Knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and lacing device including the same

Abstract

Provided are a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and a lacing device including the same. The knob mechanism includes an inner knob and a cap, and the cap is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob. The cap is provided with at least one locking block. The inner knob is provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism. The locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism cooperate to achieve coupling and separation between the inner knob and the cap. The separating and coupling mechanism includes a locking portion and a separating groove. The locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap and the inner knob. The cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob to rotate the locking block to the separating groove, thereby separating the cap and the inner knob from the separating groove.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present disclosure is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No. PCT / CN2025 / 120575, filed on September 11, 2025, which claims the priorities of Chinese Patent Application No. 202422298859.7, filed on September 20, 2024, Chinese Patent Application No. 202411574034.1, filed on November 6, 2024, Chinese Patent Application No. 202510086465.1, filed on January 17, 2025, Chinese Patent Application No. 202510879928.X, filed on June 26, 2025, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of lacing technologies, and in particular to a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and a lacing device including the same.BACKGROUND

[0003] Currently, tightening for footwear, clothing, hats, or other items is often achieved through laces, cords, or other tensioning components. Conventional lacing devices adequately serve the functional purpose of tightening laces to tighten footwear, hats / clothing, or other items. However, a visual appearance of the lacing device is monotonous and is non-replaceable.

[0004] To enhance the aesthetic appearance of the lacing device, a decorative cap is typically attached to a knob of the lacing device, thereby improving the overall visual appeal of the entire lacing device. Connection manners between the knob of the lacing device and the decorative cap usually include snap-fit connection, magnetic connection, or adhesive fixed connection. Adhesive fixed connection makes the decorative cap and the lacing device non-detachable, thus the decorative cap cannot be replaced. The magnetic connection may cause the decorative cap to fall off during use due to insufficient magnetic attraction. While ordinary snap-fit connection offers the advantage of being detachable, the often require the use of tools to pry off the decorative cap during disassembly. Improper operation will damage the decorative cap and the knob, and the operation requires certain skills. Therefore, replacing the decorative cap poses some difficulty for users of lacing devices.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a lacing device that allows for more convenient and quick replacement of a decorative cap.SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems in the related art to some extent. For this purpose, one object of the present disclosure is to provide a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap including an inner knob and a cap. The cap is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob. The cap is provided with at least one locking block, and the inner knob is provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism. The locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism cooperate to achieve coupling and separation between the inner knob and the cap;

[0007] wherein each separating and coupling mechanism includes a locking portion and a separating groove. The locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap and the inner knob. The cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob to rotate the locking block to the separating groove, thereby separating the cap from the inner knob through the separating groove.

[0008] The arrangement of the separating groove allows the cap and the inner knob to be separated without requiring tools.

[0009] The term "mechanical coupling" means that movement or change of the cap can cause the inner knob to undergo corresponding movement or change. The movement of the cap may synchronously cause movement of the inner knob, or the inner knob may begin to move synchronously after the cap has moved for a period of time. Therefore, "mechanical coupling" means that the cap and the inner knob can move together within a certain range of travel, while allowing for a free movement period of the cap. "mechanical coupling" includes axial coupling and / or circumferential coupling. Moreover, the circumferential coupling may allow that coupling characteristic between the cap and the inner knob may vary depending on whether the relative rotation is clockwise or counterclockwise; or may allow that coupling is effective in only one circumferential direction while being disengaged in the opposite direction. The term "circumferential" herein refers to the direction along the circumference.

[0010] Further, the locking portion is a snap-fit groove, a through hole, a protrusion, or other mechanical structures that can engage with the locking block to form a securely engagement relationship.

[0011] Furthermore, the locking portion is configured as a snap-fit groove, and the snap-fit groove may be a recess or a through groove.

[0012] Further, the separating groove is circumferentially offset from the locking portion along the inner knob by a predetermined offset angle, and the predetermined offset angle ranges from 5° to 180°.

[0013] Furthermore, the predetermined offset angle ranges from 10° to 120°.

[0014] Further, the separating groove includes a first side wall adjacent to the locking portion and an opposite second side wall; both the first side wall and the second side wall have a proximal end adjacent to an opening end of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; the distal end of the second side wall is configured to incline circumferentially away from the locking portion relative to its proximal end, and / or the distal end of the first side wall is configured to incline circumferentially close to the locking portion relative to its proximal end, thereby guiding the locking block to slide out smoothly.

[0015] The separating and coupling mechanism further includes a rotation transition portion, the rotation transition portion is disposed between the locking portion and the separating groove and is configured for guiding the locking block to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove.

[0016] Further, the rotation transition portion includes a transition surface, the transition surface is positioned adjacent to the locking portion on the side close to the separating groove. When the cap is rotated away from the inner knob, the transition surface serves to guide the locking block away from the locking portion.

[0017] Further, the transition surface is a flat surface or a curved surface.

[0018] Furthermore, the transition surface is an arc surface. That is, the rotation transition portion includes a transition arc surface, the transition arc surface is positioned adjacent to the locking portion on the side close to the separating groove. When the cap is rotated away from the inner knob, the transition arc surface serves to guide the locking block away from the locking portion.

[0019] The rotation transition portion further includes a rotation guide portion, the rotation guide portion is disposed between the separating groove and the transition surface. A rotation transition step is formed between the rotation guide portion and the outer side of the inner knob. The rotation transition step is configured to provide rotational support for the locking block during the process of the locking block rotating towards the separating groove.

[0020] The separating and coupling mechanism further includes an assembly groove, the assembly groove is located at a position aligned with the locking portion on the outer side of the inner knob. When assembling the cap and the inner knob, if the cap is engaged with the locking portion at the position aligned with the locking portion, the assembly groove serves to guide the locking block to the position of the locking portion.

[0021] Further, a depth of the separating groove gradually decreases from a top end to a bottom end of the separating groove, or a depth of the separating groove gradually decreases from a middle portion of the separating groove to a bottom end of the separating groove;

[0022] a depth of the assembly groove gradually increases from the locking portion to a bottom end of the inner knob.

[0023] The term "middle portion of the separating groove" herein refers to any position between the "bottom end of the separating groove" and the "top end of the separating groove", not necessarily exactly the half-height position of the separating groove. The selection of the position of the "middle portion of the separating groove" may be determined on specific circumstances.

[0024] The top end of the separating groove may be aligned with the top end of the inner knob, or may be located in the middle portion of the inner knob. Similarly, the top end of the locking portion may be aligned with the top end of the inner knob, or may be located in the middle portion of the inner knob. In this disclosure, the positional relationship of the top end and the bottom end of the separating groove is consistent with the positional relationship of the top end and the bottom end of the inner knob.

[0025] Further, at least a local bottom surface of the separating groove is configured as a first inclined surface; at least a local bottom surface of the assembly groove is configured as a second inclined surface. The bottom surface of the separating groove and the bottom surface of the assembly groove refer to the bottom of the groove.

[0026] Furthermore, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are inclined in opposite directions. The term "inclined in opposite directions" means that the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface extend in opposite directions from the bottom end to the top end of the inner knob, where one expands radially outward and the other constricts radially inward. This distinction arises because the separating groove serves as a lead-out surface, while the assembly groove serves as a lead-in surface. Since the lead-in and lead-out directions are opposite, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface must oppositely incline to achieve the corresponding guiding function.

[0027] Further, a plurality of the separating and coupling mechanisms are provided, and a plurality of the locking blocks are correspondingly provided.

[0028] Further, the plurality of locking blocks are either identical in size or differ from one another in size.

[0029] The plurality of locking blocks differ from one another in size means that the plurality of locking blocks have at least two different sizes. For example, at least one locking block has a size different from the others, or even each of the plurality of locking blocks has a unique size.

[0030] Further, an alignment mark is provided on each of the cap and the inner knob for indicating the corresponding locking block and locking portion for quick alignment and installation.

[0031] Furthermore, the alignment mark is positioned to correspond with the locking block that has a different size from the others.

[0032] Further, the plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms are uniformly spaced apart on the inner knob; the plurality of locking blocks are uniformly spaced apart on the cap correspondingly.

[0033] The separating and coupling mechanism further includes an assembly guide portion arranged on the inner knob. The locking block is directly securely engaged with the locking portion at a position aligned with the locking portion; or under guidance of the assembly guide portion, the locking block moves from a non-aligned position at least partially offset from the locking portion to a position aligned with the locking portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be securely engaged.

[0034] "A position aligned with the locking portion" refers to the position facing the locking portion, meaning the position where the locking block and the locking portion can be directly engaged solely by axial displacement. The position aligned with the locking portion may directly be provided with the locking portion, or may be provided with other transition structures connected to the locking portion. Therefore, the position aligned with the locking portion may refer to a position, or to a structure located at that position, such as the locking portion or a transition structure connected to the locking portion. In line with the preceding context, in this disclosure, the "position aligned with the locking portion" herein may be the locking portion itself, or may be the assembly groove, i.e., the transition structure connected to the locking portion may be the assembly groove.

[0035] In this disclosure, the assembly guide portion has a proximal end adjacent to a bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end. The "bottom of the inner knob" refers to the end where the cap and the inner knob first encounter or engagement during the assembly process, or, in other words, the end that directly faces the cap during assembly.

[0036] Further, the assembly guide portion is inclined relative to a rotation axis direction of the inner knob, and has a proximal end adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; wherein a position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion; and the locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion under guidance of the assembly guide portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be securely engaged.

[0037] Further, the assembly groove is adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion.

[0038] In an embodiment, the cap is provided with a plurality of locking blocks equal in number to the locking portion. Each locking portion corresponds to an assembly guide pair, the assembly guide pair comprises two assembly guide units; and wherein each assembly guide unit has a proximal end adjacent the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; the position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of each assembly guide unit in the assembly guide pair. The assembly guide pair provides a tolerance space between the cap and the inner knob for the alignment, i.e., achieving non-completely precise alignment engagement between the cap and the inner knob. The term "plurality" herein refers to two or more, including two.

[0039] Further, an engaging surface of the assembly guide portion or the assembly guide unit is configured as a helical surface, an inclined surface, or an irregular surface; the irregular surface is selected from the group consisting of: a combination of a plurality of different helical surfaces; or a combination of a plurality of different inclined surfaces, or a combination of at least one helical surface and at least one inclined surface. The guide surface on the assembly guide portion configured to guide the sliding of the locking block is referred to as the "assembly guide surface".

[0040] Furthermore, the guiding surfaces of the two assembly guide units are inclined surfaces, and the inclination directions of the two inclined surfaces are symmetrical about the axis of the inner knob.

[0041] In another embodiment, the cap includes a guided portion configured to mate with the assembly guide portion; wherein the locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion by the interaction between the assembly guide portion and the guided portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be engaged.

[0042] Further, engaging surfaces of the assembly guide portion and the guided portion are configured as helical surfaces, inclined surfaces, or irregular surfaces; the irregular surface is selected from the group consisting of: a combination of a plurality of different helical surfaces; or a combination of a plurality of different inclined surfaces, or a combination of at least one helical surface and at least one inclined surface. Both the assembly guide portion and the guided portion have an equivalent rotational direction.

[0043] Further, the irregular surface is formed by different helical surfaces with same equivalent rotational direction, or different inclined surfaces with same equivalent rotational direction, or at least one helical surface and at least one inclined surface with same equivalent rotational direction.

[0044] The trajectory of a moving point on a helical surface is a composite path consisting of circumferential rotational motion and axial motion. The direction of rotation for a helical surface refers to the direction of the circumferential component of this helical motion. In contrast, the trajectory of a moving point on an inclined surface cannot be decomposed into a circumferential component. However, since the radial distance from the moving point on the inclined surface to the rotation axis of the inner knob remains constant, it can be considered to possess a circumferential component of motion (referred to as "circumferential motion"). The rotational direction of this circumferential motion is defined as the "equivalent rotational direction". In this disclosure, to standardize terminology, the direction of the circumferential component of motion for a moving point on either a helical surface or an inclined surface is defined as the "equivalent rotational direction."

[0045] The "equivalent rotational direction" of a helical surface refers to the rotational direction, as viewed from above, of the trajectory of a moving point as the moving point moves from a proximal end to a distal end of the helical surface along a helical line that maintains a constant radial distance from the rotation axis of the helical surface.

[0046] The "equivalent rotational direction" of an inclined surface or an irregular surface refers to the rotational direction, as viewed from above, of the trajectory of a moving point as the moving point moves a proximal end to a distal end of the inclined surface or the irregular surface along the inclined surface or irregular surface that maintain a constant radial distance from the rotation axis of the inner knob.

[0047] In this disclosure, the proximal end of the guided portion is adjacent to an opening end of the cap, and the proximal end of the guided portion is the end closest to the inner knob when installing the cap onto the inner knob.

[0048] The "equivalent rotational direction" of the assembly guide portion and the guided portion refers to the rotational direction, as viewed from above, of the trajectory of a moving point as the moving point moves from the proximal end to the distal end of the assembly guide portion along the mating surfaces of the assembly guide portion and the guided portion at a constant radial distance from the rotation axis of the inner knob.

[0049] The "equivalent rotational direction" may be clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0050] Further, the guided portion and the locking block is a one-piece structure; the locking block comprises a contacting surface that abuts with the locking portion; the guided portion is opposite to the contacting surface; the locking block is capable of moving along the assembly guide portion to the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby enabling the locking blocks and the locking portion to be securely engaged. For example, the contacting surface is arranged on the upper end surface of the locking block, and the guided portion is arranged on the lower end surface of the locking block.

[0051] Further, the guided portion is aligned with the contacting surface along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the inner knob.

[0052] Further, the assembly guide portion is configured as a helical surface, an inclined surface, or an irregular surface inclined relative to the rotation axis direction of the inner knob.

[0053] Further, a helical direction or an inclination direction of the assembly guide portion intersects with the rotation axis direction of the inner knob. The helical direction or the inclination direction refers to the direction of the projection trajectory of the helical surface structure or inclined surface structure of the assembly guide portion onto a plane containing the rotation axis of the inner knob.

[0054] Further, the assembly guide portion includes a helical surface or an inclined surface, and the guided portion correspondingly includes a helical surface or an inclined surface. This allows the guided portion slides along the helical surface or the inclined surface when an assembly external force is applied to the cap. In this case, the assembly guide portion has a single equivalent rotational direction. The "assembly external force" refers to the resultant external force applied to the cap when assembling the cap onto the inner knob.

[0055] Further, the assembly guide portion and the guided portion are configured respectively as a first helical surface and a second helical surface in sliding engagement, or a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface in sliding engagement.

[0056] The first helical surface includes a helical surface proximal end and an opposite helical surface distal end, the helical surface proximal end of the first helical surface is adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob; the first inclined surface includes an inclined surface proximal end and an opposite inclined surface distal end, the inclined surface proximal end of the first inclined surface is adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob; both the first helical surface and the first inclined surface have the equivalent direction of rotation.

[0057] Further, each assembly guide portion can be a continuous monolithic structure, or may include multiple assembly guide segments. Small slits may be defined between the multiple assembly guide segments, as long as they do not affect the continuity of the sliding of the guided portion on the guide surface of the assembly guide portion.

[0058] Further, the inner knob includes a plurality of assembly guide portions and a plurality of locking portions. A position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of the corresponding assembly guide portion. When the guided portion slides along the assembly guide portion until completely disengaging from the distal end of the assembly guide portion, the locking block is aligned with the corresponding locking portion.

[0059] Further, the plurality of assembly guide portions and the plurality of locking portions are uniformly spaced around the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob.

[0060] Further, one locking portion is arranged between every two adjacent assembly guide portions. The cap is provided with a plurality of locking blocks, the number of which is equal to the number of the locking portions.

[0061] Further, the assembly guide portion protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob, and the separating groove is disposed within the circumferential range of the assembly guide portion.

[0062] Further, a plurality of separating grooves are provided, and the separating grooves and the locking portions are arranged in one-to-one correspondence.

[0063] Further, assembly unit is formed by one assembly guide portion and one locking portion; a plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms are provided, each separating and coupling mechanism comprises at least one assembly unit and one separating groove; wherein a plurality of the assembly units are disposed around the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob, and are arranged circumferentially in a continuous and adjacent manner. The separating groove of each separating and coupling mechanism is arranged within the circumferential range of the assembly guide portion of its adjacent separating and coupling mechanism. Since the plurality of assembly units are arranged continuously and adjacently, and the separating groove is circumferentially offset from the locking portion, the separating groove necessarily has at least partial circumferential overlap with the assembly guide portion of the adjacent assembly unit, i.e., the separating groove is arranged within the circumferential range of the assembly guide portion of the adjacent assembly unit.

[0064] Furthermore, the separating groove is positioned to the assembly guide surface of the adjacent assembly unit on the side close to the opening end of the inner knob; or, the separating groove intersects with the assembly guide surface of the adjacent assembly unit.

[0065] The assembly guide surface and the separating groove may be arranged on a same loading element, or may be respectively arranged on different loading elements.

[0066] Further, the end surface of the assembly guide portion is the assembly guide surface, and the side wall of the assembly guide portion is provided with the separating groove. The separating groove of each separating and coupling mechanism is provided on the side wall of the assembly guide portion of its adjacent separating and coupling mechanism.

[0067] Further, a plurality of assembly units are uniformly arranged and continuously surround the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob.

[0068] The plurality of assembly units are uniformly arranged and continuously extend around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob. This structural design ensures that when assembling the cap with the inner knob, the locking block on the cap correspond to the inner knob in two possible scenarios: first, the locking block is positioned above the assembly guide portion; second, the locking block is positioned at a position aligned with the locking portion. When assembling the cap and the inner knob, if the locking block is positioned above the assembly guide portion, under the applied assembly external force, the guided portion on the cap slides along the assembly guide portion until the locking block aligned with and engaged with the locking portion. In the other scenario, when assembling the cap and the inner knob, if the locking blocks already at the position aligned with the locking portion, under the applied assembly external force, the locking block on the cap moves axially downward until they securely engage with the locking portion. Therefore, when assembling the cap and the inner knob, regardless of the initial circumferential position from which the cap is pressed onto the inner knob, the locking block will directly align or guided into the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby being engaged with the locking portion. Thus, this structural design enables the cap to be assembled onto the inner knob from any 360° orientation without requiring prior alignment or incorporating fool-proofing features, thereby simplifying the assembly process of the cap and the inner knob. That is, the cap and the inner knob can achieve completely non-precise alignment engagement.

[0069] Further, a side wall of the cap is provided with at least one slit, and the slit is located adjacent to at least one side of the locking block. The design of the gaps enhances the deformation capability of the side wall of the cap where the locking blocks are located, thereby making the assembly and disassembly operations of the inner knob and the cap more convenient and quicker.

[0070] Further, a first slit and a second slit are provided on the side wall of the cap on both sides of the locking block respectively. Providing gaps on both sides of the locking block further enhances the ability of the locking block to elastically displacement.

[0071] Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob is provided with notches corresponding in number to the separating grooves; and a gap is provided between each notch and its corresponding separating groove. The "gap" includes a radial gap and / or a circumferential gap. The gap between the separating groove and the notch enhances the elastic displacement ability of the separating groove.

[0072] Further, when the separating groove is provided on the side wall of the assembly guide portion of the adjacent assembly unit, the assembly guide portion includes multiple assembly guide segments. Wherein the gap is defined between at least the assembly guide segment containing the separating groove and the notch.

[0073] Further, any of the above cap is integrally formed with a decorative structure; or, any of the above knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap further includes a decorative member, and the decorative member and the cap are mechanically coupled.

[0074] Further, the cap is integrally formed with the decorative structure, including the cap itself having an inherent sculpted design, the cap having a decorative construction, or the surface of the cap having patterns, hollow-out structures, etc.

[0075] Further, the manner in which the decorative member and the cap are mechanically coupled includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of the following: adhesive bonding, magnetic attraction, snap-fit connection, interference fit, or embedded fit.

[0076] Further, the material of the decorative member includes, but is not limited to, silicone, metal, plastic, etc.

[0077] Further, the decorative member includes, but is not limited to, specific shaped parts, drip sheets, light-emitting chips, etc. Specific shaped parts include, but are not limited to, cartoon shapes, floral shapes, plant shapes, animal shapes, natural landscapes, vehicle shapes, etc.

[0078] In the above knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap, the cap is provided with the locking block, and the inner knob is provided with the separating and coupling mechanism; the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob. However, since movement is relative, the locking blocks may also be arranged on the inner knob, and the separating and coupling mechanisms may be arranged on the cap. Likewise, this configuration can achieve the effect of separating the cap and the inner knob by rotating the cap.

[0079] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a lacing device. The lacing device includes a housing and the above-mentioned knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap, wherein the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is rotatably arranged on the housing.

[0080] Further, the lacing device has a lace-winding mode and a lace-releasing mode. In the lace-winding mode, the inner knob of the knob mechanism is configured to be rotatable relative to the housing in a tensioning direction, and is non-rotatable relative to the housing in a loosening direction, while the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob in the loosening direction.

[0081] Therefore, in the lace-winding mode, the inner knob and the cap of the lacing device are mechanical coupled in the axial direction and the circumferential direction along the tensioning direction, but in the loosening direction, the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob, and the two are not mechanical coupled.

[0082] Further, the separating groove is circumferentially offset from the locking portion along the inner knob and located on a side of the locking portion in the loosening direction. The cap of the knob mechanism is rotatable relative to the inner knob, causing the locking block to rotate from the position of the locking portion along the loosening direction to the position of the separating groove, thereby separating the cap from the inner knob.

[0083] Further, the separating groove includes a first side wall adjacent to the locking portion and an opposite second side wall; both the first side wall and the second side wall have a proximal end adjacent to an opening end of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; wherein the distal end of the second side wall is configured to incline, one a side towards the loosening direction relative to its proximal end, towards, and / or the distal end of the first side wall is configured to incline on a side towards the tensioning direction relative to its proximal end, thereby guiding the locking block to slide out smoothly.

[0084] Further, the separating and coupling mechanism further includes an assembly guide portion. The locking block is movable to a position aligned with the locking portion guided by the interaction between the assembly guide portion and the guided portion, thereby enabling the locking blocks and the locking portion to be engaged.

[0085] Further, the cap is provided with a plurality of locking blocks, the number of which is equal the number of the locking portions. Each locking portion corresponds to an assembly guide pair, which includes two assembly guide units. The locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion under guidance of any one of the two assembly guide units. Wherein each assembly guide unit is inclined relative to the rotation axis direction of the inner knob and has a proximal end adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end. The position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of each unit of assembly guide portion in the assembly guide pair. In this disclosure, the "assembly guide unit" has the same function and structure as the "assembly guide portion".

[0086] Further, the cap is provided with at least one guided portion for mating with the assembly guide portion. The assembly guide portion has a single equivalent rotational direction, and the guided portion has a single equivalent rotational direction correspondingly.

[0087] Further, the assembly guide portions and the guided portions are respectively configured as a first helical surface and a second helical surface in sliding engagement, or a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface in sliding engagement.

[0088] Further, the assembly guide portion has an equivalent rotational direction opposite to the tensioning direction. When an assembly external force is applied to the cap towards the inner knob, the guided portion slides along the assembly guide portion while the inner knob rotates along the tensioning direction, and the cap moves axially until the locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged.

[0089] Further, the inner knob further provides a rotation transition portion, the rotation transition portion is disposed between the locking portion and the separating groove and is configured for guiding the locking block to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove. The rotation transition portion is also located on a side of locking portion along the loosening direction.

