Locking structure for luggage and electric luggage

Abstract

This utility model discloses a locking structure for a suitcase and an electric suitcase, including a latch assembly on the lid, a lock hole in the suitcase body, and a control part. The latch assembly has a latch tongue extending into the lock hole and an elastic element. When the latch tongue is under pressure, it can slide vertically relative to the lid and compress the elastic element. When the pressure is released, the elastic element drives the latch tongue to automatically reset. The control part extends into the lock hole and is used to selectively engage with the latch tongue to restrict its movement or release the restriction on the latch tongue. When the suitcase body is subjected to external load and tends to move closer together, the pressure applied by the edge of the lock hole towards the inside of the suitcase can push the latch tongue to slide vertically and compress the elastic element. The relative engagement position between the latch tongue and the control part remains unchanged during the sliding process. Compared with the prior art, the advantage of this utility model is that the side wall of the suitcase is concave under force, which does not generate lateral thrust on the latch tongue, fundamentally avoiding the problem of the latch tongue colliding with the lock hole, getting stuck, or even damaging the latch tongue or the suitcase body due to lid warping.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of luggage technology, and in particular to a locking structure for luggage and an electric luggage. Background Technology

[0002] Electric suitcases are a new generation of travel equipment that integrates a motor, reducer, battery, and control unit into the traditional rolling suitcase, enabling the suitcase to move autonomously or be pushed with assistance. To balance short-distance commuting and storage, the suitcase must maintain sufficient structural strength, and the locking structure between the lid and the body must be reliable to withstand the additional load generated during riding or stacking.

[0003] Chinese invention patent CN107890181A, entitled "Luggage," discloses a locking scheme that facilitates temporary access to items while the suitcase is upright. The scheme hinges the lid to the side near the wheels and provides a locking mechanism on the side away from the wheels, consisting of a latch, a keyhole, and a combination lock. A sealing portion extending into the suitcase body is provided around the lid to prevent items from falling out. This structure allows the lid to be opened from top to bottom when the suitcase is upright, enabling quick access to items without the suitcase being laid flat.

[0004] However, the above-mentioned locking structure has obvious shortcomings in the case of electric suitcases: when the user rides the suitcase or places heavy objects on top of it, the side wall of the suitcase deforms inward, and the limiting part located on the suitcase moves inward and directly squeezes the latch; after the latch is pushed by the side, it pulls the lid down and deforms, causing the latch to collide with the lock hole, get stuck, or even damage the latch or the suitcase, affecting its service life. Utility Model Content

[0005] This utility model addresses the problem that when the locking structure of a suitcase is subjected to pressure from riding or heavy objects, the side wall of the suitcase deforms inward, causing the latch to bend downward due to the lateral force after being squeezed by the limiting part. This results in the latch colliding with the lock hole, getting stuck, or even damaging the latch or the suitcase. The technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a locking structure for suitcases and an electric suitcase to solve the above problems.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: a locking structure for a suitcase, located between the lid and the body, including a latch assembly on the lid, a lock hole on the body, and a control part. The latch assembly has a latch extending into the lock hole and an elastic element acting on the latch. When the latch is under pressure, it can slide vertically relative to the lid and compress the elastic element. When the pressure is lost, the elastic element drives the latch to automatically reset. The control part extends into the lock hole and is used to selectively engage with the latch to restrict the movement of the latch or release the restriction on the latch. When the body and lid are subjected to external load and tend to move closer together, the pressure applied by the edge of the lock hole towards the inside of the suitcase can push the latch to slide vertically and compress the elastic element. The relative engagement position between the latch and the control part remains unchanged during the sliding process.

[0007] A further preferred embodiment of this utility model is as follows: the latch assembly includes a lock shell, a sliding block, the elastic element, and the latch. The lock shell is fixed inside the box cover and corresponds to the position of the lock hole. The sliding block is slidably disposed inside the lock shell and fixedly connected to the end of the latch away from the lock hole. One end of the elastic element abuts against the bottom of the slider, and the other end abuts against the bottom of the lock shell, for providing a restoring elastic force to the latch.

[0008] A further preferred embodiment of this utility model is: the lock housing has a strip groove on the side facing the lock hole for the bolt to pass through, the length direction of the strip groove is consistent with the direction of the bolt sliding under pressure, and is used to guide the bolt and limit its lateral sway.

