Smart lock mechanism

Abstract

This disclosure provides a lock system having a structural assembly, a latch, an ice-breaking actuator, a ratchet, a driving assembly, a multifunctional actuator and a control circuit board. The structural assembly is provided with a first shaft, a second shaft and a third shaft. The latch is pivoted on the first shaft and preset at an unlocked position by a first reset element, and the latch is rotatable to a locked position and a semi-locked position between the unlocked position and the locked position. The ice-breaking actuator is pivoted on the second shaft and linked with latch. A first magnetic element is arranged on the ice-breaking actuator. The ratchet is pivoted on the second shaft and preset at a locking position by a second reset element for holding the latch at the semi-locked position or the locked position, and rotatable for releasing the latch. A second magnetic element is arranged on the ratchet. The driving assembly has a motor, a bilateral pushing lever, an locking lever group and an unlocking lever group. The bilateral pushing lever is pivoted on the third shaft. The motor may rotate the bilateral pushing lever to from a central position toward a locking direction or an unlocking direction. A third magnetic element is arranged on the bilateral pushing lever. The multifunctional actuator is pivoted on the second shaft and connected to the unlocking lever group. The multifunctional actuator has a ratchet actuating portion for pushing the ratchet to unlock the latch. A first latch sensor, a second latch sensor, a latch plate sensor, a ratchet sensor and an actuation sensor are arranged on the control circuit board. When the latch is located at the unlocked position, the semi-locking position or the locked position, the control circuit board may detect the first magnetic element on the ice-breaking actuator through the third latch sensor, the second latch sensor or the first latch sensor. When the lock plate is located at the locked position, the control circuit board may detect the second magnetic element through the ratchet sensor. When the bilateral pushing lever is located at the central position, the control circuit board may detect the third magnetic element through the actuation sensor. The bilateral pushing lever may rotate toward the locking direction to drive the locking lever group or rotate toward the locking direction to drive the multifunctional actuator via the unlocking lever group.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to automotive door locks, and in particular to a smart door lock mechanism that performs multiple functions with a single motor. [Previous Technology]

[0002] A typical car door lock is installed on the door frame of the car to lock the door pivotally mounted on the door frame. The car door lock has a rotatable strike plate and a lock plate. After the lock hook on the door is inserted into the lock groove on the strike plate, rotating the strike plate causes the lock groove to deflect, preventing the lock hook from retracting in the insertion direction. The lock plate engages with the strike plate, thus locking the strike plate and completing the locking process. To unlock, the lock plate is removed from the strike plate, allowing the strike plate to rotate and allowing the lock hook to exit the lock groove.

[0003] Traditional car door locks only require unlocking, so only a relay is needed for the corresponding lock plate, and a cable is used to operate the relay to drive the lock plate. Modern car door locks, in order to accommodate functions such as automatic locking and electric unlocking, must have separate motors and control circuits to perform various functions. Moreover, generally speaking, each function requires a separate motor to execute. Therefore, multi-functional electric vehicle door locks are bulky and expensive to manufacture.

[0004] In view of the above, the inventors have devoted themselves to researching and applying theoretical principles to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, which is the goal of the inventors' improvement. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] This disclosure provides a smart door lock mechanism that performs multiple functions with a single motor.

[0006] This disclosure provides a smart door lock mechanism, which includes a structure, a strike plate, an icebreaker relay, a lock plate, a drive assembly, a multi-functional relay, and a control circuit board. The structure is provided with a first shaft, a second shaft, and a third shaft. The strike plate is pivotally mounted on the first shaft and preset to an unlocked position with a first reset element, and the strike plate can be rotated to a fully locked position and a half-locked position between the unlocked and fully locked positions. The icebreaker relay is pivotally mounted on the second shaft and hooks onto the strike plate and rotates in conjunction with the strike plate, and a first magnetic element is provided on the icebreaker relay. The lock plate is pivotally mounted on the second shaft and preset to a locked position with a second reset element to hook the strike plate in the half-locked or fully locked position, and can be rotated to release the strike plate, and a second magnetic element is provided on the lock plate. The drive assembly includes a motor, a bidirectional push rod, and an unlocking linkage assembly. The bidirectional push rod is pivotally mounted on a third shaft. The motor drives the bidirectional push rod to rotate from a neutral position along a locking direction or an unlocking direction. A third magnetic element is provided on the bidirectional push rod. When the bidirectional push rod rotates along the locking direction, it drives the locking linkage assembly. A multi-functional relay is pivotally mounted on a second shaft and connected to the unlocking linkage assembly. The multi-functional relay has a locking plate relay part, which pushes the locking plate to unlock the latch. The ice-breaking relay part pushes the ice-breaking relay. When the bidirectional push rod rotates along the unlocking direction, it drives the multi-functional relay via the unlocking linkage assembly. The control circuit board is equipped with a first buckle sensor, a second buckle sensor, a third buckle sensor, a lock plate sensor, and an actuation sensor. When the buckle is in the unlocked, half-locked, and fully locked positions, the control circuit board can detect the first magnetic element on the icebreaker relay through the third buckle sensor, the second buckle sensor, and the first buckle sensor, respectively. When the lock plate is in the locked position, the control circuit board can detect the second magnetic element through the lock plate sensor. When the bidirectional push rod is in the neutral position, the control circuit board can detect the third magnetic element through the actuation sensor.