[0090] Further, the lacing device further includes an anti-reverse mechanism, the anti-reverse mechanism ensures that in the lace-winding mode of the lacing device, the inner knob can only rotate relative to the housing along the tensioning direction; the anti-reverse mechanism includes a first anti-reverse member and a second anti-reverse member that engage with each other, and the first anti-reverse member is a ratchet or a recess; and the lacing device further includes a limiting portion configured to restrict axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member. Wherein the second anti-reverse member refers to the anti-reverse member that cooperates with the first anti-reverse member and is capable of displacing. The "displacing" may be circumferential displacing or radial displacing; the manner of displacing is not limited, as long as it can displace. "Restrict axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member" does not mean strictly restricting the axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member to zero, but allows a certain amount of axial displacement, as long as the structure is not damaged. For example, a gap may be defined between the second anti-reverse member and the limiting portion in the starting position, friction causes axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member, thereby making the second anti-reverse member to abut against the limiting portion. This amount of axial displacement is negligible and does not affect the structural stability of the second anti-reverse member. Preferably, the amount of axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member should not exceed the deformation threshold at which the second anti-reverse member fails due to damage. For example, if the second anti-reverse member warps by 100% of its own thickness causing it to fracture and fail, then the axial displacement amount should not exceed 100% of the second anti-reverse member's own thickness.

[0091] Further, the first anti-reverse member and the second anti-reverse member are disposed on the housing and the inner knob respectively.

[0092] Further, the limiting portion and the second anti-reverse member are disposed on the same component of the lacing device, and the limiting portion and the second anti-reverse member form a force lock or a shape lock to restrict axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member. The term "force lock" refers to a locking function achieved by means of an applied external force and the reaction force at the contact point. Specifically, the external force causes the first anti-reverse member to move upward; the friction force generated on the mating surface between the first anti-reverse member and the second anti-reverse member causes the second anti-reverse member to experience a friction force along the axial direction towards the first anti-reverse member, making it contact the limiting portion. At the contact point, the reaction force exerted by the limiting portion on the second anti-reverse member has a component along the axial direction away from the first anti-reverse member, thereby restricting axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member. The term "shape lock" refers to a locking manner that relies on the geometric constraints created by the structural shapes of components to lock their relative motion. "The limiting portion and the second anti-reverse member are disposed on the same component of the lacing device" means they are both disposed on the housing or both disposed on the knob mechanism.

[0093] Further, the second anti-reverse member is one of a pawl, a displaceable member, and a swing arm. Any anti-reverse component that can cooperate with ratchet and is capable of displacing can serve as the second anti-reverse member.

[0094] Further, the anti-reverse mechanism further includes a third anti-reverse member. The second anti-reverse member and the third anti-reverse member are arranged on the same component of the lacing device. Wherein the second anti-reverse member is a displaceable member, and the third anti-reverse member is a blocking member; a head of the blocking member is configured as a reverse stop limiting portion. The displaceable member includes a neck connection protruding portion. The reverse stop limiting portion engages with the neck connection protruding portion to restrict the axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member.

[0095] The lacing device provided in this disclosure may be used for tightening items such as footwears, hats / clothing, and bags. The beneficial effects of the present disclosure include:

[0096] 1. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and the lacing device including the same, as provided by the present disclosure, feature the locking block on the cap and corresponding separating and coupling mechanism on the inner knob at positions corresponding to the locking block. The design of the separating and coupling mechanism enables more convenient assembly and disassembly between the cap and the inner knob, without the need for tools. It is only need to manually rotate and then pull the cap to detach the old cap, thereby meeting the need for quick replacement of the cap. The same functionality can still be achieved even if the placement of the locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism are exchanged.

[0097] 2. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and the lacing device including the same, as provided by the present disclosure, provides a knob mechanism with non-completely precise alignment engagement by employing the assembly guide portion on the inner knob. For the knob mechanism with non-completely precise alignment engagement including the assembly guide pair, when the cap is to be assembled onto the inner knob from above, the cap can be dropped within a certain tolerance space. This eliminates the need for strictly precise alignment during assembly, thereby increasing the success rate and improving convenience of assembly.

[0098] 3. By providing assembly guide portion on the inner knob and guided portion on the cap correspondingly, the cap is guided to slide into the aligned position during assembling the cap and the inner knob, thereby allowing the locking block to align and engage with the locking portion. This not only saves time and effort, but also ensures that elastic deformation between the locking block and the locking portion occurs only when the guided portion on the cap is guided by the assembly guide portion to slide to the position aligned with the locking portions. As a result, excessive compressive deformation is avoided, which prevents unfavorable conditions and does not affect subsequent replacement of the cap. Moreover, it guarantees accurate and complete fitting of the cap onto the knob mechanism, thereby improving assembly precision.

[0099] 4. The completely non-precise alignment engagement knob mechanism, as a special case of non-completely precise alignment engagement, allows the cap to be snapped onto the inner knob for assembly from any position above the inner knob. This makes the assembly of the cap and the inner knob more convenient and offers greater flexibility.

[0100] 5. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap provided by the present disclosure is not limited to be applied in lacing devices. It is also applicable to other engagement and disassembly systems requiring non-precise alignment installation.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0101] To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or in the prior art more clearly and fully, the drawings to be used in the embodiments or in the prior art will be described briefly below. Apparently, the drawings in the following descriptions only show some embodiments of the present disclosure. Other drawings can be obtained by an ordinary one skilled in the art from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.

[0102] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a first embodiment provided by the present disclosure;

[0103] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along A-A direction in FIG. 1;

[0104] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of FIG. 1;

[0105] FIG. 4 is a top view of an inner knob of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of FIG. 3;

[0106] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a second embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0107] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a cap of the knob mechanism in FIG. 5 viewed from another perspective;

[0108] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a third embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0109] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a fourth embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0110] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a fifth embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0111] FIG. 10 is a front view of the inner knob of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of FIG. 9;

[0112] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a sixth embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0113] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a cap in FIG. 11 viewed from another perspective;

[0114] FIG. 13 is a schematic view of an inner knob in FIG. 11;

[0115] FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a first preferred embodiment of the inner knob of the knob mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 11;

[0116] FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a second preferred embodiment of the inner knob in the knob mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 11;

[0117] FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a third preferred embodiment of the inner knob in the knob mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 11;

[0118] FIG. 17 is another schematic view of the cap of the knob mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 11;

[0119] FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the cap in FIG. 17 viewed from another perspective;

[0120] FIG. 19 is an exploded schematic view of a first embodiment of a lacing device including the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of the present disclosure;

[0121] FIG. 20 is an exploded schematic view of a second embodiment of a lacing device including the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of the present disclosure;

[0122] FIG. 21 is an assembly view of a displaceable member and a housing according to the prior art;

[0123] FIG. 22 is an assembly, schematic view of an inner knob and another anti-reverse mechanism of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of the present disclosure;

[0124] FIG. 23 is an assembly, schematic view of a displaceable member and a housing of the second embodiment of the lacing device of FIG. 20;

[0125] FIG. 24 is a top view of the assembly structure in FIG. 23;

[0126] FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view along A-A direction in FIG. 24;

[0127] FIG. 26 is a force analysis view of a contact surface between the displaceable member and a blocking member when the cap rotates to separate from the inner knob in FIG. 25.

[0128] The realization of the objectives, functional features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be further explained in combination with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0129] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0130] It should be understood that the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “rear”, “length”, “width”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer” and the like are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship when the product of the present disclosure is commonly placed, merely for convenience and simplification of the description, rather than to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation or a specific positional relationship, be designed and operated in a specific orientation or a specific positional relationship, therefore it should not be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0131] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for distinguishing description purposes rather than for indicating or implying relative importance or quantity of technical features. Therefore, features defined by "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly defined.

[0132] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the terms "connected", "fixed" and the like in the present disclosure should be understood broadly. For example, it may be fixed connection, or may be detachable connection, or integrally formed; it may be direct connection, or may be indirect connection via an intermediate medium. For a person of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure may be understood according to specific situations.

[0133] A knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and a lacing device including the same according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0134] As one object of the present disclosure, a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is provided, in which a cap and an inner knob can be engaged in both precise alignment and non-precise alignment situations. The term "precise alignment engagement" means that a locking block must be precisely aligned with a corresponding locking portion to enable the assembly between the cap and the inner knob; the term "non-precise alignment engagement", also known as non-completely precise alignment engagement, means that the cap and the inner knob can be assembled as long as the locking block is within a certain tolerance range that includes a position precisely aligned with the locking portion; “completely non-precise alignment engagement” is a special case of non-completely precise alignment engagement. It means that the locking block can slide into the position precisely aligned with the locking portion from any initial drop orientation. Therefore, it is not need to consider the falling angular orientation of the locking blocks at all, and the cap can be assembled with the inner knob from any orientation within a full 360° range. Wherein, the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 disclose the general situation of the precise alignment engagement. The embodiments shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 disclose the general situation of the non-completely precise alignment engagement. The embodiments shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 18 disclose the completely non-precise alignment engagement; when the plurality of locking blocks in this embodiment have differentiated sizes, it also constitutes a technical solution of non-completely precise alignment engagement.

[0135] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a first embodiment is provided. The knob mechanism with an easily

[0136] replaceable cap includes an inner knob 10 and a cap 20. The cap 20 is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob 10. The cap 20 is provided with at least one locking block 201 (as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the at least one locking block 201 includes three locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c). The inner knob 10 is correspondingly provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism at position corresponding to the at least one locking block 201 (as shown in FIG. 3, the at least one separating and coupling mechanism includes three separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c at positions corresponding to the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c respectively). Each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c includes a first position P1 and a second position P2. The first position P1 is provided with a locking portion. Preferably, in this embodiment, the locking portion is configured as a snap-fit groove 1011. As shown in the figures, the locking portions at the first position P1 of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c are configured as the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively. The locking blocks 201 (i.e., the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) and the snap-fit grooves 1011 (i.e., the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c) are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap 20 and the inner knob 10. In this embodiment, a circumferential width of the locking blocks is substantially equal to a circumferential width of the snap-fit grooves. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism engaged at the first position P1, with the cap 20 and the inner knob 10 in a coupling state; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along a section line A-A in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 in a separating state. When the cap 20 is sleeved over an exterior of the inner knob 10, the locking blocks 201 (i.e., the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) on the cap 20 securely engaged into the corresponding snap-fit grooves 1011 (i.e., the corresponding snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c) on the inner knob 10, thereby fixedly interconnecting the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 without the need for additional tools. Further preferably, referring to FIG. 3, each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c further includes an assembly groove. The assembly groove 1015a is located on the outer side of the inner knob 10 corresponding to the snap-fit groove 1011a, and the assembly groove 1015b is located on the outer side of the inner knob 10 corresponding to the snap-fit groove 1011b.

[0137] The assembly grooves are configured to guide the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c into the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively when the cap 20 is assembled with the inner knob 10. During the assembly process of the inner knob 10 and the cap 20, the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c on the cap 20 can be aligned with the assembly grooves respectively. By applying an external force to move the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 closer to each other, the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c can move into the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively along the assembly grooves, achieving guidance for the movement of the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3, a depth of the assembly groove 1015a gradually increases from the snap-fit grooves 1011a toward a bottom end of the inner knob 10, a depth of the assembly groove 1015b gradually increases from the snap-fit groove 1011b toward a bottom end of the inner knob 10, and a depth of the assembly groove (not shown in the figures) of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c gradually increases from the snap-fit groove 1011c toward a bottom end of the inner knob 10. That is, bottom surfaces (groove bottoms of the assembly grooves 1015a, 1015b) of the assembly grooves 1015a, 1015b and a bottom surface of the assembly groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c are configured as an inclined surface S1. As shown in FIG. 2, the inclined surface S1, tapering radially outward from a bottom end to an opening end (top end) of inner knob, so as to guide the cap into place and securely fix the cap with the snap-fit grooves. Thus, when the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 are assembled, the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c gradually undergo gradual elastic deformation or elastic displacement under the guidance of the assembly grooves until the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c abut and engage with the snap-fit grooves respectively, at which point the locking blocks return to their original shape or original position. Under the external force, the assembly grooves guide the locking blocks to slide gradually into the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively, making the assembly of the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 more convenient.

[0138] The second position P2 of each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c is provided with a separating groove (as shown in FIG. 3, the second position P2 of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a is provided with a separating groove 1012a, a second position P2 of the separating and coupling mechanism 101b is provided with a separating groove 1012b, and a second position P2 of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c is provided with a separating groove (not shown in the figures). Each separating groove 1012 is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 10, and is adjacent to one of the snap-fit grooves, i.e., the separating grooves 1012a are disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 10, and is adjacent to the snap-fit groove 1011a, the separating groove 1012b is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 10, and is adjacent to the snap-fit groove 1011b, and the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 10, and is adjacent to the snap-fit groove1011c. Each of the separating grooves 1012, 1012a, 1012b is circumferentially offset from a corresponding snap-fit groove along the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob by a predetermined certain angle α. The predetermined offset angle range is preferably 5°~180°. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the predetermined offset angle α is 30°. The cap 20 is rotatable relative to the inner knob 10 to rotate the locking blocks 201, 201a, 201b, 201c to the separating grooves 1012, 1012a, 1012b respectively, and separate the cap 20 from the inner knob 10 through the separating grooves 1012, 1012a, 1012b. Since the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 are connected via the locking block and the snap-fit groove, if the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 need to be directly separated, in conventional methods, additional tools are needed to pry the locking blocks to deform and disengage them from the snap-fit grooves, thereby separating the inner knob 10 from the cap 20. Therefore, directly separating the locking blocks on the cap 20 from the snap-fit grooves on the inner knob 10 is relatively troublesome for users, requiring tools and skill, which makes the replacement of the cap 20 somewhat difficult.

[0139] However, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, by providing the separating grooves 1012 (including the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b) on the outer side of the inner knob 10, and the separating grooves are located adjacent to a side of the snap-fit grooves of the inner knob 10, when it is necessary to separate the inner knob 10 from the cap 20, relative rotation between the cap 20 and the inner knob 10 is achieved by rotating the cap 20. This allows the locking blocks 201 (including the locking blocks 201a, 201b, and 201c) to rotate away from their corresponding snap-fit grooves 1011 (including the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, and 1011c) and move into the corresponding separating grooves 1012 (including the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b and separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c). Since there is no contacting surface between the locking blocks 201 (such as the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) and the separating grooves of the inner knob 10, when an external force is applied to pull the cap 20, the cap 20 together with the locking blocks 201 (such as the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) are slidable along an extension direction of the separating grooves 1012 (such as the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b), thereby ultimately detaching from the inner knob 10. When the locking blocks 201 (such as the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) disengage from the inner knob 10, the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 can be separated. In this embodiment, the circumferential width of the separating groove is substantially equal to the circumferential width of the locking block. In other embodiments, the circumferential width of the separating groove may be greater than the circumferential width of the locking block. The design of the separating groove makes the separation operation between the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 simpler and easier. Users only need to manually rotate and pull the cap 20 to separate the inner knob 10 from the cap 20, without the need for additional tools, thus simplifying the operation of replacing the cap 20. Even users with poor operational ability can replace the cap 20 to their preferred appearance at will, meeting the need to change the appearance of the cap.

[0140] Referring to FIG. 4, each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c further includes a rotation transition portion T. Each rotation transition portion T is disposed between one snap-fit groove 1011 and one corresponding separating groove 1012, for guiding the locking block 201a to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove 1012a, for guiding the locking block 201b to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove 1012b and for guiding the locking block 201c to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the rotation transition portion T is provided between the snap-fit groove 1011 and the separating groove 1012 to connect the snap-fit groove 1011 and the separating groove 1012. The rotation transition portion T includes a transition curved surface (such as a transition curved surface 1013a or 1013b). The transition curved surface 1013a is adjacently provided on a side of the snap-fit groove 1011a that is adjacent to the separating groove 1012a, the transition curved surface 1013b is adjacently provided on a side of the snap-fit groove 1011b that is adjacent to the separating groove 1012b, and the transition curved surface (not labeled) of the rotation transition portion T of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c is adjacently provided on a side of the snap-fit groove 1011c that is adjacent to the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c. The transition curved surfaces 1013a, 1013b and the transition curved surface of the rotation transition portion T of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c are configured to guide the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c respectively to smoothly move away from the snap-fit grooves when the cap 20 rotates to separate from the inner knob 10. As shown in FIG. 3, by providing the transition curved surfaces 1013a, 1013b respectively on the side of the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b that are adjacent to the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b respectively and the transition curved surface of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c on the side of the snap-fit groove 1011c that is adjacent to the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c, when the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 need to be separated, the transition curved surfaces are capable of reducing their blocking force against a side wall of the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c, making the rotation of the locking blocks smoother, thereby guiding the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c to move away from the snap-fit grooves respectively more smoothly. Wherein, the transition curved surfaces 1013a, 1013b and the transition curved surface of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c may be an arc surface. With the transition curved surfaces on one side of the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively, the blocking force applied on the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c is reduced, allowing the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c to be guided away from the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c under appropriate external force.

[0141] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the rotation transition portion T further includes a rotation guide portion (such as 1014a or 1014b or a rotation guide portion of the rotation transition portion T of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c). The rotation guide portion (such as rotation guide portion 1014a or 1014b) is disposed between the separating groove (such as the separating groove 1012a or 1012b) and the corresponding transition curved surface (such as the corresponding transition curved surface 1013a or 1013b). A rotation transition step is formed between the rotation guide portion 1014a or 1014b and the outer side of the inner knob 10. The rotation transition steps are configured to provide rotational support for the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c during the process of the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c rotating and moving to the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, to separate the cap 20 from the inner knob 10, the cap 20 is rotated to create a relative displacement between the inner knob 10 and the cap 20. During the rotation, the transition curved surfaces such as the transition curved surfaces 1013a, 1013b minimize blocking force against the locking block 201a, 201b, facilitating the locking block to move away from the snap-fit groove. After the locking block moves away from the snap-fit groove, the locking blocks can enter the rotation guide portions 1014a, 1014b respectively. Since the rotation transition step is formed between the rotation guide portions (such as the rotation guide portions 1014a, 1014b) and the outer side of the inner knob 10, the rotation transition steps guide the locking block 201a, 201b, 201c to rotate along the rotation transition step and support the bottom of the locking block 201a, 201b, 201c, allowing the locking block 201a, 201b, 201c to rotate along the rotation transition steps to the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b and the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c respectively, thereby disengaging from the inner knob 10 through the separating grooves. The rotation transition steps are capable of preventing the locking block 201a, 201b, 201c from disengaging from the inner knob 10 at location other than the separating groove 1012a, 1012b and the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c, thereby avoiding damaging the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c when the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c are pulled off at a position offset from the separating groove under a larger pulling force. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the depth of the separating groove may gradually decrease from the top end (opening end) to the bottom end of the inner knob 10, causing the bottom surface of the separating groove to form an inclined surface. The inclined surface serves as a lead-out surface, allowing the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 to separate smoothly and gradually under an external force.

[0142] To make it easier for the locking blocks to slide along the assembly grooves or separating grooves during assembling or separating the cap 20 and the inner knob 10, it is necessary to enhance the elastic deformation capability or the capacity for elastic displacement of the locking blocks. Referring to FIG. 3, the side wall of the cap 20 is provided with at least one slit; and the slit is located adjacent to at least one side of each locking block. Preferably, a first slit 202 and a second slit 203 are provided on the side wall of the cap 20 on two sides of the locking block 201c respectively, making the side wall of the cap loading the locking block 201c being an elastic plate 2012c, with the locking block 201c located above the corresponding elastic plate 2012c. The elastic plate 2012c and the corresponding locking block 201c above the elastic plate 2012c cooperatively form an elastic clip B3. Similarly, the locking block 201a and the elastic plate loading the locking block 201a cooperatively form elastic clip B1, and the locking block 201b and the elastic plate loading the locking block 201b cooperatively form elastic clip B2. The elastic plate provides a certain resetting elastic force for the locking block, preventing damage to the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c during assembly or disassembly of the inner knob 10 and the cap 20. Wherein, the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c are configured as lug structures that protrude radially inward relative to the elastic plates, so as to contact and engage with the snap-fit grooves. The first slit 202 and the second slit 203 may be formed by hollowing-out method, such as etching or hollowing out on the cap 20, or formed by the injection molding method during injection molding production process of the cap 20. Both the two methods allow the elastic clips B1, B2, B3 and a main body of the cap 20 to be a one-piece component, thereby making the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c less prone to damage or detachment during use.

[0143] Although forming elastic clips by providing slits on both sides of the locking block makes assembling and disassembling the cap and the inner knob easier and reduces the risk of damage to the locking block, the presence of the slits on the cap also imposes constraints on external styling and design of the cap. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a second embodiment of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, no slit is provided on the side wall of the cap 20'. Preferably, the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C and the inner knob 10' are integrally formed. Preferably, in this embodiment, the cap is a plastic product, and the material of the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C is plastic. Plastic products themselves possess a certain elastic deformation capability, allowing the locking blocks to have a certain degree of elastic deformation (or elastic displacement) capability during the process of coupling with the snap-fit grooves or separating from the separating grooves. Although the elastic displacement amplitude caused by this elastic deformation is relatively small, combined with the design of the assembly grooves and separating grooves, the function of replacing the cap can still be achieved without damaging the structure of the cap. Further preferably, in this embodiment, both the locking blocks and the side walls of the cap possess a certain elastic deformation capability. This structural design of the cap, compared to the cap shown in FIG. 3, is more convenient for designing different decorative appearances and shapes, meeting the aesthetic needs of different customers. Further, to reduce the difficulty of assembling the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C with the snap-fit grooves or separating the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C from the separating grooves, the circumferential dimensions of the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C may be made smaller. This results in a corresponding reduction in the blocking force encountered during assembly and separation. Further, the snap-fit grooves in FIG. 3 are through grooves in the side wall direction of the inner knob (refer to 1011 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3), while a step is formed between the snap-fit grooves and the assembly groove as shown in FIG. 5 for snapping with the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C. Regardless of which structure the snap-fit groove is in the present disclosure, as long as it can form the step for snapping with the locking blocks, it is acceptable.

[0144] Further, front surface structures of the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C on the cap shown in FIG. 6 are further different from front surface structures of the locking blocks 201 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the locking block 201 includes a lead-in surface G1. The lead-in surface G1 is an inclined surface, making it smoother for the locking block to reach the snap-fit groove through the assembly groove. However, there is a problem: that is, if the locking block has sufficient elasticity or strong enough elastic displacement capability, the presence of the lead-in surface G1 may allow the locking block to slide along the side wall of the inner knob even at positions away from the assembly groove, potentially leading to misassembly. To improve assembly accuracy, as shown in FIG. 6, no lead-in surface is provided on the front surface of the locking block. Moreover, in this embodiment, the elastic displacement capability of the locking block is also relatively small. Therefore, the locking block can only slide into the snap-fit groove along the assembly groove and cannot slide along other positions on the outer side surface of the inner knob, thereby further increasing assembly accuracy and also providing a certain fool-proof function.

[0145] Referring to FIG. 3, a plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms are provided, and a plurality of locking blocks are correspondingly provided. Through the cooperation of the plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c with the plurality of locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c, the cap 20 may be more stably coupled onto the inner knob 10. Wherein, the plurality of snap-fit grooves are uniformly spaced apart on the inner knob 10; the plurality of locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c are also correspondingly uniformly spaced apart on the cap 20. Thus, the engaging force between the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 is more uniform, and the engagement between the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 is firmer, making it less likely for the cap 20 to accidentally fall off during use. In FIG. 3, the plurality of locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c are identical in size and in structure, so the cap 20 is engageable with the inner knob 10 from multiple angles. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the cap 20 can be aligned with and engaged with the inner knob 10 at every 120° of its rotation. In other preferred embodiments, it can also be designed that the cap can only be engaged with the inner knob from a specific orientation. Specifically, referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the cap 20' is provided with a plurality of locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C, and the inner knob is correspondingly provided with a plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms (not labeled in the figures). Different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the width of locking block 201A is greater than the width of the locking blocks 201B and 201C. The size of the snap-fit groove, the assembly groove, and the separating groove corresponding to the locking block 201A is also larger than those of the other two separating grooves. Optionally, in the present disclosure, the size of the rotation transition portion is not limited, provided that it can guide the locking blocks to smoothly rotate and transition from the snap-fit groove to the separating groove. In this embodiment, the differential sizing of the locking blocks allows the cap 20' to engage with the inner knob 10' from only one orientation.

