Patent Description:
Panel locks are widely used in various industries, such as Marine ships and boats, Industrial Generators, HVAC, Construction Equipment, Transportation vehicles, trucks, caravans, etc. The panel lock generally includes a handle that is installed in a groove of a panel, or in a shell mounted onto the panel. The handle may be pulled out from the groove by hand to rotate to unlock or lock and has a folded state that is folded into the groove of the panel and flushes with the panel.

Such panel locks are described in the related art, such as in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>, in which the handle is in a free state and unlockable in the folded position; or, such as in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>, in which the handle may be in a free state or alternatively locked by a cylinder connected to a shell in the folded position. <CIT> discloses a recessed lock for a steel cabinet door or similar that has a mechanism for sliding a lock rod laterally inside the door, wherein the mechanism is coupled to a handle which can swing outwards. On the outside of the door is a platelike attachment for clamping the handle over the lock. The lock is recessed within this attachment and engages with a hook at the end of the handle protruding inwards. The handle sits in a trough so that in its retracted position, it is flush with the outside surface. The handle is spring-loaded. There is a cover plate which can slide over the lock and the end of the handle. <CIT> discloses a lock for controlling cabinet doors or the like with a recess which can be placed on an outer surface of the door leaf to accommodate a pivoting lever mounted thereon, on which at least one approach penetrating the door leaf in a breakthrough for determining receiving a housing receiving in itself a closing device is provided and the housing including the closing device is held interchangeably in the approach, wherein the locking device locks the pivoting lever pre-tensioned in its folded out of the trough position in its folded into the trough position and releases when the closing device is actuated. The closing device consists of a fixed in the housing, an electrically operated actuation which can be controlled by an external electrical or electronic signal to release the locking part locking the pivoting lever in its folded position.

The related panel locks have the following characteristics: after the handle is folded, the handle is in a free state unless it is further locked with a key through a lock core or a padlock, and for some large applications, the users are required to access multiple latches to lock multiple panels, which will increase considerably the time for the locking operation. Furthermore, when the panel lock is installed on a moving vehicle, the handle may shake and make noise if not locked in its folded position. In extreme cases, for example, under high acceleration or when encountering a bump on the road, the handle may be completely lifted under the action of inertial moment, which may cause undesirable consequences, for example, the latch member may be completely disengaged from the frame and released, such unstable state will eventually lead to premature failure of the latch, the worst case scenario, would be the door will then self-open. For those applications that require the handle to be folded and the latch member always compressed to seal the panel for waterproof requirements, the compression loss caused by the uncontrolled lifting of the handle will cause accelerated failure of the weather sensitive components inside the enclosure. In addition, once the handle is lifted at a certain angle, it forms a sharp protrusion sticking out of the panel and whether the panel lock is installed on a static equipment or a mobile vehicle, the handle becomes a serious safety hazard to passing by objects or people.

Regarding the abovementioned potential technical problems or safety hazards in the related art, an object of an embodiment of the present application is to provide a panel lock to overcome those issues.

To achieve the above purpose, an embodiment of the present application provides a panel lock including a shell, a rotary shaft, a locking tab, a handle, a latch hook and a first elastic member. The rotary shaft is rotatably mounted in the shell. The locking tab is connected to and rotates along with the rotary shaft to realize unlocking and locking. The handle is rotatably mounted to the rotary shaft and has a first position being folded relative to the shell and a second position being lifted at a preset angle relative to the shell during rotation about a first axis perpendicular to the rotary shaft. The handle includes a latching groove and a guiding portion arranged at a side of the latching groove. The latch hook is rotatably mounted in the shell. The first elastic member is arranged between the latch hook and the shell. When the handle is at the first position, the latch hook engages into the latching groove under the driving of the first elastic member to prevent the handle from leaving the first position; a limiting surface is provided at an end of the handle and abuts against the shell when the handle at the second position, the handle is thus lifted at the preset angle relative to the shell collinear with the rotary shaft; and during rotation of the handle from the second position to the first position, the guiding portion stretches the latch hook and guides the latch hook into the latching groove.

For the panel lock provided by the embodiments of the present application, automatic locking of the handle can be realized during the movement of the handle from the second position to the first position, thereby preventing the handle from disengaging and ensuring the reliability and safety of the panel lock. In addition, locking of the handle is realized synchronously in folding process, and no other locking action is required, which has better convenience and saves time.

In some embodiments, the latch hook has a third position, a fourth position and a fifth position during rotation, and wherein the latch hook at the third position is pressed into the latching groove under the driving of the first elastic member and makes the handle be fixed at the first position; the latch hook at the fourth position disengages from the latching groove and makes the handle be capable of disengaging from the first position; the latch hook rotates from the fourth position to the fifth position under the driving of the first elastic member when the handle is lifted, the fifth position is the same as the third position except the latch hook disengages from the latching groove and is below the latching groove; and during rotation of the handle from the second position to the first position, the guiding portion stretches the latch hook and guides the latch hook moving from the fifth position back to the third position.

In some embodiments, the panel lock further includes an unlocking member and a drive mechanism connected to the unlocking member, the unlocking member being movably mounted in the shell and driving the latch hook to move from the third position to the fourth position through the drive mechanism.

In some embodiments, the unlocking member includes a locking core which rotates under the driving of a key, and the drive mechanism includes a driven member rotating along with the locking core, a first slider slidably mounted in the shell and a first conversion unit arranged between the driven member and the first slider, the driven member drives the first slider to slide through the first conversion unit during rotation of the driven member, and the first slider drives the latch hook to move from the third position to the fourth position during sliding of the first slider.

In some embodiments, the latch hook includes a hook portion and a protrusion arranged around a rotating portion thereof, the hook portion matches with the latching groove, and the first slider pushes the protrusion during sliding of the first slider.

In some embodiments, the drive mechanism further includes a second elastic member, and the first slider is located at a position away from the latch hook under the action of the second elastic member.