[0007] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the locking linkage assembly includes a locking relay. The locking relay is pivotally mounted on a third shaft and has a hook for hooking the buckle plate. A guide rail is provided on the structure and a part of the hook is inserted into the guide rail. When the first buckle plate sensor and the second buckle plate sensor sequentially detect the first magnetic element, the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate the bidirectional push rod in the upward locking direction to push the locking relay, thereby causing the hook to move along the guide rail and rotate the buckle plate until the second buckle plate sensor and the third buckle plate sensor both detect the first magnetic element and the buckle is electrically locked.

[0008] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the first buckle sensor detects the first magnetic element and the control circuit board receives an unlocking command, the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate the bidirectional push rod in an unlocking direction and pushes the unlocking linkage group, thereby driving the multi-functional relay to rotate and using the lock plate relay part to push the lock plate away from the buckle for electric unlocking.

[0009] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate the bidirectional push rod in an unlocking direction and the first buckle sensor does not detect the first magnetic element, the control circuit board drives the motor to continue rotating the bidirectional push rod in an unlocking direction, thereby driving the multi-functional relay to continue rotating in the relay direction until the buckle is driven until the first buckle sensor detects the first magnetic element and forcibly unlocks it.

[0010] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the control circuit board is electrically locked, the third buckle sensor detects the first magnetic element but the second buckle sensor does not detect the first magnetic element. Then the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate in reverse until the actuation sensor detects the third magnetic element.

[0011] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the control circuit board is electrically unlocked, if the lock plate sensor does not detect the second magnetic element, the control circuit board stops driving the motor and maintains the position of the lock plate.

[0012] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the control circuit board is electrically unlocked, the first latch sensor detects the first magnetic element, and then the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate in reverse until the actuator sensor detects the third magnetic element.

[0013] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the control circuit board forcibly unlocks, the first latch sensor detects the first magnetic element, and then the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate in reverse until the actuator sensor detects the third magnetic element.

[0014] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the smart door lock mechanism further includes a guide rail arm, which is pivotally mounted on the structure and the guide rail is mounted on the guide rail arm. When the multi-functional relay rotates, it simultaneously pushes the guide rail arm away from the buckle plate.

[0015] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the multi-functional relay rotates, it can push the guide arm away from the buckle plate, thereby causing the movement path of the hook to disengage from the buckle plate.

[0016] In one embodiment of this disclosure, when the bidirectional push rod pushes the locking relay to rotate the buckle plate to the fully locked position, the multi-functional relay can rotate at the same time to drive the hook to disengage from the buckle plate.

[0017] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the locking plate relay and the ice-breaking relay are extensions of a multi-functional relay.

[0018] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the multi-functional relay drives the ice-breaking relay, which in turn drives the buckle plate.

[0019] In one embodiment of this disclosure, a multi-functional relay is connected to a cable, which can pull the multi-functional relay to rotate and push the locking plate away from the buckle plate.

[0020] The smart door lock mechanism disclosed herein operates the strike plate and the lock plate separately by bidirectional rotation of a single motor, and the lock plate is further equipped with a multi-functional relay, thereby enabling a single motor to perform various unlocking and locking actions.

Implementation Method

[0036] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the terms "front side", "rear side", "left side", "right side", "front end", "rear end", "end", "longitudinal", "lateral", "vertical", "top", "bottom", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting conditions of this disclosure.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms "substantially" and "approximately" are used to describe and narrate small changes. When used in connection with an event or situation, the term may include the exact moment the event or situation occurred, or the point to which the event or situation occurred. For example, when used in connection with a numerical value, the term may include a range of variation less than or equal to ±10% of the numerical value, such as less than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%.

[0038] The detailed description and technical content of this disclosure will be explained in conjunction with the drawings below. However, the drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0039] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the present disclosure provides a smart door lock mechanism, which is installed on the door frame of a car to lock the door pivotally mounted on the door frame. It includes a structure 100, a snap plate 210, a lock plate 220, a drive assembly 300 (see Figure 4), and a multi-functional relay 410 (see Figure 3). The present disclosure does not limit the form of the structure 100. The structure 100 may include multiple shells (101, 102, 103), and the snap plate 210 and the lock plate 220 are disposed in the structure 100. The structure 100 surrounds an entrance channel 100a for the lock hook on the car door to engage with the smart door lock mechanism.

