Folding joint

Abstract

The utility model provides a folding joint which comprises a first joint, a second joint, a jacking rod, an elastic reset piece and a handle, one side of the first joint is hinged to one side of the second joint, the other side of the first joint is provided with a supporting part, the other side of the second joint is provided with a hinge lug, the hinge lug can contain the supporting part, and the elastic reset piece is arranged on the handle. A transversely-arranged sliding groove is formed in the hinge lug, a mounting groove is formed in the bottom of the hinge lug, the jacking rod is arranged at one end of the handle and slidably arranged in the sliding groove, and the elastic reset piece is arranged in the mounting groove and used for enabling the jacking rod to move towards one end of the sliding groove. When the handle is opened, the handle is rotated, the handle drives the jacking rod to rotate, and the jacking rod overcomes the elastic force of the elastic reset piece to slide towards the other end of the sliding groove and is separated from the supporting part of the first connector. The folding joint disclosed by the utility model is high in reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of locking mechanisms for mechanical connections, and more specifically, to a folding joint. Background Technology

[0002] Existing foldable devices such as folding bicycles and folding electric bikes all use self-locking folding joints with quick-release structures at their folding connection parts. This allows for quick folding, disassembly, and even locking of the folding connection parts, reducing the size of the folding bicycle and facilitating storage or transportation.

[0003] For example, Chinese patent document CN201559767U discloses a folding connector, including an upper connecting plate and a lower connecting plate hinged to one side by a hinge shaft. A handle is hinged to the other side of the lower connecting plate, and a ball joint is hinged to the front end of the handle. A ball joint seat is fixed to the other side of the upper connecting plate. The ball joint is pressed into the ball joint seat by the ball joint, thus closing and locking the upper and lower connecting plates. By rotating the handle, the handle drives the ball joint to pass the dead point and press against the ball joint seat, thus closing and locking the upper and lower connecting plates. Rotating the ball joint opens the upper and lower connecting plates. If the user accidentally rotates the handle from the locked position by a certain angle, the folding connector will immediately loosen, posing a safety hazard. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a folding connector that is locked by the cooperation of a tightening rod and an elastic reset member, which is highly safe and reliable.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the folding joint disclosed in this utility model is:

[0006] A folding connector includes a first connector, a second connector, and a handle. One side of the first connector is hinged to one side of the second connector. The connector also includes a clamping rod and a resilient reset member. The other side of the first connector has a supporting portion, and the other side of the second connector has a hinge ear that can accommodate the supporting portion. The hinge ear has a transversely arranged sliding groove and a mounting groove at its bottom. The clamping rod is located at one end of the handle and is slidably disposed in the sliding groove. The resilient reset member is disposed in the mounting groove and is used to move the clamping rod towards one end of the sliding groove. When the first and second connectors are engaged, the resilient reset member causes the clamping rod to slide to one end of the sliding groove and abut against the supporting portion. When the handle is opened, rotating the handle causes the clamping rod to rotate, and the clamping rod overcomes the elastic force of the resilient reset member and slides towards the other end of the sliding groove, disengaging from the supporting portion of the first connector.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment, the handle is provided with a protrusion, and the hinge ear is provided with a support part and a limiting part that cooperate with the protrusion. When the handle is locked, the limiting part on the hinge ear is used to limit the protrusion on the handle. When the handle is open, the support part on the hinge ear is used to support the protrusion on the handle, so that the handle rotates relative to the protrusion.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment, the limiting portion on the hinge ear includes a limiting surface and a guiding surface, one end of the guiding surface is smoothly connected to the limiting surface, and the other end is biased towards the supporting portion.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the protrusion is provided with an abutment surface and a rotation surface.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the handle is provided with a stop portion, and one end of the stop portion is provided with a groove that matches the shape of the tightening rod.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, it also includes an adjusting screw, the tightening rod is provided with an adjusting screw hole, the adjusting screw is disposed in the adjusting screw hole, and the supporting part is provided with an inner concave surface that mates with one end of the adjusting screw.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the other end of the abutment is provided with a locking screw hole, and the adjusting screw passes through the adjusting screw hole and is locked in the locking screw hole.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, a locking screw is provided in the locking screw hole, and the locking screw is used to tighten the adjusting screw.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the lower surface of the supporting portion on the other side of the first connector is provided with a clearance surface.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the handle is provided with a self-locking mechanism.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the folding connector disclosed in this utility model are as follows: When the first connector and the second connector are in the closed state, the tightening rod slides to one end of the slide groove by the elastic force of the elastic reset member and tightens the support part, so that the first connector and the second connector can be firmly locked without external force, and the locking is convenient and reliable; when it is necessary to unlock the folding connector, turn the handle to drive the tightening rod to move away from the support part and slide to the other end of the slide groove, and then the first connector and the second connector can be opened, preventing the handle from being accidentally unlocked due to misoperation, thus improving the safety and reliability of the folding connector. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the folding joint of this utility model.