In some embodiments, the first conversion unit includes a rotation protrusion and a slot, the rotation protrusion is formed on one of the driven member and the first slider, the slot is defined in the other one of the driven member and the first slider, and the rotation protrusion cooperates with the slot to implement the transformation from rotation to linear motion.

In some embodiments, the first conversion unit includes a gear and rack, the gear is mounted on one of the driven member and the first slider, the rack is mounted on the other one of the driven member and the first slider, and the gear meshes with the rack to implement the transformation from rotation to linear motion.

In some embodiments, the unlocking member includes an unlocking button being slidably mounted in the shell, and the drive mechanism includes a second slider and a second conversion unit, the second slider is slidably mounted in the shell, the second conversion unit is arranged between the unlocking button and the second slider, the unlocking button drives the second slider to slide through the second conversion unit, and the second slider drives the latch hook to move from the third position to the fourth position during sliding of the second slider.

In some embodiments, the second conversion unit includes an inclined face provided on the second slider and a driving end provided on the unlocking button, and the inclined face and the driving end are in sliding contact with each other to realize conversion of sliding directions of the unlocking button and the second slider.

In some embodiments, the unlocking member further includes a locking core which rotates under the driving of a key, and a locking member prevents the unlocking button from sliding when the locking core rotates to a target position.

In some embodiments, the latch hook is provided with a protrusion at a position surrounding a rotating portion thereof, an unlocking shaft is mounted in the shell, the unlocking shaft includes a cam portion for driving the latch hook to unlock the handle through the protrusion during rotation of the unlocking shaft, and the unlocking shaft includes an exposed external interface.

In some embodiments, at least one of the handle and the shell is provided with an ejection device, and the ejection device drives the handle which is disengaged from the latch hook to move to a middle position between the first position and the second position.

In some embodiments, the ejection device includes a first ejection mechanism, and the first ejection mechanism includes a mounting base arranged on the handle, a third elastic member, a spring cap and a boss formed on the shell, the spring cap is slidably mounted to the mounting base, the third elastic member is arranged between the spring cap and the mounting base and drives the spring cap to move to an outside of the mounting base, and the boss abuts against the spring cap when the handle moves to the first position.

In some embodiments, the ejection device further includes a second ejection mechanism, and the second ejection mechanism includes a spring bracket rotatably mounted to the handle and an ejecting spring mounted to the spring bracket, one end of the ejecting spring abuts against the handle, the other end of the ejecting spring abuts against the spring bracket, and the spring bracket abuts against the rotary shaft and compress the spring when the handle moves to the first position.

In order to illustrate technical solutions of embodiments of the present application more clearly, drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It is obvious that the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings may be obtained from the drawings without any creative work to those skilled in the art, which should be in the scope of this application. In the following description, the same reference numerals refer to the same members.

For better illustrating the technical means, creative features, objects and effects of the present application, detailed description will be given for the embodiments provided by the present application with reference to the append drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments, and not all of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative work should be in the scope of this application, within the definition of the claims.

It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed in/at" another element, it may be directly or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it may be directly or indirectly connected to the other element.

It should be understood that oriental or positional relationships indicated by terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like are only intended to facilitate the description of the present disclosure and simplify the description based on oriental or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, not to indicate or imply that the apparatus or element referred must have a specific orientation, is constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

In addition, terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of these features. In the description of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" refers to two or more than two, unless otherwise particularly defined.

<FIG> is a cross sectional view of a panel lock provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the panel lock includes a shell <NUM>, a first locking assembly <NUM>, a handle <NUM>, a second locking assembly <NUM> and a first unlocking assembly <NUM>. The panel lock includes two opposite sides, i.e. the front side and the rear side. After the installation of the panel lock, the rear side of the panel lock is close to the door, while the front side of the panel lock faces towards the user for operation. The shell <NUM> defines a first groove <NUM> in a side thereof facing to the front side of the panel lock, and a second groove <NUM> is defined at a bottom of the first groove <NUM>.

The first locking assembly <NUM> is used to realize locking and unlocking of the door on which the panel lock is installed. The first locking assembly <NUM> includes a first rotary shaft <NUM> and a locking tab <NUM>. The first rotary shaft <NUM> is rotatably mounted in the shell <NUM> about its longitudinal axis and extends through the shell <NUM>. The locking tab <NUM> is connected to a portion of the first rotary shaft <NUM> extending to the rear side of the shell <NUM>. The first locking assembly <NUM> realizes locking and unlocking of the door on which the panel lock is installed through rotation of the locking tab <NUM>.

The handle <NUM> is mounted onto a portion of the first rotary shaft <NUM> extending to the front side of the shell <NUM>, and is rotatably mounted to an end of the first rotary shaft <NUM> about a first axis <NUM>. The first axis <NUM> is perpendicular to the first rotary shaft <NUM> and its longitudinal axis. The handle <NUM> may rotate about the first axis <NUM> relative to the first rotary shaft <NUM>, or may rotate along with the first rotary shaft <NUM> about its longitudinal axis. Referring to <FIG>, during rotation of the handle <NUM> about the first axis <NUM>, the handle <NUM> may move to a first position that the handle <NUM> is folded in the first groove <NUM>(as shown in <FIG>) and a second position that the handle is lifted to a certain angle with respect to the shell <NUM>(as shown in <FIG>). The handle <NUM> at the second position may be collinear with the first rotary shaft <NUM>, facilitating a twisting operation of the handle <NUM> together with the first rotary shaft <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the locking tab <NUM> may be an adjustable locking tab, and includes a guide rail <NUM> and a locking shaft <NUM>. The locking shaft <NUM> is vertically installed on the guide rail <NUM>. The guide rail <NUM> includes a slide body <NUM> and a fixing ring <NUM> mounted around the first rotary shaft <NUM>. The guide rail <NUM> is used to adjust in a sliding way an installation position of the locking shaft <NUM> in the longitudinal direction of the first rotary shaft <NUM>. Such design makes the panel lock applicable to doors with different thicknesses, which increases the versatility of the present panel lock.

