CN111236760B

CN111236760B - Door lock

Info

Publication number: CN111236760B
Application number: CN201811441897.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汪洋
Original assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Current assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date: 2018-11-29
Filing date: 2018-11-29
Publication date: 2022-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-29
Also published as: CN111236760A

Abstract

The application discloses door lock includes: a locking slider having a slider one-way blocking portion; the tail end of the lock pin is provided with a lock pin one-way stopping part; the slider one-way blocker and the latch one-way blocker are configured to: the locking slider can be prevented from moving from its release position to its locking position. According to the washing machine, the unidirectional stopping parts are respectively arranged on the locking sliding block and the locking pin, so that the problem that the washing machine starts to run immediately due to the hysteresis effect generated by operation indication when the barrier is eliminated and the door is closed again can be avoided. Therefore, the door lock and the washing machine can be well controlled.

Description

Door lock

Technical Field

The present application relates to door locks for electrical devices.

Background

Currently, the door of an electrical appliance (e.g. a washing machine) is locked to the panel of the electrical appliance by means of a door lock. The door lock is mounted on a panel of the electric apparatus, and a lock hole is provided in the door lock. Thus, when the door hook mounted on the door of the electrical equipment is inserted into the lock hole, the locking mechanism in the door lock can lock the door hook, and at this time, the electrical equipment can be started.

The application can provide a safer and more reliable door lock for electrical equipment (such as a washing machine) so as to better control the door lock and the electrical equipment.

Disclosure of Invention

Through observation and analysis, the inventor finds that under certain conditions with obstacles, the door hook cannot be inserted into the lock hole immediately, so that the door lock cannot lock the door hook, and even if the electrical equipment is started, the electrical equipment cannot normally operate. Once the obstacle is removed, the door hook is inserted into the lock hole again, the door lock immediately locks the door hook, and the electric device is immediately started to operate. At this time, the operation instruction to start the electrical appliance at the previous time lags behind, so that the start of the electrical appliance is not controllable.

One of the objectives of the present application is to provide a door lock that is safe, reliable and easy to control. The specific technical scheme is as follows:

the application provides a door lock, includes: a lock slider having a lock hole and having a lock position and a release position, the lock slider reciprocating in a first direction between the lock position and the release position thereof, the lock slider having a slider one-way blocking portion; and a lock pin having a lock position and a release position, the lock pin being capable of reciprocating in a third direction between its lock position and release position, the lock pin being capable of being inserted into the lock hole when it reaches its lock position, and capable of reaching its release position when it exits the lock hole; the lock pin is provided with a tail end, the tail end of the lock pin can be inserted into the lock hole of the locking slide block, and the tail end of the lock pin is provided with a lock pin one-way stopping part; wherein the slider one-way blocker and the latch one-way blocker are configured to: the locking slide can be prevented from moving from its release position to its locking position.

According to the above, the slider one-way arresting portion and the lock pin one-way arresting portion are configured to: the locking pin can be caused to block the lock slide between the release position and the locking position of the lock slide.

According to the above, the lock pin unidirectional blocking portion includes a lock pin stepped portion; the slider unidirectional stopping portion comprises a slider step portion, and the lock pin step portion is complementary with the slider step portion.

According to the above, the locking slide has a head end and a tail end; the slider check portion is provided above the lock slider between the head end of the lock slider and the lock hole along the first direction.

According to the above, the lock pin unidirectional blocking portion is provided on the tail end of the lock pin at a position close to the head end of the lock slider.

According to the above, the first direction is an x direction, and the third direction is a z direction.

According to the above, the door lock further comprises: a cam having a locking position and a releasing position, the cam being capable of rotational movement in its locking and releasing positions; a slider mechanism including a locking slider, the slider mechanism having a locking position and a releasing position, the slider mechanism moving between its locking position and releasing position as the cam rotates; wherein when the slider mechanism is in its locked position, the locking slider is also in its locked position; when the slider mechanism is in its release position, the lock slider is also in its release position.

According to the above, the slider mechanism further comprises: a drive slide having a locked position and a released position, the drive slide being drivable by the cam to move in a second direction between its locked and released positions, and the drive slide being capable of driving the locking slide to move in a first direction; wherein when the slider mechanism is in its locked position, the drive slider is also in its locked position; when the slider mechanism is in its release position, the drive slider is also in its release position.

According to the above, the front end of the drive slider has a front end face, the cam has a lower end face, and the front end face of the drive slider is in contact with the lower end face of the cam so that the drive slider can move in the second direction between its locking position and release position with the rotation of the cam when the cam rotates between its locking position and release position; the drive slider has a drive slider ramp on one side and the head end of the locking slider also has a locking slider ramp complementary to the drive slider ramp, the locking slider moving in a first direction with movement of the drive slider between its locking and releasing positions as the drive slider moves between its locking and releasing positions.

According to the above, the first direction is an x direction, the second direction is a y direction, and the third direction is a z direction.

According to the above, the door lock further comprises: a spring plate; the head end of the lock pin can be in contact with the elastic sheet, and the elastic sheet applies force to the lock pin to drive the lock pin to move from the release position to the locking position of the lock pin along the third direction.

According to the above, the door lock further comprises: a stationary contact; the elastic sheet comprises a movable contact which can be in contact with the fixed contact so as to be communicated with a working loop of the door lock.

According to the above, the door lock further comprises: an electronic drive capable of applying a force to the latch to drive the latch in a third direction from its locked position to a released position in accordance with an electronic control signal.

