Locking assembly

Abstract

The utility model provides a locking assembly. The locking assembly comprises a first locked element and a screw. The first locked element has a recessed structure. The screw is detachably arranged on the first locked element and is in direct contact with the first locked element, and the screw comprises a screw head and a screw rod. The nail head is provided with a cam structure, the cam structure corresponds to the concave structure, and the cam structure is provided with a cam inclination angle. The nail rod is arranged on the nail head and provided with a lead structure, and the lead structure is provided with a lead angle. Wherein the cam inclination angle is larger than the lead angle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to a locking assembly, in particular to a locking assembly capable of preventing loosening by means of a cam angle. BACKGROUND

[0002] A screw is a fastener often used to secure two elements (hereinafter referred to as locked elements) to each other. Specifically, a screw can be locked into screw holes in the two locked elements, and the friction between the screw threads and the locked elements can prevent the relative displacement or rotation of the elements. However, no matter how strong the locking force is, when the locked elements themselves vibrate at a high frequency, or when the locked elements are in a vibrating environment for a long time, the screw will gradually loosen from the two locked elements, thereby losing the function of securing the locked elements. Therefore, although the existing screws have gradually met their intended purposes, they are not satisfactory in all aspects. There are still some problems to be overcome regarding the locking assembly including the screw. SUMMARY

[0003] In some embodiments, a locking assembly is provided, which includes a first locked element and a screw. The first locked element has a concave structure. The screw is detachably arranged on the first locked element and directly contacts the first locked element, wherein the screw includes a head and a shank. The head has a cam structure, wherein the cam structure corresponds to the concave structure, and the cam structure has a cam angle. The shank is arranged on the head and has a lead structure, wherein the lead structure has a lead angle. Wherein the cam angle is greater than the lead angle.

[0004] According to an embodiment of the present application, the cam angle is greater than the lead angle by at least 0° or more.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present application, the cam angle is greater than or equal to 4° and less than or equal to 10°.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present application, the lead angle is greater than or equal to 3° and less than or equal to 9°.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first locked element has a first screw hole, and the concave structure surrounds the first screw hole, wherein the shank passes through the first screw hole, and the cam structure of the head and the concave structure of the first locked element are engaged with each other.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present application, the locking assembly further includes a second locked element having a second screw hole, wherein the shank sequentially passes through the first screw hole and the second screw hole to lock the first locked element and the second locked element to each other.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present application, the cam structure has at least two inclined surfaces.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cam structure has six inclined surfaces.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the cam structure has a vertical height and a horizontal length, wherein the vertical height is between 0.2mm and 4mm, and the horizontal length is between 2mm and 45mm.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the lead structure has a plurality of threads, and the pitch of the plurality of threads is between 0.1mm and 2mm, and the thread diameter is between 0.4mm and 10mm.

[0013] The locking assembly of the present disclosure can be applied to various types of devices. In order to make the features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and easy to understand, various embodiments are described below, and the accompanying drawings are described in detail as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The concept of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be more understood by the following detailed description with the accompanying drawings. It is worth noting that, according to the standard convention in the industry, some features may not be drawn to scale. In fact, in order to clearly describe, the size of different components may be increased or decreased.

[0015] Figure 1A and Figure 1B are respectively schematic diagrams showing the locking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram showing the side view of the screw according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram showing the enlarged view of the screw according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 3A is a schematic diagram showing the top view of the first state of the locking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3B is a schematic diagram showing the top view of the second state of the locking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram showing the side view of the first state of the locking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram showing the side view of the second state of the locking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the parameters of the screw according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 6A 、 Figure 6B and Figure 6C are respectively possible applications of the locking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024]

