An electrically powered lockout actuator

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of automobile vehicle accessories, and particularly relates to an electric locking actuator for vehicle parts; it comprises a box body and a box cover connected with the box body, the box cover is provided with a through hole, the box body is provided with a driving assembly and a transmission assembly connected with the driving assembly, the transmission assembly comprises an output shaft and a driving wheel, the driving wheel and the output shaft are located in the box body and the output shaft extends out of the through hole of the box cover, the end of the output shaft is provided with a locking part for locking or unlocking other parts after the output shaft rotates by a certain angle; the middle part of the driving wheel is provided with a mounting hole, the output shaft is coaxially matched in the mounting hole, the output shaft is configured to rotate with the driving wheel and can move up and down along the axis under the action of external force, the box body is provided with a switch assembly; the downward movement of the output shaft can trigger the switch assembly. The present application designs an electric locking actuator with high integration and automatic switch assembly, which conforms to the use habit of users.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of automobile vehicle accessories, and particularly relates to an electric locking actuator for vehicle parts. BACKGROUND

[0002] The existing solutions for vehicle parts on the market can be roughly summarized as follows:

[0003] 1. The first type (Lock push-push) is an electric locking / unlocking actuator (electric lock), and the user needs to operate the physical button on the instrument panel in the vehicle or the vehicle entertainment system. After receiving the electronic signal, the vehicle machine controls the locking / unlocking of the locking pin of the vehicle part. When the actuator is locked, the vehicle part cannot be opened; when the actuator is unlocked, the user can generally open the above-mentioned vehicle part manually by pressing or pulling.

[0004] 2. The second type (Push-push) is a manual pressing and opening / closing without any electric element, and cannot realize independent locking of the vehicle part after the vehicle is locked.

[0005] It should be noted that the above-mentioned first type has the function of electric locking / unlocking, and sometimes independent button switches or induction switches are designed near the product area on some vehicle parts as a signal source, replacing the physical button in the vehicle or the virtual button of the vehicle entertainment system, so that the user can directly operate the vehicle part, which is more convenient.

[0006] In summary, there is no actuator on the market that can directly press the cover plate of the vehicle part to complete the unlocking and locking. SUMMARY

[0007] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present application designs an electric locking actuator with high integration and automatic switching assembly, which conforms to the user's usage habit.

[0008] The technical scheme of the present application is as follows:

[0009] An electric locking actuator comprises a box body and a box cover connected with the box body, the box cover is provided with a through hole, the box body is provided with a driving assembly and a transmission assembly connected with the driving assembly, and the electric locking actuator is characterized in that:

[0010] Further comprising an output shaft and a driving wheel, the driving wheel and the output shaft are located in the box body, and the output shaft extends out of the through hole of the box cover,

[0011] The end of the output shaft is provided with a locking part, and the locking part is used for locking or unlocking other parts after the output shaft rotates by a certain angle;

[0012] The middle part of the driving wheel is provided with a mounting hole, and the output shaft is coaxially arranged in the mounting hole, the output shaft is configured to rotate with the driving wheel and to move up and down along the axis under the action of external force,

[0013] The box is provided with a switch assembly, and the downward movement of the output shaft can trigger the switch assembly.

[0014] Further, the lower end of the box cover is provided with a limiting sleeve coaxial with the through hole, the lower end of the limiting sleeve is provided with a limiting groove, and the upper end surface of the driving wheel is provided with a limiting protrusion matched with the limiting groove.

[0015] Further, the limiting sleeve is provided with a sealing ring, and the sealing ring is sleeved on the output shaft.

[0016] Further, at least one guide groove is arranged on the inner wall of the mounting hole of the driving wheel, and a guide protrusion is correspondingly arranged on the output shaft.

[0017] Further, a limiting ring is arranged at the edge of the lower end of the output shaft, and an extension rod is arranged at the center of the output shaft, and the extension rod is used to trigger the switch assembly.

[0018] Further, the box is further provided with a reset spring, the upper end of the reset spring abuts against the lower surface of the limiting ring, and the lower end of the reset spring abuts against the box.

[0019] Further, the lower end of the output shaft is provided with a support assembly along the inner circumference of the limiting ring, and the length of the support assembly is greater than the length of the extension rod; and the reset spring is located outside the support assembly. Further, the transmission assembly comprises a first gear connected to the output end of the driving assembly, the box is provided with a gear shaft, the gear shaft is fixedly provided with a second gear engaged with the first gear and a worm, and the outer circumference of the driving wheel is provided with a worm wheel engaged with the worm.

[0020] Further, the locking part comprises a connecting shaft connected with the end of the output shaft, and a lock plate arranged at the end of the connecting shaft.

