwise. Therefore, the locking portion  501  may rotate clockwise and unfold relative to the base  1  and extends into a locking hole matched therewith. 
     As shown in the state transition from  FIG.  2    to  FIG.  1   , when an unlocking operation is needed, the driving mechanism  2  is started, the screw rod  21  rotates reversely, and the gear  301 , engaged with the screw rod  21 , moves forwards to drive the sliding block  302  to move forwards. The sliding block  302  at this moment pulls the connecting mechanism  4  to rotate counterclockwise. Therefore, the locking portion  501  may rotate counterclockwise and retract relative to the base  1 , and returns to an initial position. 
     It should be noted that the directions such as “front”, “rear”, “upper” and “lower” as used herein are intended for convenience of description and do not necessarily correspond exactly to the space in practical work. 
     In an embodiment, the sliding mechanism comprises a pair of gears  301  which is engage on two opposite sides of the screw rod  21  symmetrically. In this way, when the screw rod  21  rotates, the pair of symmetrically engaged gear  301  jointly drive the sliding block  302  to move linearly, so that the transmission of the movement between the screw rod  21  and the sliding block  302  can be smoothed and stabilized. 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   a   , the gear  301  and the sliding block  302  are connected via a gear shaft  303 . An elastic element  304  is disposed between the gear  301  and the gear shaft  303  for providing frictional force between the gear  301  and the gear shaft  303 . When an external load does not exceed the frictional force supplied by the elastic element  304 , the gear  301  is constrained by the frictional force and is stationary relative to the gear shaft  303 . Therefore, the relative rotation between the gear  301  and the gear shaft  303  is prevented, and the gear  301  may stably move forwards along with the rotation of the screw rod  21 . 
     Further, when the external load exceeds the frictional force provided by the elastic element  304 , for example, when the sliding block  302  moves to an extreme position or the sliding block  302  is stuck in movement, the reaction force suffered by the sliding block  302  may exceed the frictional force provided by the elastic element  304 , and the gear  301  at this moment starts to engage with the screw rod  21  against the frictional force and rotates relative to the gear shaft  303 . In this way, the occurrence of the “jamming” phenomenon in the rotation of the screw rod  21  is avoided, the overheating of the driving mechanism  2  is prevented, and the driving mechanism  2  is protected. 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   a   , in an embodiment, the sliding block  302  is provided with a guide portion  3021 . The guide portion  3021  has an extension portion perpendicular to the movement direction of the sliding block  302 . The extension portion may have a guide hole  3022 . The screw rod  21  passes through the guide hole  3022 . In this way, the guide hole  3022  may guide the screw rod  21 . In addition, a gap is provided between the guide hole  3022  and the screw rod  21 , which may prevent the guide hole  3022  interfering the movement of the screw rod. The guide portion  3021  may be disposed at one side, close to the driving unit  22 , of the sliding block  302 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  4   , in an embodiment, the gear shaft  303  has a stepped contour and includes a first stepped portion  3031  and a second stepped portion  3032 . The inner surface of the gear  301  may be designed to be matched with the stepped contour of the gear shaft  303 , which includes a first stepped surface  3011  corresponding to the first stepped portion  3031  and a second stepped surface  3012  corresponding to the second stepped portion  3032 . The elastic element  304  may be clamped on the first stepped portion  3031  and is in interference fit with the second stepped surface  3012 . Therefore, the elastic element  304  provides frictional force between the gear  301  and the gear shaft  303 . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  3   b  and  3   c   , the elastic element is sheathed on the gear shaft and includes a protruding end clamped in a recess in the inner wall of the gear. As shown in  FIG.  3   b   , in an embodiment, the elastic element between the gear and the gear shaft is shown as the reference numeral  304   b . The elastic element  304   b  is formed by winding, and includes a winding start end and a winding termination end, namely, the protruding ends. The elastic element  304   b  is sheathed on the gear shaft  303   b . Recesses matched with both the winding start end and the winding termination end are disposed in the inner wall of the gear  301   b . The winding start end and the winding termination end are clamped in the recesses of the gear  301   b . The elastic element  304   b  provides frictional force between the gear  301   b  and the gear shaft  303   b . When the external load does not exceed the frictional force provided by the elastic element  304   b , the gear  301   b  is restricted by the frictional force, and is stationary relative to the gear shaft  303   b . Thus, relative rotation between the gear  301   b  and the gear shaft  303   b  is prevented. 