[0146] Further, to more quickly locate the correct engagement orientation between the cap and the inner knob, and referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, alignment marks 102 and 204 are provided at the snap-fit groove 1011A of the inner knob 10' and the locking block 201A of the cap 20' respectively. Wherein, the differentiated size design of the locking block 201A, combined with the alignment marks, serves as a fool-proofing mechanism, enabling direct and intuitive alignment for installation by the user. Further optionally, fool-proofing can be achieved as long as at least one locking block on the cap differs in size from the others. For example, in this embodiment, with three locking blocks, either only one locking block may have a size different from the other two, or all three locking blocks may have different sizes. Regarding the alignment marks for installation, they can be arranged at the position of any locking block, as long as the marked locking block and a corresponding marked snap-fit groove form a matched pair for aligned assembly. Additionally, the alignment mark 102 may be provided at one or more of the following positions: at the bottom of the assembly groove, at the bottom of the snap-fit groove, or at the bottom surfaces of the inner knob corresponding to the snap-fit groove or the assembly groove. As shown in FIG. 5, both the bottom surface of the inner knob 10' and the bottom of the assembly groove are provided with arrows serving as the alignment marks. Further, the alignment marks on the cap 20' may be formed on the locking blocks, or on the side walls of the locking blocks, or on the side walls or bottom surface of the cap corresponding to the positions of the locking blocks. Referring to FIG. 6, a corner-shaped recess is provided on a top surface of the locking block 201A, serving as the alignment mark 204. This corner-shaped recess does not affect the elastic deformation capability of the locking block. Moreover, the shape and structural form of the alignment marks are not limited, as long as it serves as the marking function.

[0147] The other parts of the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 5 are the same as those of the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 3. Wherein, a depth of the separating groove 1012A may remain unchanged from a top end (opening end) of the inner knob 10' to a middle portion L, and then gradually decrease from the middle portion L to the bottom end. This forms an inclined surface on a local portion of the separating groove’s bottom, which acts as a lead-out surface, enabling the inner knob 10' and the cap 20' to separate smoothly and progressively under an external force.

[0148] To optimize the disengagement performance of the separating groove, the present disclosure provides a third embodiment of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. By configuring the structure and orientation of the side wall of the separating groove, the users can rotate the locking block from the position of the locking portion into the position of the separating groove, thereby allowing the locking block slide smoothly out of the separating groove. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the separating groove 1012 includes a first side wall L1 adjacent to the locking portion 1011 and an opposite second side wall L2. The second side wall L2 of the separating groove may be configured to extend circumferentially away from the locking portion 1011 progressively from its proximal end N toward its distal end F. The proximal end N of the second side wall L2 is the end adjacent to the opening end of the inner knob, and the distal end F is the end adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob. With this configuration, when the locking block is moved from the position of the locking portion into the separating groove by rotating the cap, if the user continues to apply the rotational force in the same direction after the locking block reaches the separating groove rather than stopping, the locking block will slide out smoothly along the second side wall L2 under the action of this rotational force. The inclined angle design of L2 is designed to prevent jamming during sliding, thereby facilitating a smooth sliding. In this embodiment, an angle between the first side wall L1 of the separating groove and a plane of the opening end of the inner knob is a right angle. The arrangement of the assembly groove and the locking portion is basically the same as that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, with an entrance of the assembly groove having a chamfer design, making the smoother insertion of the locking block. There are three locking blocks 201, and the alignment marks 102 and 204 are provided on the inner knob and the cap respectively, to facilitate precise alignment of the locking blocks.

[0149] In the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, regardless of whether the locking blocks are uniform in size or have dimensional variations, the locking blocks must be precisely aligned with the corresponding locking portions to enable successful assembly of the cap and the inner knob. Further, to address the slow assembly issue caused by the requirement for precise alignment, at least one assembly guide portion may be provided on the inner knob, allowing the cap to achieve non-completely precise alignment engagement with the inner knob within a certain range. As shown in FIG. 8, a knob mechanism of in the fourth embodiment, including an inner knob 10 and a cap 20, and the cap 20 is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob 10. The cap 20 is provided with at least one locking block, and the inner knob 10 is provided with at least one locking portion 1011. The locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged, thereby forming a mechanical coupling between the cap 20 and the inner knob 10. The difference from the previous embodiments is that each separating and coupling mechanism on the inner knob 10 in this embodiment further includes assembly guide portions (12L, 12R). A guiding surface of the assembly guide portion (12L, 12R) has a proximal end adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob 10 and an opposite distal end, and the locking portion 1011 is adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion (12L, 12R). This configuration allows a locking block, starting from a misaligned position at least partially offset from the locking portion 1011, to slide along the guiding surface to the distal end of the assembly guide portion, where it reaches an aligned position directly facing the locking portion 1011, thereby enabling the locking block to be aligned and engaged with the locking portion 1011. Obviously, if the locking block is already in the aligned position directly facing the locking portion 1011 when the cap is dropped, the locking block will directly align and engage with the locking portion 1011 after an axial movement. Preferably, each locking portion 1011 corresponds to an assembly guide pair. The assembly guide pair includes two assembly guide units 12L and 12R. The distal ends of each assembly guide unit 12L and 12R in this assembly guide pair are adjacent to the same locking portion 1011.

[0150] Further, in this embodiment, one or more locking blocks may be provided on the cap, matching the number of locking portions 1011, and correspondingly, one or more pairs of assembly guide pair are provided. Preferably, one assembly guide pair 12L and 12R corresponds to one locking portion 1011. The assembly guide portions 12L and 12R are arranged on two sides of the locking portion 1011, forming a tolerance space SP between the assembly guide portions 12L and 12R. This allows the corresponding locking block to drop from any point above the tolerance space SP and engage with the inner knob 10. Under the action of any unit of assembly guide portions, the locking block can then latch with the locking portion 1011 within this tolerance space SP, thereby achieving non-completely precise alignment engagement. Specifically, this embodiment employs three locking blocks, three corresponding locking portions 1011, and three assembly guide pairs. The assembly guide pair corresponding to the locking portion 1011 consists of 12L1 and 12R1, which define a tolerance space SP1 between 12L1 and 12R1. When the locking block drops from any position above the tolerance space SP1, the locking block either slides to the position aligned with the locking portion 1011 under the action of the pair of assembly guide portion 12L1 and 12R1 and then engage with the locking portion 1011, or directly drops to the position aligned with the locking portion 1011 and then engages with the locking portion 1011. The arrangement of the pair of assembly guide portion 12L and 12R allows the locking block to drop from positions non-precisely aligned with the locking portion and engage with the locking portion. The tolerance space formed by the assembly guide pair provides a certain degree of freedom for the non-precise alignment engagement between the cap 20 and the inner knob 10. Referring to FIG. 8, the assembly guide portions 12L or 12R is inclined relative to the rotation axis direction of the inner knob 10, and the inclination direction of the assembly guide portion 12L and the inclination direction of the assembly guide portion 12R relative to the rotation axis direction are opposite. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the proximal end of 12L is inclined toward the left, and the proximal end of 12R is inclined toward the right, forming an approximate flared configuration. This provides a larger tolerance space for the engagement between the cap and the inner knob. Certainly, a single assembly guide portion may be provided, for instance, only the left-side 12L or only the right-side 12R may be provided. On the opposite side, a restricting wall extending parallel to the rotation axis direction of the inner knob is provided. This configuration allows the locking block to slide only along the one-guide side until it engages with the locking portion. Consequently, the inner knob provides only a unilateral tolerance space, reducing the range of permissible angular orientations for the cap when aligning it for assembly with the inner knob. Further preferably, in this embodiment, the guiding surfaces of the assembly guide portions 12L or 12R are configured as inclined surfaces or helical surfaces. Certainly, the guiding surfaces may also be designed as irregular surfaces. For example, the irregular surface is selected from the group consisting of: a combination of a plurality of different helical surfaces differing in helical angle, lead, or handedness etc.; or, a combination of a plurality of different inclined surfaces differing in inclined angle etc.; or a combination of at least one helical surface and at least one inclined surface. The end of the locking block is chamfered, making it easier for the locking block to slide along the guiding surfaces. Further, the three locking blocks may be the same size. This allows each locking block to engage with any one of the three locking portions, giving the cap a wider range of possible orientations when being lowered onto the inner knob for assembly. In other preferred embodiments, the three locking blocks may be of different sizes, and the sizes of the locking portions may be adaptively adjusted according to the sizes of the locking blocks, forming a one-to-one correspondence between the locking blocks and the locking portions. When the cap is assembled onto the inner knob, the locking blocks can only dropped through the tolerance space SP1 corresponding to the locking portion 1011. Although the dimensional variation among the locking blocks reduces the randomness of the cap's engagement orientation, the differentiated locking blocks also provide a fool-proof function. Moreover, the tolerance space for each locking block during positioning and engagement still offers a certain degree of freedom, which can satisfy the needs of some users who desire a balance between casual assembly and a certain level of precision when assembling the cap and the inner knob.

[0151] Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the depth of the separating groove 1012 may gradually decrease from the top end (opening end) TS toward the bottom end of the inner knob 10, causing the bottom surface of the separating groove to form an inclined surface. The separating groove 1012 is designed such that when the locking block rotates from the locking portion 1011 into the position of the separating groove 1012, the contact between the locking block and the separating groove 1012 instantly loosens. At this point, only an upward pulling force is required to separate the cap 20 from the inner knob 10. Moreover, the separating groove 1012 includes a first side wall L1 adjacent to the locking portion and an opposite second side wall L2. By configuring the structure and orientation of the second side wall L2, it can serve to guide the locking block to exit smoothly. Further, in this embodiment, the angle γ between the second side wall L2 of the separating groove 1012 and the plane of the top end (opening end) TS of the inner knob is an acute angle or a right angle. Specifically, in this embodiment, the angle γ is an acute angle; preferably, the angle γ is any angle within the range of 60° to 90°. As shown in FIG. 8, the opening of the separating groove 1012 adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob is smaller than the opening of the separating groove 1012 adjacent to the top end (opening end) of the inner knob. That is, the angle between the first side wall L1 and the plane of the top end TS of the inner knob may also be designed as an acute angle or a right angle. Further preferably, when an angle between the plane of the top end (opening end) TS of the inner knob and at least one of the first side wall L1 and the second side wall L2 of the separating groove 1012 is an acute angle, since the opening of the separating groove 1012 adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob is small, when the cap is assembled onto the inner knob from above the bottom end of the inner knob, the locking block on the cap is less likely to mistakenly engage with the separating groove. This can reduce the misassembly rate caused by alignment errors.

[0152] To further optimize the assembly performance and separation performance between the cap and the inner knob, and to enhance user recognition of mismatches during assembly, the present disclosure provides a fifth embodiment of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. As shown in FIG. 9, on the one hand, in this embodiment, each the separating and coupling mechanism includes assembly guide pair to provide tolerance space for the locking block during assembly. The structure of the assembly guide pair is the same as that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. On the other hand, this embodiment optimizes the structure of the separating groove. Specifically, referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the distal end F1 of the first side wall L1 of the separating groove 1012 is closer to the assembly guide portion 12R than its proximal end N1 is, and the distal end F2 of the second side wall L2 is farther from the assembly guide portion 12R than its proximal end N2 is. In other words, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, an angle θ between the first side wall L1 and the plane of the top end (opening end) TS of the inner knob is an obtuse angle, and the angle γ between the second side wall L2 and the plane of the top end (opening end) TS of the inner knob is an obtuse angle. Preferably, the angle γ may assume any value in the range from 100° to 120°. With this configuration, the second side wall L2 of the separating groove performs the same function as that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7—namely, guiding the locking block to slide out smoothly.

[0153] The inclined arrangement of the first side wall L1 makes an opening of the separating groove, which is adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob, relatively large. This makes it easy for users to mistakenly install the locking block into the separating groove when assembling the cap onto the inner knob. However, even if mistakenly installed, users can quickly recognize the misinstallation because when the locking block is mistakenly installed into the separating groove 1012, regardless of whether the user rotates the cap clockwise or counterclockwise, the locking blocks will either slide out along the first side wall L1 or the second side wall L2, and will not securely engage with the inner knob. At this point, the user clearly realizes the installation error and then performs correct engagement by aligning with the correct installation position. Therefore, the structural design of the separating groove in this embodiment not only optimizes the exit performance of the locking block but also improves the recognition of assembly mismatch, making it more convenient for users' unconscious operations, belonging to a special type of fool-proof design.

[0154] In the knob mechanism of embodiments shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, although the cap can be coupled to the inner knob in a non-precise alignment manner, the range of angles at which the cap can be dropped into place is limited. This represents a common solution for non-completely precise alignment engagement. To further enhance the alignment flexibility during assembling the cap and even achieve 360° omnidirectional latching between the cap and the inner knob, as shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 18, a guided portion is provided on the cap to cooperate with the assembly guiding portion, thereby offering a knob mechanism capable of performing completely non-precise alignment engagement. For example, FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 provide an embodiment of a knob mechanism of completely non-precise alignment engagement, including an inner knob 100 and a cap 200. The cap 200 is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob 100. The cap 200 is provided with at least one locking block 210, and the inner knob 100 is provided with at least one locking portion 110. The locking block 210 and the locking portion 110 are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap 200 and the inner knob 100 the cap 200 and the inner knob 100. Each separating and coupling mechanism on the inner knob 100 further includes an assembly guide portion 120, and the cap 200 is correspondingly provided with a guided portion 220. Under the interaction of the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220, the locking block 210 is movable from a non-aligned position at least partially offset from the locking portions 110 to the aligned position facing the locking portions 110, thereby enabling the locking block 210 and the locking portion 110 to be aligned and engaged. Obviously, when the locking block 210 is in an aligned position facing the locking portion 110, it can be directly aligned with and engaged with the locking portion 110 via axial movement.

[0155] Further, the assembly guide portion 120 is inclined relative to the axial direction of the inner knob (the axial direction of the inner knob is a vertical direction in FIG. 11). Each of the assembly guide portion 120 has a proximal end adjacent to a bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end. The locking portion 110 is located adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion 120. During assembly of the cap 200 and the inner knob 100, the cap 200 is movable under the interaction of the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 until the locking block 210 reaches the position aligned with the locking portions 110, thereby enabling the locking block 210 and the locking portion 110 to be aligned and coupled. This design makes the assembly operation more effortless and quicker. This design eliminates the need to align the cap with the inner knob in a specific orientation. Instead, the locking block is automatically guided into aligned position with the locking portion through the guiding action of the assembly guide portion and guided portion. This ensures precise and secure engagement between the cap 200 and the inner knob, eliminating the hassle of precise alignment and significantly enhancing both assembly speed and success rate.

[0156] Preferably, the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 may be configured to have a helical surface or an inclined surface with a single equivalent rotational direction. Specifically, the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 respectively include a first helical surface 121 and a second helical surface 221 in slidingly engagement, or a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface in sliding engagement. In this embodiment, the guided portion 220 and the locking block 210 may be a one-piece structure, and the guided portion 220 is opposite to the contacting surface 211; in other embodiments, the guided portion 220 may be an independent component. As shown in FIG. 13, the first helical surface 121 includes a helical surface proximal end P adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite helical surface distal end D, and the locking portion 110 is adjacent to the helical surface distal end D. A direction from the helical surface proximal end P to the helical surface distal end D is a helical direction of the helical surface, and an equivalent rotational direction of the first helical surface 121 is counterclockwise. Further, the helical surface distal end of the first helical surface 121 is adjacent to the middle portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100 in the axial direction and is preferably located at the middle portion in the axial direction. A structure of the second helical surface 221 is designed to adapted to a structure of the first helical surface 121 and will not be repeated here. In the present disclosure, the term "middle portion" not only refers to the exact middle position of the axial height of the inner knob but includes any intermediate position between the bottom and the opening end of the inner knob. In other preferred embodiments, the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 may also be configured to combinations of multiple helical surfaces and / or multiple inclined surfaces having the same equivalent rotational direction.

[0157] Continuing with reference to FIG. 11 to FIG. 13, preferably, as a sixth embodiment of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap, this embodiment employs helical surfaces for the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 as an example for explanation, with the equivalent rotational direction of the helical surfaces of the assembly guide portions being counterclockwise. When the cap receives a vertical downward force and a clockwise torque (rotational force), the cap moves axially downward while the inner knob rotates clockwise, causing the guided portion to slide along the assembly guide portion, moving the locking block to the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby achieving the engagement of the cap and the inner knob. In the application of this embodiment (such as the lacing device shown in FIG. 19 or FIG. 20), the clockwise direction is the tensioning direction of the lacing device, and the equivalent rotational direction of the assembly guide portion is counterclockwise direction. Therefore, the inner knob is rotatable in the clockwise direction, and once the cap is forced to move axially downward, providing a good user experience. However, the clockwise and counterclockwise directions are only relative to the specific embodiment in the drawings; the tensioning direction of the lacing device is not limited to clockwise direction. It is noted that when the cap moves axially downward, the allowable rotational direction of the inner knob is the tensioning direction of the lacing device, and at this time, the equivalent rotational direction of the assembly guide portion is opposite to the allowable rotational direction of the inner knob.

[0158] Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, this embodiment also includes at least one separating groove 130 and at least one rotation transition portion 140, as shown in FIG. 13, which enable easy disengagement of the knob mechanism. The difference is that the separating groove 130 in this embodiment is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob and are located within the circumferential range covered by the assembly guide portion. In this embodiment, since the cap can drop from any angle to achieve assembly with the inner knob, the assembly units - each composed of an assembly guide portion and a locking portion - are arranged continuously along the outer periphery of the inner knob. Therefore, unlike the aforementioned embodiments, it is not possible to provide a dedicated circumferential space for the separating groove; consequently, the separating groove can only be positioned within the circumferential range covered by the assembly guide portion of the adjacent assembly unit. However, since both the locking block 210 and the separating groove 130 have poor deformability, the disengagement between the cap and the inner knob in the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 11 may require slightly more effort. To further optimize the separation operation of the cap and the inner knob, the elastic deformation capability of the locking blocks or the separating grooves may be enhanced.

[0159] Preferably, as shown in FIG. 14, the outer side wall of the inner knob 100A is provided with notches 150 corresponding in number to the separating grooves. A radial gap is provided between part of the assembly guide portion of the separating groove and the notch 150, thereby enhancing the elastic deformation capability of the separating groove 130A1. Specifically, in this embodiment, the end surfaces of the assembly guide portions 120A1, 120A2 are designed as assembly guide surfaces. The side surfaces of the assembly guide portions extend axially to the opening end of the inner knob. The rotation transition portion, which belongs to the same separating and coupling mechanism as the locking portion 110A1, is located on the side surface of the assembly guide portion 120A2 of the adjacent separating and coupling mechanism close to the locking portion 110A1. The separating groove 130A1, also belonging to the same separating and coupling mechanism as the locking portion 110A1, is adjacent to the rotation transition portion and is provided on the side surface of the assembly guide portion 120A2, extending along the axial direction of the inner knob. To further increase the elastic deformation capability of the separating groove 130A1, preferably, the assembly guide portion 120A2 includes a plurality of segments. In this embodiment, the assembly guide portion 120A2 includes two assembly guide portion segments. Circumferential gap is provided between the assembly guide portion segment with the separating groove 130A1 and its adjacent structures. Specifically, circumferential gaps 1001, 1002 are provided between the assembly guide portion segment with the separating groove 130A1, the locking portion 110A1 and the adjacent assembly guide portion segment 120A2 (R). Preferably, the gap 1002 between the assembly guide portion segment with the separating groove and the adjacent assembly guide portion segment is relatively narrow, so that when the guided portion on the cap slide along the assembly guide portion, the presence of the gap 1002 does not affect the continuity of the guided portion. In other preferred embodiments, the majority of the assembly guide portion is configured to be elastic, while the locking portion, which belongs to the same assembly unit as this assembly guide portion, and a small part of the assembly guide portion adjacent to the locking portion are preferably non-elastic, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16. In the embodiment of the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 16, the locking block is designed to have low elasticity, and the locking portion has low elasticity, which is more conducive to a secure engagement between the cap and the inner knob. At the same time, the separating groove is designed to be elastic, making the disengagement of the locking block and the separating groove more labor-saving, convenient, and smooth when disassembling.

[0160] Another implementation for optimizing the disassembly performance of the cap and the inner knob in the sixth embodiment may be seen in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18. In this implementation, the elastic deformation capability of the locking block 210 is increased by changing the structural design of the cap 200A. Slits 231 and 232 are provided on both sides of the side wall of the cap 200A that loads the locking block 210. A principle of this design is the same as a principle of the cap shown in FIG. 3 and will not be repeated here. To optimize the detachability of the cap and the inner knob in the sixth embodiment, in addition to individually enhancing the elastic deformation capability of the locking block or the separating groove, the elastic deformation capability of both can be strengthened simultaneously. Therefore, any inner knob shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 16 may be used in combination with the cap shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18.

[0161] Referring FIG. 11 to FIG. 16, preferably, the inner knob includes a plurality of assembly guide portions and a plurality of locking portions. A locking portion is provided between every two adjacent assembly guide portions. The cap is provided with a plurality of locking blocks equal in number to the locking portions. In this way, when an assembly external force is applied to the cap towards the inner knob, the plurality of assembly guide portions and the plurality of guided portions simultaneously engage in sliding engagement, and the plurality of locking blocks are aligned and engaged with the corresponding plurality of locking portions respectively, which can improve the efficiency and reliability of the assembly of the cap and the inner knob.

[0162] Please referring to FIG. 11 to FIG. 18, every two adjacent components – a pair of assembly guide portions 120A1 and a locking portion 110A1 - form an assembly unit. A plurality of assembly units are provided on the inner knob, and the plurality of assembly units are uniformly arranged continuously around the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob. In this way, when the cap is engaged with the inner knob from above at any angle, the locking blocks either directly align with the locking portions or are guided to the positions aligned with the locking portions under the interaction of the guided portions and the assembly guide portions. On the other hand, the axial movement of the cap towards the inner knob is more stable and more uniform in speed, making the axial movement of the cap basically translational and less prone to deflection. Preferably, the number of assembly units may be 3 or 6. For example, the knob mechanism of embodiments shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 18 all adopts six assembly units. Additionally, as long as the number of assembly units is not less than two and can evenly divide 360°, it is acceptable. The firmness of the securely engagement between the locking blocks and the locking portions is positively correlated with the number of assembly units, but an excessive number of assembly units would increase manufacturing costs. Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure adopts six assembly units.

[0163] Referring to FIG. 13, the sixth embodiment of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is taken as an example. The locking portion 110 includes a locking surface 112. An assembly groove 111 is provided above the locking surface. The

[0164] locking block 210 includes a contacting surface 211 that abuts with the locking surface 112. Therefore, the locking block 210, guided by the assembly groove 111, is movable in the axial direction due to elastically deformation, allowing the contacting surface 211 to reliably engage with the locking surface 112. Preferably, the assembly guide portion 120 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100, and the side wall of the assembly guide portion 120 extends to the opening end of the inner knob. The separating groove 130 is defined on the side wall of the assembly guide portion 120, and the separating groove 130 extends axially through a section of the side wall where it is located. This separating groove only penetrates the assembly guide portion in the axial direction, but does not penetrate the assembly guide portion in the thickness direction of the assembly guide portion. Therefore, the surface of the first helical surface 121 that engages with the guided portion for sliding remains continuous, only the width (along the radial direction of the inner knob) of the guiding surface at the position of the separating groove is reduced. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the separating groove 130 includes a first groove surface 131, a second groove surface 132, and a transition slope surface 133 between the first groove surface 131 and the second groove surface 132. The first groove surface 131 intersects with the remaining first helical surface 121 that is not penetrated by the separating groove 130. The second groove surface 132 is connected to the first groove surface 131 via the transition slope surface 133 and intersects obliquely with the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100. An average depth of the first groove surface 131 is generally less than a depth of the second groove surface 132. The second groove surface 132 extends from the opening end toward the bottom end of the inner knob in a manner that gradually protrudes radially, but with a slight inclination. Alternatively, the second groove surface 132 may also extend with a constant radius (as shown in FIG. 14). In the upward axial direction, the first groove surface 131 tapers radially inward relative to the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100, while the transition slope surface inclines radially outward relative to the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob. Consequently, the first groove surface 131 and the transition slope surface 133 together form a wedge shape protruding relative to the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100. In this way, the locking block 210 can elastically recover and disengage smoothly from the separating groove 130 guided by the

[0165] first groove surface 131. The depth of the second groove surface 132 has sufficient depth so that when the locking block rotates from the locking portion 110 to the position of the second groove surface 132, a noticeable drop and release sensation, allowing the user to confirm that the locking block has rotated to the position of the separating groove. In other embodiments, the separating groove may only include the second groove surface and the transition slope surface, i.e., the separating groove does not extend axially to intersect with the assembly guiding surface, as shown in FIG. 14. The first groove surface may also extend with a constant radius axially (as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16), or the second groove surface and the first groove surface may extend continuously with a gradual outward protrusion (from the opening end to the bottom end of the inner knob, as shown in FIG. 7). Disengagement between the cap and the inner knob may be achieved by these three methods. However, by designing the first groove surface 131 to extend with a constant radius or a tapered and inclined manner, this approach avoids the issue of excessive thickness in the outer peripheral surface that would result if the second groove surface 132 were to extend with a progressively protruding profile all the way from the opening end to the bottom of the inner knob. Consequently, the disengagement becomes smoother. Additionally, the second groove surface 132 is set with sufficient depth so that when the locking block rotates from the position of the locking portion to the position of the separating groove, a noticeable drop and loosening sensation is generated. This allows the user to easily recognize that the rotation has reached the correct position.

