Lock

Abstract

The present application relates to a lock comprising: a locking mechanism having a latch movable between a locked position arranged to fix an opposing member movable relative to the locking mechanism and an unlocked position arranged to release the opposing member; and an actuating element for manually moving the latch to the unlocked position.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present application relates to a lock including a locking mechanism having a latch that can move between a locked position and an unlocked position, the locked position being configured to fix a counter-piece movable relative to the locking mechanism, and the unlocked position being configured to release the counter-piece. Background art

[0002] Such locks are generally known and are used, for example, to secure an energy storage device of an electric bicycle or another electric vehicle or to lock a transport box or a frame lock of an electric vehicle. The latch of the lock is typically pushed into the locked position by a relatively strong spring element from which the latch can be moved to the unlocked position by an actuating element. In this regard, there is a risk that, for example, when driving on uneven terrain or jumping, strong vibrations may cause the latch to accidentally move to the unlocked position against the spring force of the spring element, whereby, for example, the energy storage device fixed by the latch may be lost. Additionally, similarly, there is a risk of unauthorized access to the lock because strong acceleration can be generated by applying an increased force to the actuating element and thus the latch can be forced to move to the unlocked position. Summary of the invention

[0003] The fundamental object of the present application is to provide a lock of the initially named type, characterized by increased security and high operating comfort.

[0004] This object is met by a lock having the features of claim 1. Thus, in addition to the locking mechanism, the lock according to the present application has: an actuating element for manually moving the latch to the unlocked position; and a coupling pin movably supported, in particular displaceably supported, at the latch, and the actuating element can selectively engage with the coupling pin. In the engaged state, in particular, the actuating element can directly cooperate with the coupling pin, i.e., without inserting additional components.

[0005] For example, the movable counter-piece of the lock can be an energy storage device or a component of an energy storage device, or a bolt of a frame lock or a brake disc lock, or a closing hoop or a bail of a lock of a corresponding vehicle or an electric vehicle, in particular an electric bicycle, or a transport box. The lock can also be used for another vehicle or an electric vehicle, in particular an electric wheelchair, an electric scooter or an electric kart, as well as a muscle-powered vehicle. The lock according to the present application can also be provided for locking a door or a window, for example, a door or a window of a trailer or a mobile home, and for locking a cabinet door or a drawer or a transport box or a container. Any desired mechanical lock can generally be replaced by the lock according to the present application.

[0006] The latch can be engaged in the recess of the opposing member or behind the recess of the opposing member in its locked position to prevent the removal of the opposing member from the locking mechanism. Conversely, the latch itself can have a recess, and in the locked position, the corresponding structure of the opposing member or the energy storage can be engaged in this recess. If the lock is intended to secure the energy storage, the latch can be engaged in the recess of the energy storage in its locked position or can be engaged behind the protruding portion of the energy storage, so as to prevent the removal of the energy storage.

[0007] The actuating element can have a handle for keyless actuation, thus achieving a higher operating comfort. The handle can include a button, a slider or a pulling element for transmitting a linear actuating movement, in particular a pushing or pulling actuating movement, to the engaging element. The handle can include a rotary knob or a rotary handle, or a joystick, and the rotary knob or the rotary handle, or the joystick can be operated by a rotary actuating movement. In particular, the movement of the latch by the actuating element can be simply carried out by the manual actuation of the user without providing an electric movement of the latch. The actuating element can generally include a lock cylinder and a related key.

[0008] Advantageous embodiments of the present application are set forth in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the movement direction of the actuating element is oriented at least substantially perpendicular to the movement direction of the latch. In addition, the actuation of the actuating element can be carried out against the restoring force of a restoring spring.

[0010] According to another embodiment, the movement direction of the coupling pin is oriented at least substantially perpendicular to the movement direction of the latch and / or at least substantially perpendicular to the movement direction of the actuating element.

[0011] According to yet another embodiment, the latch has at least one recess for receiving the coupling pin. The coupling pin can be movably supported in the at least one recess, and in particular can be supported to be displaceable in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the coupling pin in the at least one recess, so as to bring the coupling pin out of the effective range of the actuating element. In addition, the coupling pin can be rotatably supported in the at least one recess, so that when the latch is displaced by the actuating element, the coupling pin enters the unlocking position together with the latch.

[0012] According to yet another embodiment, the actuating element, in particular the inclined control surface of the actuating element, and the coupling pin form a ramp mechanism for converting the movement of the actuating element into the movement of the latch.