[0021] Further, the lock plate is in the shape of an ellipse, a triangle or a sector.

[0022] In summary, the present application has the following advantages:

[0023] The switch assembly is arranged in the box body, and the switch assembly can be triggered by the output shaft, the switch assembly is directly integrated in the actuator, and the actuator is not controlled by an external button or a button, but only needs to press the output shaft by applying a certain force on the vehicle part, so that whether the actuator is actuated or not is controlled, which is more in line with the use habit of people, and further, the locking part at the end of the output shaft can lock the opening part of the vehicle part. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 It is an exploded view of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 It is an exploded view of the present application from another perspective;

[0027] Figure 4 It is a structural view of the driving wheel;

[0028] Figure 5 It is a sectional view of the present application; Figure 4

[0029] In the figure, 1 is a box body, 10 is a supporting sleeve;

[0030] 2 is a box cover, 20 is a through hole, 21 is a limiting sleeve, 210 is a limiting groove, 22 is a sealing ring,

[0031] 3 is a driving assembly,

[0032] 4 is a transmission assembly, 40 is a first gear, 41 is a gear shaft, 42 is a second gear, 43 is a worm,

[0033] 5 is an output shaft, 50 is a locking part, 51 is a limiting ring, 52 is an extension rod, 53 is a supporting assembly, 503 is a connecting shaft, 504 is a locking plate,

[0034] 6 is a driving wheel, 60 is a mounting hole, 61 is a limiting protrusion, 601 is a guide groove, 501 is a guide protrusion, 62 is a worm wheel, 63 is a limiting end face, 64 is a lower connecting sleeve, and 65 is an upper connecting sleeve;

[0035] 7 is a switch assembly,

[0036] 8 is a reset spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments, so that those skilled in the art can better understand the present application and implement it, but the embodiments are not limiting to the present application.

[0038] ​It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "disposed on", "fixed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there can be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "fixed on" or "fixedly connected" to another element, it can be either detachably fixedly connected or non-detachably fixedly connected to the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected", "rotatably connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there can be an intervening element. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right", "upper", "lower", and similar expressions used herein are used for the purpose of description only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0039] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the description herein is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The use herein of the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0040] The terms "first", "second", "third", and so on used in the present application are not intended to represent a specific number and order, but are merely used for distinguishing names. Embodiment

[0041] The present application relates to an electric actuator, which can be used for locking the vehicle parts with opening and closing functions and needing to be locked, such as electric charging port, electric refueling port, in-vehicle glove box, in-vehicle armrest box, in-vehicle small refrigerator, in-vehicle coded box, etc.

[0042] The specific structure scheme is as follows:

[0043] An electric locking actuator comprises a box body 1 and a box cover 2 connected with the box body, the box body is a shell assembly with multiple accommodation spaces, various parts are installed in the box body, the box cover is used for sealing the box body, so that the structure of the actuator is consistent as a whole, and the waterproof and dustproof capability of the actuator is improved, the box cover is connected with the box body by means of laser welding, hot melt welding, screwing, etc., a through hole 20 is arranged on the box cover 2, a driving assembly 3 is arranged in the box body 1, the driving assembly is a micro motor arranged in the box body, and a transmission assembly 4 connected with the driving assembly 3, the transmission assembly is a multi-stage speed reduction assembly, so as to achieve the purpose of speed reduction and effectively control the rotation speed of the output shaft.

[0044] Further comprising an output shaft 5 and a driving wheel 6, the driving wheel 6 and the output shaft 5 are located in the box body, and the output shaft extends out of the through hole of the box cover,

[0045] A locking part 50 is arranged at the end of the output shaft 5, the locking part is used for locking or unlocking other parts after the output shaft rotates by a certain angle.

[0046] The middle part of the driving wheel 6 is provided with a mounting hole 60, and the output shaft 5 is coaxially arranged in the mounting hole 60. The output shaft 5 is configured to rotate with the driving wheel and to move up and down along the axis under the action of an external force. The driving wheel is connected with the transmission assembly. Under the driving of the transmission assembly, the driving wheel rotates in the box. According to the forward rotation or reverse rotation of the transmission assembly, the forward rotation or reverse rotation of the driving wheel can be realized. During the forward rotation or reverse rotation of the driving wheel, the output shaft is driven to rotate forward or reversely, so that the locking part cooperates with the vehicle component to realize the locking or unlocking action.