Symbolic Description

[0025] 1: Locking assembly

[0026] 11: First locked element

[0027] 111: First screw hole

[0028] 112: Concave structure

[0029] 1121A: Inclined surface

[0030] 1121B: Vertical surface

[0031] 1121C: Horizontal surface

[0032] 12: Screw

[0033] 121: Head

[0034] 1211: Cam structure

[0035] 1211A: Inclined surface

[0036] 1211B: Vertical surface

[0037] 1211C: Horizontal surface

[0038] 122: Shank

[0039] 1221: Lead structure

[0040] 13: Second locked element

[0041] d2: Thread pitch diameter

[0042] H: Vertical height

[0043] L: Horizontal length

[0044] P: Pitch

[0045] P1: Base portion

[0046] P2: Inclined portion

[0047] P3: Extended portion

[0048] θ1: Cam angle

[0049] θ2: Lead angle DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, or examples, for implementing various implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Merely listing numerous examples does not limit the present disclosure to those examples. The specific examples described herein are amenable to modifications and / or substitutions for like things. For example, those skilled in the art will recognize that elements from one example can be employed in other examples without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosure. In addition, the present disclosure can be repeated in different embodiments or examples. Such repetition can be amenable to simplification and / or elimination by one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the following description is not amenable to a limitation of the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms such as "disposed on," "connected to," and the like, unless specifically defined, can refer to two components being in direct contact, or can also refer to two components not being in direct contact, with additional components located between the two structures. The terms such as "disposed on," "connected to," and the like can also include cases where both structures can be movable, or both structures can be fixed.

[0052] In addition, the terms "first," "second," and the like, as used in the specification and claims, can be used to name different components and to distinguish different embodiments or instances from each other, and are not necessarily used to limit the upper or lower limit of the number of components, nor to limit the order of manufacture or arrangement of components.

[0053] In this document, the terms "approximately," "about," and "substantially" are used to mean within 10% or within 5% or within 3% or within 2% or within 1% or within 0.5% of a given value or range. A numerical quantity given herein can implicitly include about and / or substantially unless otherwise indicated. When the term "between" is used to describe a relationship between two dimensions, it means that the two dimensions can be within 10% or within 5% or within 3% or within 2% or within 1% or within 0.5% of each other. When the term "between" is used to describe a relationship between two directions, it means that the angle between the two directions can be between 80 degrees and 100 degrees. When the term "between" is used to describe a relationship between two directions, it means that the angle between the two directions can be between 0 degrees and 10 degrees.

[0054] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0055] It is to be understood that certain components of the devices have been omitted for clarity of description, and that only those components necessary to understand the disclosure have been illustrated in the drawings. In some embodiments, additional components can be added to the devices described below. In other embodiments, certain components of the devices described below can be replaced or omitted. It is to be understood that, in some embodiments, additional process steps can be provided before, during, and / or after the process steps described below. In some embodiments, some of the process steps described can be replaced or omitted, and the order of the process steps described can be altered.

[0056] In the use of screw fastening a locked element, if the locked element itself will vibrate, or is long-term in a vibrating environment, the screw can be loosened from the locked element. In other words, the simple screw fastening method can not meet the specific situation or specific environment. Therefore, there are some devices that strengthen the connection strength between the screw and the locked element by the additional setting of the washer. However, the additional setting of the washer not only increases the overall cost, but also the thickness of the washer increases the possibility of interference in addition to raising the height of the screw. In other words, this method not only reduces the space utilization of the locked element, but also can be detrimental to the miniaturization of the locked element. In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides a locking assembly which strengthens the connection strength between the screw and the locked element by the wedge effect. Specifically, the present disclosure is provided with corresponding cam structure and recess structure on the screw and the locked element, and the cam angle of the cam structure is greater than the lead angle of the screw. In this way, the present disclosure can achieve the effect of preventing the screw from loosening without the additional setting of the washer.

[0057] Referring to Figure 1A and Figure 1B which are respectively a perspective view showing a locking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the locking assembly 1 includes a first locked element 11 and a screw 12. In some embodiments, the first locked element 11 can include various electronic devices, such as a circuit board, a display device, a machine, a wall hanging design, or other suitable electronic devices, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0058] In particular, the first locked element 11 has a first screw hole 111 and a recessed structure 112. The first screw hole 111 corresponds to the shank 122 of the screw 12. When the screw 12 is locked to the first locked element 11, the first screw hole 111 is in direct contact with the shank 122 of the screw 12, and the shank 122 passes through the first screw hole 111. On the other hand, the recessed structure 112 surrounds the first screw hole 111, and the recessed structure 112 corresponds to the head 121 of the screw 12. When the screw 12 is locked to the first locked element 11, the recessed structure 112 is in direct contact with the head 121 of the screw 12, and the head 121 fits into the recessed structure 112. In some embodiments, the recessed structure 112 of the first locked element 11 is symmetrical to the cam structure 1211 on the head 121. Therefore, the recessed structure 112 of the first locked element 11 can also be referred to as a "first cam structure", and the cam structure 1211 of the head 121 can also be referred to as a "second cam structure". The specific shape of the recessed structure 112 will be explained together when the cam structure 1211 is described.