[0013] According to yet another embodiment, a control element is provided, which is arranged as a movable coupling pin and is particularly arranged to selectively enable or disable a ramp mechanism. In particular, when the ramp mechanism is enabled and when the actuating element is actuated, the inclined control surface of the actuating element can run onto the coupling pin and thereby the latch can be moved to the unlocked position, and when the ramp mechanism is disabled and the actuating element is actuated, the inclined control surface can move in an air-transport manner without moving the latch to the unlocked position.

[0014] In addition, the lock may include at least one actuator for actuating the control element, particularly an electromechanical actuator or an electromagnetic actuator. The control element can be rotationally and / or translationally moved by the actuator, particularly rotated, pivoted or displaced, so as to effect the movement of the coupling pin.

[0015] The latch can be movable from the locked position to the unlocked position against the restoring force of a spring. Thus, it is ensured that the latch is generally pushed into its locked position. Thereby, the risk of accidentally releasing the opposing member from the locking mechanism is reduced. In addition, a latching function capable of automatically latching the opposing member, such as an energy storage device, can be achieved in the locking mechanism by means of a spring, wherein after latching, the latch automatically moves to the locked position by the spring.

[0016] The coupling pin can also be movable against the restoring force of a spring, particularly from a position where it can engage with the actuating element to a position where it cannot engage with the actuating element, and from a position where it cannot engage with the actuating element to a position where it can engage with the actuating element.

[0017] According to yet another embodiment, the lock has a blocking element that can be adjusted between a blocking position and a release position. In the blocking position, the latch is blocked in its locked position, and in the release position, the latch is movable to its unlocked position. For example, the blocking element can be configured as a pin. The blocking element can generally cooperate with any desired movable element of the lock to block the latch, but preferably cooperates with the latch itself.

[0018] Therefore, in the blocking position, the locking mechanism directly fixes the opposing member in the lock through the latch, and the blocking element further blocks the locking mechanism, such that the locking mechanism can only be actuated after the blocking element is adjusted to the release position. Therefore, unlocking the lock requires a total of two release steps. For example, when driving on uneven terrain or due to violent movements on the lock, the blocking element is particularly effective in preventing the accidental movement of the latch to the unlocked position in the blocking position, thereby improving the security of the lock.

[0019] The adjustment of the blocking element between the blocking position and the release position can include rotational movement and / or translational movement of the blocking element. For example, the adjustment of the blocking element can include pivoting, rotating or displacing of the blocking element or a combination thereof, particularly a linear movement along the longitudinal axis of the blocking element.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the blocking element is formed at the control element. Alternatively or additionally, the blocking element can be formed by the coupling pin itself.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the blocking element engages with a component of the lock in its blocking position, in particular with an immovable component of the lock such as the housing. The component of the lock can be configured to prevent the blocking element from moving along the movement direction of the latch. The movable component of the lock can generally be arranged to fix the blocking element in its blocking position. At the movable or immovable component of the lock, in particular at the housing of the lock, a corresponding receiver for the blocking element can be provided, and the receiver blocks the movement of the blocking element, in particular in the movement direction of the latch.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the lock has at least one actuator for adjusting the blocking element between its blocking position and its release position. The actuator can be an electromechanical actuator or an electromagnetic actuator. In particular, the actuator is an actuator configured to actuate the control element. Thus, it is not necessary for the user of the lock to manually transfer the blocking element to the blocking position or the release position, thereby improving the operating comfort. Since only the blocking element is actuated by the actuator instead of the latch, an actuator with lower power and / or a smaller size can be used.

[0023] It can be provided that the lock has a receiving unit for receiving a release signal sent in a wired or wireless manner, in particular a release signal sent via a mobile phone, wherein the release signal can include an instruction to adjust the blocking element to the release position or the blocking position. The keyless actuation of the lock can include: after the blocking element is electrically adjusted to the release position, the manual movement of the latch to the unlocked position can be performed by an actuating element.

[0024] In order to alert the user to a malfunction, in particular an incomplete locking of the lock, the lock can also include a detection device for detecting the locking position adopted by the latch. The detection device can monitor whether the latch actually reaches its locking position during the locking process, or for example, whether the latch is blocked from doing so by an incorrectly inserted energy storage device. In the case where the latch is blocked from doing so by an incorrectly inserted energy storage device, an appropriate warning can be issued to the user, for example, in the form of visual and / or audible feedback generated by the on-board computer of the electric bicycle, the user's mobile phone, and / or the lock itself.