[0040] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the internal structure of one side of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the structure 100 is provided with a first shaft 110, a second shaft 120, and a third shaft 130. The first shaft 110, the second shaft 120, and the third shaft 130 are disposed on one side of one of the housings 101, the snap plate 210 is pivotally mounted on the first shaft 110, and the lock plate 220 is pivotally mounted on the second shaft 120. The housings (101, 102, 103) are assembled to house the first shaft 110, the second shaft 120, and the third shaft 130 within the structure 100.

[0041] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the internal structure of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the snap plate 210 is pivotally mounted on the first shaft 110 and is in a preset state with a first reset element 111. In this embodiment, the first reset element 111 is a helical spring sleeved on the first shaft 110, and the first reset element 111 presses against the snap plate 210. The lock plate 220 is pivotally mounted on the second shaft 120 and is in a preset state with a second reset element 121. In this embodiment, the second reset element 121 is a helical spring sleeved on the second shaft 120, and the second reset element 121 presses against the lock plate 220.

[0042] The drive assembly 300 of the smart door lock mechanism disclosed herein further includes a locking linkage group 340, which includes a locking relay 341, a hook 342, and a guide arm 343. The locking relay 341 is pivotally mounted on the third shaft 130, and a hook 342 is pivotally mounted on the locking relay 341 for hooking the buckle plate 210. Specifically, a driven hook 213 extends from the edge of the buckle plate 210 for engaging the hook 342. The locking relay 341 is in a preset state with a third reset element 131. In this embodiment, the third reset element 131 is a helical spring sleeved on the third shaft 130, and the third reset element 131 presses against the locking relay 341.

[0043] The guide arm 343 is pivotally mounted on the structure 100, and the guide arm 343 is provided with a guide rail 343a. A portion of the hook 342 is inserted into the guide rail 343a so that the hook 342 can be guided by the guide rail 343a when it moves. Specifically, the hook 342 includes a guide post 342a, which is inserted into the guide rail 343a and can slide along the guide rail 343a.

[0044] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the internal structure of the smart door lock mechanism of one embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to Figures 3 to 5, the drive assembly 300 includes a motor 310, a bidirectional push rod 320, and an unlocking linkage assembly 330. The motor 310 can be disposed on the other side of the aforementioned housing 101. The bidirectional push rod 320 is pivotally mounted on the third shaft 130, and the motor 310 can drive the bidirectional push rod 320 to rotate bidirectionally. The bidirectional push rod 320 and the motor 310 can be poweredly connected by at least one transmission gear 311. The motor 310 and the transmission gear 311 can be disposed on two sides of the aforementioned housing 101, respectively. The unlocking linkage assembly 330 includes two links (331, 332).

[0045] The multi-functional relay 410 is connected to the unlocking linkage 330 and can be rotated by the unlocking linkage 330. Specifically, the multi-functional relay 410 is pivotally connected to the linkages (331, 332). The multi-functional relay 410 is made of bent metal sheet, and one end of one linkage 331 is pivotally connected to the third shaft 130 and the other end is pivotally connected to one end of another linkage 332. The other end of the other linkage 332 is pivotally connected to a consistent moving point 410b on the periphery of the multi-functional relay 410. The multi-functional relay 410 is pivotally mounted on the second shaft 120.

[0046] The smart door lock mechanism disclosed herein also includes a control circuit board 500. The control circuit board 500 and the motor 310 are disposed on the same side of the aforementioned housing 101, and the motor 310 is electrically connected to the control circuit board 500 so that the motor 310 can be controlled by the control circuit board 500. A retaining wall 331 is bent at one edge of the connecting rod 331 pivotally connected to the third shaft 130, and a retaining wall 341 is bent at one edge of the locking relay 341. A bidirectional push rod 320 is disposed between these two retaining walls (331a, 341a) and preset in a neutral position. The bidirectional push rod 320 can rotate from the neutral position toward either of these two retaining walls (331a, 341a) to selectively push the locking relay 341 or the unlocking linkage 330.

[0047] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the smart door lock mechanism disclosed herein further includes an ice-breaking relay 420, which is made of bent metal sheet. The ice-breaking relay 420 is pivotally mounted on the second shaft 120 and hooks into the snap plate 210 for rotational linkage. Specifically, one end of the ice-breaking relay 420 is pivotally connected to the second shaft 120, and the other end is provided with a hooking groove 424. The snap plate 210 has a linkage hook 214, which hooks into the hooking groove 424 on the ice-breaking relay 420. The hooking groove 424 extends radially along the second shaft 120. A first magnetic element 421 is provided on the ice-breaking relay 420, a second magnetic element 221 is provided on the lock plate 220, and a third magnetic element 301 is provided on the bidirectional push rod 320. The control circuit board 500 can detect the operation of the first magnetic element 421, the second magnetic element 221, and the third magnetic element 301. Specifically, the locking plate 220 includes a relay link 222 and a locking plate body 224. Both the relay link 222 and the locking plate body 224 are pivotally mounted on the second shaft 120. The locking plate body 224 is used to engage the buckle plate 210. One end of the relay link 222 is provided with a pin 223, which is inserted into the locking plate body 224. One end of the locking plate body 224 is pivotally connected to the second shaft 120, and the other end is engaged with the buckle plate 210. Therefore, the locking plate body 224 cannot be pushed away from the buckle plate 210 by the connection between the locking plate body 224 and the buckle plate 210. Thus, the relay link 222 extends to the other side of the second shaft 120 to push the locking plate body 224 to rotate. The other end of the relay link 222 is provided for the second magnetic element 221, and the end edge is bent to strengthen the structure so that the multi-functional relay 410 can push against it. The first magnetic element 421 is provided in the ice-breaking relay 420, which rotates in conjunction with the buckle plate 210 and moves along the arc path of the center of the second shaft 120, thus extending the moving distance to make the detection results more accurate.

