Intelligent lock for manhole cover

Abstract

The utility model relates to an intelligent lock of well lid, is in view of solving the technical problem that the similar product of existing less through rack and slide rail combined mode realizes emergency unlocking, and the waterproof effect is poor. The well frame inside the intelligent lock of well lid bottom automatic lock lock core one side is equipped with emergency lock lock body, and the lock slot hole corresponding to well lid, its key point is that the bottom plate of automatic lock lock core both sides is equipped with the slide rail symmetrically, and the wing edge of automatic lock lock core top both sides drives the movement through the slide rail at the same time, and the other end of automatic lock lock core that lock bar symmetry is equipped with the emergency lock rack that protrudes, and one end of emergency lock rack is fixed in automatic lock lock core, and the toothing of the other end of emergency lock rack and emergency lock lock body inside mechanical lock core one end fixedly arranged emergency lock gear engages, and the lock core hole of mechanical lock core is aligned through the bottom plate with the key hole of upper well lid, and the automatic lock gear of motor shaft place that one side of speed reducer motor protrudes and the toothing of one end of cylindrical rack as driving piece engages, and the other end of cylindrical rack is connected with lock bar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a manhole cover lock, specifically a smart manhole cover lock. Background Technology

[0002] Manhole covers are used in cities to seal the openings of underground pipelines. They cover the manholes of underground pipelines (such as sewage, rainwater, water supply, electricity, communication, and gas pipelines). At intervals along the pipeline, there is an outlet leading to the surface. Manhole covers are typically made of reinforced concrete, metal, or reinforced plastics, and are mainly round or square in shape. For safety, especially for manhole covers used for laying fiber optic cables, locks are generally installed. Currently, there are two main types of manhole cover locks on the market: 1. Purely mechanical manhole cover locks, opened with a mechanical key; 2. Electronic manhole cover locks, controlled by NB-IoT. Existing purely mechanical manhole cover locks generally have padlocks or built-in latches on the manhole cover and frame. While providing some anti-theft capability, opening and closing require manual operation, resulting in low management efficiency and the inability to achieve remote monitoring and authorization. Furthermore, key management is cumbersome, and the locks become difficult to open after corrosion. Meanwhile, traditional manhole covers present the following problems: 1. Serious public safety challenges; 2. Inefficiency and high cost of traditional management models; 3. An inevitable trend towards refined and intelligent urban management; 4. Insufficiency of existing technological solutions and market gaps. Furthermore, existing electronic manhole cover locks generally lack sufficient waterproof and dustproof capabilities, have unreasonable lock body structure designs, and inadequate sealing measures, making them unable to operate stably for extended periods in the harsh environments of manholes, such as dampness, dust, and even water accumulation, leading to electronic component failure and mechanical jamming. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a smart lock for manhole covers, addressing the technical problems of existing similar products that rarely utilize a combination of rack and pinion and slide rail for emergency unlocking, suffer from poor structural design leading to inadequate waterproofing, and rarely employ a three-way linkage mechanism involving a motor, gears, and pinion for unlocking the lock rod. This objective is achieved through the following technical solution.

[0004] A smart lock for manhole covers includes a manhole cover positioned within the top opening of the manhole frame. An automatic lock cylinder is mounted on the bottom of the manhole cover within the frame via a base plate. An emergency lock body is located on one side of the automatic lock cylinder at the bottom of the manhole cover within the frame. A locking rod at one end of the automatic lock cylinder is inserted into a lock slot on one side of the inner diameter of the manhole frame. An electronic actuator is located within the automatic lock cylinder, with one end of a drive component extending from the actuator connected to the locking rod. A key structural design feature is that symmetrical slide rails are provided on the base plates on both sides of the automatic lock cylinder, and the top two sides of the automatic lock cylinder are moved via these slide rails. Simultaneously, the other end of the symmetrical automatic lock cylinder of the lock rod is equipped with an extended emergency lock rack. One end of the emergency lock rack is fixed to the automatic lock cylinder, and the teeth at the other end of the emergency lock rack mesh with an emergency lock gear fixedly installed at one end of the mechanical lock cylinder inside the emergency lock body. The lock cylinder hole of the mechanical lock cylinder is aligned with the keyhole of the upper manhole cover through the base plate. When the key is inserted into the mechanical lock cylinder of the emergency lock body through the keyhole of the manhole cover and rotated, the emergency lock gear drives the emergency lock rack and the automatic lock cylinder to move, and the lock rod of the automatic lock cylinder disengages from the lock slot hole on one side of the inner diameter of the manhole frame to unlock. The aforementioned emergency lock body includes an emergency lock cover, an emergency lock base, and an emergency lock housing. The mechanical lock cylinder is installed inside the emergency lock housing through the emergency lock base, and one end of the mechanical lock cylinder extends out of the emergency lock base and is fixedly connected to the emergency lock gear.