[0166] Further, similar to the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 10, for the completely non-precise alignment engagement knob mechanism, the disengagement performance of the separating groove may also be optimized by designing the structures of the side walls of the separating groove. Referring to FIG. 15, the distal end F of the second side wall L2 of the separating groove 130A inclines away from the locking portion 110 relative to its proximal end N. The inclination angle and its corresponding function may be understood by referring to the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 and will not be repeated here. As shown in FIG. 16, a size of an opening of the separating groove 130A adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob is smaller than a size of an opening adjacent to the opening end of the inner knob. That is, the first side wall L1 and the second side wall L2 of the separating groove 130A taper toward each other from their proximal ends N1, N2 to their distal ends F1, F2. Their inclination angles and functions can be understood by referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 and will not be repeated here. Additionally, due to the inclined configuration of the second side wall L2 of the separating groove in the embodiments of FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the configuration of the separating groove having the elastic slit differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 14. To increase the overall elasticity of the separating groove, the slit 1002 adjacent to the second side wall L2 of the separating groove is closer to the locking portion of the adjacent assembly unit. This makes the assembly guide portion segment with the separating groove on its side wall occupy most region of the entire assembly guide portion, and it has a radial slit is defined between the assembly guide portion and the notch 150 of the inner knob. This structural design ensures that during assembly of the cap and the inner knob, the locking blocks will not mistakenly snap into the separating groove. Instead, the locking blocks will slide along the assembly guide portion to the position directly opposite the locking portion, thereby engaging with the locking portion. Simultaneously, the incorporation of the separating groove facilitates easier disengagement of the locking block.

[0167] As another object of the present disclosure, the present disclosure further provides a lacing device including a spool 500, a housing 400', and the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to any of the above embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 19-20. The knob mechanism is rotatably mounted on the housing 400’. The spool 500 is configured to wind a lace when rotating in a tensioning direction and release the lace when rotating in a loosening direction. The lacing device has a lace-winding mode. In the lace-winding mode, the inner knob is only rotatable relative to the housing in the tensioning direction and is non-rotatable in the loosening direction. The cap is provided with at least one locking block, and the inner knob is provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism. Each separating and coupling mechanism includes a locking portion and a separating groove. The separating groove is located on a side of the locking portion along the loosening direction. When the lacing device is in the lace-winding mode, since the inner knob is configured to be non-rotatable relative to the housing in the loosening direction, applying an external force to rotate the cap relative to the housing in the loosening direction allows the cap to rotate relative to the inner knob in the loosening direction. Furthermore, because the separating groove is positioned on the side of the locking portion along the loosening direction, when the cap rotates relative to the inner knob in the loosening direction, the locking block on the cap moves from the position of the locking portion to the position of the separating groove, thereby separating the cap from the inner knob. Therefore, for the lacing device is configured to only enable the inner knob to be rotatable relative to the housing in the tensioning direction during the lace-winding mode, in the lace-winding mode, applying external force to the cap along the loosening direction keeps the inner knob stationary while enabling the cap to rotate relative to the inner knob along the loosening direction, thereby achieving the function of replacing the cap.

[0168] In the lacing device provided in the present disclosure, an anti-reverse mechanism is correspondingly provided on the inner knob and the housing. The anti-reverse mechanism ensures that in the lace-winding mode of the lacing device, the inner knob is only rotatable relative to the housing in the tensioning direction and is non-rotatable in the loosening direction. The tensioning direction of the lacing device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 is the clockwise direction, and the loosening direction is the counterclockwise direction (in a top view). Specifically, referring to the embodiments shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the anti-reverse mechanism adopts a ratchet - displaceable member 401' - blocking member 402' structure. Wherein the ratchet is a first anti-reverse member, the displaceable member 401' is a second anti-reverse member, and multiple displaceable members 401' form an anti-reverse gear ring 40. The ratchet (refer to the ratchet 101 shown in FIG. 22) are disposed on the inner knob. The displaceable member 401' and the blocking member 402' are fixedly disposed on the housing 400'. The blocking member 402' has a reverse stop head for preventing the head of the displaceable member 401' from displacing in the loosening direction, thereby preventing the inner knob and the spool from rotating in the loosening direction. A specific structure of the ratchet - displaceable member - blocking member, as well as an anti-reverse principle, can be found in Chinese patent No. CN 202410035435.3. The assembly structure of the displaceable member 401' - blocking member 402' and the housing in Chinese patent No. CN 202410035435.3 is shown in FIG. 21, which is slightly different in structure from the embodiment shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, but the anti-reverse principle is exactly the same. FIG. 22 shows an assembly, schematic view of an inner knob and another type of anti-reverse mechanism. The anti-reverse mechanism shown in FIG. 22 includes a first anti-reverse member – the ratchet 101 and a second anti-reverse member – the elastic pawl 401. The elastic pawl 401 - ratchet 101 structure, as the anti-reverse mechanism, determines the tensioning direction and the loosening direction of the knob mechanism. Specifically, an arrow direction in this embodiment indicates the tensioning direction (counterclockwise direction in a bottom view), and the loosening direction is opposite to the tensioning direction (clockwise direction in a bottom view). Therefore, lacing devices incorporating any of the anti-reverse mechanisms shown in FIGS. 19 to 22 are designed with consistent tightening and loosening directions. According to the loosening direction, the separating groove of any of the aforementioned knob mechanism is located on the side of the locking portion along the loosening direction. Therefore, the above anti-reverse mechanisms can be used in combination with any of the above the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. Further, the anti-reverse mechanism in the present disclosure is not limited to the ratchet - displaceable member - blocking member structure and the elastic pawl - ratchet mechanism; any mechanical structure that can achieve the anti-reverse function is acceptable. For example, anti-reverse mechanisms applicable to this patent include, but are not limited to, those disclosed in Chinese patents No. CN216256587U, No. CN215837385U, No. CN 215423119 U, No. CN221662582U, No. CN216723374U, and No. CN208993976U.

[0169] Specifically, the lacing device shown in FIG. 19 adopts the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 8, and the lacing device shown in FIG. 20 adopts the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 11. This knob mechanism further includes a decorative member 300. The decorative member 300 and the cap 200 are mechanically coupled, for example, fixedly connected by adhesive.

[0170] Optionally, when the lacing device includes the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, the locking block can be directly aligned with and engaged with the locking portion. For a lacing device with this type of knob mechanism, the assembly of the cap and the inner knob is characterized by precise alignment engagement. When the lacing device includes the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, the locking block can be directly aligned and engaged with the locking portion or slide along the unit of the assembly guide units 12L or 12R to the position of the locking portion 102, thereby engaging with the locking portion. For a lacing device with this type of knob mechanism, the assembly of the cap and the inner knob is characterized by non-completely precise alignment engagement. That is, the locking block on the cap do not need to precisely align with the locking portion 1011 on the inner knob. The locking block only needs to descend within the tolerance space that the locking portion 1011 can radiate to directly or, after sliding for a certain distance, engage with the corresponding locking portion, achieving the assembly of the cap and the inner knob. When the lacing device includes the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 18, and the assembly units composed of the assembly guide portion and the locking portion are identical, uniformly and continuously arranged around the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the inner knob, and the locking block on the cap and the locking portion on the inner knob are required to be of the same structure, then regardless of which position above the inner knob the cap is lowered from, the locking block will either directly or be guided into the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby being engaged with the locking portion. Therefore, this structural design enables a completely non-precise alignment engagement between the cap and the inner knob, i.e., the cap can be dropped and assembled onto the inner knob for assembly from any 360° orientation without prior alignment or the need for fool-proof design, thereby simplifying the assembly process of the cap and the inner knob. Certainly, for the plurality of locking blocks with different structures, such as differences in size or shape, a certain locking block can only snap with a specific locking portion. In this case, the cap and the inner knob also be is characterized by the type of non-completely precise alignment engagement. Regarding the coupling operation, specifically, since the equivalent rotational direction of the assembly guide portions is opposite to the tensioning direction, when an assembly external force is applied to the cap, the guided portion slide along the assembly guide portion, while the inner knob rotates along the tensioning direction, and the cap moves axially until the locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged.

[0171] Therefore, since the separating groove and the locking portion in the separating and coupling mechanism are offset along the circumferential direction of the inner knob and located on the side corresponding to the loosening direction of the locking portions, the cap can be quickly separated from the inner knob by rotating the cap along the loosening direction and with the help of the separating grooves during the lace-winding mode of the lacing device. The arrangement of the separating grooves allows the cap to be detached from the inner knob without any tools. On the other hand, with the design of the assembly unit in the separating and coupling mechanism, the cap and the inner knob can achieve precise alignment engagement, non-completely precise alignment engagement, and completely non-precise alignment engagement, optimizing both the disassembly and assembly operations of the cap in the knob mechanism provided by the present disclosure. Without the need for special tools or skills, users can easily replace the cap as desired, meeting users' needs for diverse appearance of lacing devices.

[0172] Further, when the cap is rotated along the loosening direction of the lacing device and quickly separated from the inner knob with the help of the separating groove, uneven force on the cap may cause axial displacement of the anti-reverse member, leading to structural damage of the anti-reverse member. To prevent structural damage of the anti-reverse member caused by rotating the cap in the loosening direction, a limiting portion is further provided on the inner knob or the housing to prevent the anti-reverse member from undergoing axial displacement, thereby ensuring reliable structural stability and durability. Referring to FIG. 21, in Chines patent No. CN 202410035435.3, a main projection line L3 of the side wall of the reverse stop head of the blocking member 402' is parallel to the axial direction L of the inner knob, so the reverse stop head can only prevent the head of the displaceable member 401' from displacing in the loosening direction and cannot restrict the axial displacement of the head of the displaceable member. When the cap is rotated in the loosening direction relative to the inner knob to separate the cap from the inner knob, since the displaceable member 401' meshes with the ratchet (or recesses) on the inner knob, uneven external force on the cap causes friction on the mating surface. The friction on the mating surface causes the displaceable member to be warped, leading to structural damage of the second anti-reverse member. To prevent the displaceable member from being damaged due to warping upward, as shown in FIG. 23 to FIG. 25, the reverse stop head of the blocking member 402' in this patent is configured as a reverse stop limiting portion 403. The main projection line L3 of a side wall of the reverse stop limiting portion 403 is inclined relative to the axial direction L of the inner knob at an acute angle. Correspondingly, a neck connection portion of the displaceable member 401' is configured as a neck connection protruding portion 404, and a main projection line L4 of a side wall of the neck connection protruding portion 404 is also designed to be inclined relative to the axial direction L of the inner knob.

[0173] This reverse stop limiting portion 403 and the neck connection protruding portion 404 of the displaceable member form a force lock in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 26, when the cap receives uneven external force causing the ratchet teeth to move upward, the friction on the mating surface between the ratchet teeth and the displaceable member causes the displaceable member to move upward. When the neck connection protruding portion 404 of the displaceable member 401' is subjected to upward friction tending to cause axial upward displacement, the reverse stop limiting portion 403 of the blocking member exerts a force Fp perpendicular to the inclined surface downward on the neck connection protruding portion 404. The force Fp has a vertical downward component force F1, which is used to balance the upward friction on the engaging teeth of the displaceable member, thereby restricting the axial upward displacement of the neck connection protruding portion 404 (i.e., the displaceable member), and thus preventing structural damage to the displaceable member due to warping upward.

[0174] In other embodiments of anti-reverse mechanism, the second anti-reverse member is not limited to the aforementioned elastic pawl and displaceable member. In the anti-reverse mechanism, any component that possesses significant deformability or is prone to displacement during operation can constitute the second anti-reverse member, such as pawls, displaceable members, swing arms, or pins, etc. Based on the fact that the second anti-reverse member is prone to warping upward and damage when subjected to upward external force, a limiting portion may be arranged on the housing or inner knob where the pawl or displaceable member is located. The function of the limiting portion is to restrict the pawl or the displaceable member from undergoing axial displacement relative to the housing or the inner knob where the pawl or displaceable member is located. For example, in the lacing device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 20, the displaceable member 401' is fixedly disposed on the housing 400'. When rotating the cap relative to the inner knob along the loosening direction, the displaceable member 401' may be dragged by friction against the ratchet on the inner knob, leading to the displaceable member 401' to be warped upward and damaged. Therefore, the function of the limiting portion is to restrict the displaceable member 401' from undergoing axial displacement relative to the housing 400', ensuring that the displaceable member 401', especially the engaging head of the displaceable member 401', always remains in contact with an upper surface of the housing 400' and is not warped upward, thereby avoiding structural damage. Similarly, if the displaceable member is arranged on the inner knob, then the function of the limiting portion is to restrict the displaceable member from being bent downward due to friction, thereby avoiding its structural damage.

[0175] Further, the structural form of the limiting portion is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 23. The reverse stop limiting portion shown in FIG. 23 combines functions of anti-reverse and restriction of axial displacement of the displaceable member, integrating multiple functions, which is beneficial for simplifying the structure of the lacing device. However, in other embodiments, the limiting portion may also restrict the axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member by means of shape locking. For example, the limiting portion may be an independent horizontal protruding tab or other structure, as long as it can achieve the function of restricting axial displacement of the anti-reverse mechanism relative to the inner knob or the housing where the limiting portion is located.

[0176] Further, to prevent structural damage to the anti-reverse member due to warping upward when reversely rotating the cap to separate the cap from the inner knob, besides forming the limiting portion, the exit channel for the locking block may also be optimized. For example, in the knob mechanisms of FIG. 7, FIG. 9, and FIG. 15, the inclined arrangement of the second side wall L2 of the separating groove, the distal end F, F2 of the second side wall L2 inclines away from the locking portion relative to its proximal end N, N2, combined with the tensioning direction and the loosening direction of the lacing device, i.e., the distal end F, F2 of the second side wall L2 of the separating groove inclines along the loosening direction of the lacing device relative to its proximal end N, N2, the second side wall L2 of the separating groove may be designed as an inclined surface or a helical surface. So that when the user rotates the cap in the loosening direction to move the locking blocks from the locking portion to the separating groove, even if the rotational force in the loosening direction is not immediately stopped, the locking block will slide out smoothly along the second side wall L2 of the separating groove. For conventionally designed separating groove, such as those with the second side wall L2 parallel to the axis of the inner knob, when the external force in the loosening direction is applied to rotate the locking block from the locking portion to the separating groove, if the external force continues after the locking block reach the separating groove, the continuously applied force increases the friction between the displaceable member or the head of elastic pawl and the ratchet teeth on the inner knob. Subsequently, when an axial upward pulling force is applied to separate the cap, an instantly increased friction may cause the anti-reverse member to warp and suffer structural damage. Further preferably, by configuring the first side wall L1 of the separating groove to be inclined from its proximal end N1 toward its distal end F1 along the tensioning direction of the lacing device, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, when the locking block reach the separating groove by rotating the cap in the loosening direction, applying an external force in the tensioning direction to the cap will cause the locking block to slide out along the first side wall L1 of the separating groove. Since the external force on the inner knob in the tensioning direction does not cause the anti-reverse member to warp, this structural design of the first side wall L1 also helps prevent structural damage to the anti-reverse member.

[0177] Certainly, the lacing device employing the knob mechanism provided by the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, and the tensioning direction of the lacing device is also not limited to clockwise. Even if the tensioning directions are inconsistent, the principle by which the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap achieves its function is the same. Corresponding structures may be changed according to actual application requirements, ultimately achieving the same function and effect. That is, when the cap and the inner knob need to be separated, the direction in which the cap rotates relative to the inner knob only needs to be consistent with the anti-reverse direction of the lacing device. Correspondingly, the separating groove should be located on the side of the locking portion along the anti-reverse direction. This ensures that in the lace-winding mode, the inner knob remains stationary, and the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob, achieving the purpose of separating the cap from the inner knob. The anti-reverse direction is not limited to the counterclockwise direction (viewed from top view) shown in FIG. 19 to FIG. 22; clockwise direction is also possible, as long as the anti-reverse mechanism and the separating and coupling mechanism are designed adaptively.

[0178] The above is description pertains to the knob mechanism where the locking block is arranged on the cap and the separating and coupling mechanism is arranged on the inner knob. In other preferred embodiments, the locking block may also be arranged on the inner knob, and the separating and coupling mechanism may be arranged on the cap, which does not affect the function of separation between the cap and the inner knob by rotation.

[0179] The lacing device may be used for tightening items. The items to be tightened may be footwears, hats / clothing, and bags, or various bag bodies, etc. Using the above-mentioned lacing device with the items to be tightened, in cooperation with other components such as lace guides, can tighten the lace to close the opening. The lacing device can obtain the beneficial effects brought by any of the knob mechanisms with easy-replaceable cap, which will not be repeated here. Therefore, the assembly of the cap and the inner knob in the lacing device of the present disclosure offers the advantages of being quick and high precise, allowing users to conveniently replace the cap relative to the inner knob according to appearance preferences. The lacing device of this embodiment further includes a base member 600 for fixedly fix the main body of the lacing device on the item to be tightened.

[0180] In the description of this specification, descriptions referring to terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples", etc., mean that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, without contradicting each other, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples and the features of the different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0181] The above descriptions present only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. These embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent disclosure. under the inventive concept of the present disclosure, any equivalent structural modifications made based on the inventive concept of the present disclosure, using the contents of the specification and drawings of the present disclosure, or any direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, shall fall into the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Examples

first embodiment

[0135]Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is provided. The knob mechanism with an easily

[0136]replaceable cap includes an inner knob 10 and a cap 20. The cap 20 is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob 10. The cap 20 is provided with at least one locking block 201 (as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the at least one locking block 201 includes three locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c). The inner knob 10 is correspondingly provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism at position corresponding to the at least one locking block 201 (as shown in FIG. 3, the at least one separating and coupling mechanism includes three separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c at positions corresponding to the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c respectively). Each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c includes a first position P1 and a second position P2. The first position P1 is provided with a locking portio...

second embodiment

[0143]Although forming elastic clips by providing slits on both sides of the locking block makes assembling and disassembling the cap and the inner knob easier and reduces the risk of damage to the locking block, the presence of the slits on the cap also imposes constraints on external styling and design of the cap. Therefore, the present disclosure provides the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, no slit is provided on the side wall of the cap 20'. Preferably, the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C and the inner knob 10' are integrally formed. Preferably, in this embodiment, the cap is a plastic product, and the material of the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C is plastic. Plastic products themselves possess a certain elastic deformation capability, allowing the locking blocks to have a certain degree of elastic deformation (or elastic displacement) capability during the process of coupling with the snap-fit grooves or separ...

third embodiment

[0148]To optimize the disengagement performance of the separating groove, the present disclosure provides a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. By configuring the structure and orientation of the side wall of the separating groove, the users can rotate the locking block from the position of the locking portion into the position of the separating groove, thereby allowing the locking block slide smoothly out of the separating groove. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the separating groove 1012 includes a first side wall L1 adjacent to the locking portion 1011 and an opposite second side wall L2. The second side wall L2 of the separating groove may be configured to extend circumferentially away from the locking portion 1011 progressively from its proximal end N toward its distal end F. The proximal end N of the second side wall L2 is the end adjacent to the opening end of the inner knob, and the distal end F is the end adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob. With this ...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present disclosure is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No. PCT / CN2025 / 120575, filed on September 11, 2025, which claims the priorities of Chinese Patent Application No. 202422298859.7, filed on September 20, 2024, Chinese Patent Application No. 202411574034.1, filed on November 6, 2024, Chinese Patent Application No. 202510086465.1, filed on January 17, 2025, Chinese Patent Application No. 202510879928.X, filed on June 26, 2025, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of lacing technologies, and in particular to a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and a lacing device including the same.BACKGROUND

[0003] Currently, tightening for footwear, clothing, hats, or other items is often achieved through laces, cords, or other tensioning components. Conventional lacing devices adequately serve the functional purpose of tightening laces to tighten footwear, hats / clothing, or other items. However, a visual appearance of the lacing device is monotonous and is non-replaceable.

[0004] To enhance the aesthetic appearance of the lacing device, a decorative cap is typically attached to a knob of the lacing device, thereby improving the overall visual appeal of the entire lacing device. Connection manners between the knob of the lacing device and the decorative cap usually include snap-fit connection, magnetic connection, or adhesive fixed connection. Adhesive fixed connection makes the decorative cap and the lacing device non-detachable, thus the decorative cap cannot be replaced. The magnetic connection may cause the decorative cap to fall off during use due to insufficient magnetic attraction. While ordinary snap-fit connection offers the advantage of being detachable, the often require the use of tools to pry off the decorative cap during disassembly. Improper operation will damage the decorative cap and the knob, and the operation requires certain skills. Therefore, replacing the decorative cap poses some difficulty for users of lacing devices.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a lacing device that allows for more convenient and quick replacement of a decorative cap.SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems in the related art to some extent. For this purpose, one object of the present disclosure is to provide a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap including an inner knob and a cap. The cap is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob. The cap is provided with at least one locking block, and the inner knob is provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism. The locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism cooperate to achieve coupling and separation between the inner knob and the cap;

[0007] wherein each separating and coupling mechanism includes a locking portion and a separating groove. The locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap and the inner knob. The cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob to rotate the locking block to the separating groove, thereby separating the cap from the inner knob through the separating groove.

[0008] The arrangement of the separating groove allows the cap and the inner knob to be separated without requiring tools.

[0009] The term "mechanical coupling" means that movement or change of the cap can cause the inner knob to undergo corresponding movement or change. The movement of the cap may synchronously cause movement of the inner knob, or the inner knob may begin to move synchronously after the cap has moved for a period of time. Therefore, "mechanical coupling" means that the cap and the inner knob can move together within a certain range of travel, while allowing for a free movement period of the cap. "mechanical coupling" includes axial coupling and / or circumferential coupling. Moreover, the circumferential coupling may allow that coupling characteristic between the cap and the inner knob may vary depending on whether the relative rotation is clockwise or counterclockwise; or may allow that coupling is effective in only one circumferential direction while being disengaged in the opposite direction. The term "circumferential" herein refers to the direction along the circumference.

[0010] Further, the locking portion is a snap-fit groove, a through hole, a protrusion, or other mechanical structures that can engage with the locking block to form a securely engagement relationship.

[0011] Furthermore, the locking portion is configured as a snap-fit groove, and the snap-fit groove may be a recess or a through groove.

[0012] Further, the separating groove is circumferentially offset from the locking portion along the inner knob by a predetermined offset angle, and the predetermined offset angle ranges from 5° to 180°.