According to the above, the door lock is for an electrical apparatus, the door lock further comprising: the control device is used for detecting whether the door lock is in a normal door closing state or an abnormal door closing state and controlling the control circuit of the door lock based on the normal door closing state or the abnormal door closing state of the door lock.

The conception, specific structure and technical effects of the present application will be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to fully understand the purpose, characteristics and effects of the present application.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a door lock 100 of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic reverse perspective view of the door lock 100 of FIG. 1 with the base 107 removed;

fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the switch box 205 in fig. 2 removed;

FIGS. 4A-4C are perspective views illustrating the cam 208, slider mechanism 310, and latch 425 at two different angles;

FIGS. 5A-5B are schematic perspective views of the locking pin 425 at two different angles;

fig. 6A-6B are perspective views showing the internal components of the switch box 205 and the structure of the switch box 205, with the lid of the switch box 205 removed;

FIGS. 7A-7F are schematic views of the engagement between the locking slide 318 and the locking pin 425 during a period from when the doors of the appliance are closed until they are clear of the obstruction so that the doors of the appliance are normally closed;

fig. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of the control circuit 800 in different states;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the control device 940.

Detailed Description

Various embodiments of the present application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. It should be understood that although directional terms, such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," etc., may be used herein to describe various example structural features and orientations of the elements of the present application, these terms are used herein for convenience of description and are intended to be based on the example orientations shown in the drawings. Because the embodiments disclosed herein can be arranged in a variety of orientations, these directional terms are used for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting. Wherever possible, the same or similar reference numbers used in this application refer to the same or like parts.

For convenience of describing a specific embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the door lock 100 is exemplified as an x direction (first direction), the width direction of the door lock 100 is exemplified as a y direction (second direction), and the height direction of the door lock is exemplified as a z direction (third direction).

Fig. 1 is a schematic front perspective view of a door lock 100 in the present application, for illustrating the relative positions of a door lock hole 103 and a door hook 102 on the door lock 100. As shown in fig. 1, the door lock 100 includes a housing 101 at an upper portion and a base 107 at a lower portion of the housing 101 and engaged therewith, the housing 101 and the base 107 defining a cavity therebetween for receiving components of the door lock. A door lock hole 103 is provided on the left side of the case 101, and the door lock hole 103 receives the door hook 102. In the example shown in fig. 1, the door hook 102 is located above the door locking hole 103, and when the door of the electric appliance (i.e., the washing machine) is opened or closed, the door hook 102 moves up and down in the z direction with the door of the electric appliance (i.e., the washing machine) to leave or enter the door locking hole 103. When the door hook 102 is inserted into the door lock 100 from the door lock hole 103 on the front surface of the housing 101, the hole 181 of the door hook 102 engages with a cam 208 (see the cam 208 in fig. 2) inside the door lock 100, and when the cam 208 is locked, the door of the washing machine is locked.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the reverse side of the door lock 100 of fig. 1 with the base 107 removed to more specifically show the components inside the door lock to illustrate the positional relationship between the housing 101, the door hook 102, the switch box 205 and the cam 208.

As shown in fig. 2, the switch box 205 and the cam 208 are disposed side by side in the x-direction (first direction) within a cavity between the housing 101 and the base 107 (not shown in fig. 2). A cam 208 is provided above the right side of the housing 101 (below the left side of the housing 101, i.e., below the door lock hole 103 when referring to fig. 1), and the door hook 102 can be received by the cam 208 through the door lock hole 103. When the door is closed, the door hook 102 is inserted into the door locking hole 103 from bottom to top along the z direction (when referring to fig. 1, the door hook 102 is inserted into the door locking hole 103 from top to bottom), and the cam 208 is pushed to rotate to the locking position; when the door is opened, the door hook 102 is pulled out of the door locking hole 103 in the z direction from the top to the bottom, pulling the cam 208 to rotate away from its locking position until it reaches its releasing position. Fig. 2 does not fully illustrate the specific structure of the cam 208 due to the obstruction of the housing 101, and therefore, a more detailed mating movement of the door hook 102 with the cam 208 will be described later in conjunction with fig. 4A-4B.

With continued reference to fig. 2, the cam 208 is supported and connected to the housing 101 by a rotating shaft 283 disposed on both sides thereof, and the cam 208 can rotate around the rotating shaft 283. An elastic member 209 is mounted on the cam 208, and the elastic member 209 exerts a certain pre-load force on the cam 208 to drive or block the rotation of the cam 208. The resilient member may be a torsion spring as shown in fig. 2, but may be other resilient members. When the door is closed, the door hook 102 is pushed by an external force, which needs to overcome the elastic force of the torsion spring 209, so that the door hook 102 pushes the cam 208 to rotate; when the door is opened, in a case where the slider mechanism is not locked to the cam 208, the cam 208 is driven to rotate by the elastic force of the torsion spring 209 to eject the door hook 102.

In fig. 2, the door lock 100 further includes a switch box 205, and the length of the switch box 205 is set in the y direction. The switch box 205 is mounted on the left side of the housing 101 (when referring to fig. 1, the switch box 205 is mounted on the right side of the housing 101). The switch box 205 functions primarily to lock or release the slider mechanism 310 by controlling the movement of the lock pin 425, thereby turning the switching device 620 on or off while locking or releasing the cam 208 (see fig. 4A-4B, 6A-6B).

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the switch box 205 of fig. 2 with the parts disposed between the switch box 205 and the housing 101 removed to illustrate the positional relationship between the cam 208, the slider mechanism 310 (including the drive slider 317 and the lock slider 318), and the spring 315.