[0047] The box 1 is provided with a switch assembly 7. The switch assembly includes a press switch, and the switch is fixed on a circuit board. The circuit board is arranged in the box. Specifically, the switch is arranged in the box corresponding to the lower end of the output shaft. The downward movement of the output shaft can trigger the switch assembly. The switch assembly is triggered by the up and down movement of the output shaft. When people press the vehicle component, the output shaft is driven to move downward, the output shaft triggers the switch assembly, and then the driving assembly works to drive the output shaft to rotate, so that the locking part of the output shaft unlocks the vehicle component. After the vehicle component is used, people manually close the cover of the vehicle component, press the output shaft again, the output shaft triggers the switch assembly again, the driving assembly reversely rotates, drives the output shaft to reversely rotate, and the locking part of the output shaft is locked with the vehicle component.

[0048] The locking part is rotated by a certain angle to cooperate with the vehicle component to achieve the locking purpose. Therefore, the rotation angle needs to be limited to avoid the locking purpose due to the excessive rotation angle of the output shaft. Therefore, the lower end of the box cover 2 is provided with a limiting sleeve 21 coaxial with the through hole. The lower end of the limiting sleeve 21 is provided with a limiting groove 210. The upper end surface of the driving wheel 6 is provided with a limiting protrusion 61 matched with the limiting groove. During the rotation of the driving wheel, the limiting protrusion rotates in the limiting groove of the limiting sleeve. The central angle of the limiting groove limits the rotation angle of the output shaft. In the embodiment, the central angle of the limiting groove is 110°, which can be adjusted according to the actual needs.

[0049] The output shaft is a movable part, so the sealing between the output shaft and the box cover needs to be ensured. The limiting sleeve 21 is provided with a sealing ring 22. The sealing ring 22 is sleeved on the output shaft. The sealing ring is a Y-shaped sealing ring, which effectively ensures the sealing effect between the output shaft and the sealing ring, and does not affect the movement of the output shaft.

[0050] To ensure the reliability of motion transmission between the drive wheel and the output shaft, at least one guide groove 601 is provided on the inner wall of the mounting hole 60 of the drive wheel 6, and a corresponding guide protrusion 501 is provided on the output shaft 5. In this embodiment, two guide grooves are provided on the inner wall of the mounting hole of the drive wheel, and the two guide grooves are symmetrically arranged. Two guide protrusions are provided on the corresponding output shaft. This ensures the reliability of the circumferential rotation of the drive wheel and the output shaft, while also not affecting the vertical movement of the output shaft.

[0051] A limiting ring 51 is provided at the lower edge of the output shaft 5, and an extension rod 52 is provided at the center of the output shaft. The extension rod 52 is used to trigger the switch assembly. The limiting ring can limit the axial movement distance of the output shaft. The drive wheel 6 is provided with a limiting end face 63 that cooperates with the limiting ring. The cooperation between the two limits the upward distance of the output shaft.

[0052] The housing 1 is also equipped with a reset spring 8. The upper end of the reset spring 8 abuts against the lower surface of the limiting ring, and the lower end of the reset spring 8 abuts against the housing. When a force is applied to the output shaft, the output shaft moves downward along the groove, and the reset spring is compressed. When the extension rod of the output shaft triggers the switch assembly, the output shaft is released. Under the action of the return force of the reset spring, the output shaft moves upward along the groove in the drive wheel to reset. The distance of movement is limited by the limiting ring and the limiting end face.

[0053] The lower end of the output shaft is provided with a support component 53 along the inner circumference of the limiting ring, and the length of the support component is greater than the length of the extension rod. During the downward movement of the output shaft, when the extension rod triggers the switch component, the lower end of the support component will simultaneously abut against the wall of the housing to prevent the switch component below from being crushed. Furthermore, the length difference between the support component and the extension rod should be less than the height of the switch component in the conducting state to avoid the switch component failing to conduct due to an excessive length difference. The support component can have various structural forms; the structural form of the support component in this embodiment is shown in the appendix. Figure 2 As shown, the support assembly consists of several support rods arranged along the inner circumference of the limiting ring. Other structural forms can also be adopted, such as: the support assembly can be two semi-circular arc plates. The reset spring 8 is located on the outside of the support assembly. The support assembly provides axial support for the reset spring. The two ends of the reset spring can stably contact the limiting ring and the housing, ensuring that the equipment can operate stably and reliably for a long time.

[0054] The transmission assembly of the present application is described as follows: the transmission assembly 4 comprises a first gear 40 connected to the output end of the driving assembly 3, a gear shaft 41 arranged in the box 1, a second gear 42 and a worm 43 fixed to the gear shaft 41 and engaged with the first gear 40, and a worm wheel 62 arranged on the outer periphery of the driving wheel 6 and engaged with the worm. Firstly, the running speed of the actuator is adjusted by the first gear, the second gear, the worm wheel and the worm. Secondly, the power transmission is reversed by the gear shaft and the worm wheel, which reduces the space required by the transmission assembly, thereby effectively controlling the size of the whole actuator and meeting the demand for miniaturization of the actuator.