[0005] The electronic actuator is a solenoid valve or a geared motor. The moving iron core of the solenoid valve is connected to the locking rod as a driving element, or the automatic locking gear extending from the motor shaft on one side of the geared motor meshes with one end of the cylindrical rack as a driving element, and the other end of the cylindrical rack is connected to the locking rod.

[0006] The cylindrical rack has a toothed end at one bottom and a symmetrical keyed protrusion at the middle of the other end. The cylindrical rack is connected to the middle groove of the locking rod through the symmetrical keyed protrusion and the rivet, and the locking rod and the cylindrical rack are integrated into one piece.

[0007] The cylindrical rack has an insertable tail rod at one end of its toothed end. The pin inserted into the end of the cylindrical rack passes through the sliding holes on both sides of the cylindrical rack, and the tail seat at the other end of the tail rod seals the sealing hole at the rear of the automatic lock cylinder.

[0008] The automatic lock cylinder has a limit plate on one side of the moving iron core of the solenoid valve or the cylindrical rack of the geared motor. The automatic lock cylinder corresponding to the limit plate has a touch switch. When the limit plate is moved to one end by the moving iron core or the cylindrical rack, it will trigger at least the micro switch on the side of the touch switch.

[0009] The automatic lock cylinder includes an automatic lock housing and an automatic lock housing cover. A sealing ring is provided at the upper opening of the automatic lock housing where the automatic lock housing and the automatic lock housing cover connect. The sealing ring has a raised double-layer sealing position on its sealing surface. The moving iron core of the solenoid valve or the geared motor protruding from the automatic lock housing protrudes outwards, and a Y-type sealing ring and bearing are provided in the groove of the automatic lock housing at the outer diameter of the cylindrical rack at the protruding position. This sealing structure, in conjunction with the corresponding waterproof connector, improves the sealing and waterproofing of the dynamic fit.

[0010] The automatic lock cylinder has a baffle between the slide rails on one side of the bottom plate of the lock rod at the front of the automatic lock cylinder to limit the sliding position of the automatic lock cylinder, or the automatic lock cylinder has protrusions in the slide grooves at the connection between the automatic lock cylinder and the slide rails on both sides to limit the sliding position of the automatic lock cylinder.

[0011] The slide rail is a plate formed by stamping stainless steel sheet. The slide rail has roller shafts that are equidistantly arranged in the slide groove, and rollers are provided at the roller shafts in the slide rail.

[0012] An electronic control component is installed at the bottom of the manhole cover below the automatic lock cylinder and the emergency lock body. The electronic control component contains a battery. The control box of the electronic control component is connected to the geared motor and touch switch of the automatic lock cylinder through wiring and waterproof connectors. Another waterproof connector is provided at the wiring point of the electronic control component.

[0013] The electronic control component is mounted on the bottom of the manhole cover via a mounting plate. One end of the mounting plate is bent, and the opening at the bend is aligned with the locking slot on one side of the inner diameter of the manhole frame.

[0014] This utility model has a reasonable structural design, is easy to use, has a high degree of integration, is convenient for intelligent and remote management, and has a wide range of applications. In particular, it has good waterproof performance, and the emergency lock body uses a rack and pinion mechanism to drive the automatic lock cylinder to slide and unlock the manhole cover in an emergency. It is suitable for use as a smart lock for manhole covers and for structural improvements of similar products. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a partial exploded structural diagram of an embodiment of this utility model.

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional structural diagram of the automatic lock cylinder in the open (unlocked) state after assembly.

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A cross-sectional structural diagram of the automatic lock cylinder in its initial (locked) state.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the manhole frame below the manhole cover; the manhole cover is omitted in the diagram.

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the well frame, omitting the electrical control components.

[0020] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A top-down structural diagram showing the automatic locking cover and emergency locking cover in their open states. The automatic locking cover and emergency locking cover are omitted from the diagram.