[0013] Furthermore, the predetermined offset angle ranges from 10° to 120°.

[0014] Further, the separating groove includes a first side wall adjacent to the locking portion and an opposite second side wall; both the first side wall and the second side wall have a proximal end adjacent to an opening end of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; the distal end of the second side wall is configured to incline circumferentially away from the locking portion relative to its proximal end, and / or the distal end of the first side wall is configured to incline circumferentially close to the locking portion relative to its proximal end, thereby guiding the locking block to slide out smoothly.

[0015] The separating and coupling mechanism further includes a rotation transition portion, the rotation transition portion is disposed between the locking portion and the separating groove and is configured for guiding the locking block to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove.

[0016] Further, the rotation transition portion includes a transition surface, the transition surface is positioned adjacent to the locking portion on the side close to the separating groove. When the cap is rotated away from the inner knob, the transition surface serves to guide the locking block away from the locking portion.

[0017] Further, the transition surface is a flat surface or a curved surface.

[0018] Furthermore, the transition surface is an arc surface. That is, the rotation transition portion includes a transition arc surface, the transition arc surface is positioned adjacent to the locking portion on the side close to the separating groove. When the cap is rotated away from the inner knob, the transition arc surface serves to guide the locking block away from the locking portion.

[0019] The rotation transition portion further includes a rotation guide portion, the rotation guide portion is disposed between the separating groove and the transition surface. A rotation transition step is formed between the rotation guide portion and the outer side of the inner knob. The rotation transition step is configured to provide rotational support for the locking block during the process of the locking block rotating towards the separating groove.

[0020] The separating and coupling mechanism further includes an assembly groove, the assembly groove is located at a position aligned with the locking portion on the outer side of the inner knob. When assembling the cap and the inner knob, if the cap is engaged with the locking portion at the position aligned with the locking portion, the assembly groove serves to guide the locking block to the position of the locking portion.

[0021] Further, a depth of the separating groove gradually decreases from a top end to a bottom end of the separating groove, or a depth of the separating groove gradually decreases from a middle portion of the separating groove to a bottom end of the separating groove;

[0022] a depth of the assembly groove gradually increases from the locking portion to a bottom end of the inner knob.

[0023] The term "middle portion of the separating groove" herein refers to any position between the "bottom end of the separating groove" and the "top end of the separating groove", not necessarily exactly the half-height position of the separating groove. The selection of the position of the "middle portion of the separating groove" may be determined on specific circumstances.

[0024] The top end of the separating groove may be aligned with the top end of the inner knob, or may be located in the middle portion of the inner knob. Similarly, the top end of the locking portion may be aligned with the top end of the inner knob, or may be located in the middle portion of the inner knob. In this disclosure, the positional relationship of the top end and the bottom end of the separating groove is consistent with the positional relationship of the top end and the bottom end of the inner knob.

[0025] Further, at least a local bottom surface of the separating groove is configured as a first inclined surface; at least a local bottom surface of the assembly groove is configured as a second inclined surface. The bottom surface of the separating groove and the bottom surface of the assembly groove refer to the bottom of the groove.

[0026] Furthermore, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are inclined in opposite directions. The term "inclined in opposite directions" means that the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface extend in opposite directions from the bottom end to the top end of the inner knob, where one expands radially outward and the other constricts radially inward. This distinction arises because the separating groove serves as a lead-out surface, while the assembly groove serves as a lead-in surface. Since the lead-in and lead-out directions are opposite, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface must oppositely incline to achieve the corresponding guiding function.

[0027] Further, a plurality of the separating and coupling mechanisms are provided, and a plurality of the locking blocks are correspondingly provided.

[0028] Further, the plurality of locking blocks are either identical in size or differ from one another in size.

[0029] The plurality of locking blocks differ from one another in size means that the plurality of locking blocks have at least two different sizes. For example, at least one locking block has a size different from the others, or even each of the plurality of locking blocks has a unique size.

[0030] Further, an alignment mark is provided on each of the cap and the inner knob for indicating the corresponding locking block and locking portion for quick alignment and installation.

[0031] Furthermore, the alignment mark is positioned to correspond with the locking block that has a different size from the others.

[0032] Further, the plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms are uniformly spaced apart on the inner knob; the plurality of locking blocks are uniformly spaced apart on the cap correspondingly.

[0033] The separating and coupling mechanism further includes an assembly guide portion arranged on the inner knob. The locking block is directly securely engaged with the locking portion at a position aligned with the locking portion; or under guidance of the assembly guide portion, the locking block moves from a non-aligned position at least partially offset from the locking portion to a position aligned with the locking portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be securely engaged.

[0034] "A position aligned with the locking portion" refers to the position facing the locking portion, meaning the position where the locking block and the locking portion can be directly engaged solely by axial displacement. The position aligned with the locking portion may directly be provided with the locking portion, or may be provided with other transition structures connected to the locking portion. Therefore, the position aligned with the locking portion may refer to a position, or to a structure located at that position, such as the locking portion or a transition structure connected to the locking portion. In line with the preceding context, in this disclosure, the "position aligned with the locking portion" herein may be the locking portion itself, or may be the assembly groove, i.e., the transition structure connected to the locking portion may be the assembly groove.

[0035] In this disclosure, the assembly guide portion has a proximal end adjacent to a bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end. The "bottom of the inner knob" refers to the end where the cap and the inner knob first encounter or engagement during the assembly process, or, in other words, the end that directly faces the cap during assembly.

[0036] Further, the assembly guide portion is inclined relative to a rotation axis direction of the inner knob, and has a proximal end adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; wherein a position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion; and the locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion under guidance of the assembly guide portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be securely engaged.

[0037] Further, the assembly groove is adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion.

[0038] In an embodiment, the cap is provided with a plurality of locking blocks equal in number to the locking portion. Each locking portion corresponds to an assembly guide pair, the assembly guide pair comprises two assembly guide units; and wherein each assembly guide unit has a proximal end adjacent the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; the position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of each assembly guide unit in the assembly guide pair. The assembly guide pair provides a tolerance space between the cap and the inner knob for the alignment, i.e., achieving non-completely precise alignment engagement between the cap and the inner knob. The term "plurality" herein refers to two or more, including two.

[0039] Further, an engaging surface of the assembly guide portion or the assembly guide unit is configured as a helical surface, an inclined surface, or an irregular surface; the irregular surface is selected from the group consisting of: a combination of a plurality of different helical surfaces; or a combination of a plurality of different inclined surfaces, or a combination of at least one helical surface and at least one inclined surface. The guide surface on the assembly guide portion configured to guide the sliding of the locking block is referred to as the "assembly guide surface".

[0040] Furthermore, the guiding surfaces of the two assembly guide units are inclined surfaces, and the inclination directions of the two inclined surfaces are symmetrical about the axis of the inner knob.

[0041] In another embodiment, the cap includes a guided portion configured to mate with the assembly guide portion; wherein the locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion by the interaction between the assembly guide portion and the guided portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be engaged.

[0042] Further, engaging surfaces of the assembly guide portion and the guided portion are configured as helical surfaces, inclined surfaces, or irregular surfaces; the irregular surface is selected from the group consisting of: a combination of a plurality of different helical surfaces; or a combination of a plurality of different inclined surfaces, or a combination of at least one helical surface and at least one inclined surface. Both the assembly guide portion and the guided portion have an equivalent rotational direction.

[0043] Further, the irregular surface is formed by different helical surfaces with same equivalent rotational direction, or different inclined surfaces with same equivalent rotational direction, or at least one helical surface and at least one inclined surface with same equivalent rotational direction.

[0044] The trajectory of a moving point on a helical surface is a composite path consisting of circumferential rotational motion and axial motion. The direction of rotation for a helical surface refers to the direction of the circumferential component of this helical motion. In contrast, the trajectory of a moving point on an inclined surface cannot be decomposed into a circumferential component. However, since the radial distance from the moving point on the inclined surface to the rotation axis of the inner knob remains constant, it can be considered to possess a circumferential component of motion (referred to as "circumferential motion"). The rotational direction of this circumferential motion is defined as the "equivalent rotational direction". In this disclosure, to standardize terminology, the direction of the circumferential component of motion for a moving point on either a helical surface or an inclined surface is defined as the "equivalent rotational direction."

[0045] The "equivalent rotational direction" of a helical surface refers to the rotational direction, as viewed from above, of the trajectory of a moving point as the moving point moves from a proximal end to a distal end of the helical surface along a helical line that maintains a constant radial distance from the rotation axis of the helical surface.

[0046] The "equivalent rotational direction" of an inclined surface or an irregular surface refers to the rotational direction, as viewed from above, of the trajectory of a moving point as the moving point moves a proximal end to a distal end of the inclined surface or the irregular surface along the inclined surface or irregular surface that maintain a constant radial distance from the rotation axis of the inner knob.

[0047] In this disclosure, the proximal end of the guided portion is adjacent to an opening end of the cap, and the proximal end of the guided portion is the end closest to the inner knob when installing the cap onto the inner knob.

[0048] The "equivalent rotational direction" of the assembly guide portion and the guided portion refers to the rotational direction, as viewed from above, of the trajectory of a moving point as the moving point moves from the proximal end to the distal end of the assembly guide portion along the mating surfaces of the assembly guide portion and the guided portion at a constant radial distance from the rotation axis of the inner knob.

[0049] The "equivalent rotational direction" may be clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0050] Further, the guided portion and the locking block is a one-piece structure; the locking block comprises a contacting surface that abuts with the locking portion; the guided portion is opposite to the contacting surface; the locking block is capable of moving along the assembly guide portion to the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby enabling the locking blocks and the locking portion to be securely engaged. For example, the contacting surface is arranged on the upper end surface of the locking block, and the guided portion is arranged on the lower end surface of the locking block.

[0051] Further, the guided portion is aligned with the contacting surface along a direction parallel to the axial direction of the inner knob.

[0052] Further, the assembly guide portion is configured as a helical surface, an inclined surface, or an irregular surface inclined relative to the rotation axis direction of the inner knob.

[0053] Further, a helical direction or an inclination direction of the assembly guide portion intersects with the rotation axis direction of the inner knob. The helical direction or the inclination direction refers to the direction of the projection trajectory of the helical surface structure or inclined surface structure of the assembly guide portion onto a plane containing the rotation axis of the inner knob.

[0054] Further, the assembly guide portion includes a helical surface or an inclined surface, and the guided portion correspondingly includes a helical surface or an inclined surface. This allows the guided portion slides along the helical surface or the inclined surface when an assembly external force is applied to the cap. In this case, the assembly guide portion has a single equivalent rotational direction. The "assembly external force" refers to the resultant external force applied to the cap when assembling the cap onto the inner knob.

[0055] Further, the assembly guide portion and the guided portion are configured respectively as a first helical surface and a second helical surface in sliding engagement, or a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface in sliding engagement.

[0056] The first helical surface includes a helical surface proximal end and an opposite helical surface distal end, the helical surface proximal end of the first helical surface is adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob; the first inclined surface includes an inclined surface proximal end and an opposite inclined surface distal end, the inclined surface proximal end of the first inclined surface is adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob; both the first helical surface and the first inclined surface have the equivalent direction of rotation.

[0057] Further, each assembly guide portion can be a continuous monolithic structure, or may include multiple assembly guide segments. Small slits may be defined between the multiple assembly guide segments, as long as they do not affect the continuity of the sliding of the guided portion on the guide surface of the assembly guide portion.

[0058] Further, the inner knob includes a plurality of assembly guide portions and a plurality of locking portions. A position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of the corresponding assembly guide portion. When the guided portion slides along the assembly guide portion until completely disengaging from the distal end of the assembly guide portion, the locking block is aligned with the corresponding locking portion.

[0059] Further, the plurality of assembly guide portions and the plurality of locking portions are uniformly spaced around the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob.

[0060] Further, one locking portion is arranged between every two adjacent assembly guide portions. The cap is provided with a plurality of locking blocks, the number of which is equal to the number of the locking portions.

[0061] Further, the assembly guide portion protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob, and the separating groove is disposed within the circumferential range of the assembly guide portion.

[0062] Further, a plurality of separating grooves are provided, and the separating grooves and the locking portions are arranged in one-to-one correspondence.

[0063] Further, assembly unit is formed by one assembly guide portion and one locking portion; a plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms are provided, each separating and coupling mechanism comprises at least one assembly unit and one separating groove; wherein a plurality of the assembly units are disposed around the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob, and are arranged circumferentially in a continuous and adjacent manner. The separating groove of each separating and coupling mechanism is arranged within the circumferential range of the assembly guide portion of its adjacent separating and coupling mechanism. Since the plurality of assembly units are arranged continuously and adjacently, and the separating groove is circumferentially offset from the locking portion, the separating groove necessarily has at least partial circumferential overlap with the assembly guide portion of the adjacent assembly unit, i.e., the separating groove is arranged within the circumferential range of the assembly guide portion of the adjacent assembly unit.

[0064] Furthermore, the separating groove is positioned to the assembly guide surface of the adjacent assembly unit on the side close to the opening end of the inner knob; or, the separating groove intersects with the assembly guide surface of the adjacent assembly unit.

[0065] The assembly guide surface and the separating groove may be arranged on a same loading element, or may be respectively arranged on different loading elements.

[0066] Further, the end surface of the assembly guide portion is the assembly guide surface, and the side wall of the assembly guide portion is provided with the separating groove. The separating groove of each separating and coupling mechanism is provided on the side wall of the assembly guide portion of its adjacent separating and coupling mechanism.

[0067] Further, a plurality of assembly units are uniformly arranged and continuously surround the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob.

[0068] The plurality of assembly units are uniformly arranged and continuously extend around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob. This structural design ensures that when assembling the cap with the inner knob, the locking block on the cap correspond to the inner knob in two possible scenarios: first, the locking block is positioned above the assembly guide portion; second, the locking block is positioned at a position aligned with the locking portion. When assembling the cap and the inner knob, if the locking block is positioned above the assembly guide portion, under the applied assembly external force, the guided portion on the cap slides along the assembly guide portion until the locking block aligned with and engaged with the locking portion. In the other scenario, when assembling the cap and the inner knob, if the locking blocks already at the position aligned with the locking portion, under the applied assembly external force, the locking block on the cap moves axially downward until they securely engage with the locking portion. Therefore, when assembling the cap and the inner knob, regardless of the initial circumferential position from which the cap is pressed onto the inner knob, the locking block will directly align or guided into the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby being engaged with the locking portion. Thus, this structural design enables the cap to be assembled onto the inner knob from any 360° orientation without requiring prior alignment or incorporating fool-proofing features, thereby simplifying the assembly process of the cap and the inner knob. That is, the cap and the inner knob can achieve completely non-precise alignment engagement.

[0069] Further, a side wall of the cap is provided with at least one slit, and the slit is located adjacent to at least one side of the locking block. The design of the gaps enhances the deformation capability of the side wall of the cap where the locking blocks are located, thereby making the assembly and disassembly operations of the inner knob and the cap more convenient and quicker.

[0070] Further, a first slit and a second slit are provided on the side wall of the cap on both sides of the locking block respectively. Providing gaps on both sides of the locking block further enhances the ability of the locking block to elastically displacement.

[0071] Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob is provided with notches corresponding in number to the separating grooves; and a gap is provided between each notch and its corresponding separating groove. The "gap" includes a radial gap and / or a circumferential gap. The gap between the separating groove and the notch enhances the elastic displacement ability of the separating groove.

[0072] Further, when the separating groove is provided on the side wall of the assembly guide portion of the adjacent assembly unit, the assembly guide portion includes multiple assembly guide segments. Wherein the gap is defined between at least the assembly guide segment containing the separating groove and the notch.

[0073] Further, any of the above cap is integrally formed with a decorative structure; or, any of the above knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap further includes a decorative member, and the decorative member and the cap are mechanically coupled.

[0074] Further, the cap is integrally formed with the decorative structure, including the cap itself having an inherent sculpted design, the cap having a decorative construction, or the surface of the cap having patterns, hollow-out structures, etc.

[0075] Further, the manner in which the decorative member and the cap are mechanically coupled includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of the following: adhesive bonding, magnetic attraction, snap-fit connection, interference fit, or embedded fit.

[0076] Further, the material of the decorative member includes, but is not limited to, silicone, metal, plastic, etc.

[0077] Further, the decorative member includes, but is not limited to, specific shaped parts, drip sheets, light-emitting chips, etc. Specific shaped parts include, but are not limited to, cartoon shapes, floral shapes, plant shapes, animal shapes, natural landscapes, vehicle shapes, etc.

[0078] In the above knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap, the cap is provided with the locking block, and the inner knob is provided with the separating and coupling mechanism; the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob. However, since movement is relative, the locking blocks may also be arranged on the inner knob, and the separating and coupling mechanisms may be arranged on the cap. Likewise, this configuration can achieve the effect of separating the cap and the inner knob by rotating the cap.

[0079] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a lacing device. The lacing device includes a housing and the above-mentioned knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap, wherein the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is rotatably arranged on the housing.

[0080] Further, the lacing device has a lace-winding mode and a lace-releasing mode. In the lace-winding mode, the inner knob of the knob mechanism is configured to be rotatable relative to the housing in a tensioning direction, and is non-rotatable relative to the housing in a loosening direction, while the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob in the loosening direction.

[0081] Therefore, in the lace-winding mode, the inner knob and the cap of the lacing device are mechanical coupled in the axial direction and the circumferential direction along the tensioning direction, but in the loosening direction, the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob, and the two are not mechanical coupled.

[0082] Further, the separating groove is circumferentially offset from the locking portion along the inner knob and located on a side of the locking portion in the loosening direction. The cap of the knob mechanism is rotatable relative to the inner knob, causing the locking block to rotate from the position of the locking portion along the loosening direction to the position of the separating groove, thereby separating the cap from the inner knob.

[0083] Further, the separating groove includes a first side wall adjacent to the locking portion and an opposite second side wall; both the first side wall and the second side wall have a proximal end adjacent to an opening end of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; wherein the distal end of the second side wall is configured to incline, one a side towards the loosening direction relative to its proximal end, towards, and / or the distal end of the first side wall is configured to incline on a side towards the tensioning direction relative to its proximal end, thereby guiding the locking block to slide out smoothly.

[0084] Further, the separating and coupling mechanism further includes an assembly guide portion. The locking block is movable to a position aligned with the locking portion guided by the interaction between the assembly guide portion and the guided portion, thereby enabling the locking blocks and the locking portion to be engaged.

[0085] Further, the cap is provided with a plurality of locking blocks, the number of which is equal the number of the locking portions. Each locking portion corresponds to an assembly guide pair, which includes two assembly guide units. The locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion under guidance of any one of the two assembly guide units. Wherein each assembly guide unit is inclined relative to the rotation axis direction of the inner knob and has a proximal end adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end. The position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of each unit of assembly guide portion in the assembly guide pair. In this disclosure, the "assembly guide unit" has the same function and structure as the "assembly guide portion".

[0086] Further, the cap is provided with at least one guided portion for mating with the assembly guide portion. The assembly guide portion has a single equivalent rotational direction, and the guided portion has a single equivalent rotational direction correspondingly.

[0087] Further, the assembly guide portions and the guided portions are respectively configured as a first helical surface and a second helical surface in sliding engagement, or a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface in sliding engagement.

[0088] Further, the assembly guide portion has an equivalent rotational direction opposite to the tensioning direction. When an assembly external force is applied to the cap towards the inner knob, the guided portion slides along the assembly guide portion while the inner knob rotates along the tensioning direction, and the cap moves axially until the locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged.

[0089] Further, the inner knob further provides a rotation transition portion, the rotation transition portion is disposed between the locking portion and the separating groove and is configured for guiding the locking block to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove. The rotation transition portion is also located on a side of locking portion along the loosening direction.

[0090] Further, the lacing device further includes an anti-reverse mechanism, the anti-reverse mechanism ensures that in the lace-winding mode of the lacing device, the inner knob can only rotate relative to the housing along the tensioning direction; the anti-reverse mechanism includes a first anti-reverse member and a second anti-reverse member that engage with each other, and the first anti-reverse member is a ratchet or a recess; and the lacing device further includes a limiting portion configured to restrict axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member. Wherein the second anti-reverse member refers to the anti-reverse member that cooperates with the first anti-reverse member and is capable of displacing. The "displacing" may be circumferential displacing or radial displacing; the manner of displacing is not limited, as long as it can displace. "Restrict axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member" does not mean strictly restricting the axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member to zero, but allows a certain amount of axial displacement, as long as the structure is not damaged. For example, a gap may be defined between the second anti-reverse member and the limiting portion in the starting position, friction causes axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member, thereby making the second anti-reverse member to abut against the limiting portion. This amount of axial displacement is negligible and does not affect the structural stability of the second anti-reverse member. Preferably, the amount of axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member should not exceed the deformation threshold at which the second anti-reverse member fails due to damage. For example, if the second anti-reverse member warps by 100% of its own thickness causing it to fracture and fail, then the axial displacement amount should not exceed 100% of the second anti-reverse member's own thickness.

[0091] Further, the first anti-reverse member and the second anti-reverse member are disposed on the housing and the inner knob respectively.

[0092] Further, the limiting portion and the second anti-reverse member are disposed on the same component of the lacing device, and the limiting portion and the second anti-reverse member form a force lock or a shape lock to restrict axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member. The term "force lock" refers to a locking function achieved by means of an applied external force and the reaction force at the contact point. Specifically, the external force causes the first anti-reverse member to move upward; the friction force generated on the mating surface between the first anti-reverse member and the second anti-reverse member causes the second anti-reverse member to experience a friction force along the axial direction towards the first anti-reverse member, making it contact the limiting portion. At the contact point, the reaction force exerted by the limiting portion on the second anti-reverse member has a component along the axial direction away from the first anti-reverse member, thereby restricting axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member. The term "shape lock" refers to a locking manner that relies on the geometric constraints created by the structural shapes of components to lock their relative motion. "The limiting portion and the second anti-reverse member are disposed on the same component of the lacing device" means they are both disposed on the housing or both disposed on the knob mechanism.

[0093] Further, the second anti-reverse member is one of a pawl, a displaceable member, and a swing arm. Any anti-reverse component that can cooperate with ratchet and is capable of displacing can serve as the second anti-reverse member.

[0094] Further, the anti-reverse mechanism further includes a third anti-reverse member. The second anti-reverse member and the third anti-reverse member are arranged on the same component of the lacing device. Wherein the second anti-reverse member is a displaceable member, and the third anti-reverse member is a blocking member; a head of the blocking member is configured as a reverse stop limiting portion. The displaceable member includes a neck connection protruding portion. The reverse stop limiting portion engages with the neck connection protruding portion to restrict the axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member.

[0095] The lacing device provided in this disclosure may be used for tightening items such as footwears, hats / clothing, and bags. The beneficial effects of the present disclosure include:

[0096] 1. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and the lacing device including the same, as provided by the present disclosure, feature the locking block on the cap and corresponding separating and coupling mechanism on the inner knob at positions corresponding to the locking block. The design of the separating and coupling mechanism enables more convenient assembly and disassembly between the cap and the inner knob, without the need for tools. It is only need to manually rotate and then pull the cap to detach the old cap, thereby meeting the need for quick replacement of the cap. The same functionality can still be achieved even if the placement of the locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism are exchanged.

[0097] 2. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and the lacing device including the same, as provided by the present disclosure, provides a knob mechanism with non-completely precise alignment engagement by employing the assembly guide portion on the inner knob. For the knob mechanism with non-completely precise alignment engagement including the assembly guide pair, when the cap is to be assembled onto the inner knob from above, the cap can be dropped within a certain tolerance space. This eliminates the need for strictly precise alignment during assembly, thereby increasing the success rate and improving convenience of assembly.