Also mounted within the housing 101 is a slider mechanism 310, as shown in fig. 3, which can be used to hold and lock the cam 208 in its locked position. Illustratively, the slider mechanism 310 includes a drive slider 317 and a lock slider 318, wherein a body length of the drive slider 317 is configured to extend in the y-direction and a body length of the lock slider 318 is configured to extend in the x-direction. The drive slider 317 and the lock slider 318 are arranged in mutually perpendicular directions, and the lock slider 318 is perpendicular to the plane of rotation of the cam 208 (i.e., yz plane) along the slider body or slider length direction (i.e., x direction). Wherein the driving slider 317 is disposed on the right side of the housing 101 (on the left side of the housing 101 when viewing fig. 1) and is located in the vicinity of the cam 208 so that the driving slider 317 can be driven to move in the y direction when the cam 208 rotates. The lock slider 318 is disposed between the housing 101 and the switch case 205, and one end thereof is disposed near the drive slider 317 so that the lock slider 318 can be driven to move in the x direction when the drive slider 317 moves in the y direction.

A spring 315 is connected to a tail end 326 of the locking slider 318, one end of the spring 315 abuts against the tail end 326 of the locking slider 318, and the other end of the spring 315 abuts against the inner wall 306 of the housing 101, so as to apply a certain pre-load force to the locking slider 318. The spring 315 works together with the drive slider 317 so that the lock slider 318 can reciprocate in the x direction (first direction). It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the spring 315 may be other elastic components capable of providing a certain pre-load force.

Fig. 4A-4C are schematic perspective views showing the cam 208, the slider mechanism 310 (including the driving slider 317 and the locking slider 318) and the lock pin 425 at two different angles when the door hook 102 is pulled out (i.e., when the door is opened), for illustrating the matching relationship of the cam 208, the slider mechanism 310 and the lock pin 425 to explain the process of the cam 208 driving the slider mechanism 310 to move and the process of the lock pin 425 locking the slider mechanism 310, wherein fig. 4A and 4B show a first embodiment of the present application, and fig. 4C shows a second embodiment of the present application.

In fig. 4A and 4B, the cam 208, the slider mechanism 310, and the latch 425 are in their respective release positions due to the position of the door hook when pulled out (i.e., when the door is opened). As shown in fig. 4A, the cam 208 is provided with a slot 482, the slot 482 for receiving an end of the door hook 102, the slot 482 having an upper end 488 and a lower end 484. During the process of inserting the door hook 102 into the door locking hole 103, the outer side of the front end of the door hook 102 abuts against the upper end 488 of the open slot 482, and the continued insertion of the door hook 102 causes the door hook 102 to push the cam 208 to rotate clockwise (i.e. in the direction of the arrow 431), so that the lower end 484 of the open slot 482 is inserted into the hole 181 of the door hook 102, thereby catching the door hook 102, and at this time, the cam 208 reaches its locking position. During the process of pulling the door hook 102 out of the door locking hole 103, the inside of the front end of the door hook 102 abuts against the lower end 484 of the open groove 482, and the continued pulling of the door hook 102 causes the door hook 102 to pull the cam 208 to rotate counterclockwise (i.e., in the direction opposite to the arrow 431), so that the lower end 484 of the open groove 482 is separated from the hole 181 of the door hook 102, and the cam 208 is separated from its locking position until it reaches its releasing position.

As shown in fig. 4A-4B, as the cam 208 rotates between its locked and released positions, the slider mechanism 310 also moves between its locked and released positions, respectively. As one example, when the slider mechanism 310 is in the locked position, the drive slider 317 and the lock slider 318 are also in the locked position; when the slider mechanism 310 is in the release position, the drive slider 317 and the lock slider 318 are also in the release position.

Specifically, the drive slider 317 is disposed on the rear side of the cam 208, and a front end surface 492 of the drive slider 317 contacts or abuts against a lower end surface 494 of the cam 208, so that the drive slider 317 can move in the y direction with rotation of the cam 208. The locking slide 318 is located on the side of the drive slide 317 and a drive slide ramp 421 on the side of the drive slide 317 abuts a locking slide ramp 423 on the head end 422 of the locking slide 318 so that the locking slide 318 can move in the x-direction with the movement of the drive slide 317. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the drive slide slope 421 and the lock slide slope 423 are complementary.

The driving slider 317 has a cavity therein for accommodating the spring 485, one end of the spring 485 abuts against an inner wall of the cavity of the driving slider 317, and the other end abuts against an inner wall (not shown in fig. 4A-4B) of the housing 101, and the spring 485 is used for applying a certain pre-load force to the driving slider 317. The spring 485 is capable of working in conjunction with the cam 208 to reciprocate the drive slider 317 in the y-direction (second direction). It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the spring 485 may be other elastic components capable of providing a certain pre-load force. The side of the cavity of the drive slider 317 has an opening 433 and the drive slider ramp 421 is disposed within the opening 433. When the drive slider 317 is moved in the y direction toward its locking position until the opening 433 is aligned with the head end 422 of the lock slider 318, the lock slider 318 is moved toward its locking position by the elastic force of the spring 315, and the head end 422 can be inserted into the opening 433; when the drive slider 317 is moved in the y-direction toward its release position, the force components generated on the drive slider ramp 421 and the lock slider ramp 423 drive the lock slider 318 toward its release position until the head end 422 exits the opening 433.