[0048] The multi-functional relay 410 includes a locking plate relay 411, an ice-breaking relay 413, and an unlocking part 415. When the multi-functional relay 410 is rotated by the unlocking linkage 330, the locking plate relay 411 pushes the locking plate 220 to unlock the buckle plate 210, and the ice-breaking relay 413 and the unlocking part 415 rotate simultaneously.

[0049] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the manual unlocking operation of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 6, the multi-functional relay 410 has a lock plate relay portion 411 for pushing the relay link 222 of the lock plate 220. The lock plate relay portion 411 is a support arm extending from the multi-functional relay 410. Since the relay link 222 is subjected to the force of the second reset element 121, the end edge of the lock plate relay portion 411 is bent to strengthen the structural strength for pushing the relay link 222. The multi-functional relay 410 is also connected to a pull cable 414, which can pull the multi-functional relay 410 to rotate in a relay direction 401 to push the lock plate 220 away from the buckle plate 210. When the latch plate 210 is released from the locking plate 220, it rotates in a release direction 201 to return to its preset state and is in an unlocked position. That is, the rotation direction of the latch plate 210 toward the unlocked position is defined as the release direction 201. The control circuit board 500 is provided with a latch plate sensor corresponding to the unlocked position of the latch plate 210. The latch plate sensor corresponding to the unlocked position is the first latch plate sensor 501. When the latch plate 210 is in the unlocked position, the control circuit board 500 can detect the first magnetic element 421 through the first latch plate sensor 501. The control circuit board 500 is also provided with a locking plate sensor 504. When the locking plate 220 rotates and releases the latch plate 210, the control circuit board 500 can detect the second magnetic element 221 through the corresponding locking plate sensor 504. The edge of the snap plate 210 has a locking groove 202 for accommodating the lock hook 10 on the door. When the snap plate 210 is in the unlocked position, the locking groove 202 aligns with the entrance channel 100a to allow the lock hook 10 to enter the locking groove 202 through the entrance channel 100a. The multi-functional relay 410 has a guide rail relay part 412, which is a support arm extending from the multi-functional relay 410. When the multi-functional relay 410 rotates in the relay direction 401 to unlock, the guide rail relay part 412 pushes the guide rail arm 343 away from the snap plate 210, causing the movement path of the hook 342 to disengage from the snap plate 210.

[0050] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the half-locked state of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 6 and 7, the first shaft 110 is offset on one side of the entrance channel 100a. When the lock hook 10 moves into the lock groove 202 along the entrance channel 100a, it can further push the latch plate 210 to rotate away from the unlocked position. At this time, the rotation direction of the latch plate 210 is opposite to the release direction 201, which is defined as the latching direction 203. Referring to Figure 7, when the latch plate 210 rotates away from the unlocked position, the lock groove 202 rotates and intersects the entrance channel 100a, and the lock hook 10 is confined at the intersection of the lock groove 202 and the entrance channel 100a. The edge of the latch plate 210 has a half-locked position portion 211. When the latch plate 210 is in the half-locked position, the lock plate 220 is in a locked position of its preset state. The edge of the lock plate 220 hooks the half-locked position portion 211 of the latch plate 210 and positions the latch plate 210 in the half-locked position. Specifically, the semi-locked part 211 is oriented towards the release direction 201, thereby allowing the stop plate 210 to rotate in the release direction 201. The control circuit board 500 is equipped with a plate sensor corresponding to the unlocked and semi-locked positions of the plate 210. The plate sensor corresponding to the semi-locked position is a second plate sensor 502. When the plate 210 is in the semi-locked position, the control circuit board 500 can detect the first magnetic element 421 through the second plate sensor 502.

[0051] When the lock hook 10 is moved into the lock groove 202 and pushes the buckle plate 210 to rotate to the half-lock position and is locked by the lock plate 220, the control circuit board 500 can start to perform the electric locking action described later by detecting the movement of the first magnetic element 421 by the first buckle plate sensor 501 and the second buckle plate sensor 502 corresponding to the half-lock position and the unlock position respectively.