[0098] 3. By providing assembly guide portion on the inner knob and guided portion on the cap correspondingly, the cap is guided to slide into the aligned position during assembling the cap and the inner knob, thereby allowing the locking block to align and engage with the locking portion. This not only saves time and effort, but also ensures that elastic deformation between the locking block and the locking portion occurs only when the guided portion on the cap is guided by the assembly guide portion to slide to the position aligned with the locking portions. As a result, excessive compressive deformation is avoided, which prevents unfavorable conditions and does not affect subsequent replacement of the cap. Moreover, it guarantees accurate and complete fitting of the cap onto the knob mechanism, thereby improving assembly precision.

[0099] 4. The completely non-precise alignment engagement knob mechanism, as a special case of non-completely precise alignment engagement, allows the cap to be snapped onto the inner knob for assembly from any position above the inner knob. This makes the assembly of the cap and the inner knob more convenient and offers greater flexibility.

[0100] 5. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap provided by the present disclosure is not limited to be applied in lacing devices. It is also applicable to other engagement and disassembly systems requiring non-precise alignment installation.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0101] To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or in the prior art more clearly and fully, the drawings to be used in the embodiments or in the prior art will be described briefly below. Apparently, the drawings in the following descriptions only show some embodiments of the present disclosure. Other drawings can be obtained by an ordinary one skilled in the art from these accompanying drawings without creative efforts.

[0102] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a first embodiment provided by the present disclosure;

[0103] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along A-A direction in FIG. 1;

[0104] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of FIG. 1;

[0105] FIG. 4 is a top view of an inner knob of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of FIG. 3;

[0106] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a second embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0107] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a cap of the knob mechanism in FIG. 5 viewed from another perspective;

[0108] FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a third embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0109] FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a fourth embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0110] FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a fifth embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0111] FIG. 10 is a front view of the inner knob of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of FIG. 9;

[0112] FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a sixth embodiment provided in the present disclosure;

[0113] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a cap in FIG. 11 viewed from another perspective;

[0114] FIG. 13 is a schematic view of an inner knob in FIG. 11;

[0115] FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a first preferred embodiment of the inner knob of the knob mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 11;

[0116] FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a second preferred embodiment of the inner knob in the knob mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 11;

[0117] FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a third preferred embodiment of the inner knob in the knob mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 11;

[0118] FIG. 17 is another schematic view of the cap of the knob mechanism of the embodiment in FIG. 11;

[0119] FIG. 18 is a schematic view of the cap in FIG. 17 viewed from another perspective;

[0120] FIG. 19 is an exploded schematic view of a first embodiment of a lacing device including the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of the present disclosure;

[0121] FIG. 20 is an exploded schematic view of a second embodiment of a lacing device including the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of the present disclosure;

[0122] FIG. 21 is an assembly view of a displaceable member and a housing according to the prior art;

[0123] FIG. 22 is an assembly, schematic view of an inner knob and another anti-reverse mechanism of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of the present disclosure;

[0124] FIG. 23 is an assembly, schematic view of a displaceable member and a housing of the second embodiment of the lacing device of FIG. 20;

[0125] FIG. 24 is a top view of the assembly structure in FIG. 23;

[0126] FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view along A-A direction in FIG. 24;

[0127] FIG. 26 is a force analysis view of a contact surface between the displaceable member and a blocking member when the cap rotates to separate from the inner knob in FIG. 25.

[0128] The realization of the objectives, functional features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be further explained in combination with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0129] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0130] It should be understood that the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “rear”, “length”, “width”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer” and the like are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship when the product of the present disclosure is commonly placed, merely for convenience and simplification of the description, rather than to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation or a specific positional relationship, be designed and operated in a specific orientation or a specific positional relationship, therefore it should not be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0131] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for distinguishing description purposes rather than for indicating or implying relative importance or quantity of technical features. Therefore, features defined by "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly defined.

[0132] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the terms "connected", "fixed" and the like in the present disclosure should be understood broadly. For example, it may be fixed connection, or may be detachable connection, or integrally formed; it may be direct connection, or may be indirect connection via an intermediate medium. For a person of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure may be understood according to specific situations.

[0133] A knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap and a lacing device including the same according to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0134] As one object of the present disclosure, a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is provided, in which a cap and an inner knob can be engaged in both precise alignment and non-precise alignment situations. The term "precise alignment engagement" means that a locking block must be precisely aligned with a corresponding locking portion to enable the assembly between the cap and the inner knob; the term "non-precise alignment engagement", also known as non-completely precise alignment engagement, means that the cap and the inner knob can be assembled as long as the locking block is within a certain tolerance range that includes a position precisely aligned with the locking portion; “completely non-precise alignment engagement” is a special case of non-completely precise alignment engagement. It means that the locking block can slide into the position precisely aligned with the locking portion from any initial drop orientation. Therefore, it is not need to consider the falling angular orientation of the locking blocks at all, and the cap can be assembled with the inner knob from any orientation within a full 360° range. Wherein, the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7 disclose the general situation of the precise alignment engagement. The embodiments shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 disclose the general situation of the non-completely precise alignment engagement. The embodiments shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 18 disclose the completely non-precise alignment engagement; when the plurality of locking blocks in this embodiment have differentiated sizes, it also constitutes a technical solution of non-completely precise alignment engagement.

[0135] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to a first embodiment is provided. The knob mechanism with an easily

[0136] replaceable cap includes an inner knob 10 and a cap 20. The cap 20 is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob 10. The cap 20 is provided with at least one locking block 201 (as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the at least one locking block 201 includes three locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c). The inner knob 10 is correspondingly provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism at position corresponding to the at least one locking block 201 (as shown in FIG. 3, the at least one separating and coupling mechanism includes three separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c at positions corresponding to the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c respectively). Each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c includes a first position P1 and a second position P2. The first position P1 is provided with a locking portion. Preferably, in this embodiment, the locking portion is configured as a snap-fit groove 1011. As shown in the figures, the locking portions at the first position P1 of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c are configured as the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively. The locking blocks 201 (i.e., the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) and the snap-fit grooves 1011 (i.e., the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c) are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap 20 and the inner knob 10. In this embodiment, a circumferential width of the locking blocks is substantially equal to a circumferential width of the snap-fit grooves. As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism engaged at the first position P1, with the cap 20 and the inner knob 10 in a coupling state; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along a section line A-A in FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 in a separating state. When the cap 20 is sleeved over an exterior of the inner knob 10, the locking blocks 201 (i.e., the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) on the cap 20 securely engaged into the corresponding snap-fit grooves 1011 (i.e., the corresponding snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c) on the inner knob 10, thereby fixedly interconnecting the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 without the need for additional tools. Further preferably, referring to FIG. 3, each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c further includes an assembly groove. The assembly groove 1015a is located on the outer side of the inner knob 10 corresponding to the snap-fit groove 1011a, and the assembly groove 1015b is located on the outer side of the inner knob 10 corresponding to the snap-fit groove 1011b.

[0137] The assembly grooves are configured to guide the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c into the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively when the cap 20 is assembled with the inner knob 10. During the assembly process of the inner knob 10 and the cap 20, the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c on the cap 20 can be aligned with the assembly grooves respectively. By applying an external force to move the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 closer to each other, the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c can move into the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively along the assembly grooves, achieving guidance for the movement of the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3, a depth of the assembly groove 1015a gradually increases from the snap-fit grooves 1011a toward a bottom end of the inner knob 10, a depth of the assembly groove 1015b gradually increases from the snap-fit groove 1011b toward a bottom end of the inner knob 10, and a depth of the assembly groove (not shown in the figures) of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c gradually increases from the snap-fit groove 1011c toward a bottom end of the inner knob 10. That is, bottom surfaces (groove bottoms of the assembly grooves 1015a, 1015b) of the assembly grooves 1015a, 1015b and a bottom surface of the assembly groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c are configured as an inclined surface S1. As shown in FIG. 2, the inclined surface S1, tapering radially outward from a bottom end to an opening end (top end) of inner knob, so as to guide the cap into place and securely fix the cap with the snap-fit grooves. Thus, when the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 are assembled, the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c gradually undergo gradual elastic deformation or elastic displacement under the guidance of the assembly grooves until the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c abut and engage with the snap-fit grooves respectively, at which point the locking blocks return to their original shape or original position. Under the external force, the assembly grooves guide the locking blocks to slide gradually into the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively, making the assembly of the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 more convenient.

[0138] The second position P2 of each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c is provided with a separating groove (as shown in FIG. 3, the second position P2 of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a is provided with a separating groove 1012a, a second position P2 of the separating and coupling mechanism 101b is provided with a separating groove 1012b, and a second position P2 of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c is provided with a separating groove (not shown in the figures). Each separating groove 1012 is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 10, and is adjacent to one of the snap-fit grooves, i.e., the separating grooves 1012a are disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 10, and is adjacent to the snap-fit groove 1011a, the separating groove 1012b is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 10, and is adjacent to the snap-fit groove 1011b, and the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 10, and is adjacent to the snap-fit groove1011c. Each of the separating grooves 1012, 1012a, 1012b is circumferentially offset from a corresponding snap-fit groove along the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob by a predetermined certain angle α. The predetermined offset angle range is preferably 5°~180°. As shown in FIG. 1, in this embodiment, the predetermined offset angle α is 30°. The cap 20 is rotatable relative to the inner knob 10 to rotate the locking blocks 201, 201a, 201b, 201c to the separating grooves 1012, 1012a, 1012b respectively, and separate the cap 20 from the inner knob 10 through the separating grooves 1012, 1012a, 1012b. Since the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 are connected via the locking block and the snap-fit groove, if the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 need to be directly separated, in conventional methods, additional tools are needed to pry the locking blocks to deform and disengage them from the snap-fit grooves, thereby separating the inner knob 10 from the cap 20. Therefore, directly separating the locking blocks on the cap 20 from the snap-fit grooves on the inner knob 10 is relatively troublesome for users, requiring tools and skill, which makes the replacement of the cap 20 somewhat difficult.

[0139] However, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, by providing the separating grooves 1012 (including the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b) on the outer side of the inner knob 10, and the separating grooves are located adjacent to a side of the snap-fit grooves of the inner knob 10, when it is necessary to separate the inner knob 10 from the cap 20, relative rotation between the cap 20 and the inner knob 10 is achieved by rotating the cap 20. This allows the locking blocks 201 (including the locking blocks 201a, 201b, and 201c) to rotate away from their corresponding snap-fit grooves 1011 (including the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, and 1011c) and move into the corresponding separating grooves 1012 (including the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b and separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c). Since there is no contacting surface between the locking blocks 201 (such as the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) and the separating grooves of the inner knob 10, when an external force is applied to pull the cap 20, the cap 20 together with the locking blocks 201 (such as the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) are slidable along an extension direction of the separating grooves 1012 (such as the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b), thereby ultimately detaching from the inner knob 10. When the locking blocks 201 (such as the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c) disengage from the inner knob 10, the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 can be separated. In this embodiment, the circumferential width of the separating groove is substantially equal to the circumferential width of the locking block. In other embodiments, the circumferential width of the separating groove may be greater than the circumferential width of the locking block. The design of the separating groove makes the separation operation between the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 simpler and easier. Users only need to manually rotate and pull the cap 20 to separate the inner knob 10 from the cap 20, without the need for additional tools, thus simplifying the operation of replacing the cap 20. Even users with poor operational ability can replace the cap 20 to their preferred appearance at will, meeting the need to change the appearance of the cap.

[0140] Referring to FIG. 4, each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c further includes a rotation transition portion T. Each rotation transition portion T is disposed between one snap-fit groove 1011 and one corresponding separating groove 1012, for guiding the locking block 201a to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove 1012a, for guiding the locking block 201b to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove 1012b and for guiding the locking block 201c to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the rotation transition portion T is provided between the snap-fit groove 1011 and the separating groove 1012 to connect the snap-fit groove 1011 and the separating groove 1012. The rotation transition portion T includes a transition curved surface (such as a transition curved surface 1013a or 1013b). The transition curved surface 1013a is adjacently provided on a side of the snap-fit groove 1011a that is adjacent to the separating groove 1012a, the transition curved surface 1013b is adjacently provided on a side of the snap-fit groove 1011b that is adjacent to the separating groove 1012b, and the transition curved surface (not labeled) of the rotation transition portion T of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c is adjacently provided on a side of the snap-fit groove 1011c that is adjacent to the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c. The transition curved surfaces 1013a, 1013b and the transition curved surface of the rotation transition portion T of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c are configured to guide the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c respectively to smoothly move away from the snap-fit grooves when the cap 20 rotates to separate from the inner knob 10. As shown in FIG. 3, by providing the transition curved surfaces 1013a, 1013b respectively on the side of the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b that are adjacent to the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b respectively and the transition curved surface of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c on the side of the snap-fit groove 1011c that is adjacent to the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c, when the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 need to be separated, the transition curved surfaces are capable of reducing their blocking force against a side wall of the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c, making the rotation of the locking blocks smoother, thereby guiding the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c to move away from the snap-fit grooves respectively more smoothly. Wherein, the transition curved surfaces 1013a, 1013b and the transition curved surface of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c may be an arc surface. With the transition curved surfaces on one side of the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c respectively, the blocking force applied on the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c is reduced, allowing the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c to be guided away from the snap-fit grooves 1011a, 1011b, 1011c under appropriate external force.

[0141] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the rotation transition portion T further includes a rotation guide portion (such as 1014a or 1014b or a rotation guide portion of the rotation transition portion T of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c). The rotation guide portion (such as rotation guide portion 1014a or 1014b) is disposed between the separating groove (such as the separating groove 1012a or 1012b) and the corresponding transition curved surface (such as the corresponding transition curved surface 1013a or 1013b). A rotation transition step is formed between the rotation guide portion 1014a or 1014b and the outer side of the inner knob 10. The rotation transition steps are configured to provide rotational support for the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c during the process of the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c rotating and moving to the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, to separate the cap 20 from the inner knob 10, the cap 20 is rotated to create a relative displacement between the inner knob 10 and the cap 20. During the rotation, the transition curved surfaces such as the transition curved surfaces 1013a, 1013b minimize blocking force against the locking block 201a, 201b, facilitating the locking block to move away from the snap-fit groove. After the locking block moves away from the snap-fit groove, the locking blocks can enter the rotation guide portions 1014a, 1014b respectively. Since the rotation transition step is formed between the rotation guide portions (such as the rotation guide portions 1014a, 1014b) and the outer side of the inner knob 10, the rotation transition steps guide the locking block 201a, 201b, 201c to rotate along the rotation transition step and support the bottom of the locking block 201a, 201b, 201c, allowing the locking block 201a, 201b, 201c to rotate along the rotation transition steps to the separating grooves 1012a, 1012b and the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c respectively, thereby disengaging from the inner knob 10 through the separating grooves. The rotation transition steps are capable of preventing the locking block 201a, 201b, 201c from disengaging from the inner knob 10 at location other than the separating groove 1012a, 1012b and the separating groove of the separating and coupling mechanism 101c, thereby avoiding damaging the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c when the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c are pulled off at a position offset from the separating groove under a larger pulling force. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the depth of the separating groove may gradually decrease from the top end (opening end) to the bottom end of the inner knob 10, causing the bottom surface of the separating groove to form an inclined surface. The inclined surface serves as a lead-out surface, allowing the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 to separate smoothly and gradually under an external force.

[0142] To make it easier for the locking blocks to slide along the assembly grooves or separating grooves during assembling or separating the cap 20 and the inner knob 10, it is necessary to enhance the elastic deformation capability or the capacity for elastic displacement of the locking blocks. Referring to FIG. 3, the side wall of the cap 20 is provided with at least one slit; and the slit is located adjacent to at least one side of each locking block. Preferably, a first slit 202 and a second slit 203 are provided on the side wall of the cap 20 on two sides of the locking block 201c respectively, making the side wall of the cap loading the locking block 201c being an elastic plate 2012c, with the locking block 201c located above the corresponding elastic plate 2012c. The elastic plate 2012c and the corresponding locking block 201c above the elastic plate 2012c cooperatively form an elastic clip B3. Similarly, the locking block 201a and the elastic plate loading the locking block 201a cooperatively form elastic clip B1, and the locking block 201b and the elastic plate loading the locking block 201b cooperatively form elastic clip B2. The elastic plate provides a certain resetting elastic force for the locking block, preventing damage to the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c during assembly or disassembly of the inner knob 10 and the cap 20. Wherein, the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c are configured as lug structures that protrude radially inward relative to the elastic plates, so as to contact and engage with the snap-fit grooves. The first slit 202 and the second slit 203 may be formed by hollowing-out method, such as etching or hollowing out on the cap 20, or formed by the injection molding method during injection molding production process of the cap 20. Both the two methods allow the elastic clips B1, B2, B3 and a main body of the cap 20 to be a one-piece component, thereby making the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c less prone to damage or detachment during use.

[0143] Although forming elastic clips by providing slits on both sides of the locking block makes assembling and disassembling the cap and the inner knob easier and reduces the risk of damage to the locking block, the presence of the slits on the cap also imposes constraints on external styling and design of the cap. Therefore, the present disclosure provides a second embodiment of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, no slit is provided on the side wall of the cap 20'. Preferably, the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C and the inner knob 10' are integrally formed. Preferably, in this embodiment, the cap is a plastic product, and the material of the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C is plastic. Plastic products themselves possess a certain elastic deformation capability, allowing the locking blocks to have a certain degree of elastic deformation (or elastic displacement) capability during the process of coupling with the snap-fit grooves or separating from the separating grooves. Although the elastic displacement amplitude caused by this elastic deformation is relatively small, combined with the design of the assembly grooves and separating grooves, the function of replacing the cap can still be achieved without damaging the structure of the cap. Further preferably, in this embodiment, both the locking blocks and the side walls of the cap possess a certain elastic deformation capability. This structural design of the cap, compared to the cap shown in FIG. 3, is more convenient for designing different decorative appearances and shapes, meeting the aesthetic needs of different customers. Further, to reduce the difficulty of assembling the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C with the snap-fit grooves or separating the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C from the separating grooves, the circumferential dimensions of the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C may be made smaller. This results in a corresponding reduction in the blocking force encountered during assembly and separation. Further, the snap-fit grooves in FIG. 3 are through grooves in the side wall direction of the inner knob (refer to 1011 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3), while a step is formed between the snap-fit grooves and the assembly groove as shown in FIG. 5 for snapping with the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C. Regardless of which structure the snap-fit groove is in the present disclosure, as long as it can form the step for snapping with the locking blocks, it is acceptable.

[0144] Further, front surface structures of the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C on the cap shown in FIG. 6 are further different from front surface structures of the locking blocks 201 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the front surface of the locking block 201 includes a lead-in surface G1. The lead-in surface G1 is an inclined surface, making it smoother for the locking block to reach the snap-fit groove through the assembly groove. However, there is a problem: that is, if the locking block has sufficient elasticity or strong enough elastic displacement capability, the presence of the lead-in surface G1 may allow the locking block to slide along the side wall of the inner knob even at positions away from the assembly groove, potentially leading to misassembly. To improve assembly accuracy, as shown in FIG. 6, no lead-in surface is provided on the front surface of the locking block. Moreover, in this embodiment, the elastic displacement capability of the locking block is also relatively small. Therefore, the locking block can only slide into the snap-fit groove along the assembly groove and cannot slide along other positions on the outer side surface of the inner knob, thereby further increasing assembly accuracy and also providing a certain fool-proof function.

[0145] Referring to FIG. 3, a plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms are provided, and a plurality of locking blocks are correspondingly provided. Through the cooperation of the plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c with the plurality of locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c, the cap 20 may be more stably coupled onto the inner knob 10. Wherein, the plurality of snap-fit grooves are uniformly spaced apart on the inner knob 10; the plurality of locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c are also correspondingly uniformly spaced apart on the cap 20. Thus, the engaging force between the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 is more uniform, and the engagement between the inner knob 10 and the cap 20 is firmer, making it less likely for the cap 20 to accidentally fall off during use. In FIG. 3, the plurality of locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c are identical in size and in structure, so the cap 20 is engageable with the inner knob 10 from multiple angles. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the cap 20 can be aligned with and engaged with the inner knob 10 at every 120° of its rotation. In other preferred embodiments, it can also be designed that the cap can only be engaged with the inner knob from a specific orientation. Specifically, referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the cap 20' is provided with a plurality of locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C, and the inner knob is correspondingly provided with a plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms (not labeled in the figures). Different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the width of locking block 201A is greater than the width of the locking blocks 201B and 201C. The size of the snap-fit groove, the assembly groove, and the separating groove corresponding to the locking block 201A is also larger than those of the other two separating grooves. Optionally, in the present disclosure, the size of the rotation transition portion is not limited, provided that it can guide the locking blocks to smoothly rotate and transition from the snap-fit groove to the separating groove. In this embodiment, the differential sizing of the locking blocks allows the cap 20' to engage with the inner knob 10' from only one orientation.

[0146] Further, to more quickly locate the correct engagement orientation between the cap and the inner knob, and referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, alignment marks 102 and 204 are provided at the snap-fit groove 1011A of the inner knob 10' and the locking block 201A of the cap 20' respectively. Wherein, the differentiated size design of the locking block 201A, combined with the alignment marks, serves as a fool-proofing mechanism, enabling direct and intuitive alignment for installation by the user. Further optionally, fool-proofing can be achieved as long as at least one locking block on the cap differs in size from the others. For example, in this embodiment, with three locking blocks, either only one locking block may have a size different from the other two, or all three locking blocks may have different sizes. Regarding the alignment marks for installation, they can be arranged at the position of any locking block, as long as the marked locking block and a corresponding marked snap-fit groove form a matched pair for aligned assembly. Additionally, the alignment mark 102 may be provided at one or more of the following positions: at the bottom of the assembly groove, at the bottom of the snap-fit groove, or at the bottom surfaces of the inner knob corresponding to the snap-fit groove or the assembly groove. As shown in FIG. 5, both the bottom surface of the inner knob 10' and the bottom of the assembly groove are provided with arrows serving as the alignment marks. Further, the alignment marks on the cap 20' may be formed on the locking blocks, or on the side walls of the locking blocks, or on the side walls or bottom surface of the cap corresponding to the positions of the locking blocks. Referring to FIG. 6, a corner-shaped recess is provided on a top surface of the locking block 201A, serving as the alignment mark 204. This corner-shaped recess does not affect the elastic deformation capability of the locking block. Moreover, the shape and structural form of the alignment marks are not limited, as long as it serves as the marking function.

[0147] The other parts of the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 5 are the same as those of the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 3. Wherein, a depth of the separating groove 1012A may remain unchanged from a top end (opening end) of the inner knob 10' to a middle portion L, and then gradually decrease from the middle portion L to the bottom end. This forms an inclined surface on a local portion of the separating groove’s bottom, which acts as a lead-out surface, enabling the inner knob 10' and the cap 20' to separate smoothly and progressively under an external force.

[0148] To optimize the disengagement performance of the separating groove, the present disclosure provides a third embodiment of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. By configuring the structure and orientation of the side wall of the separating groove, the users can rotate the locking block from the position of the locking portion into the position of the separating groove, thereby allowing the locking block slide smoothly out of the separating groove. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the separating groove 1012 includes a first side wall L1 adjacent to the locking portion 1011 and an opposite second side wall L2. The second side wall L2 of the separating groove may be configured to extend circumferentially away from the locking portion 1011 progressively from its proximal end N toward its distal end F. The proximal end N of the second side wall L2 is the end adjacent to the opening end of the inner knob, and the distal end F is the end adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob. With this configuration, when the locking block is moved from the position of the locking portion into the separating groove by rotating the cap, if the user continues to apply the rotational force in the same direction after the locking block reaches the separating groove rather than stopping, the locking block will slide out smoothly along the second side wall L2 under the action of this rotational force. The inclined angle design of L2 is designed to prevent jamming during sliding, thereby facilitating a smooth sliding. In this embodiment, an angle between the first side wall L1 of the separating groove and a plane of the opening end of the inner knob is a right angle. The arrangement of the assembly groove and the locking portion is basically the same as that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, with an entrance of the assembly groove having a chamfer design, making the smoother insertion of the locking block. There are three locking blocks 201, and the alignment marks 102 and 204 are provided on the inner knob and the cap respectively, to facilitate precise alignment of the locking blocks.