A locking pin 425 is located above the lock slide 318, the locking pin 425 being able to reciprocate up and down in the z direction between its locked and released positions. A locking hole 419 is provided in the extension of the body of the locking slide 318 for receiving a locking pin 425. When the lock slide 318 is moved to its locked position, the lock pin 425 can be aligned with the lock aperture 419 in the lock slide 318. When the locking pin 425 is driven downward to reach its locked position, it can be inserted into the locking hole 419 to lock the lock slide 318. When the locking pin 425 moves upward out of the locking hole 419 and reaches its release position, the lock slide 318 is released.

Thus, based on the structure shown in fig. 4A, when the cam 208 rotates clockwise (i.e., the door hook 102 is inserted into the door locking hole 103) under the condition that the locking slider 318 is not locked by the lock pin 425, the cam 208 rotates from the release position to the locking position, the lower end surface 494 of the cam 208 is away from the front end surface 492 of the driving slider 317, and the elastic force generated by the spring 485 overcomes the elastic force of the torsion spring 209 on the cam 208 to push the driving slider 317 from the release position to the locking position in the y direction; when the cam 208 is rotated counterclockwise (i.e., the door hook 102 exits the door locking hole 103), the cam 208 rotates from the locking position to the releasing position, and the lower end surface 494 of the cam 208 applies a force to the front end surface 492 of the driving slider 317, so that the driving slider 317 is pushed in the y-direction from its locking position to its releasing position, and the movement of the driving slider 317 compresses the spring 485.

Similarly, based on the structure shown in fig. 4B, when the driving slider 317 is moved from its releasing position to its locking position in the y direction under the condition that the locking slider 318 is not locked by the lock pin 425, the opening 433 of the driving slider 317 is aligned with the head end 422 of the locking slider 318, and the head end 422 of the locking slider 318 is caused to protrude into the opening 433 of the driving slider 317 by the elastic force generated by the spring 315, so that the locking slider 318 is pushed from its releasing position to its locking position in the x direction; when the drive slider 317 is moved in the y-direction from its locking position to its releasing position, the ramp 421 on the drive slider 317 exerts a force on the complementary ramp 423 on the locking slider 318, the resulting force components on the two complementary ramps cause the locking slider 318 to move in the x-direction from its locking position to the releasing position, the head end 422 of the locking slider 318 exits the opening 433 of the drive slider 317, and the movement of the locking slider 318 compresses the spring 315.

Thus, when the lock slide 318 and the drive slide 317 are in their respective locked positions, the cam 208 is also in a position that can be locked. At this time, if the lock pin 425 moves downward so that the rear end 452 of the lock pin 425 is inserted into the lock hole 419 (i.e., the lock position of the lock pin is reached), the lock slider 318 is locked, the drive slider 317 and the cam 208 are correspondingly locked, and the door hook 102 is also locked in the cam 208, so that the door hook 102 cannot be pulled out. At this time, if the tail end 452 of the lock pin 425 exits the lock hole 419 (i.e., moves out of the lock position of the lock pin), even if the locking slider 318 and the driving slider 317 are in the lock positions, the driving slider 317 pushes the cam 208 to the lock position, and the door hook 102 can still be pulled out of the cam 208 because the locking slider 318 is not locked by the lock pin 425. The extraction of the door hook 102 can move the drive slide 317 and the locking slide 318 from the respective locking position to the release position.

Thus, in the present application, the rotational movement of the cam 208 is converted into linear movement of the locking slider 318 in the x-direction by the transmission action of the driving slider 317 and the locking slider 318, which not only facilitates control of the locking of the cam 208 (e.g., control of the cam 208 by locking and/or releasing the locking slider 318 via the latch 425), but also makes it compact in size and square in shape, further reducing the length of the door lock 100. At the same time, the requirements on the accuracy and strength of the slider mechanism 310 are reduced. It should be noted that the present application is also applicable to an embodiment of a single locking slide that omits the driving slide, namely: the locking slide block is directly driven by rotating the cam between the locking position and the releasing position, so that the locking slide block can move between the locking position and the releasing position.

As shown in fig. 4B and the enlarged partial structure indicated by the dashed line box a in fig. 4B, the lower surface of the latch 425 has a latch unidirectional stopper 412, and the upper surface of the lock slider 318 also has a corresponding slider unidirectional stopper 411. The detent unidirectional stop 412 and the slider unidirectional stop 411 cooperate to prevent movement of the locking slider 318 from the release position to the locked position (i.e., from right to left in the x-direction in FIG. 4B), thereby enabling the detent 425 to prevent the locking slider 318 between the release position and the locked position. As an example, the locking pin unidirectional stopper 412 includes a locking pin step 436, and the locking pin step 436 is formed by extending downward a lower end surface of a left side (i.e., a side close to the head end 422 of the locking slider 318) of the tail end 452 of the locking pin 425. The slider unidirectional stopper 411 also includes a slider step portion 435, and the slider step portion 435 is formed by extending upward the upper surface of a portion of the lock slider 318 between the lock hole 419 and the head end 422 (between the lock hole 419 and the head end 422 in the x direction), and the slider step portion 435 is provided at an edge of the lock hole 419 as an example. Detent step 436 and slider step 435 are formed in complementary shapes.