[0018] Figure 2 This is an exploded schematic diagram of the folding joint of this utility model.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the handle in the folding connector of this utility model.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second connector in the folding connector of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the engagement between the protrusion on the handle and the limiting part on the slide groove when the folding joint of this utility model is locked.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the engagement between the protrusion on the handle and the support on the slide groove when the folding joint of this utility model is opened.

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the folding joint of this utility model when it is opened.

[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the handle and tightening rod of the folding joint of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 9 This is an exploded view of the folding joint handle and self-locking mechanism of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0026] A folding connector includes a first connector, a second connector, a handle, a clamping rod, and a resilient reset member. One side of the first connector is hinged to one side of the second connector. The other side of the first connector has a support portion, and the other side of the second connector has a hinge ear that can accommodate the support portion. The hinge ear has a transversely arranged sliding groove and a mounting groove at its bottom. The clamping rod is located at one end of the handle and is slidably disposed in the sliding groove. The resilient reset member is disposed in the mounting groove and is used to move the clamping rod towards one end of the sliding groove. When the first connector and the second connector are engaged, the resilient reset member causes the clamping rod to slide to one end of the sliding groove and abut against the support portion, locking the first connector and the second connector. When the handle is opened, rotating the handle causes the clamping rod to rotate, and the clamping rod overcomes the elastic force of the resilient reset member and slides towards the other end of the sliding groove, disengaging from the support portion of the first connector, thus opening the first connector and the second connector. By utilizing the elastic force of the elastic reset component to automatically lock the first and second connectors, even if the handle is opened, the first and second connectors will not open. Continuing to rotate the handle will drive the tightening rod to overcome the elastic force of the elastic reset component and disengage from the supporting part, thus opening the first and second connectors, improving the safety and reliability of the folding connector.

[0027] The present invention will be further described and illustrated below with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings:

[0028] Please refer to Figure 1A folding connector includes a first connector 10, a second connector 20, a handle 30, a clamping rod 40, an elastic reset member 50, and a self-locking mechanism 70.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 2 One side of the first connector 10 and one side of the second connector 20 are hinged together by a hinge pin 60. The handle 30 is connected to the other side of the second connector 20. The other side of the first connector 10 is provided with a support part 11.

[0030] The other side of the second connector 20 is provided with a hinge ear 21. The hinge ear 21 is provided with a horizontally arranged sliding groove 211. The bottom of the hinge ear 21 is provided with a mounting groove 212. The outer surface of the hinge ear 21 is provided with a support part 213 and a limiting part 214. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 The sliding groove 211 is disposed between the support portion 213 and the limiting portion 214. The limiting portion 214 includes a vertical limiting surface 2141 and a smooth guide surface 2142. One end of the guide surface 2142 is smoothly connected to the limiting surface 2141, and the other end is biased towards the support portion 213. The elastic reset member 50 is disposed in the mounting groove 212.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 3 The handle 30 has a first sidewall 33 and a second sidewall 34 at one end. The first sidewall 33 and the second sidewall 34 are respectively provided with clamping rod holes 36 and 37. The clamping rod 40 is respectively embedded in the clamping rod holes of the first sidewall 33 and the second sidewall 34. The clamping rod 40 is slidably disposed in the slide groove 211. The elastic reset member 50 moves the clamping rod 40 towards one end of the slide groove 211. In this embodiment, the reset elastic member 50 is a torsion spring. The actuating part 52 of the torsion spring abuts against the clamping rod 40, and the base 51 of the torsion spring abuts against the sidewall 2121 of the mounting groove 212. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 2 In this embodiment, the first sidewall 33 and the second sidewall 34 of the handle 30 are located on the outside of the hinge ear 21. To ensure the cooperation between the first sidewall 33, the second sidewall 34 and the two sides of the hinge ear 21, and to synchronize the first sidewall 33 and the second sidewall 34 with the two sides of the hinge ear 21 respectively, in this embodiment, protrusions 35 are provided on the inner sides of the first sidewall 33 and the second sidewall 34. The protrusions 35 are provided with an abutment surface 351 and a rotation surface 352. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 5 and Figure 6 .