[0149] In the embodiments shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, regardless of whether the locking blocks are uniform in size or have dimensional variations, the locking blocks must be precisely aligned with the corresponding locking portions to enable successful assembly of the cap and the inner knob. Further, to address the slow assembly issue caused by the requirement for precise alignment, at least one assembly guide portion may be provided on the inner knob, allowing the cap to achieve non-completely precise alignment engagement with the inner knob within a certain range. As shown in FIG. 8, a knob mechanism of in the fourth embodiment, including an inner knob 10 and a cap 20, and the cap 20 is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob 10. The cap 20 is provided with at least one locking block, and the inner knob 10 is provided with at least one locking portion 1011. The locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged, thereby forming a mechanical coupling between the cap 20 and the inner knob 10. The difference from the previous embodiments is that each separating and coupling mechanism on the inner knob 10 in this embodiment further includes assembly guide portions (12L, 12R). A guiding surface of the assembly guide portion (12L, 12R) has a proximal end adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob 10 and an opposite distal end, and the locking portion 1011 is adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion (12L, 12R). This configuration allows a locking block, starting from a misaligned position at least partially offset from the locking portion 1011, to slide along the guiding surface to the distal end of the assembly guide portion, where it reaches an aligned position directly facing the locking portion 1011, thereby enabling the locking block to be aligned and engaged with the locking portion 1011. Obviously, if the locking block is already in the aligned position directly facing the locking portion 1011 when the cap is dropped, the locking block will directly align and engage with the locking portion 1011 after an axial movement. Preferably, each locking portion 1011 corresponds to an assembly guide pair. The assembly guide pair includes two assembly guide units 12L and 12R. The distal ends of each assembly guide unit 12L and 12R in this assembly guide pair are adjacent to the same locking portion 1011.

[0150] Further, in this embodiment, one or more locking blocks may be provided on the cap, matching the number of locking portions 1011, and correspondingly, one or more pairs of assembly guide pair are provided. Preferably, one assembly guide pair 12L and 12R corresponds to one locking portion 1011. The assembly guide portions 12L and 12R are arranged on two sides of the locking portion 1011, forming a tolerance space SP between the assembly guide portions 12L and 12R. This allows the corresponding locking block to drop from any point above the tolerance space SP and engage with the inner knob 10. Under the action of any unit of assembly guide portions, the locking block can then latch with the locking portion 1011 within this tolerance space SP, thereby achieving non-completely precise alignment engagement. Specifically, this embodiment employs three locking blocks, three corresponding locking portions 1011, and three assembly guide pairs. The assembly guide pair corresponding to the locking portion 1011 consists of 12L1 and 12R1, which define a tolerance space SP1 between 12L1 and 12R1. When the locking block drops from any position above the tolerance space SP1, the locking block either slides to the position aligned with the locking portion 1011 under the action of the pair of assembly guide portion 12L1 and 12R1 and then engage with the locking portion 1011, or directly drops to the position aligned with the locking portion 1011 and then engages with the locking portion 1011. The arrangement of the pair of assembly guide portion 12L and 12R allows the locking block to drop from positions non-precisely aligned with the locking portion and engage with the locking portion. The tolerance space formed by the assembly guide pair provides a certain degree of freedom for the non-precise alignment engagement between the cap 20 and the inner knob 10. Referring to FIG. 8, the assembly guide portions 12L or 12R is inclined relative to the rotation axis direction of the inner knob 10, and the inclination direction of the assembly guide portion 12L and the inclination direction of the assembly guide portion 12R relative to the rotation axis direction are opposite. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the proximal end of 12L is inclined toward the left, and the proximal end of 12R is inclined toward the right, forming an approximate flared configuration. This provides a larger tolerance space for the engagement between the cap and the inner knob. Certainly, a single assembly guide portion may be provided, for instance, only the left-side 12L or only the right-side 12R may be provided. On the opposite side, a restricting wall extending parallel to the rotation axis direction of the inner knob is provided. This configuration allows the locking block to slide only along the one-guide side until it engages with the locking portion. Consequently, the inner knob provides only a unilateral tolerance space, reducing the range of permissible angular orientations for the cap when aligning it for assembly with the inner knob. Further preferably, in this embodiment, the guiding surfaces of the assembly guide portions 12L or 12R are configured as inclined surfaces or helical surfaces. Certainly, the guiding surfaces may also be designed as irregular surfaces. For example, the irregular surface is selected from the group consisting of: a combination of a plurality of different helical surfaces differing in helical angle, lead, or handedness etc.; or, a combination of a plurality of different inclined surfaces differing in inclined angle etc.; or a combination of at least one helical surface and at least one inclined surface. The end of the locking block is chamfered, making it easier for the locking block to slide along the guiding surfaces. Further, the three locking blocks may be the same size. This allows each locking block to engage with any one of the three locking portions, giving the cap a wider range of possible orientations when being lowered onto the inner knob for assembly. In other preferred embodiments, the three locking blocks may be of different sizes, and the sizes of the locking portions may be adaptively adjusted according to the sizes of the locking blocks, forming a one-to-one correspondence between the locking blocks and the locking portions. When the cap is assembled onto the inner knob, the locking blocks can only dropped through the tolerance space SP1 corresponding to the locking portion 1011. Although the dimensional variation among the locking blocks reduces the randomness of the cap's engagement orientation, the differentiated locking blocks also provide a fool-proof function. Moreover, the tolerance space for each locking block during positioning and engagement still offers a certain degree of freedom, which can satisfy the needs of some users who desire a balance between casual assembly and a certain level of precision when assembling the cap and the inner knob.

[0151] Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in this embodiment, the depth of the separating groove 1012 may gradually decrease from the top end (opening end) TS toward the bottom end of the inner knob 10, causing the bottom surface of the separating groove to form an inclined surface. The separating groove 1012 is designed such that when the locking block rotates from the locking portion 1011 into the position of the separating groove 1012, the contact between the locking block and the separating groove 1012 instantly loosens. At this point, only an upward pulling force is required to separate the cap 20 from the inner knob 10. Moreover, the separating groove 1012 includes a first side wall L1 adjacent to the locking portion and an opposite second side wall L2. By configuring the structure and orientation of the second side wall L2, it can serve to guide the locking block to exit smoothly. Further, in this embodiment, the angle γ between the second side wall L2 of the separating groove 1012 and the plane of the top end (opening end) TS of the inner knob is an acute angle or a right angle. Specifically, in this embodiment, the angle γ is an acute angle; preferably, the angle γ is any angle within the range of 60° to 90°. As shown in FIG. 8, the opening of the separating groove 1012 adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob is smaller than the opening of the separating groove 1012 adjacent to the top end (opening end) of the inner knob. That is, the angle between the first side wall L1 and the plane of the top end TS of the inner knob may also be designed as an acute angle or a right angle. Further preferably, when an angle between the plane of the top end (opening end) TS of the inner knob and at least one of the first side wall L1 and the second side wall L2 of the separating groove 1012 is an acute angle, since the opening of the separating groove 1012 adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob is small, when the cap is assembled onto the inner knob from above the bottom end of the inner knob, the locking block on the cap is less likely to mistakenly engage with the separating groove. This can reduce the misassembly rate caused by alignment errors.

[0152] To further optimize the assembly performance and separation performance between the cap and the inner knob, and to enhance user recognition of mismatches during assembly, the present disclosure provides a fifth embodiment of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. As shown in FIG. 9, on the one hand, in this embodiment, each the separating and coupling mechanism includes assembly guide pair to provide tolerance space for the locking block during assembly. The structure of the assembly guide pair is the same as that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8. On the other hand, this embodiment optimizes the structure of the separating groove. Specifically, referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, in this embodiment, the distal end F1 of the first side wall L1 of the separating groove 1012 is closer to the assembly guide portion 12R than its proximal end N1 is, and the distal end F2 of the second side wall L2 is farther from the assembly guide portion 12R than its proximal end N2 is. In other words, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, an angle θ between the first side wall L1 and the plane of the top end (opening end) TS of the inner knob is an obtuse angle, and the angle γ between the second side wall L2 and the plane of the top end (opening end) TS of the inner knob is an obtuse angle. Preferably, the angle γ may assume any value in the range from 100° to 120°. With this configuration, the second side wall L2 of the separating groove performs the same function as that in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7—namely, guiding the locking block to slide out smoothly.

[0153] The inclined arrangement of the first side wall L1 makes an opening of the separating groove, which is adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob, relatively large. This makes it easy for users to mistakenly install the locking block into the separating groove when assembling the cap onto the inner knob. However, even if mistakenly installed, users can quickly recognize the misinstallation because when the locking block is mistakenly installed into the separating groove 1012, regardless of whether the user rotates the cap clockwise or counterclockwise, the locking blocks will either slide out along the first side wall L1 or the second side wall L2, and will not securely engage with the inner knob. At this point, the user clearly realizes the installation error and then performs correct engagement by aligning with the correct installation position. Therefore, the structural design of the separating groove in this embodiment not only optimizes the exit performance of the locking block but also improves the recognition of assembly mismatch, making it more convenient for users' unconscious operations, belonging to a special type of fool-proof design.

[0154] In the knob mechanism of embodiments shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, although the cap can be coupled to the inner knob in a non-precise alignment manner, the range of angles at which the cap can be dropped into place is limited. This represents a common solution for non-completely precise alignment engagement. To further enhance the alignment flexibility during assembling the cap and even achieve 360° omnidirectional latching between the cap and the inner knob, as shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 18, a guided portion is provided on the cap to cooperate with the assembly guiding portion, thereby offering a knob mechanism capable of performing completely non-precise alignment engagement. For example, FIG. 11 to FIG. 13 provide an embodiment of a knob mechanism of completely non-precise alignment engagement, including an inner knob 100 and a cap 200. The cap 200 is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob 100. The cap 200 is provided with at least one locking block 210, and the inner knob 100 is provided with at least one locking portion 110. The locking block 210 and the locking portion 110 are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap 200 and the inner knob 100 the cap 200 and the inner knob 100. Each separating and coupling mechanism on the inner knob 100 further includes an assembly guide portion 120, and the cap 200 is correspondingly provided with a guided portion 220. Under the interaction of the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220, the locking block 210 is movable from a non-aligned position at least partially offset from the locking portions 110 to the aligned position facing the locking portions 110, thereby enabling the locking block 210 and the locking portion 110 to be aligned and engaged. Obviously, when the locking block 210 is in an aligned position facing the locking portion 110, it can be directly aligned with and engaged with the locking portion 110 via axial movement.

[0155] Further, the assembly guide portion 120 is inclined relative to the axial direction of the inner knob (the axial direction of the inner knob is a vertical direction in FIG. 11). Each of the assembly guide portion 120 has a proximal end adjacent to a bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end. The locking portion 110 is located adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion 120. During assembly of the cap 200 and the inner knob 100, the cap 200 is movable under the interaction of the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 until the locking block 210 reaches the position aligned with the locking portions 110, thereby enabling the locking block 210 and the locking portion 110 to be aligned and coupled. This design makes the assembly operation more effortless and quicker. This design eliminates the need to align the cap with the inner knob in a specific orientation. Instead, the locking block is automatically guided into aligned position with the locking portion through the guiding action of the assembly guide portion and guided portion. This ensures precise and secure engagement between the cap 200 and the inner knob, eliminating the hassle of precise alignment and significantly enhancing both assembly speed and success rate.

[0156] Preferably, the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 may be configured to have a helical surface or an inclined surface with a single equivalent rotational direction. Specifically, the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 respectively include a first helical surface 121 and a second helical surface 221 in slidingly engagement, or a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface in sliding engagement. In this embodiment, the guided portion 220 and the locking block 210 may be a one-piece structure, and the guided portion 220 is opposite to the contacting surface 211; in other embodiments, the guided portion 220 may be an independent component. As shown in FIG. 13, the first helical surface 121 includes a helical surface proximal end P adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite helical surface distal end D, and the locking portion 110 is adjacent to the helical surface distal end D. A direction from the helical surface proximal end P to the helical surface distal end D is a helical direction of the helical surface, and an equivalent rotational direction of the first helical surface 121 is counterclockwise. Further, the helical surface distal end of the first helical surface 121 is adjacent to the middle portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100 in the axial direction and is preferably located at the middle portion in the axial direction. A structure of the second helical surface 221 is designed to adapted to a structure of the first helical surface 121 and will not be repeated here. In the present disclosure, the term "middle portion" not only refers to the exact middle position of the axial height of the inner knob but includes any intermediate position between the bottom and the opening end of the inner knob. In other preferred embodiments, the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 may also be configured to combinations of multiple helical surfaces and / or multiple inclined surfaces having the same equivalent rotational direction.

[0157] Continuing with reference to FIG. 11 to FIG. 13, preferably, as a sixth embodiment of a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap, this embodiment employs helical surfaces for the assembly guide portion 120 and the guided portion 220 as an example for explanation, with the equivalent rotational direction of the helical surfaces of the assembly guide portions being counterclockwise. When the cap receives a vertical downward force and a clockwise torque (rotational force), the cap moves axially downward while the inner knob rotates clockwise, causing the guided portion to slide along the assembly guide portion, moving the locking block to the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby achieving the engagement of the cap and the inner knob. In the application of this embodiment (such as the lacing device shown in FIG. 19 or FIG. 20), the clockwise direction is the tensioning direction of the lacing device, and the equivalent rotational direction of the assembly guide portion is counterclockwise direction. Therefore, the inner knob is rotatable in the clockwise direction, and once the cap is forced to move axially downward, providing a good user experience. However, the clockwise and counterclockwise directions are only relative to the specific embodiment in the drawings; the tensioning direction of the lacing device is not limited to clockwise direction. It is noted that when the cap moves axially downward, the allowable rotational direction of the inner knob is the tensioning direction of the lacing device, and at this time, the equivalent rotational direction of the assembly guide portion is opposite to the allowable rotational direction of the inner knob.

[0158] Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, this embodiment also includes at least one separating groove 130 and at least one rotation transition portion 140, as shown in FIG. 13, which enable easy disengagement of the knob mechanism. The difference is that the separating groove 130 in this embodiment is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob and are located within the circumferential range covered by the assembly guide portion. In this embodiment, since the cap can drop from any angle to achieve assembly with the inner knob, the assembly units - each composed of an assembly guide portion and a locking portion - are arranged continuously along the outer periphery of the inner knob. Therefore, unlike the aforementioned embodiments, it is not possible to provide a dedicated circumferential space for the separating groove; consequently, the separating groove can only be positioned within the circumferential range covered by the assembly guide portion of the adjacent assembly unit. However, since both the locking block 210 and the separating groove 130 have poor deformability, the disengagement between the cap and the inner knob in the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 11 may require slightly more effort. To further optimize the separation operation of the cap and the inner knob, the elastic deformation capability of the locking blocks or the separating grooves may be enhanced.

[0159] Preferably, as shown in FIG. 14, the outer side wall of the inner knob 100A is provided with notches 150 corresponding in number to the separating grooves. A radial gap is provided between part of the assembly guide portion of the separating groove and the notch 150, thereby enhancing the elastic deformation capability of the separating groove 130A1. Specifically, in this embodiment, the end surfaces of the assembly guide portions 120A1, 120A2 are designed as assembly guide surfaces. The side surfaces of the assembly guide portions extend axially to the opening end of the inner knob. The rotation transition portion, which belongs to the same separating and coupling mechanism as the locking portion 110A1, is located on the side surface of the assembly guide portion 120A2 of the adjacent separating and coupling mechanism close to the locking portion 110A1. The separating groove 130A1, also belonging to the same separating and coupling mechanism as the locking portion 110A1, is adjacent to the rotation transition portion and is provided on the side surface of the assembly guide portion 120A2, extending along the axial direction of the inner knob. To further increase the elastic deformation capability of the separating groove 130A1, preferably, the assembly guide portion 120A2 includes a plurality of segments. In this embodiment, the assembly guide portion 120A2 includes two assembly guide portion segments. Circumferential gap is provided between the assembly guide portion segment with the separating groove 130A1 and its adjacent structures. Specifically, circumferential gaps 1001, 1002 are provided between the assembly guide portion segment with the separating groove 130A1, the locking portion 110A1 and the adjacent assembly guide portion segment 120A2 (R). Preferably, the gap 1002 between the assembly guide portion segment with the separating groove and the adjacent assembly guide portion segment is relatively narrow, so that when the guided portion on the cap slide along the assembly guide portion, the presence of the gap 1002 does not affect the continuity of the guided portion. In other preferred embodiments, the majority of the assembly guide portion is configured to be elastic, while the locking portion, which belongs to the same assembly unit as this assembly guide portion, and a small part of the assembly guide portion adjacent to the locking portion are preferably non-elastic, as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16. In the embodiment of the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 16, the locking block is designed to have low elasticity, and the locking portion has low elasticity, which is more conducive to a secure engagement between the cap and the inner knob. At the same time, the separating groove is designed to be elastic, making the disengagement of the locking block and the separating groove more labor-saving, convenient, and smooth when disassembling.

[0160] Another implementation for optimizing the disassembly performance of the cap and the inner knob in the sixth embodiment may be seen in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18. In this implementation, the elastic deformation capability of the locking block 210 is increased by changing the structural design of the cap 200A. Slits 231 and 232 are provided on both sides of the side wall of the cap 200A that loads the locking block 210. A principle of this design is the same as a principle of the cap shown in FIG. 3 and will not be repeated here. To optimize the detachability of the cap and the inner knob in the sixth embodiment, in addition to individually enhancing the elastic deformation capability of the locking block or the separating groove, the elastic deformation capability of both can be strengthened simultaneously. Therefore, any inner knob shown in FIG. 14 to FIG. 16 may be used in combination with the cap shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18.

[0161] Referring FIG. 11 to FIG. 16, preferably, the inner knob includes a plurality of assembly guide portions and a plurality of locking portions. A locking portion is provided between every two adjacent assembly guide portions. The cap is provided with a plurality of locking blocks equal in number to the locking portions. In this way, when an assembly external force is applied to the cap towards the inner knob, the plurality of assembly guide portions and the plurality of guided portions simultaneously engage in sliding engagement, and the plurality of locking blocks are aligned and engaged with the corresponding plurality of locking portions respectively, which can improve the efficiency and reliability of the assembly of the cap and the inner knob.

[0162] Please referring to FIG. 11 to FIG. 18, every two adjacent components – a pair of assembly guide portions 120A1 and a locking portion 110A1 - form an assembly unit. A plurality of assembly units are provided on the inner knob, and the plurality of assembly units are uniformly arranged continuously around the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob. In this way, when the cap is engaged with the inner knob from above at any angle, the locking blocks either directly align with the locking portions or are guided to the positions aligned with the locking portions under the interaction of the guided portions and the assembly guide portions. On the other hand, the axial movement of the cap towards the inner knob is more stable and more uniform in speed, making the axial movement of the cap basically translational and less prone to deflection. Preferably, the number of assembly units may be 3 or 6. For example, the knob mechanism of embodiments shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 18 all adopts six assembly units. Additionally, as long as the number of assembly units is not less than two and can evenly divide 360°, it is acceptable. The firmness of the securely engagement between the locking blocks and the locking portions is positively correlated with the number of assembly units, but an excessive number of assembly units would increase manufacturing costs. Accordingly, the preferred embodiment of the present disclosure adopts six assembly units.

[0163] Referring to FIG. 13, the sixth embodiment of the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is taken as an example. The locking portion 110 includes a locking surface 112. An assembly groove 111 is provided above the locking surface. The

[0164] locking block 210 includes a contacting surface 211 that abuts with the locking surface 112. Therefore, the locking block 210, guided by the assembly groove 111, is movable in the axial direction due to elastically deformation, allowing the contacting surface 211 to reliably engage with the locking surface 112. Preferably, the assembly guide portion 120 protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100, and the side wall of the assembly guide portion 120 extends to the opening end of the inner knob. The separating groove 130 is defined on the side wall of the assembly guide portion 120, and the separating groove 130 extends axially through a section of the side wall where it is located. This separating groove only penetrates the assembly guide portion in the axial direction, but does not penetrate the assembly guide portion in the thickness direction of the assembly guide portion. Therefore, the surface of the first helical surface 121 that engages with the guided portion for sliding remains continuous, only the width (along the radial direction of the inner knob) of the guiding surface at the position of the separating groove is reduced. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the separating groove 130 includes a first groove surface 131, a second groove surface 132, and a transition slope surface 133 between the first groove surface 131 and the second groove surface 132. The first groove surface 131 intersects with the remaining first helical surface 121 that is not penetrated by the separating groove 130. The second groove surface 132 is connected to the first groove surface 131 via the transition slope surface 133 and intersects obliquely with the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100. An average depth of the first groove surface 131 is generally less than a depth of the second groove surface 132. The second groove surface 132 extends from the opening end toward the bottom end of the inner knob in a manner that gradually protrudes radially, but with a slight inclination. Alternatively, the second groove surface 132 may also extend with a constant radius (as shown in FIG. 14). In the upward axial direction, the first groove surface 131 tapers radially inward relative to the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100, while the transition slope surface inclines radially outward relative to the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob. Consequently, the first groove surface 131 and the transition slope surface 133 together form a wedge shape protruding relative to the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob 100. In this way, the locking block 210 can elastically recover and disengage smoothly from the separating groove 130 guided by the

[0165] first groove surface 131. The depth of the second groove surface 132 has sufficient depth so that when the locking block rotates from the locking portion 110 to the position of the second groove surface 132, a noticeable drop and release sensation, allowing the user to confirm that the locking block has rotated to the position of the separating groove. In other embodiments, the separating groove may only include the second groove surface and the transition slope surface, i.e., the separating groove does not extend axially to intersect with the assembly guiding surface, as shown in FIG. 14. The first groove surface may also extend with a constant radius axially (as shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16), or the second groove surface and the first groove surface may extend continuously with a gradual outward protrusion (from the opening end to the bottom end of the inner knob, as shown in FIG. 7). Disengagement between the cap and the inner knob may be achieved by these three methods. However, by designing the first groove surface 131 to extend with a constant radius or a tapered and inclined manner, this approach avoids the issue of excessive thickness in the outer peripheral surface that would result if the second groove surface 132 were to extend with a progressively protruding profile all the way from the opening end to the bottom of the inner knob. Consequently, the disengagement becomes smoother. Additionally, the second groove surface 132 is set with sufficient depth so that when the locking block rotates from the position of the locking portion to the position of the separating groove, a noticeable drop and loosening sensation is generated. This allows the user to easily recognize that the rotation has reached the correct position.

[0166] Further, similar to the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 10, for the completely non-precise alignment engagement knob mechanism, the disengagement performance of the separating groove may also be optimized by designing the structures of the side walls of the separating groove. Referring to FIG. 15, the distal end F of the second side wall L2 of the separating groove 130A inclines away from the locking portion 110 relative to its proximal end N. The inclination angle and its corresponding function may be understood by referring to the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 and will not be repeated here. As shown in FIG. 16, a size of an opening of the separating groove 130A adjacent to the bottom of the inner knob is smaller than a size of an opening adjacent to the opening end of the inner knob. That is, the first side wall L1 and the second side wall L2 of the separating groove 130A taper toward each other from their proximal ends N1, N2 to their distal ends F1, F2. Their inclination angles and functions can be understood by referring to the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 and will not be repeated here. Additionally, due to the inclined configuration of the second side wall L2 of the separating groove in the embodiments of FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the configuration of the separating groove having the elastic slit differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 14. To increase the overall elasticity of the separating groove, the slit 1002 adjacent to the second side wall L2 of the separating groove is closer to the locking portion of the adjacent assembly unit. This makes the assembly guide portion segment with the separating groove on its side wall occupy most region of the entire assembly guide portion, and it has a radial slit is defined between the assembly guide portion and the notch 150 of the inner knob. This structural design ensures that during assembly of the cap and the inner knob, the locking blocks will not mistakenly snap into the separating groove. Instead, the locking blocks will slide along the assembly guide portion to the position directly opposite the locking portion, thereby engaging with the locking portion. Simultaneously, the incorporation of the separating groove facilitates easier disengagement of the locking block.