[0052] Figures 8 to 10 are schematic diagrams of the operation of the electric locking mechanism of a smart door lock according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 8, the control circuit board 500 drives the bidirectional push rod 320 to rotate in a locking direction 321 via the motor 310, thereby driving the locking linkage 340. The pawl 342 drives the driven hook 213 to lock the snap plate 210. Specifically, the bidirectional push rod 320 pushes the locking relay 341, which causes the pawl 342 to move along the guide rail 343a toward the driven hook 213 of the snap plate 210. Referring to Figure 9, after the pawl 342 hooks the driven hook 213, the bidirectional push rod 320 rotates in the continuing locking direction 321 to push the locking relay 341. The locking relay 341 drives the pawl 342 to continue moving along the guide rail 343a, thereby rotating the snap plate 210 from the half-locked position toward the latching direction 203. The edge of the latch plate 210 has a fully locked position 212. After the latch plate 210 disengages from the half-locked position, the lock plate 220 disengages from the half-locked position 211 and presses against the edge of the latch plate 210. The edge of the latch plate 210 and the lock plate 220 slide relative to each other, and the fully locked position 212 moves toward the lock plate 220 along the latching direction 203. Specifically, the fully locked position 212 is structured to face the release direction 201, thereby preventing the latch plate 210 from rotating toward the release direction 201. When rotated to the fully locked position, the fully locked position 212 reaches the lock plate 220, and the lock plate 220 returns to the locked position. Referring to Figure 10, the lock plate 220 engages with the fully locked position 212, positioning the latch plate 210 in the fully locked position. Therefore, the user only needs to move the lock hook 10 into the lock slot 202, and the control circuit board 500 will then continue to perform the electric locking action.

[0053] A third latch plate sensor 503 is provided on the control circuit board 500 corresponding to the fully locked position of the latch plate 210. When the latch plate 210 is in the fully locked position, the control circuit board 500 can detect the first magnetic element 421 through the corresponding third latch plate sensor 503. An actuation sensor 505 is provided on the control circuit board 500. When the bidirectional push rod 320 is in a preset neutral position, the control circuit board 500 can detect the third magnetic element 301 through the corresponding actuation sensor 505.

[0054] Specifically, each sensor (clasp sensor, lock sensor 504, and actuator sensor 505) generates a high-potential signal when it detects the corresponding magnetic element (first magnetic element 421, second magnetic element 221, and third magnetic element 301), and generates a low-potential signal otherwise. The control circuit board 500 determines the position and movement of the clasp 210, lock 220, and bidirectional push rod 320 based on the state of the high-potential or low-potential signals of each sensor, and further drives the motor 310 to make the bidirectional push rod 320 continue to perform the corresponding action.

[0055] Figure 11 is a control signal diagram of the electric locking mechanism of a smart door lock according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 12 is a flowchart of the control steps of the electric locking mechanism of a smart door lock according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] The control actions for the electric locking operation of the control circuit board 500 are as follows:

[0057] 1a) Determining that the latch plate 210 has entered the half-locked state from the fully open state: Referring to Figures 6 to 7, 11 and 12, the control circuit board 500 uses the first latch plate sensor 501 corresponding to the unlocking position to detect the high potential signal of the first magnetic element 421 and the actuator sensor 505 to detect the high potential signal of the third magnetic element 301. That is, it determines that the latch plate 210 is in the unlocked position and the bidirectional push rod 320 is in the preset neutral position. At the same time, all other sensors detect low potential signals. When the control circuit board 500 detects the instantaneous high potential signal by the lock plate sensor 504, and at the same time detects that the first latch plate sensor 501 switches to a low potential signal and the second latch plate sensor 502 corresponding to the half-locked position switches to a high potential signal, the control circuit board 500 determines that the lock plate 220 is pushed open by the latch plate 210 and resets, and the latch plate 210 rotates from the unlocked position to the half-locked position, and proceeds to the next step.

[0058] 1b) Electric locking in the half-locked state: Referring to Figures 8 to 9, 11 and 12, the control circuit board 500 detects that the second latch sensor 502 has switched to a low potential signal, and determines that the latch 210 is in the half-locked position. The control circuit board 500 drives the motor 310 to rotate forward, which drives the bidirectional push rod 320 to rotate in the upward locking direction 321 (the actuator sensor 505 switches to a low potential signal) and further pushes the locking relay 341. The locking relay 341 drives the latch 210 to rotate in the latching direction 203. When the control circuit board 500 detects a momentary high potential signal by the lock plate sensor 504 and at the same time detects that the third latch sensor 503 corresponding to the fully locked position has switched to a high potential signal, the control circuit board 500 determines that the latch 210 has entered the fully locked position. At the same time, the lock plate 220 is pushed open, and the next step is performed.