[0021] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 A partial diagram of the exploded structure.

[0022] Figure 8 yes Figure 5 A cross-sectional structural diagram.

[0023] Figure 9 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the manhole cover in its open state.

[0024] Attached Figures and Their Names: 1. Manhole Cover; 101. Keyhole; 2. Manhole Frame; 3. Base Plate; 4. Slide Rail; 401. Roller Shaft; 5. Baffle; 6. Mechanical Lock Body; 7. Automatic Lock Cylinder; 701. Automatic Lock Housing; 702. Sealing Ring; 703. Touch Switch; 704. Automatic Lock Gear; 705. Gear Motor; 706. Lock Rod; 707. Cylindrical Rack; 708. Automatic Lock Housing Cover; 709. Limiting Plate; 710. Tail Rod; 711. Waterproof Connector; 712. Emergency Lock Rack; 713. Emergency Lock Housing Cover; 714. Emergency Lock Gear; 715. Emergency Lock Base; 716. Mechanical Lock Cylinder; 717. Emergency Lock Housing; 718. Bearing; 719. Y-type Sealing Ring; 8. Electrical Control Components; 801. Control Box; 802. Mounting Plate. Implementation

[0025] The structure and use of this utility model will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1-9As shown, the manhole cover smart lock has a manhole cover 1 located within the top frame opening of the frame 2. The automatic lock cylinder 7 is set at the bottom of the manhole cover inside the frame through the base plate 3. An emergency lock body is provided on one side of the automatic lock cylinder at the bottom of the manhole cover inside the frame. The locking rod 706 at one end of the automatic lock cylinder is inserted into the lock groove hole on one side of the inner diameter of the frame. The automatic lock cylinder is equipped with a reduction motor 705. The automatic lock gear 704 extends out of the reduction motor shaft on one side of the reduction motor and meshes with one end of the cylindrical rack 707. The other end of the cylindrical rack is connected to the locking rod. The automatic lock cylinder has symmetrical slide rails 4 on both sides of the base plate. The top two wings of the automatic lock cylinder move along the slide rails. At the same time, the other end of the automatic lock cylinder with the symmetrical lock rod has an extended emergency lock rack 712. One end of the emergency lock rack is fixed to the automatic lock cylinder, and the teeth at the other end of the emergency lock rack mesh with the emergency lock gear 714 fixed at one end of the mechanical lock cylinder 716 in the emergency lock body. The lock cylinder hole of the mechanical lock cylinder is aligned with the key hole 101 of the upper manhole cover through the base plate. When the key is inserted into the mechanical lock cylinder of the emergency lock body through the key hole of the manhole cover and rotated, the emergency lock gear drives the emergency lock rack and the automatic lock cylinder to move, and the lock rod of the automatic lock cylinder disengages from the lock groove hole on one side of the inner diameter of the manhole frame to unlock.

[0026] The aforementioned cylindrical rack has a toothed end at one bottom and a symmetrical keyed protrusion at the other end. The cylindrical rack is connected to the locking rod's central groove via the symmetrical keyed protrusion and a rivet, making the locking rod and cylindrical rack an integral unit. One end of the cylindrical rack has an insertable tail rod 710. A pin inserted into one end of the tail rod passes through sliding holes on both sides of the cylindrical rack. The tail rod's other end is sealed in a sealing hole at the rear of the automatic lock cylinder. A limit plate 709 is located on one side of the cylindrical rack of the geared motor. A touch switch 703 is located within the automatic lock cylinder corresponding to the limit plate. When the limit plate moves to one end via the moving iron core or the cylindrical rack, it triggers the touch switch, which is symmetrically equipped with microswitches on both sides.

[0027] The aforementioned automatic lock cylinder includes an automatic lock housing 701 and an automatic lock housing cover 708. A sealing ring 702 is provided at the upper opening of the automatic lock housing where the automatic lock housing and the automatic lock housing cover connect. The sealing ring has a raised double-layer sealing position on its sealing surface. The geared motor extending outwards from the automatic lock housing protrudes outwards, and a Y-shaped sealing ring 719 and a bearing 718 are provided in the slot of the automatic lock housing at the outer diameter of the cylindrical rack at the raised position. A baffle 5 is provided between the slide rails on the bottom plate on one side of the lock rod at the front of the automatic lock cylinder to limit the sliding position of the automatic lock cylinder. The aforementioned slide rails are formed by stamping stainless steel plates. Roller shafts 401 are equidistantly arranged in the slide rail grooves, and rollers are respectively provided at the roller shafts in the slide rail grooves.