[0059] The screw 12 is detachably disposed on the first locked element 11 and directly contacts the first locked element 11. In some embodiments, the screw can be or include a flat head screw, a round head screw, a cylindrical head screw, or other suitable screws according to the shape of the screw head, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the screw can be or include a Phillips head screw, a cross head screw, a hex head screw, an octagonal head screw, a double hex head screw, a phillips plus head screw, a star head screw, or other suitable screws according to the shape of the slot, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the screw can be or include a plastic screw, a carbon steel screw, a stainless steel screw, a copper screw, or other suitable screws according to the material, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0060] In particular, the screw 12 includes a head 121 and a shank 122. The head 121 has a cam structure 1211, wherein the cam structure 1211 corresponds to the recessed structure 112 and protrudes towards the shank 122. Referring to Figure 2A and Figure 2B are respectively schematic side views of a screw according to some embodiments of the present disclosure

[0061] and enlarged schematic views. As shown, the cam structure 1211 can include a base portion P1, an inclined portion P2

[0062] And an extension P3. The inclined portion P2 and the extension P3 protrude from the base P1 toward the nail rod 122. Specifically, the inclined portion P2 is located between the two extensions P3, and the bottom surface of the inclined portion P2 is an inclined plane, while the bottom surface of the extension P3 is a plane parallel to the horizontal direction. In some embodiments, the inclined portion P2 and the extension P3 are spaced apart. For example, multiple inclined portions P2 and multiple extensions P3 can be provided, and these inclined portions P2 and these extensions P3 can be alternately arranged. In some embodiments, the extension P3 can be omitted. In other words, the cam structure 1211 may include a base P1 and an inclined portion P2, but not the extension P3. In this case, multiple inclined portions P2 are arranged sequentially.

[0063] like Figure 2B As shown, the cam structure 1211 has an inclined surface 1211A, a vertical surface 1211B, and a horizontal surface 1211C. Specifically, the inclined surface 1211A is located between the two vertical surfaces 1211B and extends from the highest point of one vertical surface 1211B toward the lowest point of the other vertical surface 1211B. In some embodiments, the cam structure 1211 has at least two inclined surfaces 1211A, for example, it may have six inclined surfaces 1211A, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In this disclosure, the angle between the inclined surface 1211A and the horizontal direction can be defined as the cam tilt angle θ1. In some embodiments, when the cam structure 1211 does not include the extension P3, the cam structure 1211 has the inclined surface 1211A and the vertical surface 1211B, but not the horizontal surface 1211C.

[0064] Similarly, the recessed structure 112 of the first locked element 11 also has a corresponding structure. For example... Figure 1A As shown, the recessed structure 112 has at least one inclined surface 1121A and one vertical surface 1121B. The inclined surface 1121A is located between the two vertical surfaces 1121B and extends from the highest point of one vertical surface 1121B towards the lowest point of the other. When the recessed structure 112 of the first locking element 11 engages with the cam structure 1211 of the nail head 121, the inclined surfaces 1211A and 1121B are in contact with each other, and the vertical surfaces 1211B are in contact with each other.

[0065] like Figure 2AAs shown, the shank 122 is disposed on the head 121 and has a lead structure 1221. Specifically, the lead structure 1221 is in a circular manner with a slope around the main body of the shank 122. The lead structure 1221 has a lead angle θ2, and the cam angle θ1 is greater than the lead angle θ2. In the present disclosure, the lead structure 1221 refers to the thread of the screw 12, and the lead angle θ2 refers to the angle between the tangent of any point on the helix and the perpendicular of the axis. Therefore, in some embodiments, the "lead angle" can also be referred to as the "thread rise angle". By making the lead angle θ2 less than the cam angle θ1, a wedge effect is generated between the cam structure 1211 of the head 121 and the lead structure 1221 of the shank 122. The wedge effect strengthens the engagement between the head 121 of the screw 12 and the first locked element 11, so that the screw 12 will not loosen due to vibration. In addition, the principle of preventing loosening of a general bolt is that the friction force μ between the threads is greater than the bolt lead angle (i.e. μ > tan θ2). This relationship indicates that when the thread friction coefficient is equal to or greater than the tangent function of the thread lead angle, the self-locking function (the thread will not loosen itself) can be achieved.