[0009] A further preferred embodiment of this utility model is as follows: a guide seat is detachably provided inside the lock housing, the slider is disposed inside the guide seat, guide grooves are provided on both sides of the guide seat parallel to the sliding direction of the lock tongue, and protrusions are provided on both sides of the slider, the protrusions are embedded in the guide grooves, so that the slider can only move up and down along the guide grooves.

[0010] A further preferred embodiment of this utility model is that the guide groove penetrates the bottom of the guide seat, and the distance between the bottom surface of the guide seat and the bottom surface of the housing is less than the height of the protrusion.

[0011] A further preferred embodiment of this utility model is: the guide seat is provided with a second strip groove corresponding to the first strip groove, and the end of the lock tongue passes through the second strip groove and the first strip groove in sequence before extending into the lock hole.

[0012] A further preferred embodiment of this utility model is: the elastic element is a spring, a sleeve for mounting the spring is provided below the sliding block, and the upper end of the spring extends into the sleeve and abuts against the top inner wall of the sleeve.

[0013] A further preferred embodiment of this utility model is that the number of springs and sleeves are both two, and they are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the sliding block.

[0014] A further preferred embodiment of this utility model is: the section of the lock tongue located in the lock hole is provided with a locking hole, the control unit includes a combination wheel and a limiting member driven by the combination wheel, when the lock tongue extends into the lock hole, the limiting member can extend and insert into the locking hole in response to the operation of the combination wheel to achieve locking, or exit the locking hole under the drive of the combination wheel to achieve unlocking.

[0015] Another subject of this utility model: an electric luggage case, including a case body and a case lid, wherein the case lid and the case body are connected by the locking structure described above.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, this utility model has the following advantages: Through the combined design of "vertical sliding of the locking tongue + elastic buffer," when the box body and the box cover tend to move closer under external load, the pressure of the locking hole edge on the locking tongue is converted into vertical sliding force. The locking tongue compresses the elastic element in the vertical direction and absorbs the impact energy. Throughout the process, the locking tongue and the control unit remain in the same position, while the locking tongue can slide vertically under pressure, fundamentally avoiding rigid collisions and structural damage. During the pressure process, the locking force between the box cover and the box body is always transmitted in the vertical direction. Even if the side wall of the box body is concave due to riding or stacking loads, it will not generate lateral thrust on the locking tongue, fundamentally avoiding the problem of the locking tongue colliding with the locking hole, jamming, or even damaging the locking tongue or box body due to the warping of the box cover. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that these drawings are drawn only for the purpose of explaining the preferred embodiments and therefore should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope of the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise specified, the drawings are only schematic representations of the composition or structure of the described objects and may contain exaggerated displays, and the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the electric luggage box of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the electric luggage case of this utility model after the lid has been removed; Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the box lid of this utility model; Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the locking tongue assembly and the box lid of this utility model; Figure 5 This is a top view of the electric luggage case of this utility model; Figure 6This utility model Figure 5 Sectional view at point AA; Figure 7 This utility model Figure 6 A magnified view of a section at point B in the middle; Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the latch assembly of this utility model after the lock shell has been disassembled; Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the guide seat of this utility model.

[0019] In the diagram: 1. Box body; 2. Box cover; 21. Inner side panel; 22. Annular frame; 3. Lock tongue assembly; 31. Lock shell; 311. Shell frame; 3111. Limiting hole; 312. Shell cover; 3121. Strip groove one; 32. Lock tongue; 321. Lock hole; 33. Sliding block; 331. Protrusion; 332. Sleeve; 34. Elastic element; 35. Guide seat; 351. Guide groove; 352. Strip groove two; 353. Elastic hook; 4. Lock hole; 5. Control unit. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these descriptions are merely descriptive and exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] It should be noted that similar labels in the following figures indicate similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it may not be further defined and explained in subsequent figures. Example 1