[0028] The aforementioned emergency lock body includes an emergency lock cover 713, an emergency lock base 715, and an emergency lock housing 717. A mechanical lock cylinder is housed within the emergency lock housing via the emergency lock base, with one end extending out of the emergency lock base and fixedly connected to the emergency lock gear. An electronic control component 8 is located at the bottom of the manhole cover below the automatic lock cylinder and the emergency lock body. The electronic control component contains a battery, and its control box 801 is connected to the automatic lock cylinder's geared motor and touch switch via wiring and a waterproof connector 711. Each wiring point of the electronic control component has another waterproof connector. The electronic control component is mounted on the bottom of the manhole cover via a mounting plate 802. One end of the mounting plate is bent, and the bend aligns with a lock slot on one side of the manhole frame's inner diameter.

[0029] This smart lock for manhole covers includes a smart unlocking mode and an emergency unlocking mode. In smart unlocking mode, a geared motor drives an automatic lock gear, which in turn drives a cylindrical rack (a circular toothed rod), linking the locking lever to lock or unlock the manhole cover. In emergency unlocking mode, a key is inserted into the emergency unlocking module through the keyhole of the manhole cover. Rotation of the module drives the internal emergency lock rack, which is fixed to the automatic lock housing, and the housing is fixed to the slide rails on both sides. The rack pulls the housing back, achieving emergency unlocking. The emergency unlocking slide rails use rollers and stainless steel plates, eliminating the need for secondary surface protection, reducing friction, and preventing salt spray and rust.

[0030] This smart lock for manhole covers employs the following structural design to address waterproofing and dustproofing issues: 1. Double-layer sealing ring on the shell; 2. Y-shaped sealing ring on the locking rod; 3. Triple sealing strategy with IP68 waterproof terminals; 4. Direct connection between the smart unlocking module and the electrical control module via a connecting cable, eliminating the need for terminals and reducing the risk of water ingress. This constitutes a complete IP68 protection system, fundamentally solving the sealing problem in harsh environments. Simultaneously, the smart lock for manhole covers offers the following benefits: 1. Extremely high reliability and lifespan: IP68-level comprehensive protection ensures the long-term durability of the lock body in extreme environments. 2. Excellent security and management efficiency: Enables "unmanned" remote authorization management of manhole covers, significantly improving response speed and management efficiency; it also features real-time status monitoring and illegal intrusion alarm functions, providing strong technical support for public safety. 3. Comprehensive emergency protection: An independent mechanical emergency unlocking design completely eliminates the worry of "paralysis upon malfunction" for smart devices. 4. Precise intelligent control: Closed-loop position control achieved through microswitches makes the system operation more intelligent, precise and energy-efficient. At the same time, it provides the most needed and accurate status information for back-end management, laying a solid foundation for the refined management of smart cities.

[0031] In summary, this smart manhole cover lock is an IP68-rated intelligent manhole cover lock with emergency unlocking and status feedback functions. It specifically relates to an intelligent manhole cover locking system for underground utility tunnels such as manholes, power wells, and communication wells. It integrates mechanical locking, electronic control drive, wireless communication, and status monitoring functions, aiming to solve the problems of intelligent management, security against theft, and emergency access for manhole covers. The development of this smart manhole cover lock stems from a deep concern for urban public safety, intelligent management of infrastructure, and operational cost efficiency. Traditional manhole cover management models are no longer suitable for the needs of modern smart city development, and their inherent shortcomings have created an urgent need for intelligent, highly reliable manhole cover locking systems.