[0167] As another object of the present disclosure, the present disclosure further provides a lacing device including a spool 500, a housing 400', and the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to any of the above embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 19-20. The knob mechanism is rotatably mounted on the housing 400’. The spool 500 is configured to wind a lace when rotating in a tensioning direction and release the lace when rotating in a loosening direction. The lacing device has a lace-winding mode. In the lace-winding mode, the inner knob is only rotatable relative to the housing in the tensioning direction and is non-rotatable in the loosening direction. The cap is provided with at least one locking block, and the inner knob is provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism. Each separating and coupling mechanism includes a locking portion and a separating groove. The separating groove is located on a side of the locking portion along the loosening direction. When the lacing device is in the lace-winding mode, since the inner knob is configured to be non-rotatable relative to the housing in the loosening direction, applying an external force to rotate the cap relative to the housing in the loosening direction allows the cap to rotate relative to the inner knob in the loosening direction. Furthermore, because the separating groove is positioned on the side of the locking portion along the loosening direction, when the cap rotates relative to the inner knob in the loosening direction, the locking block on the cap moves from the position of the locking portion to the position of the separating groove, thereby separating the cap from the inner knob. Therefore, for the lacing device is configured to only enable the inner knob to be rotatable relative to the housing in the tensioning direction during the lace-winding mode, in the lace-winding mode, applying external force to the cap along the loosening direction keeps the inner knob stationary while enabling the cap to rotate relative to the inner knob along the loosening direction, thereby achieving the function of replacing the cap.

[0168] In the lacing device provided in the present disclosure, an anti-reverse mechanism is correspondingly provided on the inner knob and the housing. The anti-reverse mechanism ensures that in the lace-winding mode of the lacing device, the inner knob is only rotatable relative to the housing in the tensioning direction and is non-rotatable in the loosening direction. The tensioning direction of the lacing device in the embodiments shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 is the clockwise direction, and the loosening direction is the counterclockwise direction (in a top view). Specifically, referring to the embodiments shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the anti-reverse mechanism adopts a ratchet - displaceable member 401' - blocking member 402' structure. Wherein the ratchet is a first anti-reverse member, the displaceable member 401' is a second anti-reverse member, and multiple displaceable members 401' form an anti-reverse gear ring 40. The ratchet (refer to the ratchet 101 shown in FIG. 22) are disposed on the inner knob. The displaceable member 401' and the blocking member 402' are fixedly disposed on the housing 400'. The blocking member 402' has a reverse stop head for preventing the head of the displaceable member 401' from displacing in the loosening direction, thereby preventing the inner knob and the spool from rotating in the loosening direction. A specific structure of the ratchet - displaceable member - blocking member, as well as an anti-reverse principle, can be found in Chinese patent No. CN 202410035435.3. The assembly structure of the displaceable member 401' - blocking member 402' and the housing in Chinese patent No. CN 202410035435.3 is shown in FIG. 21, which is slightly different in structure from the embodiment shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, but the anti-reverse principle is exactly the same. FIG. 22 shows an assembly, schematic view of an inner knob and another type of anti-reverse mechanism. The anti-reverse mechanism shown in FIG. 22 includes a first anti-reverse member – the ratchet 101 and a second anti-reverse member – the elastic pawl 401. The elastic pawl 401 - ratchet 101 structure, as the anti-reverse mechanism, determines the tensioning direction and the loosening direction of the knob mechanism. Specifically, an arrow direction in this embodiment indicates the tensioning direction (counterclockwise direction in a bottom view), and the loosening direction is opposite to the tensioning direction (clockwise direction in a bottom view). Therefore, lacing devices incorporating any of the anti-reverse mechanisms shown in FIGS. 19 to 22 are designed with consistent tightening and loosening directions. According to the loosening direction, the separating groove of any of the aforementioned knob mechanism is located on the side of the locking portion along the loosening direction. Therefore, the above anti-reverse mechanisms can be used in combination with any of the above the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. Further, the anti-reverse mechanism in the present disclosure is not limited to the ratchet - displaceable member - blocking member structure and the elastic pawl - ratchet mechanism; any mechanical structure that can achieve the anti-reverse function is acceptable. For example, anti-reverse mechanisms applicable to this patent include, but are not limited to, those disclosed in Chinese patents No. CN216256587U, No. CN215837385U, No. CN 215423119 U, No. CN221662582U, No. CN216723374U, and No. CN208993976U.

[0169] Specifically, the lacing device shown in FIG. 19 adopts the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 8, and the lacing device shown in FIG. 20 adopts the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 11. This knob mechanism further includes a decorative member 300. The decorative member 300 and the cap 200 are mechanically coupled, for example, fixedly connected by adhesive.

[0170] Optionally, when the lacing device includes the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 7, the locking block can be directly aligned with and engaged with the locking portion. For a lacing device with this type of knob mechanism, the assembly of the cap and the inner knob is characterized by precise alignment engagement. When the lacing device includes the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10, the locking block can be directly aligned and engaged with the locking portion or slide along the unit of the assembly guide units 12L or 12R to the position of the locking portion 102, thereby engaging with the locking portion. For a lacing device with this type of knob mechanism, the assembly of the cap and the inner knob is characterized by non-completely precise alignment engagement. That is, the locking block on the cap do not need to precisely align with the locking portion 1011 on the inner knob. The locking block only needs to descend within the tolerance space that the locking portion 1011 can radiate to directly or, after sliding for a certain distance, engage with the corresponding locking portion, achieving the assembly of the cap and the inner knob. When the lacing device includes the knob mechanism shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 18, and the assembly units composed of the assembly guide portion and the locking portion are identical, uniformly and continuously arranged around the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the inner knob, and the locking block on the cap and the locking portion on the inner knob are required to be of the same structure, then regardless of which position above the inner knob the cap is lowered from, the locking block will either directly or be guided into the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby being engaged with the locking portion. Therefore, this structural design enables a completely non-precise alignment engagement between the cap and the inner knob, i.e., the cap can be dropped and assembled onto the inner knob for assembly from any 360° orientation without prior alignment or the need for fool-proof design, thereby simplifying the assembly process of the cap and the inner knob. Certainly, for the plurality of locking blocks with different structures, such as differences in size or shape, a certain locking block can only snap with a specific locking portion. In this case, the cap and the inner knob also be is characterized by the type of non-completely precise alignment engagement. Regarding the coupling operation, specifically, since the equivalent rotational direction of the assembly guide portions is opposite to the tensioning direction, when an assembly external force is applied to the cap, the guided portion slide along the assembly guide portion, while the inner knob rotates along the tensioning direction, and the cap moves axially until the locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged.

[0171] Therefore, since the separating groove and the locking portion in the separating and coupling mechanism are offset along the circumferential direction of the inner knob and located on the side corresponding to the loosening direction of the locking portions, the cap can be quickly separated from the inner knob by rotating the cap along the loosening direction and with the help of the separating grooves during the lace-winding mode of the lacing device. The arrangement of the separating grooves allows the cap to be detached from the inner knob without any tools. On the other hand, with the design of the assembly unit in the separating and coupling mechanism, the cap and the inner knob can achieve precise alignment engagement, non-completely precise alignment engagement, and completely non-precise alignment engagement, optimizing both the disassembly and assembly operations of the cap in the knob mechanism provided by the present disclosure. Without the need for special tools or skills, users can easily replace the cap as desired, meeting users' needs for diverse appearance of lacing devices.

[0172] Further, when the cap is rotated along the loosening direction of the lacing device and quickly separated from the inner knob with the help of the separating groove, uneven force on the cap may cause axial displacement of the anti-reverse member, leading to structural damage of the anti-reverse member. To prevent structural damage of the anti-reverse member caused by rotating the cap in the loosening direction, a limiting portion is further provided on the inner knob or the housing to prevent the anti-reverse member from undergoing axial displacement, thereby ensuring reliable structural stability and durability. Referring to FIG. 21, in Chines patent No. CN 202410035435.3, a main projection line L3 of the side wall of the reverse stop head of the blocking member 402' is parallel to the axial direction L of the inner knob, so the reverse stop head can only prevent the head of the displaceable member 401' from displacing in the loosening direction and cannot restrict the axial displacement of the head of the displaceable member. When the cap is rotated in the loosening direction relative to the inner knob to separate the cap from the inner knob, since the displaceable member 401' meshes with the ratchet (or recesses) on the inner knob, uneven external force on the cap causes friction on the mating surface. The friction on the mating surface causes the displaceable member to be warped, leading to structural damage of the second anti-reverse member. To prevent the displaceable member from being damaged due to warping upward, as shown in FIG. 23 to FIG. 25, the reverse stop head of the blocking member 402' in this patent is configured as a reverse stop limiting portion 403. The main projection line L3 of a side wall of the reverse stop limiting portion 403 is inclined relative to the axial direction L of the inner knob at an acute angle. Correspondingly, a neck connection portion of the displaceable member 401' is configured as a neck connection protruding portion 404, and a main projection line L4 of a side wall of the neck connection protruding portion 404 is also designed to be inclined relative to the axial direction L of the inner knob.

[0173] This reverse stop limiting portion 403 and the neck connection protruding portion 404 of the displaceable member form a force lock in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 26, when the cap receives uneven external force causing the ratchet teeth to move upward, the friction on the mating surface between the ratchet teeth and the displaceable member causes the displaceable member to move upward. When the neck connection protruding portion 404 of the displaceable member 401' is subjected to upward friction tending to cause axial upward displacement, the reverse stop limiting portion 403 of the blocking member exerts a force Fp perpendicular to the inclined surface downward on the neck connection protruding portion 404. The force Fp has a vertical downward component force F1, which is used to balance the upward friction on the engaging teeth of the displaceable member, thereby restricting the axial upward displacement of the neck connection protruding portion 404 (i.e., the displaceable member), and thus preventing structural damage to the displaceable member due to warping upward.

[0174] In other embodiments of anti-reverse mechanism, the second anti-reverse member is not limited to the aforementioned elastic pawl and displaceable member. In the anti-reverse mechanism, any component that possesses significant deformability or is prone to displacement during operation can constitute the second anti-reverse member, such as pawls, displaceable members, swing arms, or pins, etc. Based on the fact that the second anti-reverse member is prone to warping upward and damage when subjected to upward external force, a limiting portion may be arranged on the housing or inner knob where the pawl or displaceable member is located. The function of the limiting portion is to restrict the pawl or the displaceable member from undergoing axial displacement relative to the housing or the inner knob where the pawl or displaceable member is located. For example, in the lacing device according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 20, the displaceable member 401' is fixedly disposed on the housing 400'. When rotating the cap relative to the inner knob along the loosening direction, the displaceable member 401' may be dragged by friction against the ratchet on the inner knob, leading to the displaceable member 401' to be warped upward and damaged. Therefore, the function of the limiting portion is to restrict the displaceable member 401' from undergoing axial displacement relative to the housing 400', ensuring that the displaceable member 401', especially the engaging head of the displaceable member 401', always remains in contact with an upper surface of the housing 400' and is not warped upward, thereby avoiding structural damage. Similarly, if the displaceable member is arranged on the inner knob, then the function of the limiting portion is to restrict the displaceable member from being bent downward due to friction, thereby avoiding its structural damage.

[0175] Further, the structural form of the limiting portion is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 23. The reverse stop limiting portion shown in FIG. 23 combines functions of anti-reverse and restriction of axial displacement of the displaceable member, integrating multiple functions, which is beneficial for simplifying the structure of the lacing device. However, in other embodiments, the limiting portion may also restrict the axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member by means of shape locking. For example, the limiting portion may be an independent horizontal protruding tab or other structure, as long as it can achieve the function of restricting axial displacement of the anti-reverse mechanism relative to the inner knob or the housing where the limiting portion is located.

[0176] Further, to prevent structural damage to the anti-reverse member due to warping upward when reversely rotating the cap to separate the cap from the inner knob, besides forming the limiting portion, the exit channel for the locking block may also be optimized. For example, in the knob mechanisms of FIG. 7, FIG. 9, and FIG. 15, the inclined arrangement of the second side wall L2 of the separating groove, the distal end F, F2 of the second side wall L2 inclines away from the locking portion relative to its proximal end N, N2, combined with the tensioning direction and the loosening direction of the lacing device, i.e., the distal end F, F2 of the second side wall L2 of the separating groove inclines along the loosening direction of the lacing device relative to its proximal end N, N2, the second side wall L2 of the separating groove may be designed as an inclined surface or a helical surface. So that when the user rotates the cap in the loosening direction to move the locking blocks from the locking portion to the separating groove, even if the rotational force in the loosening direction is not immediately stopped, the locking block will slide out smoothly along the second side wall L2 of the separating groove. For conventionally designed separating groove, such as those with the second side wall L2 parallel to the axis of the inner knob, when the external force in the loosening direction is applied to rotate the locking block from the locking portion to the separating groove, if the external force continues after the locking block reach the separating groove, the continuously applied force increases the friction between the displaceable member or the head of elastic pawl and the ratchet teeth on the inner knob. Subsequently, when an axial upward pulling force is applied to separate the cap, an instantly increased friction may cause the anti-reverse member to warp and suffer structural damage. Further preferably, by configuring the first side wall L1 of the separating groove to be inclined from its proximal end N1 toward its distal end F1 along the tensioning direction of the lacing device, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, when the locking block reach the separating groove by rotating the cap in the loosening direction, applying an external force in the tensioning direction to the cap will cause the locking block to slide out along the first side wall L1 of the separating groove. Since the external force on the inner knob in the tensioning direction does not cause the anti-reverse member to warp, this structural design of the first side wall L1 also helps prevent structural damage to the anti-reverse member.

[0177] Certainly, the lacing device employing the knob mechanism provided by the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, and the tensioning direction of the lacing device is also not limited to clockwise. Even if the tensioning directions are inconsistent, the principle by which the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap achieves its function is the same. Corresponding structures may be changed according to actual application requirements, ultimately achieving the same function and effect. That is, when the cap and the inner knob need to be separated, the direction in which the cap rotates relative to the inner knob only needs to be consistent with the anti-reverse direction of the lacing device. Correspondingly, the separating groove should be located on the side of the locking portion along the anti-reverse direction. This ensures that in the lace-winding mode, the inner knob remains stationary, and the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob, achieving the purpose of separating the cap from the inner knob. The anti-reverse direction is not limited to the counterclockwise direction (viewed from top view) shown in FIG. 19 to FIG. 22; clockwise direction is also possible, as long as the anti-reverse mechanism and the separating and coupling mechanism are designed adaptively.

[0178] The above is description pertains to the knob mechanism where the locking block is arranged on the cap and the separating and coupling mechanism is arranged on the inner knob. In other preferred embodiments, the locking block may also be arranged on the inner knob, and the separating and coupling mechanism may be arranged on the cap, which does not affect the function of separation between the cap and the inner knob by rotation.

[0179] The lacing device may be used for tightening items. The items to be tightened may be footwears, hats / clothing, and bags, or various bag bodies, etc. Using the above-mentioned lacing device with the items to be tightened, in cooperation with other components such as lace guides, can tighten the lace to close the opening. The lacing device can obtain the beneficial effects brought by any of the knob mechanisms with easy-replaceable cap, which will not be repeated here. Therefore, the assembly of the cap and the inner knob in the lacing device of the present disclosure offers the advantages of being quick and high precise, allowing users to conveniently replace the cap relative to the inner knob according to appearance preferences. The lacing device of this embodiment further includes a base member 600 for fixedly fix the main body of the lacing device on the item to be tightened.

[0180] In the description of this specification, descriptions referring to terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples", etc., mean that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, without contradicting each other, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples and the features of the different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0181] The above descriptions present only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure. These embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent disclosure. under the inventive concept of the present disclosure, any equivalent structural modifications made based on the inventive concept of the present disclosure, using the contents of the specification and drawings of the present disclosure, or any direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, shall fall into the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Examples

first embodiment

[0135]Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is provided. The knob mechanism with an easily

[0136]replaceable cap includes an inner knob 10 and a cap 20. The cap 20 is detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob 10. The cap 20 is provided with at least one locking block 201 (as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the at least one locking block 201 includes three locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c). The inner knob 10 is correspondingly provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism at position corresponding to the at least one locking block 201 (as shown in FIG. 3, the at least one separating and coupling mechanism includes three separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c at positions corresponding to the locking blocks 201a, 201b, 201c respectively). Each of the separating and coupling mechanisms 101a, 101b, 101c includes a first position P1 and a second position P2. The first position P1 is provided with a locking portio...

second embodiment

[0143]Although forming elastic clips by providing slits on both sides of the locking block makes assembling and disassembling the cap and the inner knob easier and reduces the risk of damage to the locking block, the presence of the slits on the cap also imposes constraints on external styling and design of the cap. Therefore, the present disclosure provides the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in this embodiment, no slit is provided on the side wall of the cap 20'. Preferably, the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C and the inner knob 10' are integrally formed. Preferably, in this embodiment, the cap is a plastic product, and the material of the locking blocks 201A, 201B, 201C is plastic. Plastic products themselves possess a certain elastic deformation capability, allowing the locking blocks to have a certain degree of elastic deformation (or elastic displacement) capability during the process of coupling with the snap-fit grooves or separ...

third embodiment

[0148]To optimize the disengagement performance of the separating groove, the present disclosure provides a knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap. By configuring the structure and orientation of the side wall of the separating groove, the users can rotate the locking block from the position of the locking portion into the position of the separating groove, thereby allowing the locking block slide smoothly out of the separating groove. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the separating groove 1012 includes a first side wall L1 adjacent to the locking portion 1011 and an opposite second side wall L2. The second side wall L2 of the separating groove may be configured to extend circumferentially away from the locking portion 1011 progressively from its proximal end N toward its distal end F. The proximal end N of the second side wall L2 is the end adjacent to the opening end of the inner knob, and the distal end F is the end adjacent to the bottom end of the inner knob. With this ...

Claims

1. A knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap, comprising an inner knob and a cap, the cap being detachably mounted on an outer side of the inner knob, wherein the cap is provided with at least one locking block, the inner knob is provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism, the locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism cooperate to achieve coupling and separation between the inner knob and the cap;wherein each separating and coupling mechanism comprising a locking portion and a separating groove, the locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap and the inner knob; and the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob to rotate the locking block to the separating groove, thereby separating the cap from the inner knob through the separating groove.

2. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 1, wherein the separating and coupling mechanism is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the inner knob, and the separating groove is circumferentially offset from the locking portion along the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob.

3. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 2, wherein the separating and coupling mechanism further comprises a rotation transition portion, the rotation transition portion is disposed between the locking portion and the separating groove and is configured for guiding the locking block to rotate and transition to the position of the separating groove.

4. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 1, wherein the separating and coupling mechanism further comprises an assembly guide portion;wherein the locking block is directly securely engaged with the locking portion at a position aligned with the locking portion; or under guidance of the assembly guide portion, the locking block is configured to move from a non-aligned position at least partially offset from the locking portion to a position aligned with the locking portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be securely engaged.

5. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 1, the separating and coupling mechanism further comprises an assembly guide portion inclined relative to a rotation axis direction of the inner knob, the assembly guide portion has a proximal end adjacent to a bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; wherein a position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of the assembly guide portion and the locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion under guidance of the assembly guide portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be securely engaged.

6. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 4, wherein each locking portion corresponds to an assembly guide pair, the assembly guide pair comprises two assembly guide units; and wherein each of the locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion under guidance of any one of the two assembly guide units; wherein each assembly guide unit has a proximal end adjacent the bottom of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; the position aligned with the locking portion is adjacent to the distal end of each assembly guide unit in the assembly guide pair.

7. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 4, wherein the cap comprises a guided portion configured to mate with the assembly guide portion; wherein the locking block is movable to the position aligned with the locking portion guided by the interaction between the assembly guide portion and the guided portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be engaged.

8. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 7, wherein the guided portion and the locking block are formed as a one-piece structure; the locking block comprises a contacting surface configured to engage with the locking portion; the guided portion is disposed on a side opposite to the contacting surface; the locking block is movable along the assembly guide portion to the position aligned with the locking portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be securely engaged.

9. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 1, wherein a side wall of the cap is provided with at least one slit, and the slit is located adjacent to at least one side of the locking block.

10. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 4, wherein an assembly unit is formed by one assembly guide portion and one locking portion; a plurality of separating and coupling mechanisms are provided, each separating and coupling mechanism comprises one assembly unit and one separating groove; wherein a plurality of the assembly units are disposed around the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob, and are arranged circumferentially in a continuous and adjacent manner.

11. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 10, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the inner knob is provided with notches corresponding in number to the separating groove; and a gap is provided between each notch and its corresponding separating groove.

12. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 1, wherein the separating groove comprises a first side wall adjacent to the locking portion and an opposite second side wall; both the first side wall and the second side wall have a proximal end adjacent to an opening end of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; wherein the distal end of the second side wall is configured to incline circumferentially away from the locking portion relative to its proximal end, and / or the distal end of the first side wall is configured to incline circumferentially close to the locking portion relative to its proximal end, thereby guiding the locking block to slide out smoothly.

13. The knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap of claim 1, wherein the cap is integrally formed with a decorative structure; or, the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap further comprises a decorative member, and the decorative member and the cap are mechanically coupled.

14. A knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap, comprising an inner knob and a cap, the cap being detachably mounted on the outer side of the inner knob, wherein the inner knob is provided with at least one locking block, the cap is provided with at least one separating and coupling mechanism, the locking block and the separating and coupling mechanism cooperate to achieve coupling and separation between the inner knob and the cap;wherein each separating and coupling mechanism comprises a locking portion and a separating groove, the locking block and the locking portion are securely engaged, thereby forming mechanical coupling between the cap and the inner knob; the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob to rotate the separating and coupling mechanism relative to the locking block to a position where the separating groove is aligned with the locking block, thereby separating the cap from the inner knob through the separating groove.

15. A lacing device, comprising a housing and the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap according to claim 1, wherein the knob mechanism with an easily replaceable cap is rotatably arranged on the housing.

16. The lacing device of claim 15, wherein the lacing device has a lace-winding mode and a lace-releasing mode; in the lace-winding mode, the inner knob of the knob mechanism is configured to be rotatable relative to the housing in a tensioning direction and non-rotatable relative to the housing in a loosening direction, while the cap is rotatable relative to the inner knob in the loosening direction.

17. The lacing device of claim 16, wherein the separating groove is circumferentially offset from the locking portion along the inner knob and located on a side of the locking portion corresponding to the loosening direction.

18. The lacing device of claim 17, wherein the separating groove comprises a first side wall adjacent to the locking portion and an opposite second side wall; both the first side wall and the second side wall have a proximal end adjacent to the opening end of the inner knob and an opposite distal end; wherein the distal end of the second side wall is configured to incline on a side towards the loosening direction relative to its proximal end, and / or the distal end of the first side wall is configured to incline on a side towards the tensioning direction relative to its proximal end, thereby guiding the locking block to slide out smoothly.

19. The lacing device of claim 16, wherein each separating and coupling mechanism further comprises an assembly guide portion; the cap is provided with a guided portion for engaging with the assembly guide portion; the locking block is guided to a position aligned with the locking portion by the interaction between the assembly guide portion and the guided portion, thereby enabling the locking block and the locking portion to be engaged; and the assembly guide portion has a single equivalent rotational direction, and the equivalent rotational direction is opposite to the tensioning direction.

20. The lacing device of claim 16, wherein the lacing device further comprises an anti-reverse mechanism which allows the inner knob to rotate relative to the housing only in the tensioning direction during the lace-winding mode tensioning direction; wherein the anti-reverse mechanism comprises a first anti-reverse member and a second anti-reverse member that cooperate with each other, and the first anti-reverse member is a ratchet or a recess; and the lacing device further comprises a limiting portion configured to restrict axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member.

21. The lacing device of claim 20, wherein the limiting portion and the second anti-reverse member are arranged on the same component of the lacing device, and the limiting portion and the second anti-reverse member form a force lock or a shape lock to restrict axial displacement of the second anti-reverse member.

Images