In one embodiment, the guide rail <NUM> further includes a threaded shaft mounted on the slide body <NUM>, and an end of the locking shaft <NUM> on the slide body <NUM> is provided with a thread matching with the threaded shaft, which allows the locking shaft <NUM> to move along the guide rail <NUM> in a sliding way when the rotating threaded shaft is mounted loose. When the position of the locking shaft <NUM> is adjusted and need to be set at such position, the threaded shaft can be twisted and tightened, locking conveniently the locking shaft <NUM> into that position.

During the use of the panel lock, the user firstly grabs the handle <NUM> to lift it from the first position, i.e., folded in the first groove <NUM>, to the second position, i.e., at a certain angle with respect to the shell <NUM>, and then rotates the handle <NUM> to drive the first rotary shaft <NUM> to rotate, thereby driving the locking tab <NUM> to rotate to realize locking or unlocking. In order to facilitate user's operation, the handle <NUM> may be any structure that is convenient for holding and rotating, such as T-shaped or an L-shaped. In this embodiment, a T-shaped handle is taken as an example.

<FIG> is a schematic view of the handle of the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application. Referring to <FIG>, the handle <NUM> is generally T-shaped, and includes a first handle portion <NUM> and a second handle portion <NUM>. Both the first handle portion <NUM> and the second handle portion <NUM> are elongated. The longitudinal direction of the first handle portion <NUM> is perpendicular to the first axis <NUM>. One end of the first handle portion <NUM> along the longitudinal direction thereof defines a first axle hole <NUM> therein, and the other end of the first handle portion <NUM> along the longitudinal direction thereof is connected to the second handle portion <NUM>. The first handle portion <NUM> is rotatably mounted to the first rotary shaft <NUM> through the first axle hole <NUM> and the first axis <NUM> extending through the first axle hole <NUM>. The longitudinal direction of the second handle portion <NUM> is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the first handle portion <NUM>, and the first handle portion <NUM> is connected to a middle portion of the second handle portion <NUM>, thereby forming the T-shaped handle. For facilitating hand-holding operation, the second handle portion <NUM> may be curved along the longitudinal direction thereof.

The handle <NUM> includes opposite inner side and outer side. In this specification, a side of the handle <NUM> adjacent to the shell <NUM> during movement of the handle <NUM> between the first position and the second position is defined as the inner side, and a side of the handle <NUM> opposite to the inner side is defined as the outer side.

The handle <NUM> includes a latching groove <NUM> and a guiding portion <NUM>. The latching groove <NUM> has an aperture communicating with the outside, and an open direction is substantially parallel to an extending direction of the first handle portion <NUM>. The guiding portion <NUM> is located at a side of the latching groove <NUM> close to the shell <NUM>. That is, a portion of the handle <NUM> between a periphery of the latching groove <NUM> and the inner side of the handle <NUM> is the guiding portion <NUM>. During movement of the handle <NUM> from the second position to the first position, the guiding portion <NUM> is capable of pushing a latch hook <NUM> to move against an elastic member and guiding the latch hook <NUM> into the latching groove <NUM> (details are described below).

The second locking assembly <NUM> is used to lock the handle <NUM> at the first position, and includes the latch hook <NUM> and a first elastic member <NUM>. The latch hook <NUM> is rotatably mounted in the shell <NUM> through a second rotary shaft <NUM> (as shown in <FIG>). The second rotary shaft <NUM> is perpendicular to the first rotary shaft <NUM>. It should be noted that since the position of the first axis <NUM> changes during the rotation of the first rotary shaft <NUM>, the first axis <NUM> may be parallel to the second rotary shaft <NUM> when the handle <NUM> is at the first position.

The first elastic member <NUM> is arranged between the latch hook <NUM> and the shell <NUM>. In some embodiments, the first elastic member <NUM> may be a torsion spring sleeved on the second rotary shaft <NUM>. One end of the first elastic member <NUM> is connected to the shell <NUM>, and the other end of the first elastic member <NUM> is connected to the latch hook <NUM>. Under the action of the first elastic member <NUM>, the latch hook <NUM> rotates about the second rotary shaft <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic view of the latch hook of the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the latch hook <NUM> is a hook-like structure, and includes a second axle hole <NUM> for mounting the second rotary shaft <NUM>, a first protrusion <NUM>, a second protrusion <NUM>, a third protrusion <NUM> and a hook portion <NUM> connected to the first protrusion <NUM>. The first protrusion <NUM>, the second protrusion <NUM> and the third protrusion <NUM> are convex structures extending along a radial direction of the second axle hole <NUM>, and are arranged around the second axle hole <NUM> and evenly spaced from each other.

The hook portion <NUM> extends from a top end of the first protrusion <NUM> towards the second protrusion <NUM> to form the hook-like structure. The hook portion <NUM> includes a first lateral side <NUM> and a second lateral side <NUM>, wherein the first lateral side <NUM> is closer to the second protrusion <NUM> than the second lateral side <NUM>. That is, for the hook-like structure, the first lateral side <NUM> is an inner surface, and the second lateral side <NUM> is an outer surface. A mounting groove <NUM> is defined in a side of the third protrusion <NUM> interacting with the torsion spring, i.e., the first elastic member <NUM>.

The latch hook <NUM> is rotatably mounted in the shell <NUM>, and may be rotated to a third position, a fourth position and a fifth position. <FIG> are cross section views of the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application with the latch hook at different positions. As shown in <FIG>, the first elastic member <NUM> is arranged between the latch hook <NUM> and the shell <NUM>, driving the latch hook <NUM> to move to the third position. When the latch hook <NUM> is at the third position, the hook portion <NUM> is pressed into the latching groove <NUM> by the first elastic member <NUM>, which makes the handle <NUM> be fixed at the first position and maintained securely in a folded state.

