Planetary Gear Electric Lock Body for Motor Failure Override
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door locks, particularly motor locks, fail to function when the motor or driving mechanism malfunctions, rendering the door impossible to open or close from either side, increasing difficulty and risk.
Innovation Solution
An electric lock body with a planetary gear assembly and a cage mechanism that allows the door to be opened or closed by rotating either the sun gear or the ring gear, even if the motor fails, using a housing, motor, ring gear, planet gear, and sun gear to switch the bolt between locked and unlocked states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a motor lock is used to automate door opening and closing, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates because the entire system becomes inoperable when the motor fails
Solution Approach 1:
The driving mechanism is segmented into two independent drive paths: a motor-driven path (motor → sun gear → planet gear → cage → bolt) and a manual path (ring gear → planet gear → cage → bolt). These segmented paths allow the system to operate through either the motor or manual operation, ensuring that failure of one path does not render the entire system inoperable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changing the operational parameter from motor-driven rotation to manual rotation by switching between driving the sun gear (motor mode) and driving the ring gear (manual mode). This parameter change enables the system to adapt to different operational states, maintaining reliability even when the motor fails.
2Productivity
If a motor-driven mechanism is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The planetary gear assembly serves multiple functions: it can be driven by the motor through the sun gear for automated operation, or it can be driven manually through the ring gear for manual operation. This multi-functionality allows a single mechanism to handle both automated and manual modes, improving productivity while avoiding the need for separate mechanisms for each mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor-driven path and manual path are merged into a single planetary gear assembly. The motor, sun gear, planet gear, ring gear, and cage are combined into one integrated mechanism that can accept input from either the motor or manual operation, reducing overall system complexity compared to having separate mechanisms for each mode.
3Device complexity
If a single drive mechanism is used, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability deteriorates because the system cannot operate when the motor fails
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to be dynamic in its operational mode, allowing switching between motor-driven operation and manual operation. The planetary gear assembly can adaptively respond to the availability of the motor, automatically or manually switching between drive paths to ensure continuous operability, thereby improving adaptability while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric lock body is provided. The electric lock body includes a housing, a driving mechanism, and a bolt. The driving mechanism includes a motor, a planetary gear assembly, and a cage. The planetary gear assembly includes a ring gear, a planet gear, and a sun gear. The motor is rotatably connected to the sun gear. The planet gear is rotatably connected between the sun gear and the ring gear. The cage is disposed at one side of the planetary gear assembly. The ring gear and the sun gear each abut against the cage. The planet gear is connected to the cage. The bolt is connected to the cage. When the cage rotates, the bolt is driven by the cage to move, to make the bolt switch between an unlocked state where the bolt is accommodated in the housing and a locked state where the bolt extends beyond the housing.