Lock mechanism with status indication function

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lock mechanism with a status indication function, which includes a housing, a cover and an indicator. The indicator includes an active indicator and a passive indicator arranged circumferentially along the central axis. The active indicator has a cam mating surface extending in the circumferential direction along the central axis and a stop end portion located at one end of the cam mating surface corresponding to the pivoting center of the active indicator. A radially protruding portion slides along the cam mating surface to cause the active indicator to pivot around the protrusion away from the central axis of the cover. The radially protruding portion presses against the stop end portion of the active indicator and causes the active indicator to pivot around the protrusion to a retracted position where the indicating portion is covered by the cover. The passive indicator is linked to the active indicator through a gear transmission device so that the passive indicator unfolds and folds synchronously with the active indicator. It has the advantages of simple structure, convenient assembly and stable structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking mechanism, in particular to a locking mechanism capable of displaying the state of the lock. Background Art

[0002] In certain applications, it is desirable to know whether the mechanism is in a latched or unlocked state. For example, the lock for securing the door of a compartment in a coach or train can be checked before starting a journey. If the lock is not properly locked, luggage belonging to passengers may be accidentally lost if the compartment door opens during transportation, or the luggage may be stolen during the journey if the storage compartment is not properly secured and unattended.

[0003] To solve the above problems, locks with a status display function have been designed and applied. For example, in the patent document "Latch Mechanism with Status Indicator" disclosed in the Chinese patent application No. CN 201780000951.0 applied by Southco, Inc., there is a cover that can be mounted on the housing to rotate around a central axis between a latched position and an unlocked position. An indicator is interposed between the cover and the housing. In actual applications, there are usually two symmetrically designed indicators for ease of use. The indicator and the cover are in a covering relationship, and the indicator is mounted on the cover and rotates with the cover. A guiding structure (groove 46 in the document) is provided on the housing. As the cover rotates, the indicator is guided by the guiding structure to unfold to at least partially extend out of the covering position of the cover and fold back to the state covered by the cover, thereby achieving the status indication function. In this solution, to ensure the stable operation of the indicator, the manufacturing process of the accessories driven by the groove guiding under the groove guiding structure design and the corresponding assembly are relatively complex. In the second specific embodiment of the document, an installation structure in which the indicator is pivotally mounted on the housing and does not rotate with the cover is also disclosed, but there are defects such as limited rotation angle of the lock or / and poor structural stability of the indicator. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The object of the present invention: To overcome the defects existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a locking mechanism with a status indication function that has a simple structure, is convenient to assemble, and has a stable structure.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0006] A lock mechanism with a status indication function, comprising a housing, a cover and an indicator. The cover has a central axis and is mounted to rotate relative to the housing about the central axis between a latched position and an unlocked position. The indicator is inserted between the cover and the housing. The indicator has an indicating portion in a covering relationship with the cover. The indicator is pivotally mounted on the housing about a protrusion. When the cover rotates from the latched position to the unlocked position, the indicator moves radially outward from the central axis relative to the cover, so that the indicating portion of the indicator is no longer in a covering relationship with the cover. The cover is provided with a radially extending radial side protrusion that rotates with the cover about the central axis. It is characterized in that: the indicator includes an active indicator and a passive indicator arranged circumferentially along the central axis. The active indicator has a cam mating surface extending in the circumferential direction along the central axis and a stop end portion located at one end of the cam mating surface corresponding to the pivotal mounting center of the active indicator. The radial side protrusion slides along the cam mating surface to urge the active indicator to pivot about the protrusion away from the central axis of the cover. The radial side protrusion presses against the stop end portion of the active indicator and urges the active indicator to pivot about the protrusion to a retracted position where the indicating portion is covered by the cover. The passive indicator is linked to the active indicator through a gear transmission device so that the passive indicator unfolds and folds up synchronously with the active indicator.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, when the cover rotates from the latched position to the unlocked position, the radial side protrusion slides along the cam mating surface of the active indicator to urge the active indicator to pivot about the protrusion away from the central axis of the cover, and the indicating portion gradually extends out and is no longer in a covering relationship with the cover. At the same time, the active indicator drives the passive indicator to act synchronously through the gear transmission device, realizing synchronous unfolding with the active indicator and achieving reliable indication. The radial side protrusion is used in cooperation with the cam mating surface and the stop end portion on the active indicator to drive the unfolding and folding of the indicator. Its structure is simple, easy to process and form, can form a reliable fit, is convenient for assembly operation, and the indicator adopts a design of an active indicator and a passive indicator that are linked through a gear transmission device to provide reliable indication, and the mutually related active indicator and passive indicator can restrain each other to achieve structural anti-loosening and the mechanism is stable and reliable.

