Lock Device Drive Lever Reducing Open Lever Overload
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lock devices experience overload on the open lever during the open action due to the large rotation required for the drive lever, leading to potential mechanical stress and inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
The lock device design includes a drive lever with an open lever pushing portion that rotates the open lever only until the latch starts the unlatch action, then continues to rotate without rotating the open lever, and features a close lever pushing portion that extends in an opposite direction, increasing the neutral range of the drive lever and allowing for independent axis orientations of the open, close, and drive levers, thereby reducing overload and enhancing component arrangement flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rotation amount of the drive lever is set to be large to complete the unlatch action, then the unlatch action is completed reliably, but the open lever cannot rotate when it has reached the end of the rotation range, applying an overload to the open lever
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the drive lever's rotational action dynamic rather than continuous. The drive lever rotates to push the open lever during the unlatch action, then automatically returns to its initial position after the latch is unlatched. This dynamic behavior allows the system to adapt to the completion of the unlatch action without forcing continuous rotation that would overload the open lever, thus resolving the contradiction between reliable unlatch completion and preventing overload on the open lever.
2Productivity
If the drive lever rotates continuously in the first direction to ensure unlatch action completion, then the unlatch action is guaranteed, but the open lever reaches its rotation limit and cannot rotate further, causing mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by designing the drive lever to perform a cyclic motion: rotating in the first direction to push the open lever and complete the unlatch action, then automatically returning to its initial position. This periodic behavior ensures the unlatch action is completed efficiently while preventing continuous rotation that would cause mechanical stress on the open lever, thus resolving the contradiction between productivity and harmful mechanical stress.
3Strength
If the open lever is designed to rotate only until the latch starts unlatching, then overload is prevented, but the drive lever must have a mechanism to stop and return, increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by designing the drive lever to automatically return to its initial position after pushing the open lever to complete the unlatch action. The drive lever's own rotational motion and the mechanical interaction with the open lever and latch create a self-regulating system that stops the drive lever's forward rotation when the latch is unlatched and returns it to the initial position without requiring external control mechanisms, thus preventing overload while avoiding increased device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A lock device includes a latch configured to rotate between a full latch position and an unlatch position, a pawl configured to rotate between a hook position and a retracted position, an open lever configured to rotate the pawl to the retracted position, and a drive lever including an open lever pushing portion. When rotated in a first direction, the open lever pushing portion rotates the open lever in an open direction. During an open action, the open lever pushing portion rotates in the first direction while rotating the open lever in the open direction at least until the latch starts an unlatch action, and rotates in the first direction without rotating the open lever in the open direction after the latch starts the unlatch action.