[0059] 1c) Determining the fully locked state: When the control circuit board 500 simultaneously detects high-potential signals from the second latch plate sensor 502 and the third latch plate sensor 503, the control circuit board 500 determines that the latch plate 210 is in the fully locked position. The process continues until the latch plate 210 exceeds the fully locked position, proceeding to the next step.

[0060] 1d) Overtravel: Referring to Figures 9 to 12, when the control circuit board 500 detects that the second snap plate sensor 502 switches to a low potential signal and the third snap plate sensor 503 maintains a high potential signal, the control circuit board 500 determines that the snap plate 210 has exceeded the fully locked position. The control circuit board 500 then drives the motor 310 to rotate (reverse), thereby driving the bidirectional push rod 320 to reset to the neutral position to release the snap plate 210. The snap plate 210 is then pushed back to the fully locked position by the first reset element 111. When the snap plate 210 returns to the fully locked position, it is stopped and positioned by the fully locked positioning part 212. At the same time, the control circuit board 500 detects that the second snap plate sensor 502 switches to a high potential signal and determines that it is in a fully locked state. The electric locking action is completed.

[0061] 1e) Reset: When the control circuit board 500 detects the third magnetic element 301 by the actuator sensor 505, the control circuit board 500 detects that the bidirectional push rod 320 has been reset to the neutral position and stops the motor 310.

[0062] Referring again to Figure 6, as described above, when the multi-functional relay 410 rotates in the relay direction 401 to unlock, it simultaneously pushes the guide arm 343 away from the buckle plate 210, causing the hook 342 to disengage from the buckle plate 210. Therefore, when an emergency occurs during the electric locking operation (such as being caught by a foreign object or hand), the multi-functional relay 410 can be pulled in the relay direction 401 by the cable 414, thereby interrupting the linkage between the hook 342 and the buckle plate 210, and simultaneously unlocking the buckle plate 210.

[0063] Figures 13 to 15 are schematic diagrams of the electric unlocking operation of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figures 13 and 14, the bidirectional push rod 320 can rotate in an unlocking direction 322 to push the unlocking linkage group 330, thereby driving the multi-functional relay 410 to rotate in the relaying direction 401 and push the lock plate 220 away from the buckle plate 210 to unlock. When the control circuit board 500 receives an unlocking command, it starts the electric unlocking operation described later. The control circuit board 500 drives the bidirectional push rod 320 to rotate in the unlocking direction 322 to push the retaining wall 331a of the corresponding link 331 of the unlocking linkage group 330, thereby pushing the actuation point 410b of the multi-functional relay 410 through the pivotally connected link 332, thereby driving the multi-functional relay 410 to rotate in the relaying direction 401 and push the lock plate 220 away from the buckle plate 210. Referring to Figure 15, after the buckle 210 is released, it is driven by the first reset element 111 to rotate in the release direction 201 to the unlock position.

[0064] Figure 16 is a control signal diagram of the electric unlocking of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 17 is a flowchart of the control steps for the electric unlocking of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] The control actions for the electric unlocking action of the control circuit board 500 are as follows:

[0066] 2a) Determining the fully locked state: Referring to Figures 14, 16, and 17, the control circuit board 500 detects a high-potential signal of the first magnetic element 421 using the third latch sensor 503 corresponding to the fully locked position, and simultaneously detects a high-potential signal of the lock plate sensor 504. Based on this, it determines that the latch 210 is locked in the fully locked position by the lock plate 220. The control circuit board 500 also detects a high-potential signal of the third magnetic element 301 using the actuation sensor 505, and determines that the bidirectional push rod 320 is in the neutral position.

[0067] 2b) Electric unlocking: Referring to Figures 14 to 17, when the control circuit board 500 receives an unlocking command, it drives the motor 310 to reverse, thereby rotating the bidirectional push rod 320 in the unlocking direction 322 (the actuator sensor 505 switches to a low potential signal) and pushing the unlocking linkage 330. When the control circuit board 500 detects that the lock plate sensor 504 switches to a high potential signal, it determines that the lock plate 220 has moved out of the locked position and releases the latch plate 210. The control circuit board 500 then stops the motor 310 to maintain the lock plate 220 releasing the latch plate 210 and proceeds to the next step.

[0068] 2c) Determine the fully open state: Referring to Figures 15 to 17, if the control circuit board 500 detects that the first latch plate sensor 501 corresponding to the unlocking position switches to a high potential signal and the lock plate sensor 504 switches to a low potential signal, then it is determined that the latch plate 210 has reached the unlocking position and the lock plate 220 has been reset to the locked position. The unlocking action is completed, and proceed to the next step 2d).

[0069] 2d) Reset: The control circuit board 500 drives the motor 310 to rotate forward, causing the unlocking linkage 330 to reset. When the control circuit board 500 determines that the bidirectional push rod 320 has been reset to the neutral position based on the detection of the third magnetic element 301, the motor 310 is stopped.