[0022] This embodiment mainly describes the locking structure used in the suitcase. The locking structure is fully integrated between the lid 2 and the body 1 of the electric suitcase, retaining the convenience of "vertical placement and retrieval" of existing technology while significantly improving reliability and sealing under extreme conditions such as riding and stacking. Details are as follows: like Figures 1 to 9As shown, the locking structure for the suitcase includes three main parts: a latch assembly 3, a lock hole 4, and a control unit 5. The latch assembly 3 is fixed to the lid 2 and corresponds to the lock hole 4 on the suitcase body 1. The latch assembly 3 has a latch 32 that extends into the lock hole 4 and an elastic element 34 that acts on the latch 32 to provide a restoring force. When the latch 32 is under pressure, it can slide vertically relative to the lid 2 and squeeze the elastic element 34. When the force is lost, the latch 32 automatically resets under the action of the elastic element 34. The lock hole 4 is formed on the suitcase body 1 and cooperates with the latch 32. The control unit 5 extends into the lock hole 4 and is used to selectively engage with the latch 32 to restrict the movement of the latch 32 or release the restriction on the latch 32. By installing the locking structure on the suitcase, when the rider or heavy objects are placed on the top surface of the suitcase body 1, the suitcase body 1 and the lid 2 tend to move closer together. The case 1 applies pressure towards the interior of the luggage compartment to the latch 32 through the edge of the lock hole 4. This pressure pushes the latch 32 to slide vertically and compress the elastic element 34. The relative engagement position between the latch 32 and the control part 5 remains unchanged during the sliding process. During this process, the impact energy is effectively absorbed by the compression stroke of the elastic element 34, preventing structural damage from rigid impacts. The latch 32 slides vertically, while the portion of the control part 5 located within the lock hole 4 moves in the same direction as the latch 32. This ensures that the latch 32 and the portion of the control part 5 located within the lock hole 4 remain relatively stationary during the compression process, maintaining the interlocking relationship between the latch 32 and the control part 5 throughout the entire compression stroke. This arrangement ensures that the locking force between the lid 2 and the body 1 is always transmitted in the vertical direction. Even if the side wall of the body 1 is concave due to riding or stacking, it will not exert a lateral thrust on the latch 32. This fundamentally avoids the problem of the latch 32 colliding with the lock hole 4, getting stuck, or even causing damage to the latch 32 or the body 1 due to the lid 2 warping.

[0023] When faced with pressure changes caused by road bumps, the locking tongue 32 will make slight reciprocating movements under the balance of the elastic force of the elastic element 34 and the external pressure, automatically adapting to different loads, ensuring that the locking tongue 32 is always in contact with the housing 1 and providing cushioning, while never disengaging the lock. When the ride ends and the pressure is released, the compressed spring immediately releases its elastic potential energy, and the locking tongue 32 returns to its initial position. This process requires no manual intervention, ensuring the continuous reliability of the locking function.

[0024] like Figure 4As shown, the latch assembly 3 consists of a lock housing 31, a sliding block 33, and the aforementioned elastic element 34 and latch 32. The lock housing 31 can be fixed to the inside of the cover 2 by screws or clips, corresponding to the position of the lock hole 4. The lock housing 31 can also be formed during the assembly of the cover 2, with a vertical slide rail formed inside the lock housing 31. The sliding block 33 is located in the slide rail and is fixedly connected to the end of the latch 32 away from the lock hole 4. One end of the elastic element 34 abuts against the sliding block 33, and the other end abuts against the bottom of the lock housing 31, always providing an upward reset elastic force to the latch 32. When the user closes the cover 2, the latch 32 is first pressed down by the edge of the cover 1, and the elastic element 34 is compressed and stores energy. After the latch 32 is fully inserted into the lock hole 4, the elastic element 34 releases energy and pushes the latch 32 to reset, so that the latch 32 is reliably inserted into the lock hole 4, completing the pre-locking.

[0025] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, to ensure the precise movement direction of the latch 32 during compression and reset, the lock housing 31 has a strip-shaped groove 3121 on the side facing the lock hole 4 for the latch 32 to pass through. The length direction of the strip-shaped groove 3121 is consistent with the direction of the latch 32's sliding under pressure. The strip-shaped groove 3121 not only provides guidance for the latch 32 but also restricts its lateral sway, further reducing lateral interference caused by the deformation of the housing 1.