[0008] Preferably, the passive indicator and the active indicator both extend circumferentially along the central axis, the distal end of the passive indicator rotating around the pivot center of the passive indicator and the distal end of the active indicator rotating around the pivot center of the active indicator are close to each other, and the passive indicator is provided with a yield surface extending circumferentially along the central axis, and when the cover is rotated from the latched position to the unlocked position, the radial side protrusion can slide out of the cam mating surface and enter the position of the yield surface of the passive indicator, and the yield surface and the radial side protrusion correspond to each other to form a passive indicator that is maintained in the expanded position around the protrusion pivoting away from the central axis of the cover under the interference of the radial side protrusion. With this structural design, a yield surface can be formed on the passive indicator to engage with the cam mating surface on the active indicator so as to allow the radial side convex portion to slide in and out of the position where the passive indicator is located. The radial side convex portion can rotate away from the active indicator to enter the position where the passive indicator is located, thereby expanding the rotation angle range of the cover from the latched position to the unlocked position, and realizing a more flexible angle design. The yield surface on the passive indicator is restrained by the radial side convex portion, thereby ensuring that when the cover is in the non-latched position, the active indicator and the passive indicator are always in the expanded state.

[0009] Preferably, the passive indicator is connected with a stopper at one end of the yielding surface close to the pivot center of the passive indicator, and the stopper abuts against the radial side convex portion, thereby constituting the limit position of the unlocking rotation direction of the cover. Under this structural design, the cover is limited by the passive indicator to achieve position limitation, the structure is simple, and the cooperation is reliable.

[0010] Preferably, one end of the passive indicator is arranged close to one end of the active indicator, and the gear transmission device includes a first meshing tooth formed on the active indicator and rotating around the pivot center of the active indicator, and a second meshing tooth formed on the passive indicator and rotating around the pivot center of the passive indicator, and the first meshing tooth and the second meshing tooth are meshed and transmitted. Under this structural design, the transmission structure is simple, and the assembly and operation are stable and reliable.

[0011] Preferably, the housing has a disc-shaped top and a positioning shaft hole passing through the disc-shaped top, the cover includes a shielding ring opposite to the disc-shaped top and an axis extending axially from the shielding ring, the cover is positioned and matched in the positioning shaft hole through the axis, the shielding ring and the disc-shaped top form a gap for accommodating the indicator, and the radial side protrusion is located in the gap. Under this structural design, the matching structure of the housing and the cover is simple, and the insertion and installation of the indicator is convenient, and the overall structure is simple and compact.