[0070] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the forced unlocking operation of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 18, when the bidirectional push rod 320 drives the multi-functional relay 410 to rotate in the relay direction 401 to perform an electric unlocking action, or when the control circuit board 500 detects that the lock plate 220 releases the latch plate 210 (manual unlocking), but the control circuit board 500 does not detect that the latch plate 210 is in the unlocking position, the control circuit board 500 will determine that the latch plate 210 is stuck and perform the forced unlocking action described later, that is, directly operate the latch plate 210 to unlock. Specifically, the multi-functional relay 410 has an ice-breaking relay part 413 for pushing the ice-breaking relay 420. The ice-breaking relay part 413 is a support arm extending from the multi-functional relay 410. The ice-breaking relay 420 is linked with the latch plate 210 and is subjected to the force of the first reset element 111. Therefore, the end edge of the ice-breaking relay part 413 is bent to strengthen the structure for pushing against the ice-breaking relay 420, and a corresponding bend is formed at one edge of the ice-breaking relay 420 to form a retaining wall 422 for the ice-breaking relay part 413 to push against. The aforementioned locking plate relay part 411, guide rail relay part 412, and ice-breaking relay part 413 are arranged along the periphery of the multi-functional relay 410. When the multi-functional relay 410 rotates in the relay direction 401, it sequentially pushes the locking plate 220, the guide rail arm 343, and the ice-breaking relay 420. The control circuit board 500 controls the bidirectional push rod 320 to continue rotating in the unlocking direction 322, thereby causing the multi-functional relay 410 to continue rotating in the relay direction 401 until its ice-breaking relay part 413 pushes the ice-breaking relay 420 to rotate around the second shaft 120. When the ice-breaking relay 420 rotates, it pushes the linkage hook 214 on the buckle plate 210 through the hook groove 424, thereby driving the buckle plate 210 to rotate around the first shaft 110 in the release direction 201 to the unlock position.

[0071] Figure 19 is a control signal diagram of the forced unlocking of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The control actions of the control circuit board 500 to perform the forced unlocking action are as follows:

[0072] Referring to Figures 14, 17 and 19, first perform steps 2a) and 2b) of the aforementioned unlocking action in sequence.

[0073] 2c) Determine the fully open state: Then wait for a predetermined time (set to 1 second in this embodiment) to determine the fully open state. If the control circuit board 500 does not detect the first latch plate sensor 501 switching to a high potential signal, it determines that the latch plate 210 is stuck (if both the second latch plate sensor 502 and the third latch plate sensor 503 are at a high potential signal, it is determined that the latch plate is stuck in the fully locked position; if the second latch plate sensor 502 is at a high potential signal but the third latch plate sensor 503 is at a low potential signal, it is determined that the latch plate is stuck in the half-locked position). Therefore, the fully open state cannot be determined, and the forced unlocking step 3c is initiated.

[0074] 3c) Forced unlocking: Referring to Figures 17 to 19, the drive motor 310 further reverses to drive the bidirectional push rod 320 to continue rotating in the unlocking direction 322 and continue to push the unlocking linkage 330 until the first buckle sensor 501 switches to a high potential signal and the motor 310 stops. When the control circuit board 500 detects that the first buckle sensor 501 has switched to a high potential signal and determines that the buckle 210 is in the fully open position, the forced unlocking is completed, and proceed to the next step 2d).

[0075] 2d) Reset: The control circuit board 500 drives the motor 310 to rotate forward, causing the unlocking linkage 330 to reset. When the control circuit board 500 determines that the bidirectional push rod 320 has been reset to the neutral position based on the detection of the third magnetic element 301, the motor 310 is stopped.

[0076] The smart door lock mechanism disclosed herein operates the snap plate 210 and the lock plate 220 respectively by bidirectional rotation of a single motor 310, and the lock plate 220 is further equipped with a multi-functional relay 410, thereby enabling a single motor 310 to perform various unlocking and locking actions.

[0077] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Other equivalent variations that utilize the patent spirit of the present invention shall all fall within the patent scope of the present invention. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0021] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional exploded view of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the internal structure of one side of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional exploded view of the internal structure of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the internal structure of the other side of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the manual unlocking operation of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a smart door lock mechanism in a half-locked state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figures 8 to 10 are schematic diagrams of the operation of the electric locking mechanism of a smart door lock according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 11 is a control signal diagram of the electric locking of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 12 is a flowchart of the control steps for the electric locking of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] Figures 13 to 15 are schematic diagrams of the electric unlocking operation of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 16 is a control signal diagram of the electric unlocking of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] Figure 17 is a flowchart of the control steps for electric unlocking of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which is used to force unlock.