[0026] Specifically, a detachable guide seat 35 is added inside the lock housing 31, such as... Figure 9 As shown, guide grooves 351 parallel to the force direction of the latch 32 are machined on both sides of the guide seat 35, and the sliding block 33 is disposed inside the guide seat 35. Figure 4As shown, protrusions 331 are provided on both sides of the sliding block 33. The protrusions 331 are embedded in the guide groove 351. When the bolt 32 is pressed, the sliding block 33 can only move up and down along the guide groove 351, eliminating the shaking and uneven wear that are prone to occur in traditional cantilever bolts. To facilitate the installation of the sliding block 33, the guide groove 351 extends through the bottom of the guide seat 35. When installing the sliding block 33, it is installed from the bottom of the guide seat 35, so that the protrusions 331 and the guide groove 351 are inserted and slid upwards. To prevent the protrusions 331 from coming out of the bottom during the sliding of the sliding block 33, the distance between the bottom surface of the guide seat 35 and the bottom surface of the lock housing 31 is designed to be less than the height of the protrusions 331, forming a reliable mechanical limit and ensuring that the guide seat 35 and the sliding block 33 maintain a complete fit under severe vibration or drop conditions. The detachable connection between the guide seat 35 and the lock housing 31 can be a screw connection or a snap-fit ​​connection. This design uses a snap-fit ​​connection. Specifically, the lock housing 31 consists of a frame 311 and a cover 312. The cover 2 consists of an inner side plate 21 and an annular frame 22 surrounding the inner side plate. The frame 311 is fixed to the inner side plate 21, and the cover 312 is fixed to the annular frame 22. After the annular frame 22 is fixed to the perimeter of the inner side plate 21... The frame 311 and the cover 312 naturally form a lock shell 31. The frame 311 has limiting holes 3111 on both sides. The guide seat 35 has elastic hooks 353 on both outer sides that cooperate with the limiting holes 3111. When installing the guide seat 35, first insert the elastic hooks 353 from the opening of the frame 311 and hook them into the limiting holes 3111 so that the guide seat 35 is installed in the frame 311. Then fix the annular frame 22 on the side plate 21.

[0027] Specifically, a second strip groove 352 is provided on the guide seat 35, corresponding to the first strip groove 3121. During assembly, the locking tongue 32 passes through the second strip groove 352 and the first strip groove 3121 in sequence before extending into the lock hole 4. The double guide groove design constrains the movement trajectory of the locking tongue 32 in two stages, further improving the locking accuracy and service life.

[0028] Specifically, the elastic element 34 is a spring. A sleeve 332 for mounting the spring is integrally formed on the lower surface of the sliding block 33. The upper end of the spring extends into the sleeve 332 and abuts against the inner top wall of the sleeve 332. Preferably, there are two springs, and two sleeves 332 corresponding to the two springs. The two sleeves 332 respectively accommodate the upper ends of the two springs, and the two sleeves 332 and springs are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the sliding block 33. The resultant force generated by the two springs always passes through the center of mass of the sliding block 33, avoiding the uneven load phenomenon that may occur with a single spring, making the lifting and lowering of the latch 32 more stable and the noise lower. The elastic element 34 can also be a bent elastic sheet, such as a V-shape, W-shape, or wave shape. One end of the elastic sheet is fixed to the bottom of the sliding block 33, and the other end is fixed to the bottom of the lock housing 31. Preferably, there are two elastic sheets, symmetrically arranged on both sides of the sliding block 33.

[0029] like Figure 4 and Figure 8 As shown, the section of the latch 32 located within the lock hole 4 has a locking hole 321. The control unit 5 includes a combination wheel and a limiting member driven by the combination wheel. After the lid 2 is closed, the latch 32 automatically springs into the lock hole 4 under the action of the spring. At this time, the suitcase is in a "pre-locked" state, but not yet truly locked. When the user scrambles the combination, the limiting member extends and inserts into the locking hole 321, and the suitcase is completely locked. When the user dials the combination again to the correct combination, the limiting member is pulled back and exits the locking hole 321, completing the unlocking process, and the lid 2 can be opened. This linkage structure combines the reliability of the mechanical combination lock with the spring self-resetting function, ensuring both security and eliminating the need for additional manual operation of the latch 32. The lid 2 can be opened or closed in one step. Example 2