     As shown in  FIG.  3   c   , in another embodiment, the elastic element between the gear and the gear shaft is shown as the reference numeral  304   c . The elastic element  304   c  is in C-shaped, and an opening end of the elastic element extends upwards to form extension ends, namely, protruding ends. The elastic element  304   c  is sheathed on the gear shaft  303   c . A recess matched with the extension ends is arranged in the inner wall of the gear  301   c . The extension ends are clamped in the recess of the gear  301   c . The elastic element  304   c  provides frictional force between the gear  301   c  and the gear shaft  303   c . When the external load does not exceed the frictional force provided by the elastic element  304   c , the gear  301   c  is restricted by the frictional force, and is stationary relative to the gear shaft  303   c . Thus, relative rotation between the gear  301   c  and the gear shaft  303   c  is prevented. 
     There is a variety of available shapes for the elastic element and a variety of connection manners among the elastic element and the gear and the gear shaft. The shapes and the connection manners are not limited to those listed in the present application. Any elastic element in the existing art and the future art that can be connected between the gear and the gear shaft and provides frictional force can be applied to the present application, which will not be elaborated herein. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  5   , the connecting mechanism  4  comprises a crank rod  401 . One end of the crank rod  401  may be connected to the sliding block  302  by rotational shaft  402 . In an embodiment, the end of the crank rod  401  is connected to the lower portion of the sliding block  302 . The other end of the crank rod  401  is connected to a main rotational shaft  502  of the locking mechanism  5 . In addition, the main rotational shaft  502  is capable of rotating relative to the base  1  by the driving of the crank rod  401 . That is, when the sliding block  302  moves linearly, the main rotational shaft  502  is capable of rotating relative to the base  1 . Further, the main rotational shaft  502  is sheathed by the locking portion  501 , and is coaxial with the locking portion  501 . Thus, the locking portion  501  may rotate to unfold or retract relative to the base  1 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  6   , in an embodiment, the lock  100  provided by embodiments of the present application further includes a housing  6 . 
     The housing  6  is buckled to the base  1 , and an accommodating cavity is formed between the housing  6  and the base  1 . The accommodating cavity may be configured to accommodate the driving mechanism  2 , the sliding mechanism  3 , the connecting mechanism  4  and the locking mechanism  5 . 
     The housing  6  defines a rotation area  601  allowing the locking portion  501  to rotate, such that the locking portion  501  may rotate flexibly to unfold or retract. 
     Further, due to the presence of the rotation area  601 , the housing  6  is not completely sealed, and moisture or impurities may enter the accommodating cavity via a gap between the housing  6  and the main rotational shaft  502 . As shown in  FIG.  7   , a joint between the main rotational shaft  502  and the housing  6  is sealed by a sealing ring  602 , thereby preventing moisture and impurities from entering via the gap between the main rotational shaft  502  and the housing  6  and protecting components in the accommodating cavity. The sealing ring  602  may be an O-ring, but not merely limited to an O-ring. 
     Referring to  FIG.  6   , in an embodiment, a receiving window  603  is disposed on the outer side of the housing  6 . When the locking portion  501  is in an initial position, i.e., a retracted state, the locking portion  501  may be received in the receiving window  603 . In this way, the locking portion  501  in the initial position does not protrude relative to the housing  6 , so as to ensure the overall appearance. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  6   , in an embodiment, the housing  6  is matched with the base  1  on their joint via saw-teethed surfaces. Specifically, as shown in  1 , a first saw-teethed surface  101  is disposed at the edge of the top surface of the base  1  and extends in a circumferential direction of the base  1 . As shown in  FIG.  6   , a second saw-teethed surface  604  is disposed at the edge of the bottom surface of the housing  6 . The second saw-teethed surface  604  corresponds to the first saw-teethed surface and extends in a circumferential direction of the housing  6 . By the matching of the first saw-teethed surface  101  and the second saw-teethed surface  604 , the housing  6  may be connected to the base  1  more closely, thereby preventing external moisture and impurities from entering. 
     In an embodiment, the housing  6  is sealed to the base  1  by ultrasonic welding. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 ,  2  and  7   , in an embodiment, the driving mechanism  2  further includes a socket  23 . The driving unit  22  may be a motor, but is not merely limited thereto. The socket  23  may be directly connected to a power source, for example, to a control panel in a washing machine, thereby omitting unnecessary wire harness and saving the space. Therefore, components in the lock  100  may be powered by connecting the socket  23 . The driving unit  22  is connected to the socket  23 , so as to be connected to the power source for power output. Either direct current or alternating current may be used in the technical solution of the present application. 
     Further, referring to  FIG.  7   , a joint between the socket  23  and the base  1  is sealed by a sealing ring  230  to prevent moisture or impurities from entering the accommodating cavity via the gap between the socket  23  and the base  1 . The sealing ring  230  may be an O-ring, but not merely limited to an O-ring. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  1 ,  2  and  7   , in an embodiment, the lock further includes a circuit board and an indication block  305 , wherein the circuit board has or connected to a control system and is electrically connected to the socket  23 , and the sliding block  302  is connected to the indication block  305  and may drive the same to slide. The indication block is connected to an elastic piece  306  which contacts a trigger unit of the circuit board when the indication block slides to a position. The control system may stop the rotation of the screw rod driven by the driving unit according to the contact between the elastic piece and the trigger unit. 