As shown in <FIG>, the latch hook <NUM> at the third position rotates clockwise around the second rotary shaft <NUM> until it disengages from the latching groove <NUM>, which makes the handle <NUM> disengage from the first position and move freely between the first position and the second position. A position of the latch hook <NUM> at this time is defined as the fourth position.

As shown in <FIG>, when the handle <NUM> is lifted from the first position, the latch hook <NUM> rotates counterclockwise about the second rotary shaft <NUM> to the fifth position under the driving force of the first elastic member <NUM>. The fifth position of the latch hook <NUM> is the same as the third position. The latch hook <NUM> is engaged into the latching groove <NUM> when the latch hook <NUM> at the third position, in contrast to the latch hook <NUM> is disengaged from the latching groove <NUM> and is below the latching groove <NUM> when the latch hook <NUM> at the fifth position.

After the user has locked or unlocked the door, and to complete the operation of the panel lock, the handle <NUM> needs to be rotated and folded from the second position to the first position. When the handle <NUM> moves from the second position to the first position, and before it contacts the latch hook <NUM>, the latch hook <NUM> is maintained at the fifth position under the action of the first elastic member <NUM>. As soon as the handle <NUM> contacts the latch hook <NUM> and under the pressure of the guiding portion <NUM> of the handle <NUM>, the latch hook <NUM> is forced to rotate reversely towards the fourth position against the elastic force of the first elastic member <NUM>. As the handle <NUM> continues to move towards the first position, the latch hook <NUM> rides on the guiding portion <NUM> until it reaches a point that it can finally enter the latching groove <NUM> under the driving force of the first elastic member <NUM>, realizing the secure locking of the handle <NUM>.

<FIG> is an assembled view of the latch hook and handle of <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the hook portion <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM> extends into the latching groove <NUM> of the handle <NUM>, realizes the locking of the handle <NUM> by the latch hook <NUM> by means of an engagement of a groove wall <NUM> of the latching groove <NUM> and the first lateral side <NUM> of the hook portion <NUM>.

During the reverse rotation of the latch hook <NUM> pushed by the handle <NUM>, the guiding portion <NUM> abuts against the second lateral side <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM> and moves smoothly along the second lateral side <NUM> while remaining in contact. Due to the arc shape of the second lateral side <NUM>, the guiding portion <NUM> of the handle <NUM> pushes away the latch hook <NUM> from the fifth position to the fourth position when the second lateral side <NUM> is pressed down, thereby driving the latch hook <NUM> to rotate reversely. To facilitate this motion, the guiding portion <NUM> may be designed to be an arc-shaped structure which induces less resistance to the second lateral side <NUM> during movement. Similarly, the second lateral side <NUM> may be an arc surface to reduce the friction force between the guiding portion <NUM> and the second lateral side <NUM>.

It can be seen from the above description that with the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application, automatic locking of the handle <NUM> can be realized during the movement of the handle <NUM> from the second position to the first position, thereby preventing the handle <NUM> from disengaging from the first groove <NUM>, and ensuring the reliability and safety of the panel lock. In addition, locking of the handle <NUM> is realized synchronously in folding process, and no other locking action is required, which has better convenience and saves time.

When the handle <NUM> is locked by the second locking assembly <NUM>, the handle <NUM> needs to be unlocked if it needs to be used again. In view of this, the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes an unlocking device, which can drive the latch hook <NUM> to rotate reversely to move from the third position to the fourth position, so that the hook portion <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM> is disengaged from the latching groove <NUM> of the handle <NUM> to realize unlocking of the handle <NUM> by the latch hook <NUM>.

For the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application, the second locking assembly <NUM> cooperates with the handle <NUM> to lock the handle <NUM>, and the unlocking device cooperates with the locking assembly <NUM> to unlock the handle <NUM>. Such design enables the handle <NUM> to be stably locked in the first groove <NUM> and the second groove <NUM> of the shell <NUM> in the nonworking state, which avoids the influence of unstable environment on the shaking of the handle <NUM> and enhances the safety of the panel lock, meeting the requirements of locks under different working conditions. Further, the unlocking device is provided to ensure normal use of the panel lock.

The unlocking device includes the first unlocking assembly <NUM>, which includes an unlocking member <NUM> and a drive mechanism <NUM> connected to the unlocking member <NUM>. The unlocking member <NUM> is movably mounted in the shell <NUM> to drive the drive mechanism <NUM> to move. The moving drive mechanism <NUM> acts on the third protrusion <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM>, driving the latch hook <NUM> to rotate reversely about the second rotary shaft <NUM> by means of pushing the third protrusion <NUM>, thereby the latch hook <NUM> moving to the fourth position to realize unlocking of the latch hook <NUM>. The unlocking member <NUM> includes an operation end exposed toward the front side of the shell <NUM>, and the user can unlock the handle <NUM> by operating the operation end.

After unlocking of the handle <NUM>, the user can lift the handle <NUM> to the second position and rotate the handle <NUM> to drive the first rotary shaft <NUM> to rotate, the first rotary shaft <NUM> drives the locking tab <NUM> to rotate to realize locking and unlocking of the panel lock. In one embodiment, when the user lifts the handle <NUM> from the first position to the second position, the locking tab <NUM> moves downward to release the pressure on the door, and when the handle <NUM> is rotated around the first rotary shaft <NUM> axis, it drives the first rotary shaft <NUM> to rotate as well which in turn, drives the locking tab <NUM> to rotate, so that the locking tab <NUM> is moved to the unlocking position, thereby realizing a switch between the locking position and the unlocking position of the panel lock.