[0035] Figure 19 is a control signal diagram of the forced unlocking of a smart door lock mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A smart door lock mechanism, comprising: A structure comprising a first shaft, a second shaft, and a third shaft; a buckle plate pivotally mounted on the first shaft and preset in an unlocked position by a first reset element, the buckle plate being rotatable to a fully locked position and a half-locked position between the unlocked and fully locked positions; an ice-breaking relay pivotally mounted on the second shaft and hooking onto the buckle plate for rotation in conjunction with the buckle plate, the ice-breaking relay being provided with a first magnetic element; and a locking plate pivotally mounted on the second shaft and preset in a locked position by a second reset element to hook the buckle plate in the half-locked or fully locked position, and being rotatable to release the buckle plate, the locking plate being provided with a second magnetic element. A drive assembly includes a motor, a bidirectional push rod, an unlocking linkage assembly, and a locking linkage assembly. The bidirectional push rod is pivotally mounted on the third shaft. The motor drives the bidirectional push rod to rotate from a neutral position along a locking direction or an unlocking direction. A third magnetic element is provided on the bidirectional push rod. When the bidirectional push rod rotates along the locking direction, it drives the locking linkage assembly. A multi-functional relay is pivotally mounted on the second shaft and connected to the unlocking linkage assembly. The multi-functional relay has a locking plate relay and an ice-breaking relay. The locking plate relay is used to push the locking plate to unlock the buckle. The ice-breaking relay is used to push the ice-breaking relay. When the bidirectional push rod rotates along the unlocking direction, it drives the multi-functional relay via the unlocking linkage assembly. The control circuit board includes a first latch sensor, a second latch sensor, a third latch sensor, a lock sensor, and an actuation sensor. When the latch is in the unlocked position, the half-locked position, and the fully locked position, the control circuit board can detect the first magnetic element on the icebreaker relay through the third latch sensor, the second latch sensor, and the first latch sensor, respectively. When the lock is in the locked position, the control circuit board can detect the second magnetic element through the lock sensor. When the bidirectional push rod is in the neutral position, the control circuit board can detect the third magnetic element through the actuation sensor.

2. The smart door lock mechanism as described in claim 1, wherein the locking linkage assembly includes a locking relay, the locking relay is pivotally mounted on the third shaft and pivotally provided with a claw for hooking the snap plate, a guide rail is provided on the structure and a portion of the claw is inserted in the guide rail, wherein when the first snap plate sensor and the second snap plate sensor sequentially detect the first magnetic element, the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate the bidirectional push rod in the locking direction to push the locking relay, thereby causing the claw to move along the guide rail and rotate the snap plate until both the second snap plate sensor and the third snap plate sensor detect the first magnetic element and the door is electrically locked.

3. The smart door lock mechanism as described in claim 1, wherein when the first snap plate sensor detects the first magnetic element and the control circuit board receives an unlocking command, the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate the bidirectional push rod in the unlocking direction to push the unlocking linkage group, thereby driving the multi-functional relay to rotate and using the lock plate relay part to push the lock plate away from the snap plate for electric unlocking.

4. The smart door lock mechanism as described in claim 3, wherein when the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate the bidirectional push rod in the unlocking direction and the first snap plate sensor does not detect the first magnetic element, the control circuit board drives the motor to continue rotating the bidirectional push rod in the unlocking direction, thereby driving the multi-functional relay to continue rotating until the snap plate is driven until the first snap plate sensor detects the first magnetic element and forcibly unlocks the door.

5. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the control circuit board electrically locks the door, the third snap-on sensor detects the first magnetic element but the second snap-on sensor does not detect the first magnetic element, then the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate in reverse until the actuation sensor detects the third magnetic element.

6. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the control circuit board electrically unlocks the door, if the lock plate sensor does not detect the second magnetic element, the control circuit board stops driving the motor and maintains the position of the lock plate.

7. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein when the control circuit board is electrically unlocked, the first latch sensor detects the first magnetic element, and the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate in reverse until the actuation sensor detects the third magnetic element.

8. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the control circuit board forcibly unlocks, the first latch sensor detects the first magnetic element, and the control circuit board drives the motor to rotate in reverse until the actuation sensor detects the third magnetic element.

9. The smart door lock mechanism as described in claim 2 further includes a guide rail arm pivotally mounted on the structure, and the guide rail is disposed on the guide rail arm, wherein the multi-functional relay pushes the guide rail arm away from the buckle plate when it rotates.

10. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 9, wherein when the multi-functional relay rotates, it can push the guide arm away from the buckle plate, thereby disengaging the movement path of the hook from the buckle plate.

11. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 9, wherein when the bidirectional push rod pushes the locking relay to rotate the strike plate toward the fully locked position, the multi-functional relay can simultaneously rotate to disengage the hook from the strike plate.

12. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 11, wherein the multi-functional relay is connected to a cable that can pull the multi-functional relay to rotate and push the lock plate away from the buckle plate.

13. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lock plate relay and the ice-breaking relay are extensions of the multi-functional relay.

14. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-functional relay drives the ice-breaking relay, thereby actuating the latch plate.

15. The smart door lock mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-functional relay is connected to a cable capable of pulling the multi-functional relay to rotate and push the lock plate away from the buckle plate.

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