[0012] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a lock mechanism in a latched state according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 Structural schematic diagram of the lock mechanism in the unlocked state according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 Exploded view of the lock mechanism according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 4 Axial sectional view of the lock mechanism according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 5 Cooperating state diagram of the radially outward convex part on the cover and the indicator when the indicator is fully retracted according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 6 Cooperating state diagram of the radially outward convex part on the cover and the indicator when the cover rotates by a certain angle and the radially outward convex part on the cover initially drives the indicator to unfold when the indicator is fully retracted according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 7 Cooperating state diagram of the radially outward convex part and the indicator when the indicator is unfolded and the radially outward convex part enters the passive indicator position according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 8 Cooperating state diagram of the radially outward convex part on the cover and the indicator when the lock mechanism is in the unlocked state according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0021] See the appendix Figures 1 to 8, A lock mechanism with a status indication function disclosed by the present invention includes a housing 1, a cover 2, and an indicator 3. The cover 2 has a central axis 21 and is installed to rotate relative to the housing 1 around the central axis between a latched position and an unlocked position. The indicator 3 is inserted between the cover 1 and the housing 2. The indicator 3 has an indicating portion 31 in a covering relationship with the cover 1. The indicator 3 is pivotally mounted on the housing 1 around a protrusion 11. When the cover 2 rotates from the latched position to the unlocked position, the indicator 3 radially moves outward relative to the cover 2 from the central axis 21, so that the indicating portion 31 of the indicator 3 is no longer in a covering relationship with the cover. Corresponding to the unlocking and latching actions of the lock mechanism, when the cover 2 rotates from the latched position to the unlocked position, it drives the indicator 3 to rotate around a protrusion 11. This protrusion 11 can be a pin-shaped structure integrally formed on the housing 1 (this specific embodiment prefers this method for easy forming and installation), or a pin assembled on the housing, or a pin-shaped structure integrally formed on the indicator. The indicator unfolds, and the indicating portion is no longer covered by the cover. The cover 2 is provided with a radially extending radial side protrusion 22 that rotates around the central axis 21 with the cover 2. The indicator 3 includes an active indicator 3a and a passive indicator 3b circumferentially arranged along the central axis 21. The active indicator 3a has a cam mating surface 3a-1 extending in the circumferential direction along the central axis 21 and a stop end 3a-2 located at one end corresponding to the pivot center of the active indicator 3a of the cam mating surface 3a-1. The radial side protrusion 22 slides along the cam mating surface 3a-1 to urge the active indicator 3a to pivot around the protrusion away from the central axis 21 of the cover 2. The radial side protrusion 22 presses against the stop end 3a-2 of the active indicator 3a and urges the active indicator 3a to pivot around the protrusion to a retracted position where the indicating portion 31 is covered by the cover 2 (as shown in Figure 5 ), and the passive indicator 3b is linked to the active indicator 3a through a gear transmission device so that the passive indicator 3b unfolds and retracts synchronously with the active indicator 3a. As shown in Figures 5 to 8 , when the cover rotates from the latched position to the unlocked position, the radial side protrusion 22 slides along the cam mating surface of the active indicator 3a to urge the active indicator to pivot around the protrusion away from the central axis of the cover, and the indicating portion gradually extends and is no longer in a covering relationship with the cover. At the same time, the active indicator drives the passive indicator to act synchronously through the gear transmission device, realizing the synchronous unfolding of the passive indicator and the active indicator to achieve reliable indication. When the cover rotates in the opposite direction, the passive indicator can retract synchronously with the active indicator. When the active indicator and the passive indicator are initially unfolded, the angle of rotation of the cover in the unlocking direction can be adjusted as needed. For example, when the cover starts to rotate in the unlocking direction, it can drive the indicator to rotate and unfold, or after the cover rotates a certain angle, such as 15° later (as shown in Figures 5 to 8), the indicator starts to be driven to unfold; when the active indicator is initially unfolded to the fully unfolded state, the angle of rotation of the cover in the unlocking direction can also be adjusted as needed; the radial side convex portion is used to cooperate with the cam matching surface and the stop end on the active indicator to achieve the unfolding and folding of the driving indicator. The structure is simple, easy to process and form, can form a reliable match, and is convenient for assembly operation. The indicator adopts the active indicator and passive indicator design that realize the associated action through the gear transmission device, which can provide reliable indication, and the interrelated active indicator and passive indicator can restrain each other to achieve structural anti-loosening, and the mechanism is stable and reliable. As disclosed in the prior art, the cover can be constructed to receive a driver that converts the cover from the latched position to the unlocked position. The driver is used to actuate the lock mechanism between the latched and unlocked states. The radial side convex portion 22 is preferably constructed as a cam shape with a curved surface transition between the radial protrusion and the base circle.

[0022] The passive indicator 3b and the active indicator 3a both extend circumferentially along the central axis 21, and the distal end 3b-3 of the passive indicator 3b rotating around the pivot center of the passive indicator 3b and the distal end 3a-3 of the active indicator 3a rotating around the pivot center of the active indicator 3a are close to each other, so that the ends of the active indicator and the passive indicator away from their own pivot centers are in an openable and closable form, and the passive indicator 3b is provided with a clearance surface 3b-1 extending circumferentially along the central axis 21, so that the radial side convex portion 22 is convex along the convex After the wheel mating surface 3a-1 slides and reaches the synchronous opening of the active indicator and the passive indicator, the yield surface 3b-1 can receive the radial side protrusion 22. When the cover 2 rotates from the latched position to the unlocked position, the radial side protrusion 22 can slide out of the cam mating surface 3a-1 and enter the position of the yield surface 3b-1 of the passive indicator 3b. The yield surface 3b-1 corresponds to the radial side protrusion 22 to form a passive indicator 3b that is maintained in the expanded position around the protrusion pivoting away from the central axis 21 of the cover 2 under the resistance of the radial side protrusion 22. The passive indicator can be formed with a yield surface that is connected with the cam mating surface on the active indicator to allow the radial side convex portion to slide in and out of the position where the passive indicator is located. The radial side convex portion can be rotated away from the active indicator to enter the position where the passive indicator is located, thereby expanding the rotation angle range of the cover from the latched position to the unlocked position, and realizing a more flexible angle design. The yield surface on the passive indicator is offset and restricted by the radial side convex portion, thereby ensuring that when the cover is in the non-latched position, the active indicator and the passive indicator are always in the expanded state.

[0023] The limit position of the cover rotating in the unlocking direction needs to be defined, so as to achieve the limit of the knob angle for the locking and unlocking actions of the locking mechanism. The present invention mainly focuses on the limit position of the cover in the unlocking direction. The limit of the maximum rotation angle of the cover can be achieved by relying on an external limiting structure. For the convenience of implementing this limit, a stop portion 3b-2 is connected to one end of the passive indicator 3b close to the pivot center of the passive indicator 3b on the engaging surface 3b-1. The stop portion 3b-2 abuts against the radial side protrusion 22, thereby constituting the limit of the limit position of the unlocking rotation direction of the cover 2. The position of the cover is limited by the passive indicator, with a simple structure and reliable cooperation.