When the detent 425 is forced downward (i.e., downward in the z-direction) and the lock slide 318 is moved in the x-direction toward the locked position (i.e., to the left), the detent step 436 snaps with the slide step 435, preventing the lock slide 318 from continuing to move toward the locked position (i.e., to the left). However, movement of the lock slide 318 to the release position (i.e., to the right) is not prevented. When the latch 425 is forced upward (i.e., upward in the z-direction), the latch step 436 no longer engages the slider step 435 and the latch 425 no longer prevents movement of the lock slider 318 in the direction of the locked position.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the locking pin step 436 and the slider step 435 in the present embodiment are only examples of one-way stoppers that are engaged with each other, and in the embodiment shown in fig. 4C, the slider one-way stopper 411 and the locking pin one-way stopper 412 may have other engaging shapes based on the same principle, for example, the slider one-way stopper includes a groove 465 with one-side opening, and the locking pin one-way stopper includes a top 466, and the movement of the locking slider 318 toward the locking position can be prevented in one way by the engagement of the groove 465 and the top 466.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment shown in fig. 4A and 4B, even if the slider mechanism 310 includes only the lock slider 318 and does not include the drive slider 317, the lock slider 318 and the lock pin 425 may be provided with one-way blocking portions that cooperate with each other, to achieve the same effect.

Fig. 5A-5B are schematic perspective views of the locking pin 425 from two different perspectives, illustrating a more specific configuration of the locking pin 425. As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the locking pin 425 has a head end 529 and a tail end 452. As shown in fig. 5A, the left side of the head end 529 of the lock pin 425 (i.e., the right side of the lock pin 425 as shown in fig. 5B) has a pair of ramps 573.1 and 573.2, the ramps 573.1 and 573.2 extending obliquely from the front and rear sides of the lock pin 425 toward the middle, forming a top 575 at the intersection that is higher than the bottom of the ramps. The top portion 575 is adapted to contact a spring plate 624 (see fig. 6A) of the switch device 620 such that when the locking pin 425 moves upward, the top portion 575 can contact the spring plate 624 to push the spring plate 624 open, at which time the locking pin 425 can exit the locking hole 419, releasing the slider mechanism 310 and the cam 208. The resilient strip 624 can also apply a certain spring force (i.e., a biasing force) to the locking pin 425 to move the locking pin 425 downward, and the locking pin 425 can be inserted into the locking hole 419 to lock the slider mechanism 310 and the cam 208.

As shown in fig. 5B, a lock pin step 436 extending in the front-rear direction is provided on the top right side surface of the trailing end 452 of the lock pin 425 (i.e., the bottom left side surface of the lock pin 425 shown in fig. 5A). As described above, in other examples, other shapes of the detent unidirectional inhibitor may be provided. On the left side of the latch 425 (i.e., the right side of the latch 425 as shown in fig. 5A), a shoulder 578 is provided that is capable of engaging the electronic driver 650 (see fig. 6A and 6B) in the switch box 205 such that the electronic driver 650 is capable of driving the latch 425 up and down through the shoulder 578 and the spring 624.

Fig. 6A to 6B are schematic perspective views showing the internal components of the switch box 205 when the door hook 102 is pulled out (i.e., when the door is opened), with the lid of the switch box 205 removed. Wherein figure 6A is provided to illustrate the mating relationship of the switching device 620, the latch 425 and the electronic driver 650; fig. 6B shows structural details of the switch device 620 and latch 425 with the resilient tab 624 removed.

As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, an electronic driving device 650 and a switching device 620 are provided side by side in the width direction (i.e., x direction) inside the switch case 205.

The electronic driving unit 650 controls the up-and-down movement of the locking pin 425 by receiving a pulse signal (or a control signal) from a control unit 940 (see fig. 9) of the electric appliance, i.e., the washing machine. The electronic drive 650 includes a driver housing 628, a core housing 695, and a self-locking block 688. The actuator housing 628 is used to house an actuator (not shown in fig. 6A-6B, see the electromagnet in fig. 8A and 8B). The electronic drive 650 can drive the latch 425 upward via the self-locking block 688 to release the lock slide 318 and open the switch device 620. As an example, the driver is an electromagnet, a coil 872 of the electromagnet is housed within the driver housing 628, a core 873 of the electromagnet is housed within the driver housing 628 and the core housing 695, and the core 873 is inserted into the coil 872 (not shown in fig. 6A-6B, see fig. 8A-8B). The plunger 873 is connected to the self-locking block 688 and drives the self-locking block 688 in a reciprocating motion in the y-direction between its locking and releasing positions. With each movement of the plunger 873, the self-locking block 688 moves once with it and switches between the locked state and the released state of the self-locking block. In an embodiment of the present application, the driving signal (or the control signal) from the control device 940 (see fig. 9) of the washing machine may be set to be a pulse signal, and each pulse signal can move the core 873 once, thereby pushing the self-locking block 688 once.

A mechanical reversing device, which may be a push mechanism 687 as one example, is provided in the self-locking block 688. As one example, the pushing mechanism 687 may have various implementations such as "ball-point pen refill pushing mechanism".

A ramp 686 is provided on the side of the self-locking block 688, which ramp 686 may contact a shoulder 578 of the locking pin 425. When the self-locking block 688 is moved in the y-direction to its release position, the self-locking block 688 applies a driving force to the plunger pin 425 via the ramp 686 and the shoulder 578 that moves the plunger pin 425 upward, moving the plunger pin 425 toward its release position; when the self-locking block 688 is moved in the y-direction to its locking position, the self-locking block 688 removes the driving force on the plunger pin 425, allowing the plunger pin 425 to move toward its locking position. Thus, the self-locking block 688 is allowed to carry the locking pin 425 upward.

The switch device 620 includes a spring plate 624, the spring plate 624 extends along the length direction (i.e. y direction) of the switch box 205, the middle part of the spring plate 624 is connected in the switch box 205, one side of the end of the spring plate 624 has a movable contact 632, and the other side contacts with the top 575 of the head 529 of the latch 425. A stationary contact 638 is provided below the movable contact 632 of the elastic piece 624. The stationary contact 638 is fixed in position while the movable contact 632 moves up and down relative to the stationary contact 638. By controlling the contact and separation of movable contact 632 and stationary contact 638, switching device 620 can be controlled to open and close accordingly, thereby closing and opening the operating circuit in the control circuit.