[0055] In order to ensure reliable connection stability of the driving wheel in the box, the lower end surface of the driving wheel 6 extends outwardly of the limiting end surface 63 to form a lower connecting sleeve 64, and the upper end surface of the driving wheel 6 extends to form an upper connecting sleeve 65, the limiting protrusion 61 is arranged on the outer wall of the upper connecting sleeve 65 and is integrally formed with the upper connecting sleeve 65, the upper connecting sleeve 65 is coaxially fitted in the limiting sleeve of the box cover, the box 1 is provided with a supporting sleeve 10 for accommodating the lower connecting sleeve, and the driving wheel 6 rotates under the fixation of the supporting sleeve and the limiting sleeve. The guiding groove extends to the inner walls of the upper connecting sleeve and the lower connecting sleeve, which increases the stroke of the up-down movement of the output shaft and ensures the stability of the up-down movement of the output shaft.

[0056] The locking part 50 comprises a connecting shaft 503 connected to the end of the output shaft and a locking plate 504 arranged at the end of the connecting shaft. The locking plate is in the shape of a long circle, a triangle or a sector. The present application can be used for electric charging ports, electric refueling ports, glove boxes in vehicles, armrest boxes in vehicles, small refrigerators in vehicles, coded boxes in vehicles, etc. The charging port or refueling port door plate, the movable box of the glove box, the cover plate of the armrest box, the door plate of the small refrigerator or the coded box are all provided with a locking hole matched with the shape of the locking plate. A locking groove for the rotation of the locking plate is arranged on the side wall of the locking hole. The locking plate is first embedded in the corresponding locking hole and then rotated by a certain angle under the drive of the driving wheel. The locking plate is clamped in the locking groove to achieve the locking of the vehicle parts by the locking part.

[0057] In summary, the present application has the following advantages:

[0058] The switch assembly is arranged in the box and can be triggered by the output shaft. The switch assembly is directly integrated in the actuator and does not need to be controlled by external keys or buttons to determine whether the actuator works. The actuator can be controlled by pressing the output shaft with a certain force, which is more in line with people's habits. Furthermore, the locking part at the end of the output shaft can lock the opening part of the vehicle parts.

[0059] All other embodiments that would be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art based on the description of the application as described herein are within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An electric locking actuator, comprising a box body and a box cover connected with the box body, the box cover being provided with a through hole, the box body being provided with a driving assembly and a transmission assembly connected with the driving assembly, characterized in that: the electric locking actuator further comprises an output shaft and a driving wheel, the driving wheel and the output shaft being located in the box body and the output shaft extending out of the through hole of the box cover, an end of the output shaft being provided with a locking part for locking or unlocking other components after the output shaft rotates by a certain angle, a middle part of the driving wheel being provided with a mounting hole, the output shaft being coaxially fitted in the mounting hole, the output shaft being configured to rotate with the driving wheel and to move up and down along an axis under the action of an external force, the box body being provided with a switch assembly, the output shaft moving downward to trigger the switch assembly, the mounting hole of the driving wheel being provided with at least a guide groove on an inner wall thereof, the output shaft being provided with a corresponding guide block, a limit ring being provided at an edge of a lower end of the output shaft, a center of the output shaft being provided with an extension rod for triggering the switch assembly, the box body being further provided with a return spring, an upper end of the return spring abutting against a lower surface of the limit ring, and a lower end of the return spring abutting against the box body, a limit sleeve coaxial with the through hole being provided at a lower end of the box cover, a limit groove being formed at a lower end of the limit sleeve, an upper end surface of the driving wheel being provided with a limit block matched with the limit groove, a sealing ring being provided in the limit sleeve and sleeved on the output shaft, a support assembly being provided at the lower end of the output shaft along an inner circumference of the limit ring, the length of the support assembly being greater than the length of the extension rod, the return spring being located outside the support assembly, the transmission assembly comprising a first gear connected with an output end of the driving assembly, the box body being provided with a gear shaft, the gear shaft being fixed with a second gear engaged with the first gear and a worm, an outer circumferential surface of the driving wheel being provided with a worm wheel engaged with the worm, the locking part comprising a connecting shaft connected with the end of the output shaft and a lock plate provided at an end of the connecting shaft, the lock plate being in the shape of an elongated circle, a triangle or a sector. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2. An electrically powered lockout actuator according to claim 1, wherein: ​ 3. An electrically powered lockout actuator according to claim 2, wherein: ​ 4. An electrically powered locking actuator according to claim 1, wherein: ​ 5. An electrically powered locking actuator according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that: ​ 6. An electrically powered locking actuator according to claim 5 wherein: ​ 7. An electrically powered locking actuator according to claim 6 wherein: ​

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