[0066] Referring to Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4A and Figure 4B . Wherein, Figure 3A and Figure 4A are the top view and side view of the locking assembly in the first state, respectively. Figure 3B and Figure 4B are the top view and side view of the locking assembly in the second state, respectively. As shown in Figure 3A and Figure 4A , after the screw 12 is locked on the first locked element 11, the screw 12 and the first locked element 11 are fixed to each other. At this time, the locking assembly 1 can be said to be in the first state. Then, as shown in Figure 3B and Figure 4B , after experiencing a certain time of vibration, the entire screw 12 can rotate relative to the first locked element 11 in the thread direction. Because the screw 12 of the present disclosure and the first locked element 11 have a wedge effect, the degree of rotation of the screw 12 relative to the first locked element 11 in the thread direction is limited, so that the screw 12 cannot be loosened from the first locked element 11. At this time, the locking assembly 1 can be said to be in the second state. In other words, the locking assembly of the present disclosure can be in the first state or the second state during use, but will not cause the screw to loosen.

[0067] As mentioned above, the present disclosure is directly provided with corresponding recess structure 112 and cam structure 1211 on the first locked element 11 and screw 12, so that the screw 12 cannot be loosened by the wedge effect. In the following, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the possible states or values of the cam structure 1211 and the lead structure 1221 of the screw will be described. Of course, these descriptions are only for making the present disclosure more clear and understandable, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0068] As shown in Figure 2B , the cam inclination θ1 is the included angle between the inclined surface 1211A and the horizontal direction. Therefore, according to the trigonometric function, where H is the vertical height H of the inclined portion P2, and L is the horizontal length L of the inclined portion P2. For example, when the vertical height H of the inclined portion P2 is 0.4 mm, and the horizontal length L of the inclined portion P2 is 4.49 mm, then In some embodiments, the cam inclination θ1 can be adjusted by adjusting the vertical height H and / or the horizontal length L of the inclined portion P2. For example, the vertical height H can be between 0.2 mm and 4 mm, and the horizontal length L can be between 2 mm and 45 mm, so that the cam inclination θ1 is greater than or equal to 4° and less than or equal to 10°, for example, 4°, 5°, 6°, 7°, 8°, 9°, 10° or any value or range between the above values, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the above values can be scaled up according to the size of the first locked element 11, or one or more of the above values can be adjusted according to actual needs.

[0069] Referring to Figure 2A , Figure 2B and Figure 5 , where Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing various parameters of the screw according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, reference is made to Table 1, which lists some common screw specifications.

[0070] Table 1

[0071]

[0072]

[0073] As shown in Figure 2A and Figure 5 , the lead structure 1221 has a plurality of threads, and the threads have a pitch P and a thread diameter d2. According to the trigonometric function, For example, when the specification of the screw 12 is M5, the pitch P of the screw 12 is 0.4 mm, and the thread diameter d2 of the screw 12 is 4.480 mm, then Therefore, one having ordinary skill in the art can select the screw 12 with a specific lead angle θ2 according to the above table. Alternatively, one having ordinary skill in the art can also make or select the screw 12 with a specific pitch P and a thread diameter d2 according to the need, so as to control the lead angle θ2. In some embodiments, the pitch P of the thread of the screw 12 can be between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, and the thread diameter d2 can be between 0.4 mm and 10 mm, so that the lead angle θ2 is greater than or equal to 3° and less than or equal to 9°, for example, 3°, 4°, 5°, 6°, 7°, 8°, 9°, or any value or range between the above values, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the above values can be scaled up according to the size of the first locked element 11, or one or more of the above values can be adjusted according to the actual need.

[0074] In some embodiments, the cam angle θ1 can be greater than the lead angle θ2 by at least 0°, for example, 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, 5°, or any value or range between the above values, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. When the difference between the cam angle θ1 and the lead angle θ2 is less than 1°, the wedge effect can not be obvious enough, thereby reducing the effect of preventing the screw 12 from loosening. Conversely, when the difference between the cam angle θ1 and the lead angle θ2 is greater than 10°, the fixing strength between the screw 12 and the first locked element 11 can be too high, thereby making it difficult to remove the screw 12. In some embodiments, considering the friction μ, the anti-loosening formula of the screw of the present disclosure can be strengthened as tan θ1 + μ > tan θ2.

[0075] In practical applications, the recessed structure 112 can be provided on the first locked element 11 by various forming processes. For example, the forming processes can include machining forming, injection forming, stamping forming, other suitable processes, or a combination thereof, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the locking assembly 1 also includes a second locked element (not shown), and the second locked element has a second screw hole. Specifically, the screw 12 is used to lock the first locked element 11 to the second locked element. For example, the shank 122 of the screw 12 sequentially passes through the first screw hole 111 and the second screw hole, so as to interlock the first locked element 11 and the second locked element.