<FIG> is a schematic view of the first unlocking assembly of the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application, and <FIG> is a schematic view of the first unlocking assembly at the rear side of the shell. As shown in <FIG>, the unlocking member <NUM> includes a locking core <NUM>, and the drive mechanism <NUM> includes a driven member <NUM>, a first slider <NUM> and a first conversion unit. The locking core <NUM> is vertically mounted on the front surface of the shell <NUM>, and can rotate under the action of a key <NUM>. The driven member <NUM> is arranged at a bottom of the locking core <NUM>, and can rotate along with the locking core <NUM>. The first slider <NUM> is slidably mounted in the shell <NUM>, and contacts the third protrusion <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM> during the sliding process, and pushes the latch hook <NUM> to move to the fourth position against the force of the first elastic member <NUM>.

The first conversion unit is arranged between the driven member <NUM> and the first slider <NUM>, and converts the rotation of the driven member <NUM> to the sliding motion of the first slider <NUM>. The latch hook <NUM> moves to the fourth position under the driving action of the first slider <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic view of the driven member of the first unlocking assembly of <FIG>; <FIG> is a side view of the driven member of <FIG> is another side view of the driven member of <FIG>; <FIG> is a schematic view of a first slider of the first unlocking assembly of <FIG>; and <FIG> is a top view of the first slider of <FIG>. As shown in <FIG>, the first conversion unit includes a rotation protrusion <NUM> protruding from the driven member <NUM> and a slot <NUM> defined in the first slider <NUM>. The rotation protrusion <NUM> and the slot <NUM> cooperate with each other to implement the transformation from rotation to linear motion.

Obviously, positions of the rotation protrusion <NUM> and the slot <NUM> can be interchanged. In addition, the first conversion unit can be any rotation-linear motion conversion structures, which will not be listed here. For example, the first conversion unit may include a gear provided on one of the driven member <NUM> and the first slider <NUM>, and a rack provided on the other one of the driven member <NUM> and the first slider <NUM>. The gear and rack mesh with each other to implement the transformation from rotation to linear motion.

<FIG> shows a working state of the first unlocking assembly of the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the working principle of the first unlocking assembly <NUM> is: the key <NUM> is inserted in the locking core <NUM> and then turned by the user, the driven member <NUM> at the bottom of the locking core <NUM> is driven to rotate along with the locking core <NUM>, and rotation of the driven member <NUM> is converted to straight movement of the first slider <NUM> under the action of the first conversion unit, the first slider <NUM> thus slides to contact the third protrusion <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM> and pushes the latch hook <NUM> to move to the fourth position against the force of the first elastic member <NUM> to realize unlocking of the handle <NUM>.

The drive mechanism <NUM> further includes a restoring spring <NUM>, which is preferably a torsion spring and sleeved on the driven member <NUM> to provide torque to restore the rotated driven member <NUM> to the initial position. Since the locking core <NUM> and the driven member <NUM> are designed in linkage, the restoring spring <NUM> can restore the released locking core <NUM> to the initial position through the driven member <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic view of the first unlocking assembly of the panel lock provided by another embodiment of the present application. <FIG> and <FIG> show the first unlocking assembly of <FIG> in different working states. For the first unlocking assembly <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the unlocking member <NUM> includes a locking core <NUM> and an unlocking button <NUM>, and the drive mechanism <NUM> includes a second slider <NUM> and a second conversion unit.

The unlocking button <NUM> is provided with a sliding protrusion <NUM> on an outer circumferential surface thereof, and is arranged in the shell <NUM> and slidably along the first axis by the sliding protrusion <NUM>. The locking core <NUM> is inserted into the unlocking button <NUM>, i.e., the unlocking button <NUM> is mounted around the locking core <NUM>. The locking core <NUM> can rotate around the central axis parallel to the first rotary shaft <NUM> in the unlocking button <NUM>, and can slide along with the unlocking button <NUM> through internal mating structures.

The bottom of the locking core <NUM> is provided with a limiting protrusion <NUM>, and the shell <NUM> defines a limiting groove <NUM> corresponding to the limiting protrusion <NUM>. The limiting protrusion <NUM> is aligned with the limiting groove <NUM> after rotating to a preset angle along with the locking core <NUM>. The limiting protrusion <NUM> aligned the limiting groove <NUM> can enter the limiting groove <NUM> and slide along the first axis in the limiting groove <NUM>. Before the limiting protrusion <NUM> rotates to the preset angle, the limiting protrusion <NUM> deviates from the limiting groove <NUM> and cannot enter the limiting groove <NUM>, thus the limiting protrusion <NUM> is restricted above the limiting groove <NUM>. The shapes of the limiting protrusion <NUM> and the limiting groove <NUM> may be elongated strip, cross, square, triangle, etc..

A compression spring <NUM> is provided between the bottom of the locking core <NUM> and the shell <NUM>. The compression spring <NUM> drives the limiting protrusion <NUM> to move to a position disengaged from the limiting groove <NUM>. In other words, when the limiting protrusion <NUM> aligns with the limiting groove <NUM> and enters the limiting groove <NUM>, the elastic force of the compression spring <NUM> needs to be overcome.

The second slider <NUM> is slidably mounted in the shell <NUM>, and contacts the third protrusion <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM> during the sliding process, so as to push the latch hook <NUM> to move to the fourth position against the elastic force of the first elastic member <NUM>.

The second conversion unit is arranged between the second slider <NUM> and the unlocking button <NUM> to convert the sliding motion of the unlocking button <NUM> into the sliding motion of the second slider <NUM>. In this embodiment, the second conversion unit includes an inclined face <NUM> provided on the second slider <NUM> and a driving end provided at the bottom of the unlocking button <NUM>. The inclined face <NUM> is a slope inclined along the sliding direction between the second slider <NUM> and the unlocking button <NUM>, and the driving end of the unlocking button <NUM> abuts against the inclined face <NUM>. During the movement of the unlocking button <NUM>, conversion is completed by the cooperation of the driving end and the inclined face <NUM>. Obviously, to reduce the friction force with the inclined face <NUM>, the driving end may be a smooth curved surface structure or an inclined surface structure corresponding to the inclined face <NUM>. In addition, the inclined face and the driving end may be replaced by matching curved surfaces.

