Locking structure

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a locking structure, comprising: a substrate provided with a mounting hole, the mounting hole being used for mounting a press-key; and locking tongues arranged on the substrate, each locking tongue comprising a connecting portion and a locking portion, the connecting portions being connected to the substrate, the locking portions being connected to the connecting portions, and the locking portions being configured to be snap-fitted with limiting slots on the press-key so as to lock and limit the press-key. Each locking tongue is further provided with an operating portion, the locking portions being moved by means of the operating portions so as to lock or unlock the press-key. The locking structure provided in the embodiments of the present application occupies a small space, and can lock and limit press-keys of different shapes, thereby greatly improving the applicability of the locking structure.

Description

Locking structure

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202422297797.8, filed on September 19, 2024 in the China Patent Office and entitled "Locking structure", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application belongs to the field of locking structure, in particular relates to a locking structure. BACKGROUND

[0003] In various devices and systems, in order to prevent misoperation or ensure safety in certain situations, it is often necessary to lock certain keys. The following are some common application scenarios that require key locking: such as microwave ovens, ovens, etc., which may change settings due to accidental touch during use, so these devices usually have a locking function to prevent children or accidental operation from causing the device to turn on or settings to change. Entertainment systems, navigation systems, and start buttons in vehicles, etc., may need to be locked in certain situations, such as when the vehicle is driving, to prevent the driver from being distracted and causing a safety accident. Power buttons, volume buttons, etc. on mobile phones and tablets, as well as game console keys, may be temporarily locked by the system in some special situations (such as software upgrades) to avoid user operations interrupting the process.

[0004] In the prior art, limiting and locking keys usually involves installing a suitable spring on the shaft of the key to limit the travel of the key by the position of the spring, so that it cannot be fully pressed or popped out. This method is suitable for designs where there is enough space below the key to install the spring. Moreover, due to the shape of the key, it is usually only applicable to circular keys.

[0005] In summary, current key locking and limiting methods require a large amount of space, and are limited by the shape of the key, resulting in low applicability of current locking structures. TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0006] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a locking structure to solve the technical problems of large space occupation and limitation of key shape in current locking structures. TECHNICAL SOLUTION

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a locking structure, comprising:

[0008] a substrate having a mounting hole for mounting a key;

[0009] A locking tongue is arranged on the substrate, the locking tongue has a connecting portion and a locking portion, the connecting portion is connected with the substrate, the locking portion is connected with the connecting portion, and the locking portion is used for being clamped with a limiting slot on the key to lock and position the key.

[0010] The locking tongue is further provided with an operation portion, and the locking portion is moved by the operation portion to realize locking or unlocking of the key.

[0011] In some embodiments, the operation portion is arranged on the connecting portion and / or the locking portion, the operation portion is a through hole, and the through hole is used for inserting an operating member to move the locking portion to realize locking or unlocking of the key.

[0012] In some embodiments, the operation portion is a protrusion, and the protrusion is used to provide a force point to move the locking portion to realize locking or unlocking of the key.

[0013] In some embodiments, the substrate is further provided with a first clearance hole, the first clearance hole is in communication with the mounting hole, and the locking tongue is arranged on the side wall of the first clearance hole.

[0014] In some embodiments, one end of the connecting portion is connected with the side wall of the first clearance hole close to the mounting hole, and the locking portion is connected with the other end of the connecting portion.

[0015] In some embodiments, the thickness of the locking tongue is not greater than the thickness of the substrate.

[0016] In some embodiments, the width of the connecting portion is smaller than the width of the locking portion.

[0017] In some embodiments, the locking portion has a protrusion arranged in an extending direction close to the mounting hole.

[0018] In some embodiments, the substrate and the locking tongue are an integral structure, and the connecting portion and the locking portion are an integral structure.

[0019] In some embodiments, the side edge of the substrate is provided with a fixing member, the fixing member is provided with a fixing hole, and the fixing hole is used for being connected with a fastener to fix the locking structure.