[0025] For example, the detection device can include an actuator for adjusting the blocking element, in particular an electromechanical actuator or an electromagnetic actuator, which can be adjusted between a blocking position where the latch is blocked in its locking position and a release position where the latch can move to its unlocked position. In particular, the actuator can be the same actuator that is also configured to move the control element. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present application will be described by way of example only with reference to possible embodiments and the accompanying drawings as follows:

[0027] Figure 1A Is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a lock according to the present application, wherein the ramp mechanism is deactivated;

[0028] Figure 1B Is Figure 1A a lock of

[0029] Figure 2A Is Figure 1A a perspective view of a lock of

[0030] Figure 2B Is Figure 2A a view of a lock of

[0031] Figure 3A Is Figure 1A a perspective view of a lock of

[0032] Figure 3B Is Figure 3A a view of a lock of

[0033] Figure 4A Is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a lock according to the present application, wherein the ramp mechanism is deactivated;

[0034] Figure 4B Is Figure 4A a lock of

[0035] Figure 5A Is Figure 4A a perspective view of a lock of

[0036] Figure 5B Is Figure 5A a lock of

[0037] Figure 6A Is Figure 4A a perspective view of a lock of

[0038] Figure 6B Is Figure 6A a view of a lock of DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0039] A first embodiment of the lock 10, in particular for an electric bicycle and for example for fixing an energy storage device at an electric bicycle, is shown in Figures 1A to 3B . However, the lock 10 can generally also be used for locking doors, windows, drawers, transport boxes, containers, or generally as an alternative to a mechanical lock. The lock 10 includes a locking mechanism, which includes a latch 12 having a locking portion 12.1. The latch 12 can be in Figure 1A and Figure 1B shown in the locking position and Figure 3A and Figure 3B shown in the unlocked position. In the locking position, the locking portion 12.1 of the latch 12 can engage with a relative member movable relative to the locking mechanism to fix the relative member, wherein the unlocked position is set to release the relative member, and the relative member is, for example, an energy storage device (not shown).

[0040] The latch 12 is supported by a spring 26 such that the latch 12 can move from its locking position into the unlocked position against the restoring force of the spring 26. The latching function of the lock 10 can be achieved by supporting the latch 12 by the spring 26. The insertion of a relative member, such as an energy storage device, into the lock 10 can occur while the latch 12 is in the locked state, because during the insertion of the relative member, the latch 12 presses against the restoring force of the spring 26 into its unlocked position during this period. For this purpose, a control ramp portion 12.2 is provided at the latch. Once the relative member is fully inserted into the lock 10, the latch 12 is automatically pushed by the spring 26 into its locking position, thereby immediately protecting the relative member against loss.

[0041] To move the latch from the locking position to the unlocked position, the lock 10 includes a manually actuable actuating element 14, which in the illustrated embodiment includes a handle 16 in the form of a button. When the button is actuated, the actuating element 14 moves along the actuating axis and against the restoring force of a restoring spring (not shown) in the direction of the latch 12.

[0042] The actuating element 14 is guided in a guiding portion 20 of the latch 12. In the present exemplary embodiment, the guiding portion 20 forms a guiding groove 22, which is centrally provided in the latch 12 and is defined by the guiding portion 20, in particular defined by the guiding portion 20 on three sides, that is, defined by the guiding portion 20 on the side and the top in the figure. Alternatively, however, guides for the actuating element 14, which are arranged in a distributed manner in or at the latch 12, for example on the outer side of the latch 12, are also conceivable. For example, the guiding portion 20 can define a laterally open guide for the actuating element 14, which is particularly defined by the guiding portion 20 only on one side and the top and possibly on the bottom.

[0043] The longitudinal axis of the latch 12 and thus the direction of its movement are oriented perpendicular to the direction of movement of the actuating element 14 along the actuating axis.

[0044] To convert the actuating movement of the actuating element 14 into a latch movement perpendicular thereto, a ramp mechanism is provided which is formed on the one hand by the inclined control surface 24 of the actuating element 14 and on the other hand by the coupling pin 38 of the control element 28. The ramp mechanism can be selectively enabled or disabled by the control element 28. If the ramp mechanism is enabled, the inclined control surface 24 can run onto the coupling pin 38 upon actuation of the actuating element 14 and can thus push the latch 12 into the unlocked position. On the other hand, if the ramp mechanism is disabled, the coupling pin 38 is displaced such that the inclined control surface 24 passes through the interruption 40 of the coupling pin 38 upon actuation of the actuating element 14 and the movement of the actuating element 14 can be said to touch no part and does not move the latch 12.