The working principle of the first unlocking assembly <NUM> is as follows: please refer to <FIG>, the limiting groove <NUM> and the limiting protrusion <NUM> are not aligned in general, and thus the limiting protrusion <NUM> cannot move if the unlocking button <NUM> is pressed. Referring to <FIG>, after the locking core <NUM> is rotated by the key <NUM> to make the limiting groove <NUM> be aligned with the limiting protrusion <NUM>, the unlocking button <NUM> is pressed to make the locking core <NUM> to move downward along with the unlocking button <NUM>. The driving end of the unlocking button <NUM> drives the second slider <NUM> to slide toward the latch hook <NUM> through the inclined face <NUM>, and the second slider <NUM> contacts the third protrusion <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM> and pushes the latch hook <NUM> to move to the fourth position against the force of the first elastic member <NUM>, thereby realizing unlocking of the handle <NUM>. After unlocking of the handle <NUM>, the unlocking button <NUM> is released, and the compression spring <NUM> drives the limiting protrusion <NUM> to disengage from the limiting groove <NUM>.

In the above embodiments, the locking core <NUM> acts as the unlocking member, or the locking core <NUM> and the unlocking button <NUM> cooperatively act as the unlocking member. Obviously, the unlocking member may be formed by the unlocking button <NUM>, without the locking core <NUM>. In this way, the unlocking operation of the handle <NUM> can be realized without rotating the key, making the operation quicker and more convenient for those units that do not require secure access.

In an alternative embodiment, the unlocking device of the panel lock may further include a second unlocking assembly <NUM>. <FIG> is a schematic view of the second unlocking assembly of the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application, <FIG> is a schematic view of a portion of the shell corresponding to the second unlocking assembly, and <FIG> shows a working state of the second unlocking assembly of the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in <FIG>, the second unlocking assembly <NUM> includes an unlocking shaft <NUM> and a first sealing ring <NUM>. The unlocking shaft <NUM> is rotatably mounted in the shell <NUM> about a third axis. That is, the unlocking shaft <NUM> is parallel to the rotation direction of the latch hook <NUM>.

The unlocking shaft <NUM> is a shaft-shaped structure extending along the cam axis <NUM>, and includes a cam portion <NUM>, a sealing groove <NUM> and a driving joint <NUM> arranged along the cam axis <NUM>. During assembly, the cam portion <NUM> is at a position that can contact the second projection <NUM> of the latch hook <NUM> during rotation. The cam portion <NUM> drives the latch hook <NUM> to rotate through the action onto the second projection <NUM> to realize disengagement of the latch hook <NUM> from the latching groove <NUM> of the handle <NUM>, thereby unlocking the handle <NUM>.

The driving joint <NUM> extends beyond the shell <NUM>, and a first sealing ring <NUM> is accommodated in the sealing groove <NUM> to seal a connection positon of the shell <NUM> and the unlocking shaft <NUM>, ensuring the tightness of the panel lock. The driving joint <NUM> includes an external interface for connecting an external module <NUM>.

<FIG> is an assembled view of the panel lock and the external module. By docking the external module <NUM> with the first drive joint <NUM>, the external module <NUM> can drive the unlocking shaft <NUM> to rotate, so that the latch hook <NUM> is driven to rotate reversely through the cooperation of the cam portion <NUM> and the second projection <NUM>, so as to realize disengagement of the latch hook <NUM> from the latching groove <NUM> of the handle <NUM> and complete the unlocking of the handle <NUM>. It can be seen that the panel lock provided in the embodiments of the present application reserves the external interface for installing the external module <NUM>, which can realize remotely controlled, mechanical or electronic unlocking of the handle <NUM>.

The rear side of the shell <NUM> is provided with a mounting post <NUM> for inserting the external module <NUM>. An interface of the driving joint <NUM> is a hole defined in an end of the unlocking shaft <NUM>, and a first alignment label <NUM> is formed at a periphery of the hole. The shell <NUM> forms a second alignment label <NUM> corresponding to the first alignment label <NUM>. The alignment of the external module <NUM> and the shell <NUM> is obtained by the first alignment label <NUM> and the second alignment label <NUM>.

The panel lock provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the external module <NUM>, so that the handle <NUM> of the panel lock can be unlocked by external related equipment. The external module <NUM> just needs to drive the unlocking shaft <NUM> to rotate to unlock the handle <NUM> after assembled with the mounting post <NUM>, which increases the expandability of the panel lock.

In addition, by providing the first sealing ring <NUM>, a sealing performance of the panel lock is ensured while retaining the external interface.

Further, the unlocking shaft <NUM> may also be provided with a position sensor for feeding back a rotation angle of the unlocking shaft <NUM> to the external module <NUM>. The external module <NUM> can adjust the state of the unlocking shaft <NUM> in real-time according to the rotation angle of the unlocking shaft, so as to avoid that too large or too small rotation angle of the unlocking shaft <NUM> influences the opening or closing of the panel lock.

It should be noted that the first unlocking assembly <NUM> and the second unlocking assembly <NUM> can work separately. Therefore, in other embodiments, the panel lock may only include the first unlocking assembly <NUM>, or only include the second unlocking assembly <NUM>, or include both the first unlocking assembly <NUM> and the second unlocking assembly <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the shell <NUM> of this embodiment includes a shell body and a rear cover <NUM>. The shell body opens backwardly, and the rear cover <NUM> is in snap-fit connection with the shell body to realize to seal of the shell <NUM>. The shell body is provided with a first sealing surface <NUM>, and the first sealing surface <NUM> is elliptic-shaped and surrounds the aperture. The rear cover <NUM> is provided with a second sealing surface <NUM> corresponding to the first sealing surface <NUM>. A second sealing ring <NUM> is arranged between the first sealing surface <NUM> and the second sealing surface <NUM> to realize the sealing effect and improve the sealing performance.