[0020] In some embodiments, the locking tongue is provided with a plurality of locking tongues, and the plurality of locking tongues are uniformly distributed along the circumferential side of the mounting hole.

[0021] In some embodiments, the mounting hole is provided with a plurality of mounting holes, and the locking tongue is provided with a plurality of locking tongues, one locking tongue corresponds to one mounting hole, or a plurality of locking tongues correspond to one mounting hole. Advantages

[0022] The locking structure provided by the embodiments of the present application, after the key is installed in the mounting hole on the substrate, the locking is achieved by the locking tongue and the limiting slot on the key. Further, the locking part of the locking tongue is moved by the operation part on the locking tongue, so that the locking part is clamped into the limiting slot of the key to achieve the locking, or the locking part is withdrawn from the limiting slot to achieve the unlocking of the key. Compared with the clamping spring limiting in the prior art, the locking structure provided by the embodiments of the present application is flexible and changeable (various different shapes of locking tongues can be designed), and different locking tongues can be designed according to the shapes of different keys, not limited to circular keys. In addition, the locking structure is thin in thickness, effectively saves the internal space, is low in cost, high in stability, not easy to break, and high in applicability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0024] FIG. 1 is a plan structure schematic diagram of the locking structure provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the locking structure provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the locking structure and the key provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0027] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of A in FIG. 3;

[0028] FIG. 5 is a plan structure schematic diagram of the locking structure and the key provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0029] FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the locking structure and the key provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0030] FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of B in FIG. 6.

[0031] Reference numerals:

[0032] 10, key; 100, limiting slot;

[0033] 20, substrate; 200, mounting hole; 201, first relief hole; 202, second relief hole; 21, fixing piece; 210, fixing hole;

[0034] 30, locking tongue; 31, connecting part; 32, locking part; 321, protrusion; 33, operation part. Embodiments of the present invention

[0035] In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth, such as particular architectures, techniques, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known methods, devices, circuits, and

[0036] It is also to be understood that the terminology "and / or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and that the term "at least one of' encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] It is to be noted that when an element is referred to as being "on" or "connected to" another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element or indirectly on or connected to the other element by way of one or more other elements. It is to be further noted that when an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element by way of one or more other elements.

[0038] It is to be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like as can be used herein, merely describe orientations in relation to the application as shown in the drawings and as can be used in the description, and do not limit the present application unless otherwise specified. It is to be understood that the terms "including", "comprising", "consisting" and "consisting essentially of' as used herein are open-ended and allow for elements, components, etc. not explicitly listed to be present.

[0039] In addition, the description of the application and the appended claims are intended to be interpreted to encompass all possible combinations of features, structures, and / or characteristics described herein, including different combinations of features, structures, and / or characteristics described in different embodiments. In addition, the description of the application and the appended claims are intended to be interpreted to encompass all possible combinations of features, structures, and / or characteristics described herein, including different combinations of features, structures, and / or characteristics described in different embodiments.

[0040] Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", or "a specific embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in one embodiment", "in an embodiment", "in some embodiments", "in other embodiments", "in other implementations", or the like, in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, unless otherwise specified. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and the like are meant to be interpreted broadly to encompass the inclusion of both currently known and later-developed features, structures, and / or characteristics. The term "plurality" is intended to mean two or more.

[0041] In the prior art, for a circular button, a snap spring is usually installed on the shaft of the button to achieve locking and limiting of the button. However, not all buttons are circular, and the snap spring occupies a large space, which is not conducive to use in some scenarios, so the applicability of the snap spring is not high enough. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a locking structure which has a low space occupancy rate, a flexible and variable structure, can adapt to buttons of different shapes, and has greatly improved applicability.

[0042] The embodiments of the present application provide a locking structure, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 7, which includes a substrate 20 and a locking tongue 30.

[0043] The substrate 20 is provided with a mounting hole 200 for mounting the button 10 therein.