[0045] According to Figure 1A and Figure 1B , the coupling pin 38 is in a disengaged state in which the interruption 40 of the coupling pin 38 is aligned with the actuating element 14 such that the movement of the actuating element 14 has no effect on the latch 12. To be able to move the latch 12 to its unlocked position by the actuating element 14, the coupling pin 38 can be moved by the control element 28 into an engaged state ( Figure 2A and Figure 2B ) such that the inclined control surface 24 runs onto the coupling pin 38 upon actuation of the actuating element 14 and thus presses the latch 12 into the unlocked position ( Figure 3A and 3B ).

[0046] In the exemplary embodiment shown, the control element 28 is configured to control the fork-shaped member 30 which, in addition to including the suspension strut 32, also includes a first fork portion 34.1 and a second fork portion 34.2 and thus engages the latch 12 on three sides.

[0047] The coupling pin 38 extends between the first fork portion 34.1 and the second fork portion 34.2 such that the longitudinal axis of the coupling pin is oriented perpendicular to the fork portions 34.1, 34.2 and perpendicular to the direction of movement of the latch 12. The coupling pin 38 is arranged at the end of the control fork-shaped member 30 provided opposite the suspension strut 32 and impacts the latch 12 substantially centrally with respect to the actuating axis of the actuating element 14.

[0048] To be able to receive the coupling pin 38, the latch 12 has two channel openings 42 which are arranged on the sides of the latch 12 which are oppositely arranged with respect to the longitudinal axis of the coupling pin 38.

[0049] The coupling pin 38 is formed in two parts and includes a first coupling pin part 38.1 and a second coupling pin part 38.2 separated by an interruption part 40. The width of the interruption part 40 is adapted to the width of the actuating element 14 such that the actuating element 14 can extend into the interruption part 40 without engaging with the coupling pin 38. This precisely characterizes the separated state according to Figure 1A and Figure 1B .

[0050] To convert the coupling pin 38 from the separated state shown in Figure 1A and Figure 1B to an engaged state and possibly to convert the engaged state to the separated state of the coupling pin 38 from Figure 1A and Figure 1B , the lock 10 has an electric motor 44 which is connected to the control element 28 via a suspension strut 32. The suspension strut 32 has a pivot groove 46 which, in the exemplary embodiment shown, is connected in an articulated manner to a pivot arm 48 arranged on a slot of the electric motor 44, wherein the pivot arm 48 can pivot to a well - defined position. Figure 1A and Figure 1B The first position of the pivot arm 48 shown in Figure 2A and Figure 2B corresponds to the separated state of the coupling pin 38, and

[0051] The second position of the pivot arm 48 shown in Figure 1A and Figure 1B corresponds to the engaged state of the coupling pin 38. Figure 2A and Figure 2B The pivot arm 48 pivoting from the first position according to Figure 2A and Figure 2B to the second position causes a linear displacement of the control element 28 along the longitudinal axis of the coupling pin 38. The interruption part 40 of the coupling pin 38 is displaced relative to the actuating element 14 by this linear displacement such that the inclined control surface 24 of the actuating element 14 can run onto the coupling pin 38. Thereby, the coupling pin 38 is brought into its engaged state (

[0052] The latch 12 is movably connected to the control element 28 via the coupling pin 38. In particular, the control element 28 can rotate relative to the longitudinal axis of the coupling pin 38 and can translate relative to the longitudinal axis of the coupling pin 38.

[0053] A second embodiment of the lock 10 is shown in Figures 4A to 6BAs shown, the difference between the second embodiment and the above-described first embodiment is only that the coupling pin 38 here is a continuous pin, and in order to deactivate the ramp mechanism, the coupling pin 38 here can be moved outside the latch 12, or more precisely, outside the guide for the actuating element 14 of the latch 12, here moving from the guide groove 22, so that in the case of actuation of the actuating element 14, the actuating element 14 can move past the coupling pin 38 without the inclined control surface of the actuating element 14 running onto the coupling pin 38, and thus without moving the latch 12 to its unlocking position( Figure 4A and Figure 4B ).