When the self-locking block 688 is in the locked state and when the electronic driving device 650 receives a pulse signal once, the self-locking block 688 is pushed forward, the pushing mechanism 687 can release the self-locking block 688, so that the self-locking block 688 is reset to be changed into the release state, the self-locking block 688 applies a driving force to the lock pin 425 to move the lock pin 425 upward, the lock pin 425 overcomes the elastic force (i.e., the bias driving force) of the spring plate 624 to a release position (i.e., upward movement in fig. 6A and 6B), the lock pin 425 exits the lock hole 419, the lock slider 318 is released, and the cam 208 is further released. At this time, the top 575 of the head end 529 of the latch 425 pushes the spring plate 624 open, so that the spring plate 624 can move upward to separate the movable contact 632 from the stationary contact 638, thereby opening the switching device 620.

When the self-locking block 688 is in the released state and when the electronic driving device 650 receives a next pulse signal, the self-locking block 688 is pushed forward, the pushing mechanism 687 can lock the self-locking block 688 at the pushed position and cannot be reset, so that the self-locking block 688 is converted into the locking state, the driving force applied to the locking pin 425 is cancelled by the self-locking block 688, and the elastic force (i.e. the bias driving force) of the elastic piece 624 enables the locking pin 425 to move towards the locking position (i.e. the downward movement in fig. 6A and 6B). If the lock slide 318 is now in its locked position, the locking pin 425 can be aligned with the locking hole 419 and inserted into the locking hole 419 to lock the lock slide 318 and further lock the cam 208. At this time, the spring plate 624 returns to the initial position where the movable contact 632 contacts with the stationary contact 638, turning on the switching device 620.

Thus, the latch 425 is able to reciprocate between its latched and unlatched positions under the combined action of the electronic drive 650 and the spring 624.

In the configuration shown in fig. 4A and 4B, when the cam 208 has not reached the locking position, the locking slider 318 and the driving slider 317 have not reached the locking position, and if the locking pin 425 moves downward at this time, the tail end 452 of the locking pin 425 will abut against the upper surface of the locking slider 318 between the locking hole 419 and the locking slider head end 422 and cannot be inserted into the locking hole 419 (i.e., the locking pin 425 cannot reach the locking position of the locking pin), so that the switch device 620 shown in fig. 6A and 6B is not turned on. At this time, even if the lock pin 425 moves downward, the lock slider 318 is not locked by the lock pin 425, and the door hook 102 can still be pulled out from the cam 208. In this state, if a biasing driving force is applied to the head end of the lock pin 425, when the door hook 102 is pulled out of the cam 208 and reinserted into the cam 208, the driving slider 317 and the lock slider 318 reach the respective lock positions, the lock pin 425 is automatically inserted into the lock hole 419 and locks the lock slider 318 and the cam 208, so that the operation circuit of the switching device 620 and the control circuit shown in fig. 6A and 6B is immediately turned on.

Fig. 7A-7F show schematic views of the engagement between the locking slide 318 and the locking pin 425 during the closing process of the washing machine door, from the presence of an obstruction to the removal of the obstruction and the normal closing of the washing machine door. Wherein, fig. 7A shows a state where the door hook 102 is pulled out of the door lock 100 when the washing machine door is opened; fig. 7B shows a state where the door hook 102 is inserted into the door lock 100, but there is an obstacle such that the door hook 102 is not inserted in place; fig. 7C shows a state where the door hook 102 is pulled out again; fig. 7D shows a state where the door hook 102 is inserted into the door lock 100 again after the obstacle is removed; FIG. 7E illustrates a reset pulse signal driving the latch 425 back to the release position after the hook 102 is inserted into the door lock 100; fig. 7F shows a state where the restart pulse signal drives the lock pin 425 to move to the lock position after the door hook 102 is inserted into the door lock 100 in place, at which time the washing machine door is closed and the switching device is turned on.

As shown in fig. 7A, when the washing machine door is opened, the cam 208 and the locking slider 318 are in the release position and the spring 315 is compressed. The latch 425 is also in the release position and the latch 425 opens the switching device 620.

At this time, if the door hook 102 is inserted downward into the door lock 100, the cam 208 will rotate toward the locking position, pushing the driving slider 317 toward the locking position, and the locking slider 318 will also move toward the locking position (i.e., move rightward) under the elastic force of the spring 315.

As shown in fig. 7B, if there is an obstacle such as a clothes corner being caught between the door lock 100 and the door hook 102 such that the door hook 102 cannot be inserted into the door lock 100 to the bottom (i.e., the washing machine door cannot be completely closed), the cam 208 cannot reach its locking position, and the locking slider 318 cannot reach its locking position.

When the door of the washing machine is closed, the operator presses the start key to give an operation instruction for starting the washing machine, the control device 940 (see fig. 9) of the washing machine gives a start driving signal (start pulse signal), and the latch 425 moves toward the lock position (i.e., moves upward) under the elastic force (bias driving force) of the elastic piece 624. However, since the lockout slide 318 does not reach its lockout position and the lockout aperture 419 is not aligned with the lockout pin 425, the trailing end 452 of the lockout pin 425 abuts against the surface of the lockout slide 318 and cannot reach the lockout position, while the leading end 529 of the lockout pin 425 still pushes open the spring plate 624, separating the stationary contact 638 from the movable contact 632, disconnecting the switch device 620 from the working circuit of the control circuit, and providing no current in the working circuit. At this time, when the control device 940 (see fig. 9) detects the start pulse signal but does not detect that the work circuit of the control circuit is not turned on (e.g., no current is detected), the control device 940 sets the washing machine to an abnormal state.