[0044] The locking tongue 30 is arranged on the substrate 20, and has a connecting portion 31 and a locking portion 32. The connecting portion 31 is connected to the substrate 20, and the locking portion 32 is connected to the connecting portion 31. The locking portion 32 is used for clamping and cooperating with the limiting groove 100 on the button 10 to lock and limit the button 10.

[0045] The locking tongue 30 is arranged on the substrate 20, and has a connecting portion 31 and a locking portion 32. The connecting portion 31 is connected to the substrate 20, and the locking portion 32 is connected to the connecting portion 31. The locking portion 32 is used for clamping and cooperating with the limiting groove 100 on the button 10 to lock and limit the button 10.

[0046] The locking structure provided by the embodiments of the present application is used to clamp and cooperate the locking tongue 30 with the limiting groove 100 on the button 10 after the button 10 is mounted in the mounting hole 200 of the substrate 20, so as to achieve locking and limiting of the button 10. Further, the operation portion 33 on the locking tongue 30 is used to move the locking portion 32 of the locking tongue 30 to clamp into the limiting groove 100 of the button 10 to achieve locking and limiting, or to move the locking portion 32 out of the limiting groove 100 to achieve unlocking of the button 10. Compared with the snap spring limiting in the prior art, the locking structure provided by the embodiments of the present application has a flexible and variable structure (various different shapes of the locking tongue 30 can be designed), can be designed according to the shapes of different buttons 10, is not limited to circular buttons 10, has a relatively thin thickness, effectively saves internal space, is low in cost, high in stability, not easy to break, and high in applicability.

[0047] In application, the locking structure provided by the embodiments of the present application is mainly applied to the button 10 scenarios, such as game machine buttons 10 and buttons 10 of other electronic products. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific application scenarios, and only take the locking of the game machine button 10 as an example for illustration.

[0048] The locking of the key 10 refers to that generally the side of the key 10 is provided with a limiting slot 100, and the locking part 32 on the locking tongue 30 is clamped with the limiting slot 100, that is, the locking of the key 10 is realized. The unlocking of the key 10 refers to that the locking part 32 on the locking tongue 30 is disengaged from the clamping cooperation with the limiting slot 100, and the key 10 can be freely moved, that is, the unlocking of the key 10 is realized.

[0049] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the operation part 33 is arranged on the locking part 32, and the operation part 33 is a through hole for inserting an operation tool to move the locking part 32 to realize the locking or unlocking of the key 10. In application, the operation tool can be a screwdriver, pliers or other tools. In other embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5-7, the operation part 33 is arranged on the connecting part 31, and the operation part 33 is a through hole. In specific embodiments, the through hole is a strip-shaped hole, and then a screwdriver can be inserted into the through hole to rotate the locking part 32 to move it to be clamped into the limiting slot 100 of the key 10 to realize the locking of the key 10, or the locking part 32 is moved out of the limiting slot 100 to realize the unlocking of the key 10. Moreover, since the locking part 32 is located at the end far away from the connecting part 31 connected with the substrate 20, it is equivalent to a lever, and by arranging the operation part 33 on the locking part 32, the force for moving the locking part 32 can be reduced according to the principle of lever, and then the key 10 can be quickly locked or unlocked. On the other hand, the arrangement of the through hole can save materials, and is also beneficial to reduce the weight of the whole locking structure and increase the convenience.

[0050] In some embodiments, the operation part 33 is a protrusion (not shown in the figure), and the protrusion is used to provide a force point to move the locking part 32 to realize the locking or unlocking of the key 10. Compared with the through hole, the protrusion can realize the locking or unlocking of the key 10 only by the hand of the operator without the aid of external tools.