[0076] Similar to the first locked element 11, the second locked element can include various electronic devices, such as a circuit board, a display device, a machine tool, or other suitable electronic devices, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the second locked element can also be a rigid body, such as a fixed wall, a partition wall, or the like. In other words, the screw 12 of the present disclosure can also lock the first locked element 11, such as an electronic device, to the second locked element, such as a wall.

[0077] Referring to Figure 6A、 Figure 6B and Figure 6C which respectively show possible applications of the locking assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 6A , in some embodiments, the first locked element 11 can be a driving device, and the second locked element (not shown) can be a wall. In this case, the driving device can be locked to the wall by the screw 12. As shown in Figure 6B , in some embodiments, the first locked element 11 can be a driving device, and the second locked element 13 can be a fixed support. In this case, a portion P1 of the first locked element 11 can be made of plastic, and another portion P2 can be made of sheet metal. In this case, different portions of the driving device can be locked to the fixed support by the screw 12. As shown in Figure 6C , in some embodiments, the first locked element 11 can be a circuit board, and the second locked element 13 can be a fixed support. In this case, the first locked element 11 can be made of composite material. In this case, the circuit board can be locked to the fixed support by the screw 12.

[0078] In other words, the locking assembly 1 of the present disclosure can be applied to various devices, and these devices can form the recess structure (or also called the cam structure) corresponding to the screw by the methods described above. In addition, compared with some prior arts, the screw of the present disclosure does not use a sharp sawtooth-shaped head to engage the locked element, and thus can be applied to locked elements with hard surfaces. In some embodiments, compared with a horizontal surface, the inclined surface 1211A of the head 121 increases the contact area between the screw and the first locked element 11, thereby improving the friction therebetween. For example,

[0079] In summary, the present disclosure provides a locking assembly which strengthens the connection strength between the screw and the locked element by the wedge effect. Specifically, the present disclosure provides corresponding cam structure and recess structure on the screw and the locked element, and makes the cam angle of the cam structure greater than the lead angle of the screw. In this way, the present disclosure can achieve the effect of preventing the screw from loosening without additionally providing a gasket.

[0080] The above-described embodiments are summarized in order to enable a person having ordinary knowledge in the art to better understand the spirit of the present disclosure. A person having ordinary knowledge in the art should understand that other processes and structures can be designed or modified based on the embodiments of the present disclosure to achieve the same purpose and / or advantages as the embodiments described herein. A person having ordinary knowledge in the art should also understand that such equivalent processes and structures do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and various changes, substitutions and replacements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A locking assembly comprising: Comprising: a first locked element having a concave structure; and a screw removably disposed on the first locked element and directly contacting the first locked element, wherein the screw comprises: a head having a cam structure, wherein the cam structure corresponds to the concave structure, and the cam structure has a cam angle; and a shank disposed on the head and having a lead structure, wherein the lead structure has a lead angle, wherein the cam angle is greater than the lead angle.

2. The attachment assembly of claim 1, wherein, The cam angle is greater than the lead angle by at least 0°.

3. The attachment assembly of claim 2, wherein, The cam angle is greater than or equal to 4° and less than or equal to 10°.

4. The attachment assembly of claim 3, wherein, The lead angle is greater than or equal to 3° and less than or equal to 9°.

5. The attachment assembly of claim 1, wherein, The first locked element has a first screw hole, and the concave structure surrounds the first screw hole, wherein the shank passes through the first screw hole, and the cam structure of the head and the concave structure of the first locked element interlock with each other.

6. The attachment assembly of claim 5, wherein, Further comprising: a second locked element having a second screw hole, wherein the shank sequentially passes through the first screw hole and the second screw hole to interlock the first locked element and the second locked element with each other.

7. The attachment assembly of claim 1, wherein, The cam structure has at least two inclined surfaces.

8. The attachment assembly of claim 7, wherein, The cam structure has six inclined surfaces.

9. The attachment assembly of claim 1, wherein, The cam structure has a vertical height and a horizontal length, wherein the vertical height is between 0.2 mm and 4 mm, and the horizontal length is between 2 mm and 45 mm.

10. The attachment assembly of claim 1, wherein, The lead structure has a plurality of threads, and the pitch of the plurality of threads is between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, and the thread diameter is between 0.4 mm and 10 mm.

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