The panel lock provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes an ejection device. The ejection device is arranged between the handle <NUM> and the shell <NUM>, and ejects the handle <NUM> to a middle position between the first position and the second position after the handle <NUM> is unlocked.

The ejection device includes a first ejection mechanism <NUM> which includes a third elastic member <NUM>, a mounting base <NUM>, and a spring cap <NUM>. The mounting base <NUM> is disposed inside the handle <NUM> and located at a side of the handle <NUM> facing to the shell <NUM>. One end of the third elastic member <NUM> is mounted in the mounting base <NUM>, and the spring cap <NUM> is mounted to the other end of the third elastic member <NUM>.

In this embodiment, the first ejection mechanism <NUM> can eject the handle <NUM> with the preset angle when the latch hook <NUM> is disengaged from the latching groove <NUM> of the handle <NUM> and the user needs to lift the handle <NUM> to the second position. It can be seen that this ejection device can make the handle <NUM> eject with the preset angle before the user holds the handle <NUM>, so that there is enough space to insert user's fingers to hold the handle <NUM>, which makes it easier to hold the handle <NUM> and enhances the operability of the panel lock, especially when the user wears thick gloves. In addition, thanks to the ejection device, it is not necessary to set the first groove deep, which improves the aesthetics of the panel lock.

In this embodiment, the panel lock has three usage statuses. When the panel lock needs to be locked, the first locking assembly <NUM> locks the panel lock with the door, and the second locking assembly <NUM> fix the handle <NUM> in the first groove <NUM> and the second groove <NUM> of the front side of the shell <NUM>, thereby preventing the handle <NUM> from shaking due to external unstable factors, this is defined as a locked status. When the panel lock needs to open, the second locking assembly <NUM> unlocks the handle <NUM>, and the first ejection mechanism <NUM> ejects the handle <NUM> with the preset angle for user's holding, this is defined as an ejection status. The handle <NUM> is lifted to the second position then rotated by the user to drive the first rotary shaft <NUM> to rotate, driving the locking tab <NUM> of the first locking assembly <NUM> to rotate together, thereby opening the panel lock and realizing unlock, this is defined as an unlocked status.

In an alternative embodiment, referring to <FIG>, the first ejection mechanism <NUM> further includes a limiting screw <NUM>, and the second groove <NUM> of the shell <NUM> is provided with a boss <NUM> at a position thereof corresponding to the first ejection mechanism <NUM>.

The limiting screw <NUM> is installed beside a sidewall of the mounting base <NUM>, and is parallel to the sidewall of the mounting base <NUM>. A head of the limiting screw <NUM> extends beyond the sidewall of the mounting base <NUM> to limit a moving range of the spring cap <NUM> in the mounting base <NUM>. The limiting screw <NUM> adjusts the ejection angle of the handle <NUM> to a desired value by restricting the maximum movement of the spring cap <NUM>. For example, the ejection angle of the handle <NUM> may be adjusted to a value between <NUM> and <NUM> degrees.

The boss <NUM> cooperates with the first ejection mechanism <NUM> to eject the handle <NUM> with the preset angle. Generally, the preset angle is about <NUM> degrees. In this situation, the handle <NUM> will not pop up too much to occupy space, nor does it pop up too low to be difficult to hold.

The ejection device may further include a second ejection mechanism. <FIG> is a schematic view of the second ejection mechanism of the panel lock provided by the embodiment of the present application, <FIG> is a schematic view of a spring bracket of the second ejection mechanism of <FIG> is a side view of the spring bracket of <FIG> and <FIG> show working states of the second ejection mechanism of <FIG>. Refer to <FIG>, the second ejection mechanism <NUM> is arranged at a position where the handle <NUM> is close to the first rotary shaft <NUM>, and includes a spring bracket <NUM> and an ejecting spring <NUM>. The spring bracket <NUM> is rotatably mounted to the handle <NUM> about a second axis. That is, the rotation axis of the spring bracket <NUM> with respect to the handle <NUM> is parallel to the rotation axis of the handle <NUM> with respect to the first rotation shaft <NUM>. The ejecting spring <NUM> is preferably a torsion spring, one end of the ejecting spring <NUM> abuts against the handle <NUM>, and the other end of the ejecting spring <NUM> is connected to the spring bracket <NUM>.

The handle <NUM> is provided with a second axle hole <NUM> at a position close to the first axle hole <NUM>. A bracket shaft <NUM> is mounted in the second axle hole <NUM> and parallel to the handle shaft <NUM>. A third axle hole <NUM> is defined in the spring bracket <NUM>. The spring bracket <NUM> is rotatably mounted to the handle <NUM> through the bracket shaft <NUM> which is inserted in the third axle hole <NUM> and the second axle hole <NUM>.

The spring bracket <NUM> includes a first limiting surface <NUM> and a second limiting surface <NUM> which surround the third axle hole <NUM>. During the movement, the spring bracket <NUM> rotates about the bracket shaft <NUM> under the action of the ejecting spring <NUM>, and abuts against a blocking surface <NUM> of the handle <NUM> through the first limiting surface <NUM>. During approaching of the handle <NUM> towards the first rotary shaft <NUM>, a first surface <NUM> of the first rotary shaft <NUM> adjacent to the spring bracket <NUM> abuts against the second limiting surface <NUM>, and drives the spring bracket <NUM> to rotate, so that the first limiting surface <NUM> moves away from the blocking surface <NUM>.