When the operator finds that the washing machine cannot be started and the washing machine door is reopened, the door hook 102 is pulled out of the cam 208, the cam 208 can rotate to its release position, and the lock slide 318 can move to its release position (i.e., to the left), re-compressing the spring 315, as shown in fig. 7C. The locking pin 425 remains moved (i.e., moved upward) a distance toward its locked position under the spring force (biasing force) of the spring 624, but does not reach its locked position because the locking pin 425 abuts a surface of the lock slide 318 but is misaligned with respect to the lock aperture 419 in the lock slide 318. At this time, the fixed contact 638 is separated from the movable contact 632, and the operation circuit of the switching device 620 and the control circuit is still kept disconnected; at this time, however, the movement of the lock slide 318 toward its release position is not prevented, and the lock slide 318 can reach its release position.

As shown in fig. 7D and the enlarged view of the portion B of the dotted line frame, when the cam 208 is inserted with the door hook 102 being closed again and the obstacle removed (i.e., the laundry is completely put into the tub), the cam 208 is rotated to its locking position, and the locking slider 318 is also moved to its locking position (i.e., moved to the right) by the elastic force of the spring 315. At this point, the slider step 435 of the lock slide 318 engages the detent step 436 of the lock pin 425, preventing the lock slide 318 from continuing to move toward the locked position (i.e., to the right), and the lock pin 425 and lock slide 318 are prevented from moving toward each other between their respective released and locked positions. The stationary contact 638 is separated from the movable contact 632 and the working circuit of the switching device 620 and the control circuit remains open.

It is emphasized that if the one-

way stoppers

411 and 412 are not provided on the lock slider 318 and the lock pin 425 according to the present application, the lock slider 318 is moved toward the lock position to its lock position by the elastic force of the spring 315 as the door hook is inserted into the cam 208. Thus, the locking hole 419 in the lock slide 318 is aligned with the locking pin 425, and the locking pin 425 can be immediately inserted into the locking hole 419, so that the switching device 620 is switched on. That is, the working circuit of the control circuit is activated before the operator presses the activation button.

It should be noted that, when the washing machine is in the normal door closing process, the lock pin 425 and the locking slider 318 are spaced apart by a certain distance before the door is closed, the lock pin 425 does not contact with the locking slider 318, and after the door is closed, the lock pin 425 is aligned with the lock hole 419 of the locking slider 318 and can be directly inserted into the lock hole 419, so that the one-way preventing portion does not affect the normal door closing process. That is, the one-way check feature will only function when the locking pin 425 has moved upward to contact the lock slide 318, but has not been inserted into the lock aperture 419.

As shown in fig. 7E, after the door hook 102 can be inserted into the door lock 100 in place after the obstruction has been cleared, the cam 208 is rotated to its locked position and the lock slide 318 is prevented between its released and locked positions by the lock pin 425. When the washing machine is in an abnormal state, and an operator presses the start key to give an operation instruction for restarting the washing machine, the control device 940 (see fig. 9) of the washing machine gives a reset driving signal (reset pulse signal). The electronic driving device 650 drives the locking pin 425 to move (i.e., move downward) to the releasing position against the elastic force (bias driving force) of the elastic piece 624 through the self-locking block 688, the fixed contact 638 is separated from the movable contact 632, and the working circuit of the switching device 620 and the control circuit is still kept disconnected.

At this point, the slider step 435 of the lock slide 318 no longer snaps with the lock pin step 436 of the lock pin 425, and the lock slide 318 can move to its locked position such that the lock hole 419 is aligned with the lock pin 425.

As shown in fig. 7F, when the control device 940 (see fig. 9) of the washing machine automatically sends out a restart driving signal (restart pulse signal), the electronic driving device 650 controls the self-locking block 688 to cancel the driving force to the latch 425, the latch 425 is inserted into the latch hole 419 under the elastic force (bias driving force) of the spring plate 624, and the latch 425 can move to its locking position to lock the locking slider 318 and the cam 208, so as to hold the door hook 102 in the cam 208. At this time, the fixed contact 638 contacts the movable contact 632, so that the switching device 620 and the operation circuit of the control circuit are connected, and the washing machine enters a normal state, and normal operation can be started.

Therefore, the unidirectional stopping parts are respectively arranged on the locking slide block and the lock pin, so that the washing machine can be prevented from immediately starting to operate due to the hysteresis effect generated by the operation instruction when the door is closed again after the obstacle is eliminated. Therefore, the door lock and the washing machine can be well controlled.

Fig. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating operations of the control circuit 800 in different states. Fig. 8A shows a control circuit when the latch 425 retracts to the release position after a reset pulse signal is sent by the control device 940 (see fig. 9) when the door lock is in the state shown in fig. 7D; figure 8B shows the control circuit when the latch 425 reaches the latched position after a reset pulse is signaled by the control device 940 (see figure 9) when the door latch is in the condition shown in figure 7E.

As shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the control circuit 800 includes a first current loop (working loop) and a second current loop (control loop), wherein the first current loop is formed between the connection terminal 851 and the common terminal 852 through the switch device 620, and the second current loop is formed between the control terminal 853 and the common terminal 852 through the electronic driving device 650 and the enabling device 856. The first current loop and the second current loop are connected to the common terminal 852 through a common connection point 855.