Claims

1. A smart lock for a manhole cover, wherein a manhole cover (1) is provided at the top frame opening of the manhole frame (2), and an automatic lock cylinder (7) is provided at the bottom of the manhole cover inside the manhole frame via a base plate (3). An emergency lock body is provided on one side of the automatic lock cylinder at the bottom of the manhole cover inside the manhole frame. A locking rod (706) at one end of the automatic lock cylinder is inserted into a lock slot hole on one side of the inner diameter of the manhole frame. An electronic actuator is provided inside the automatic lock cylinder, and one end of a driving component extending out of the electronic actuator is connected to the locking rod. The lock is characterized in that... The automatic lock cylinder (7) has symmetrical slide rails (4) on the bottom plates (3) on both sides. While the top two wings of the automatic lock cylinder move through the slide rails, the other end of the automatic lock cylinder has an extended emergency lock rack (712). One end of the emergency lock rack is fixed to the automatic lock cylinder, and the teeth of the other end of the emergency lock rack mesh with the emergency lock gear (714) fixed at one end of the mechanical lock cylinder (716) inside the emergency lock body. The lock cylinder hole of the mechanical lock cylinder is aligned with the key hole (101) of the upper manhole cover (1) through the bottom plate. When the key is inserted into the mechanical lock cylinder of the emergency lock body through the key hole of the manhole cover and rotated, the emergency lock gear drives the emergency lock rack and the automatic lock cylinder to move. The lock rod of the automatic lock cylinder disengages from the lock groove hole on one side of the inner diameter of the manhole frame (2) to unlock.

2. The smart lock for manhole covers according to claim 1, characterized in that... The electronic actuator is a solenoid valve or a geared motor (705). The moving iron core of the solenoid valve is connected to the locking rod (706) as a driving element, or the automatic locking gear (704) extending from the motor shaft on one side of the geared motor meshes with one end of the cylindrical rack (707) as a driving element, and the other end of the cylindrical rack is connected to the locking rod.

3. The intelligent lock for manhole covers according to claim 2, characterized in that... The cylindrical rack (707) has a toothed end at one bottom and a symmetrical key protrusion at the middle of the other end. The cylindrical rack is connected to the middle groove of the locking rod (706) through the symmetrical key protrusion and the rivet, and the locking rod and the cylindrical rack are integrated.

4. The intelligent lock for manhole covers according to claim 3, characterized in that... The cylindrical rack (707) has an insertable tail rod (710) at one end of its toothed end. The pin inserted into one end of the tail rod passes through the sliding holes on both sides of the cylindrical rack, and the tail seat at the other end of the tail rod seals the sealing hole at the rear of the automatic lock cylinder.

5. The intelligent lock for manhole covers according to claim 2, characterized in that... The automatic lock cylinder (7) has a limit plate (709) on one side of the moving iron core of the solenoid valve or the cylindrical rack (707) of the geared motor (705). The automatic lock cylinder corresponding to the limit plate has a touch switch (703). When the limit plate is moved to one end by the moving iron core or the cylindrical rack, it will trigger at least the micro switch on the side of the touch switch.

6. The smart lock for manhole covers according to claim 1, characterized in that... The automatic lock cylinder (7) includes an automatic lock housing (701) and an automatic lock housing cover (708). A sealing ring (702) is provided at the upper opening of the automatic lock housing where the automatic lock housing and the automatic lock housing cover are connected. The sealing ring has a raised double-layer sealing position. The moving iron core or the geared motor (705) at the solenoid valve extending out of the automatic lock housing protrudes outward. A Y-type sealing ring (719) and a bearing (718) are provided in the slot of the automatic lock housing at the outer diameter of the cylindrical rack (707) at the raised position.

7. The smart lock for manhole covers according to claim 1, characterized in that... A baffle (5) is provided between the slide rail (4) on the bottom plate (3) on one side of the lock rod (706) at the front of the automatic lock cylinder (7) to limit the sliding position of the automatic lock cylinder, or a protrusion is provided in the slide groove at the connection between the automatic lock cylinder and the slide rails on both sides to limit the sliding position of the automatic lock cylinder.

8. The intelligent lock for manhole covers according to claim 1, characterized in that... The slide rail (4) is a plate formed by stamping stainless steel plate. The slide rail groove is provided with roller shafts (401) arranged at equal intervals, and rollers are provided at the roller shafts in the slide rail groove.

9. The smart lock for manhole covers according to claim 1, characterized in that... The bottom of the manhole cover (1) below the automatic lock cylinder (7) and the emergency lock body is provided with an electric control component (8). The electric control component contains a battery. The control box (801) of the electric control component is connected to the geared motor (705) and the touch switch (703) of the automatic lock cylinder through a line and a waterproof connector (711). Another waterproof connector is provided at the wiring point of the electric control component.

10. The smart lock for manhole covers according to claim 9, characterized in that... The electrical control component (8) is installed on the bottom of the manhole cover (1) via the mounting plate (802). One end of the mounting plate is bent and the opening at the bend is aligned with the locking slot on one side of the inner diameter of the manhole frame (2).

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