[0030] This embodiment mainly describes electric luggage: like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this is an electric suitcase. The suitcase body 1 integrates a motor, battery, and control unit. The lid 2 is connected to the suitcase body 1 via the aforementioned locking structure. Since the latch assembly 3, lock hole 4, and control unit 5 are all arranged vertically, when a user rides the suitcase body 1 or loads heavy objects on top of it, the suitcase body 1 and lid 2 tend to move closer together. The suitcase body 1 applies a pressure pointing inwards to the latch 32 through the edge of the lock hole 4. This pressure can push the latch 32 to slide vertically and compress the elastic element 34. The relative engagement position between the latch 32 and the control unit 5 remains unchanged during the sliding process. The deformation of the side wall of the suitcase body 1 will not be converted into a lateral force on the latch 32, thereby avoiding the problem of the lid 2 warping, causing the latch 32 to collide with the lock hole 4, get stuck, or even damage the latch 32 or the suitcase body 1.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown, in order to improve the stability of the box body 1 and the box cover 2, two locking structures are provided, which are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the box body 1 and controlled by the same control unit 5.

[0032] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship that the utility model product is usually placed in during use. They are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model.

[0033] The locking structure for suitcases and electric suitcases provided by this utility model have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principle and implementation of this utility model. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand this utility model and its core ideas. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made to this utility model without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A locking structure for a suitcase, located between the lid and the body, characterized in that: The luggage includes a latch assembly on the lid, a lock hole on the body, and a control unit. The latch assembly has a latch extending into the lock hole and an elastic element acting on the latch. When the latch is under pressure, it can slide vertically relative to the lid and compress the elastic element. When the pressure is released, the elastic element drives the latch to automatically reset. The control unit extends into the lock hole and is used to selectively engage with the latch to restrict the movement of the latch or release the restriction on the latch. When the body and lid are subjected to external loads and tend to move closer together, the pressure applied by the edge of the lock hole towards the inside of the luggage can push the latch to slide vertically and compress the elastic element. The relative engagement position between the latch and the control unit remains unchanged during the sliding process.

2. The locking structure for a suitcase according to claim 1, characterized in that: The latch assembly includes a lock housing, a sliding block, the aforementioned elastic element, and the latch. The lock housing is fixed inside the box cover and corresponds to the position of the lock hole. The sliding block is slidably disposed inside the lock housing and fixedly connected to the end of the latch away from the lock hole. One end of the elastic element abuts against the bottom of the slider, and the other end abuts against the bottom of the lock housing, for providing a restoring elastic force to the latch.

3. The locking structure for a suitcase according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lock housing has a slotted groove on the side facing the lock hole for the bolt to pass through. The length of the slotted groove is consistent with the direction of the bolt sliding under pressure, which is used to guide the bolt and limit its lateral deflection.

4. The locking structure for a suitcase according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lock housing is detachably provided with a guide seat, and the slider is located in the guide seat. The guide seat has guide grooves on both sides that are parallel to the sliding direction of the lock tongue. The slider has protrusions on both sides, and the protrusions are embedded in the guide grooves, so that the slider can only move up and down along the guide grooves.

5. The locking structure for a suitcase according to claim 4, characterized in that: The guide groove extends through the bottom of the guide seat, and the distance between the bottom surface of the guide seat and the bottom surface of the housing is less than the height of the protrusion.

6. The locking structure for a suitcase according to claim 4, characterized in that: The guide seat is provided with a second strip groove corresponding to the first strip groove. The end of the lock tongue passes through the second strip groove and the first strip groove in sequence and then extends into the lock hole.

7. The locking structure for a suitcase according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic element is a spring, and a sleeve for installing the spring is provided below the sliding block. The upper end of the spring extends into the sleeve and abuts against the top inner wall of the sleeve.

8. The locking structure for a suitcase according to claim 7, characterized in that: The number of springs and sleeves are both two, and they are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the sliding block.

9. The locking structure for a suitcase according to claim 1, characterized in that: The section of the lock tongue located within the lock hole is provided with a locking hole. The control unit includes a combination wheel and a limiting member driven by the combination wheel. When the lock tongue extends into the lock hole, the limiting member can extend and insert into the locking hole in response to the operation of the combination wheel to achieve locking, or exit the locking hole under the drive of the combination wheel to achieve unlocking.

10. An electric suitcase, comprising a suitcase body and a suitcase lid, characterized in that: The lid and the body are connected by a locking structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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