[0051] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the substrate 20 is further provided with a first clearance hole 201, the first clearance hole 201 is in communication with the mounting hole 200, and the lock tongue 30 is arranged on the side wall of the first clearance hole 201. In this way, the thickness of the entire locking structure can be effectively reduced, so that the lock tongue 30 and the substrate 20 are in the same plane, and the entire locking structure can be made thin, thereby reducing the space occupied by the locking structure. Moreover, the presence of the first clearance hole 201 can provide sufficient space for the movement of the moving lock tongue 30, so that it can smoothly move in and out of the clearance hole and the limiting groove 100 without being hindered. In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the substrate 20 is further provided with a second clearance hole 202, the second clearance hole 202 is in communication with the mounting hole 200. The second clearance hole 202 is provided to facilitate the installation and removal of the key 10, and the second clearance hole 202 reserves space between the key 10 and the substrate 20, so that the key 10 can be operated through the second clearance hole 202, thereby improving the convenience.

[0052] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, one end of the connecting portion 31 is connected to the side wall of the first clearance hole 201 close to the mounting hole 200, and the locking portion 32 is connected to the other end of the connecting portion 31. In this way, the position of the lock tongue 30 can be moved directly into the limiting groove 100 of the key 10, and the locking portion 32 can be engaged with the limiting groove 100 with the smallest displacement.

[0053] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the thickness of the lock tongue 30 is not greater than the thickness of the substrate 20. In other words, the thickness of the lock tongue 30 in the Z direction is less than or equal to the thickness of the substrate 20 in the Z direction. In this way, the thickness of the entire locking structure can be maximally reduced, and the thin structure can be adapted to more application scenarios.

[0054] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, the width of the connecting portion 31 is less than the width of the locking portion 32. Since the connecting portion 31 is directly connected to the substrate 20, and one end of the locking portion 32 is connected to the connecting portion 31, and the other end of the locking portion 32 is a free end, i.e., the movement of the locking portion 32 can be realized by the operating portion 33. The width of the connecting portion 31 is set to be less than the width of the locking portion 32, on the one hand, to make the connecting portion 31 easy to deform, thereby realizing the movement of the locking portion 32; on the other hand, since the locking portion 32 needs to be engaged with the limiting groove 100 in the key 10, the width of the locking portion 32 is set to be larger, which is convenient for engagement, thereby facilitating the rapid locking of the key 10.

[0055] It should be noted that the thickness refers to the distance in the direction of pressing the key 10, that is, the Z direction in the figure, and the width refers to the length or width direction of the substrate 20, that is, the X or Y direction in the figure, which is for the convenience of understanding the technical content of the scheme and should not be understood as a limitation on the scope of the embodiments of the application.

[0056] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, 6 and 7, the locking portion 32 has a protrusion 321 extending towards the direction close to the mounting hole 200. The presence of the protrusion 321 can effectively increase the width of the locking portion 32, thereby facilitating the clamping and limiting of the limiting groove 100 and facilitating the quick locking of the key 10.

[0057] In some embodiments, the substrate 20 and the locking tongue 30 are an integral structure, and the connecting portion 31 and the locking portion 32 are an integral structure. The meaning of an integral structure is that the substrate 20 and the locking tongue 30, the locking portion 32 and the connecting portion 31 in the locking tongue 30 are designed to be integrally formed, which is beneficial to improve the overall stability of the locking structure.

[0058] In application, the material of the entire locking structure is sheet metal, and the specific material can be metal, alloy and the like. The material is cheap and easy to obtain, has good economic benefits, and is beneficial to large-scale production and application.

[0059] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side edge of the substrate 20 is provided with a fixing member 21, and the fixing member 21 is provided with a fixing hole 210 for connecting with a fastener to fix the locking structure. The fastener includes but is not limited to screws, bolts and the like.