The working principle of the second ejection mechanism <NUM> is: after the handle <NUM> at the first position is released, the first surface <NUM> interacts with the second limiting surface <NUM>, and ejects a certain angle under the action of the ejecting spring <NUM> until the first limiting surface <NUM> contacts the blocking surface <NUM>.

The second ejection mechanism <NUM> may be used in conjunction with the first ejection mechanism <NUM> or may be used separately. In addition, by adjusting an angle between the first limiting surface <NUM> and the second limiting surface <NUM>, the ejection angle of the handle <NUM> under the action of the second ejection mechanism <NUM> can be adjusted, for example, to a value between <NUM> and <NUM> degrees.

In an alternative embodiment, referring to <FIG>, the panel lock further includes an adjusting spring <NUM> and a fixing ring <NUM> arranged on the first rotary shaft <NUM>. The first rotary shaft <NUM> is slidably mounted in the shell <NUM> along the first axis. The adjusting spring <NUM> is sleeved on the first rotary shaft <NUM> and is sandwiched between the shell <NUM> and the fixing ring <NUM>, and drives the first rotary shaft <NUM> to slide toward the rear side of the shell <NUM> through the fixing ring <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, an end of the handle <NUM> connected to the first rotary shaft <NUM> includes the first axle hole <NUM> and third and fourth limiting surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> surrounding the first axle hole <NUM>. A distance between the third limiting surface <NUM> and the first axle hole <NUM> is less than a distance between the fourth limiting surface <NUM> and the first axle hole <NUM>. The fourth limiting surface <NUM> abuts against the shell <NUM> when the handle <NUM> at the first position, and the third limiting surface <NUM> against the shell <NUM> when the handle <NUM> at the second position.

In an alternative embodiment, a wear pad may be inserted between the shell <NUM> and the handle <NUM> to reduce the friction therebetween.

Since the first rotary shaft <NUM> and the handle <NUM> are rotatably connected through the handle shaft <NUM>, when the adjusting spring <NUM> pushes the fixing ring <NUM> downwardly, the force is transmitted to the handle <NUM> through the first rotary shaft <NUM>, and the handle <NUM> will press the shell <NUM> at the position of the handle shaft <NUM>. When the handle <NUM> moves from the first position to the second position, the contacting surface between the handle <NUM> and the shell <NUM> is switched from the fourth limiting surface <NUM> to the third limiting surface <NUM>. The distance between the third limiting surface <NUM> and the first axle hole <NUM> is less than the distance between the fourth limiting surface <NUM> and the first axle hole <NUM>, and a difference may be <NUM>, thus the first rotary shaft <NUM> and the locking tab <NUM> move a short distance, such as <NUM>, towards the rear side of the shell <NUM> under the driving of the adjusting spring <NUM>, which makes the locking tab <NUM> move away from the surface of the locking position, reduce the friction force during rotation of the locking tab <NUM>, finally the handle is easier to twist or swing and the panel lock is easier to unlock.

In an alternative embodiment, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the panel lock further includes a sleeve <NUM>, which is mounted on a hinge portion of the first rotary shaft <NUM> and the handle <NUM>. The sleeve <NUM> is generally a plastic cover for decorative purposes. By surrounding the rotating position of the first rotary shaft <NUM> and the handle <NUM>, the sleeve <NUM> can prevent dust and debris from entering the panel lock. In addition, the sliding range of the first rotary shaft <NUM> and the locking tab <NUM> under the driving of the adjusting spring <NUM> can be adjusted.

In an alternative embodiment, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the end of the handle <NUM> connected to the first rotary shaft <NUM> is provided with a fifth limiting surface <NUM> parallel to the first axle hole <NUM>. The first rotary shaft <NUM> includes a third surface opposite to the first surface <NUM>. The third surface defines a rotation limiting groove <NUM>. After the handle <NUM> is rotated to the second position, the fifth limiting surface <NUM> enters the rotation limiting groove <NUM>, and the rotation limiting groove <NUM> cooperates with the fifth limiting surface <NUM> to prevent the handle <NUM> from further rotating.

In an alternative embodiment, an outer surface of the handle <NUM> is below the highest point of the periphery of the first groove <NUM>. Such design makes the handle <NUM> be lower than the outer surface of the shell <NUM> when the handle <NUM> in the locked status, and avoids to occupy too much space and some unnecessary rubbing.

Claim 1:
A panel lock, comprising:
a shell (<NUM>);
a rotary shaft (<NUM>) rotatably mounted in the shell (<NUM>);
a locking tab (<NUM>) connected to and rotating along with the rotary shaft (<NUM>) to realize unlocking and locking;
a handle (<NUM>) rotatably mounted to the rotary shaft (<NUM>), the handle (<NUM>) having a first position being folded relative to the shell (<NUM>) and a second position being lifted at a preset angle relative to the shell (<NUM>) during rotation about a first axis (<NUM>) perpendicular to the rotary shaft (<NUM>), the handle (<NUM>) comprising a latching groove (<NUM>) and a guiding portion (<NUM>) arranged at a side of the latching groove (<NUM>), a latch hook (<NUM>) rotatably mounted in the shell (<NUM>); and
a first elastic member (<NUM>) arranged between the latch hook (<NUM>) and the shell (<NUM>);
characterized in that,
wherein when the handle (<NUM>) is at the first position, the latch hook (<NUM>) engages into the latching groove (<NUM>) under the driving of the first elastic member (<NUM>) to prevent the handle (<NUM>) from leaving the first position; a limiting surface (<NUM>) is provided at an end of the handle (<NUM>) and abuts against the shell (<NUM>) when the handle (<NUM>) at the second position, the handle (<NUM>) is thus lifted at the preset angle relative to the shell (<NUM>) and collinear with the rotary shaft (<NUM>); and during rotation of the handle (<NUM>) from the second position to the first position, the guiding portion (<NUM>) stretches the latch hook (<NUM>) and guides the latch hook (<NUM>) into the latching groove (<NUM>).