     According to an embodiment, the socket  23  may also be connected to a magnetic reed switch  231 . The magnetic reed switch  231  is connected to the control system and is conducted by the magnetic force, i.e., when the magnetic reed switch  231  is not subjected to the magnetic force, the magnetic reed switch  231  is not conducted; while, when the magnetic reed switch  231  is subjected to the magnetic force, the magnetic reed switch  231  is conducted. For example, further Referring to  FIGS.  8  to  11   , when the lock  100  is utilized as a lid lock structure, a magnet may be placed in the upper lid  7 , and when the upper lid  7  is buckled towards the casing  8 , the magnetic reed switch  231  is conducted to the control system by the magnetic force of the magnet. The control system at this moment may determine that the upper lid  7  has been buckled, and then start the driving unit  22 , such that the driving unit  22  rotates forwards and drives the locking portion  501  to rotate and unfold so as to be locked in a locking hole  701 . 
     According to a second aspect of embodiments of the present application, a lid lock structure in which the lock  100  is disposed is provided. The lock  100  may be applied to various fields in the lid lock structure, and preferably suitable for a lid lock structure of a wave-type washing machine. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  8  and  9   , in an embodiment, the lid lock structure comprises an upper lid  7 , a casing  8  and the above door block  100 . The upper lid  7  is configure to be buckled to the casing  8 , and the lock  100  is disposed in the casing  8 . The position, rather than the structure, of the lock  100  is shown in drawings. 
     Referring to  FIG.  8   , in an embodiment, the lock  100  is arranged in the casing  8  in a vertical manner, and the locking portion  501  rotates outwards towards the upper portion of the casing  8 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  9   , in another embodiment, the lock  100  is arranged in the casing  8  in a horizontal manner, and the locking portion  501  rotates outwards towards the interior of the casing  8 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  10  and  11   , in another embodiment, a locking hole  701  is disposed in the upper lid  7  at a position corresponding to the lock  100 . 
     As shown in the state transition from  FIG.  10    to  FIG.  11   , when the locking portion  501  rotates clockwise and unfolds relative to the base  1 , the locking portion  501  may extend out relative to the casing  8 , and extend to the upper lid  7  and into the locking hole  701 , thereby completing locking. 
     As shown in the state transition from  FIG.  11    to  FIG.  10   , when the locking portion  501  rotates counterclockwise and retracts relative to the base  1 , the locking portion  501  may be retracted relative to the casing  8  and into the casing  8 , thereby releasing locking. 
     According to a third aspect of embodiments of the present application, a manual unlocking mode is provided. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  12  to  14   , in an embodiment, when the upper lid  7  cannot be opened due to the power failure or failure of electric operations, a sheet-like plate  9 , which may be a ruler or a hard cardboard, may be inserted into a gap between the upper lid  7  and the casing  8 . 
     Further Referring to  FIGS.  13  and  14   , the sheet-like plate  9  is operated to move towards a direction from which the locking portion  501  is retracted. Combining with state transition from  FIG.  2    to  FIG.  1   , when the sheet-like plate  9  applies an external force to the locking portion  501 , the external force is transmitted to the gear  301  via the crank rod  401  and the sliding block  302 . When the magnitude of the external force has exceeded the frictional force provided by the elastic element  304 , the gear  301  starts to engage with the screw rod  21  against the frictional force and moves linearly, returning back to the initial position together with the locking portion  501 . At this moment, the locked state is released, and the upper lid  7  may be manually opened normally. In this way, the manual unlocking mode is very convenient without opening or detaching any component of the upper lid  7  and the casing  8 . 
     In the description of the present specification, the reference terms such as “an embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “an example”, “a specific example” or “some examples” and the like mean that the particular features, structures, materials or characteristics described in combination of the embodiments or examples are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. Furthermore, the described particular features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in a proper manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, in the absence of contradiction, one skilled in the art can integrate and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples. 
     In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are used for a descriptive purpose only and shall not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defining “first” and “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, “a plurality of” means two or more, unless expressly limited otherwise. 
     In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated in a processing module, or may exist as physically independent units. Two or more units may also be integrated into one module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function module. When the integrated module is realized in a form of the software function module and is sold or used as an independent product, it may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium may be a read-only memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or the like. 
     The content described above are specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art may easily anticipate various alternations or replacements of these embodiments within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and all these alternations or replacements should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be defined by the claims.