[0032] When the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 are engaged, the supporting part 11 of the first connector 10 abuts against the side wall of the second connector 20 and is located below one end of the slide groove 211. The elastic reset member 50 causes the tightening rod 40 to slide to one end of the slide groove 211, and the tightening rod 40 abuts against the supporting part 11, locking the first connector 10 and the second connector 20. At this time, the tightening rod 40 can be moved to the other end of the slide groove 211 under force. Based on this, without applying force to the tightening rod 40, the handle 30 is rotated. Under the action of the elastic reset member 50, the tightening rod 40 is located at one end of the slide groove 211, and the handle 30 rotates relative to the tightening rod 40 located at one end of the slide groove 211, so that the handle 30 is in a vertically locked state. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 5 The abutting surface 351 of the inner protrusion 35 of the first sidewall 33 abuts against the limiting surface 2141 of the limiting part 214 on one side of the hinge ear 21, and the abutting surface of the inner side of the second sidewall 34 abuts against the limiting surface on the other side of the hinge ear 21. The handle 30 and the clamping rod 40 cannot slide along the slide groove 211, and the first joint 10 and the second joint 20 are firmly locked. When opening the first joint 10 and the second joint 20, rotate the handle 30 so that the abutting surface 351 of the protrusion 35 of the handle 30 disengages from the limiting surface 2141 along the guide surface 2142. At this time, under the action of the elastic reset member 50, the clamping rod 40 is still abutting against the support part 11 at one end of the slide groove 211. The first joint 10 and the second joint 20 are still locked, but at this time the clamping rod 40 can slide to the other end of the slide groove 211 under force. Continue to rotate the handle 30. Please refer to Figure 6 When the rotating surface 352 of the protrusion 35 on the handle 30 abuts against the support part 213 on the outer side of the hinge ear 21, and the handle 30 is rotated, the handle 30 rotates along the rotating surface 352, driving the top clamping rod 40 to move along the slide groove 211 to the other end of the slide groove 211, so that the top clamping rod 40 is disengaged from the support part 11, and the first joint 10 and the second joint 20 can rotate relative to the hinge shaft 60, and the first joint 10 and the second joint 20 are opened.

[0033] In other embodiments, the first and second sidewalls of the handle 30 are located inside the hinge ear, and the inner side of the hinge ear 21 is provided with a support and a limiting part. Preferably, both inner sides are provided with a support and a limiting part. The outer sides of the first and second sidewalls are provided with protrusions, which can also achieve a reliable locking effect.

[0034] To facilitate the locking of the first connector 10 and the second connector 20, a clearance surface 111 is provided on the lower surface of the supporting part 11 on the other side of the first connector 10. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 7The clearance surface 111 is a sloped surface, a smooth arc surface, etc. When the first joint 10 approaches the second joint 20, the clamping rod 40 is located at one end of the slide groove 211 under the action of the elastic reset member 50. The clearance surface 111 of the support part 11 on the first joint 10 contacts the clamping rod 40. The support part 11 pushes the clamping rod 40 to overcome the elastic force of the elastic reset member 50 and move to the other end of the slide groove 211. At the same time, the clamping rod 40 moves along the clearance surface 111 on the surface of the support part 11. When the clamping rod 40 passes the side of the support part 11, it moves to the support part 11 under the action of the elastic reset member 50, so that the first joint 10 and the second joint 20 are locked. Since the clearance surface 111 is a sloped surface, a smooth arc surface, etc., it is convenient for it to push the clamping rod 40 to move, which facilitates the locking of the first joint 10 and the second joint 20.

[0035] Since the clamping rod 40 deforms under stress, in order to improve its rigidity, the handle 30 in this embodiment is also provided with a stop part 31. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 3 One end of the abutment part 31 is provided with a groove 311 that matches the shape of the tensioning rod 40. When the groove 311 of the abutment part 31 of the handle 30 abuts against the tensioning rod 40, the rigidity of the tensioning rod 40 can be improved, making the tensioning rod 40 abut against the support part 11 more stable in the locked state of the folding joint.