[0060] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, the locking tongue 30 is provided with a plurality of locking tongues 30, and the plurality of locking tongues 30 are uniformly distributed along the circumferential side of the mounting hole 200. In this way, the locking and limiting of the key 10 can be strengthened. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, for a triangular key 10, three locking tongues 30 are provided, and the three locking tongues 30 are arranged corresponding to the three corners of the triangular key 10. In other embodiments, the three locking tongues 30 can also be arranged corresponding to the three sides of the triangular key 10.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 5-7, for a circular key 10, four locking tongues 30 can be provided, and the four locking tongues 30 are uniformly distributed along the periphery of the key 10, which can effectively improve the locking effect of the key 10. In other embodiments, the key 10 can also have other shapes, and the locking tongue 30 can be arranged corresponding to the shape of the key 10, which can effectively improve the applicability of the locking structure.

[0062] In some embodiments, the mounting hole 200 is provided with multiple, the lock tongue 30 is provided with multiple, one lock tongue 30 corresponds to one mounting hole 200 setting, or multiple lock tongues 30 correspond to one mounting hole 200 setting. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the mounting hole 200 is provided with two, which can simultaneously lock and position two keys 10, and each mounting hole 200 corresponds to four lock tongues 30. In other embodiments, one mounting hole 200 can correspond to one, two, three or other number of lock tongues 30.

[0063] The locking structure provided by the present application has the following advantages:

[0064] 1. Flexible structure, various different shapes of lock tongues 30 can be designed, not only suitable for circular keys 10, but also suitable for triangular and other irregularly shaped keys 10;

[0065] 2. The thickness of the entire locking structure is thin, saving internal space, especially the large size locking structure is much thinner than the commonly used spring, increasing the application scenario of the locking structure;

[0066] 3. The material is cheap and easy to obtain, and the cost is low, which can be mass-produced and applied;

[0067] 4. Strong overall stability, not easy to break.

[0068] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis, and the parts not described or recorded in a certain embodiment can be referred to the related description of other embodiments.

[0069] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement for part of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A lock structure characterized by comprising: The application relates to a locking structure of a key, which comprises the following parts: a substrate provided with mounting holes for mounting keys; a lock tongue arranged on the substrate, the lock tongue being provided with a connecting part and a locking part, the connecting part being connected with the substrate, the locking part being connected with the connecting part, and the locking part being used for being clamped with a limiting slot on the key to lock and limit the key; wherein the lock tongue is further provided with an operation part, the locking part is moved by the operation part to realize locking or unlocking of the key.

2. The locking structure of claim 1, wherein The operation part is arranged on the connecting part and / or the locking part, the operation part is a through hole, the through hole is used for inserting an operation member to move the locking part to realize locking or unlocking of the key. Alternatively, the operation part is a protrusion, the protrusion is used for providing a force point to move the locking part to realize locking or unlocking of the key.

3. The locking structure of claim 1, wherein The substrate is further provided with a first clearance hole, the first clearance hole is communicated with the mounting hole, and the lock tongue is arranged on the side wall of the first clearance hole.

4. The locking structure of claim 3, wherein One end of the connecting part is connected with the side wall of the first clearance hole close to the mounting hole, and the other end of the connecting part is connected with the locking part.

5. The locking structure of claim 3, wherein The thickness of the lock tongue is not greater than the thickness of the substrate. The width of the connecting part is smaller than the width of the locking part.

6. The locking structure of claim 1, wherein The locking part is provided with a protrusion extending towards the direction close to the mounting hole.

7. The locking structure of claim 1, wherein The substrate and the lock tongue are an integral structure, and the connecting part and the locking part are an integral structure.

8. The locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The side edge of the substrate is provided with a fixing member, the fixing member is provided with a fixing hole, and the fixing hole is used for being connected with a fastener to fix the locking structure.

9. The locking structure of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The lock tongue is provided with a plurality of lock tongues, and the plurality of lock tongues are uniformly distributed along the circumferential side of the mounting hole.

10. The locking structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The mounting hole is provided with a plurality of mounting holes, the lock tongue is provided with a plurality of lock tongues, one lock tongue is arranged corresponding to one mounting hole, or a plurality of lock tongues are arranged corresponding to one mounting hole.

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