[0024] One end of the pivot protrusion of the passive indicator 3b is close to one end of the pivot protrusion of the active indicator 3a. The gear transmission device includes a first engaging tooth 3a-4 formed on the active indicator 3a and rotating around the pivot center of the active indicator 3a, and a second engaging tooth 3b-4 formed on the passive indicator 3b and rotating around the pivot center of the passive indicator 3b. The first engaging tooth 3a-4 meshes with the second engaging tooth 3b-4 for transmission. The transmission structure is simple, and the assembly and operation are stable and reliable. Of course, without considering the transmission distance, a combination of multiple gears can be used to achieve the linkage between the active indicator and the passive indicator.

[0025] According to the present invention and in combination with the prior art, the locking mechanism can be set as various types of latches, such as a simple cam lock. One end of the housing 1 has a disc-shaped top 12 and a positioning shaft hole 13 penetrating the disc-shaped top. The cover 2 includes a shielding ring 23 opposite to the disc-shaped top and a shaft 24 axially extending from the shielding ring 23. The cover 2 is positioned and fitted in the positioning shaft hole 13 through the shaft 24. The shielding ring 23 and the disc-shaped top 12 form a space 4 for accommodating the indicator. A radial side protrusion 22 is formed on one end surface of the shielding ring 23 corresponding to the space 4, and the radial side protrusion 22 is located within the space 4. The cooperation structure between the housing and the cover is simple, and it is convenient for the insertion and installation of the indicator. The overall structure is simple and compact.

Claims

1. A lock mechanism with a status indication function, comprising a housing, a cover and an indicator. The cover has a central axis and is mounted to rotate relative to the housing about the central axis between a latched position and an unlocked position. The indicator is inserted between the cover and the housing. The indicator has an indicating portion in a covering relationship with the cover. The indicator is pivotally mounted on the housing about a protrusion. When the cover rotates from the latched position to the unlocked position, the indicator moves radially outward from the central axis relative to the cover, so that the indicating portion of the indicator is no longer in a covering relationship with the cover. The cover is provided with a radially extending radial side protrusion that rotates with the cover about the central axis, characterized in that: The indicator comprises an active indicator and a passive indicator arranged circumferentially along the central axis, the active indicator comprises a cam mating surface extending in the circumferential direction of the central axis and a stop end portion located at one end of the active indicator pivot center corresponding to the cam mating surface, the radial side protrusion slides along the cam mating surface to cause the active indicator to pivot around the protrusion away from the central axis of the cover, the radial side protrusion pushes the stop end portion of the active indicator and causes the active indicator to pivot around the protrusion to a recovery position where the indicating part is covered by the cover, the passive indicator is linked to the active indicator via a gear transmission device, so that the passive indicator is synchronously expanded and retracted with the active indicator, the passive indicator and the active indicator both extend circumferentially along the central axis, the distal end of the passive indicator rotating around the pivot center of the passive indicator and the distal end of the active indicator rotating around the pivot center of the active indicator are close to each other, and the passive indicator is provided with a yield surface extending circumferentially along the central axis, and the yield surface can receive the radial side protrusion.

2. The lock mechanism with a status indication function according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the cover is rotated from the latched position to the unlocked position, the radial side protrusion can slide out of the cam mating surface and enter the position of the passive indicator. The yield surface allows the radial side protrusion to slide into the position of the passive indicator. The yield surface and the radial side protrusion correspond to each other to form a passive indicator that is maintained in the expanded position around the protrusion pivoting away from the central axis of the cover under the interference of the radial side protrusion.

3. The lock mechanism with a status indication function according to claim 2, characterized in that: The passive indicator is connected with a stop portion at one end of the yield surface close to the pivot center of the passive indicator, and the stop portion abuts against the radial side protrusion, thereby constituting a limit position of the unlocking rotation direction of the cover.

4. The lock mechanism with a status indication function according to claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the pivot protrusion of the passive indicator is close to one end of the pivot protrusion of the active indicator. The gear transmission device includes a first meshing tooth formed on the active indicator and rotating around the pivot center of the active indicator, and a second meshing tooth formed on the passive indicator and rotating around the pivot center of the passive indicator. The first meshing tooth and the second meshing tooth are meshed for transmission.

5. The lock mechanism with a status indication function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell has a disc-shaped top and a positioning shaft hole passing through the disc-shaped top, the cover includes a shielding ring opposite to the disc-shaped top and an axis axially extending from the shielding ring, the cover is positioned and fitted in the positioning shaft hole through the axis, the shielding ring and the disc-shaped top form a gap for accommodating the indicator, and the radial side protrusion is located in the gap.

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