[0054] In this embodiment, in this regard, the displacement of the coupling pin 38 to the outside of the guide groove 22 is effected by the restoring force of a spring (not shown), which presses the coupling pin 38 against the cam-shaped control element 28. The cam-shaped control element 28 can be rotated by an electric motor 44 so that, against the restoring force of the spring (not shown), the coupling pin 38 is pushed back into the guide groove 22 of the latch 12( Figure 5A and Figure 5B ), so that the inclined control surface 24 of the actuating element 14 can now run onto the coupling pin 38 during actuation of the actuating element 14, and thus the latch 12 can be moved to its unlocking position( Figure 6A and Figure 6B ).

[0055] In Figures 4A to 6B the second embodiment shown, the coupling pin 38 has a circular cross-section, in particular a round cross-section. However, it should be understood that the coupling pin 38 can generally also have a non-circular cross-section. In particular, a coupling pin 38 with a flat control surface is conceivable, where the position or slope of the flat control surface is adapted in particular to the inclined control surface 24 of the actuating element 14 such that the actuating element 14 contacts the coupling pin 38 on the largest surface. For example, for this purpose, the cross-section of the coupling pin 38 can be semi-circular or quadrilateral, specifically square.

[0056] Explanation of reference numerals

[0057] 10 Lock

[0058] 12 Latch

[0059] 12.1 Locking part

[0060] 12.2 Control ramp part

[0061] 14 Actuating element

[0062] 16 Handle

[0063] 20 Guide part

[0064] 22 Guide groove

[0065] 24 Tilt control surface

[0066] 26 Spring

[0067] 28 Control element

[0068] 30 Control fork

[0069] 32 Suspension strut

[0070] 34.1 First fork portion

[0071] 34.2 Second fork portion

[0072] 38 Linking pin

[0073] 38.1 First engagement portion

[0074] 38.2 Second engagement portion

[0075] 40 Interrupted portion of the linking pin

[0076] 42 Channel opening of the latch

[0077] 44 Motor

[0078] 46 Pivot groove

[0079] 48 Pivot arm

Claims

1. A lock (10), comprising: A locking mechanism having a latch (12) that is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position, the locked position being configured to fix a relative member movable relative to the locking mechanism, and the unlocked position being configured to release the relative member; An actuating element (14) for manually moving the latch (12) to the unlocked position; And A coupling pin (38) that is movably supported at the latch (12), and the actuating element (14) can selectively engage with the coupling pin (38).

2. The lock (10) according to claim 1, Characterized in that, The moving direction of the actuating element (14) is oriented to be at least substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the latch (12).

3. The lock (10) according to claim 1, It is characterized in that The moving direction of the coupling pin (38) is oriented to be at least substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the latch (12) and / or is oriented to be at least substantially perpendicular to the moving direction of the actuating element (14).

4. The lock (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The latch (12) has at least one recess for receiving the coupling pin (38).

5. The lock (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The actuating element (14), in particular the inclined control surface (24) of the actuating element (14), and the coupling pin (38) form a ramp mechanism for converting the movement of the actuating element (14) into the movement of the latch (12).

6. The lock (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that A control element (28) is used to move the coupling pin (38), in particular for selectively enabling or disabling the ramp mechanism including the actuating element (14) and the coupling pin (38).

7. The lock (10) according to claim 6, It is characterized in that At least one actuator (44) is used to actuate the control element (28).

8. The lock (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that The latch (12) can move from the locked position to the unlocked position against the restoring force of a spring (26).

9. The lock (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, It is characterized in that, A blocking element (36) can be adjusted between a blocking position and a release position. In the blocking position, the latch is blocked in its locked position, and in the release position, the latch (12) can move to its unlocked position.

10. The lock (10) according to claim 9, It is characterized in that The blocking element is formed at the control element (28) or is formed by the coupling pin (38).

11. The lock (10) according to claim 9 or 10, It is characterized in that The blocking element engages with a component of the lock (10) in its blocking position, in particular with an immovable component such as a housing of the lock (10).

12. The lock (10) according to at least one of the preceding claims, Characterized in that, Detection means for detecting the locked position adopted by the latch (12).

13. The lock (10) according to at least claim 12, Characterized in that, wherein the detection device includes an actuator (44) for adjusting a blocking element which is adjustable between a blocking position, in which the bolt (12) is blocked in its locked position, and a release position, in which the bolt (12) can be moved to its unlocked position.

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