[0036] Due to machining errors and wear during use, there may be a small gap between the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 when they are locked, resulting in very slight wobbling. To adjust the locking tightness of the first connector 10 and the second connector 20, in this embodiment, the tightening rod 40 is provided with an adjusting threaded hole 41. Please refer to... Figure 8 As a preferred embodiment, the adjusting threaded hole 41 is located directly below the groove 311 of the abutment part 31. An adjusting screw 42 is screwed onto the adjusting threaded hole 41. The adjusting screw 42 has a ball head, which abuts against the support part 11. The support part 11 has a concave surface, which corresponds to the ball head of the adjusting screw 42, thereby improving the reliability of the abutment between the ball head of the adjusting screw 42 and the concave surface of the support part 11. By adjusting the adjusting screw 42 in the adjusting threaded hole 41 of the top rod 40, the tightness of the locking can be adjusted according to the user's habits. To improve the locking tightness of the adjusting screw 42 in the adjusting threaded hole 41, a locking screw hole 312 is provided on the abutment part 31 of the handle 30. The locking screw hole 312 passes through the groove 311, and a locking screw 32 is provided in the locking screw hole 312. The adjusting screw 42 can be threadedly connected to the locking screw hole 312 to fix the tightening rod 40 to the abutment part 31 of the handle 30. The locking screw 32 abuts against the adjusting screw 42 to lock the adjusting screw 42 and prevent the adjusting screw 42 from loosening.

[0037] The present invention discloses a folding connector in which, when the handle 30 is in the open state, the clamping rod 40 slides to one end of the slide groove 211 under the elastic force of the elastic reset member 50, and the first connector 10 and the second connector 20 can still be in the locked state, so as to prevent the folding connector from opening due to accidental opening of the handle 30, thereby improving safety and reliability.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 9 To prevent the handle 30 from opening accidentally, this utility model discloses a folding connector that also includes a self-locking mechanism 70. The self-locking mechanism 70 includes a self-locking claw 71, a return spring 72, and a hinge shaft 73. One end of the self-locking claw 71 is provided with a pressing part 711, and the other end is provided with a locking hook part 712. The handle 30 is provided with a pressing groove 38. The self-locking claw 71 is hinged to the pressing groove 38 through the hinge shaft 73. The return spring 72 causes the self-locking claw 71 to extend out of the pressing groove 38. The first connector 10 is also provided with a fixing groove 12. The locking hook part 712 of the self-locking claw 71 is used to engage with the fixing groove 12 of the first connector 10.

[0039] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this utility model. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of this utility model without departing from the essence and scope of the technical solutions of this utility model.

Claims

1. A folding connector, comprising a first connector, a second connector, and a handle, wherein one side of the first connector is hingedly connected to one side of the second connector, characterized in that, It also includes a clamping rod and an elastic reset member. The other side of the first connector is provided with a support portion, and the other side of the second connector is provided with a hinge ear. The hinge ear can accommodate the support portion. The hinge ear is provided with a horizontally arranged sliding groove, and the bottom of the hinge ear is provided with a mounting groove. The clamping rod is located at one end of the handle and is slidably disposed in the sliding groove. The elastic reset member is disposed in the mounting groove and is used to move the clamping rod towards one end of the sliding groove. When the first connector and the second connector are engaged, the elastic reset member causes the clamping rod to slide to one end of the sliding groove and abut against the support portion. When the handle is opened, the handle is rotated, and the handle drives the clamping rod to rotate. The clamping rod overcomes the elastic force of the elastic reset member and slides towards the other end of the sliding groove, disengaging from the support portion of the first connector.

2. The folding joint as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The handle is provided with a protrusion, and the hinge ear is provided with a support part and a limiting part that cooperate with the protrusion. When the handle is locked, the limiting part on the hinge ear is used to limit the protrusion on the handle. When the handle is open, the support part on the hinge ear is used to support the protrusion on the handle, so that the handle can rotate relative to the protrusion.

3. The folding joint as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The limiting portion on the hinge ear includes a limiting surface and a guiding surface. One end of the guiding surface is smoothly connected to the limiting surface, and the other end is biased towards the supporting portion.

4. The folding joint as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The protrusion has an abutment surface and a rotation surface.

5. The folding joint as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The handle is provided with a stop part, and one end of the stop part is provided with a groove that matches the shape of the tightening rod.

6. The folding joint as described in claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes an adjusting screw, the tightening rod is provided with an adjusting screw hole, the adjusting screw is provided in the adjusting screw hole, and the supporting part is provided with an inner concave surface that mates with one end of the adjusting screw.

7. The folding joint as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The other end of the abutment is provided with a locking screw hole, and the adjusting screw passes through the adjusting screw hole and is locked in the locking screw hole.

8. The folding joint as described in claim 7, characterized in that, A locking screw is provided in the locking screw hole, and the locking screw is used to tighten the adjusting screw.

9. The folding joint as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The lower surface of the supporting part on the other side of the first connector is provided with a clearance surface.

10. The folding joint according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The handle is equipped with a self-locking mechanism.

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