The connection 851 is connectable in series with the power supply 862 via an electric machine 860 (or other drive member such as a motor) in a first current loop into which the two

contacts

632, 638 of the switching device 620 are connected via connection points 874, 855, respectively. The switching device 620 is used to control the connection or disconnection of the first current loop, and thus the motor 860, to or from the power source 862. The electronic driver 650 and the initiator 856 are connected to a second current loop via a control terminal 853 and a connection point 876, and are further connected to a power supply 862, and the common terminal 852 is connected to the ground of the power supply 862. The enabling device 856 may receive a control signal (or driving signal) transmitted from a control device of the washing machine, and communicate (energize) the electronic driving device 650 according to the received control signal (or driving signal), thereby causing the locking pin 425 to move up or down to control the locking or releasing of the locking slider 318, and thus the locking or releasing of the driving slider 317 and the cam 208. At the same time, the upward or downward movement of the latch 425 can also control the opening or closing of the switching device 620.

When the electronic driving device 650 is connected to the second current circuit, the coil 872 is energized to move the plunger 873 by the electromagnetic force, and the self-locking block 688 can move the locking pin 425 up and down in the longitudinal direction by driving the shoulder 578 of the locking pin 425, thereby locking or releasing the cam 208 and turning on or off the switching device 620.

As shown in fig. 8A, when the door lock is in the state shown in fig. 7D, the door hook 102 is inserted into the door lock 100 in place after clearing the obstacle, but the slider step 435 of the lock slider 318 is engaged with the detent step 436 of the lock pin 425, and the lock pin 425 and the lock slider 318 are blocked from each other between the respective release position and the lock position.

Since the latch 425 has not reached its latched position, the switch device 620 remains open and the work circuit (i.e., the first current circuit) remains open, thereby disconnecting the motor 860 from the power source 862 and placing the washing machine in a power-off abnormal state. When the operator gives an operation instruction to restart the washing machine, the control device 940 (see fig. 9) of the washing machine gives a reset pulse signal.

When the control device 940 (see fig. 9) of the electric appliance (i.e., the washing machine) sends a reset pulse signal (or control signal), the position of the electromagnet-controlled self-locking block 688 is changed once. It should be noted that the control device 940 (see fig. 9) does not need to maintain the pulse signal to maintain the current position of the locking pin, because the switch box 205 has a push mechanism 687 similar to the ball-point pen core structure, which maintains the current position of the self-locking block 688.

At this time, after the trigger 856 receives the reset pulse signal, the trigger 856 is turned on to connect the power source 862 to the coil 872, so that the coil 872 is energized, such that the plunger 873 located in the coil 872 drives the self-locking block 688 once to move the locking pin 425 to the release position, and the locking pin 425 moves upward (i.e., downward movement shown in fig. 7E) to push the elastic piece 624 open, thereby keeping the switch 620 open.

In the embodiment of fig. 8A-8B, the enabling device 856 can be a relay, a thyristor, or a transistor, whose emitter and collector connect the power supply 862 to the coil 872 when the transistor is turned on; when the transistor is non-conductive, its emitter and collector disconnect the power supply 862 from the coil 872. The base of the triode receives a pulse signal (namely a driving signal or a control signal); when the pulse signal (i.e. the driving signal or the control signal) appears, the triode is conducted, and when the pulse signal (i.e. the driving signal or the control signal) disappears, the triode is not conducted.

At this point, the locking pin step 436 of the locking pin 425 no longer prevents the lockout slide 318 from moving to the lockout position, and the lockout slide 318 is able to move to its lockout position and align the locking aperture 419 of the lockout slide 318 with the locking pin 425.

As shown in fig. 8B, when the control device 940 (see fig. 9) of the washing machine continues to send out the restart pulse signal. After the starting device 856 receives the restart pulse signal, the starting device 856 is turned on to connect the power source 862 to the coil 872, so that the coil 872 is activated, and thus the iron core 873 located in the coil 872 drives the self-locking block 688 to move once again, the driving force to the locking pin 425 is cancelled, the elastic force (bias driving force) of the spring plate 624 moves the locking pin 425 to the locking position and inserts into the locking hole 419, the locking pin 425 moves downwards (i.e. moves upwards as shown in fig. 7F) to leave the spring plate 624, so that the switch device 620 is turned on, and the washing machine can start to work.

Fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the control device 940. As shown in fig. 9, the control device 940 includes a bus 943, a processor 944, an input interface 945, an output interface 946, and a memory 947, and a program 948 is stored in the memory 947. Processor 944, input interface 945, output interface 946, and memory 947 are communicatively coupled to bus 943 such that processor 944 can control the operation of input interface 945, output interface 946, and memory 947. In particular, the memory 947 is used to store programs 948, instructions, and data, while the processor 944 reads the programs 948, instructions, and data from the memory 947 and can write data to the memory 948. Processor 944 controls the operation of input interface 945 and output interface 946 by executing programs and instructions read by memory 947.

Specifically, the input interface 945 of the control device 940 may receive signals and data from outside, including parameters such as operating commands and current of the work circuit, through the connection 949, and the output interface 946 of the control device 940 may transmit pulse signals (or driving signals) to the enable device 856 through the connection 942 by executing the programs 948 and commands in the memory 947.

Specifically, the control device 940 can receive an operation instruction for starting through the input interface 945 and detect a current in the operation circuit, thereby detecting whether the washing machine is in a normal operation state or an abnormal operation state. Through the output interface 946, the control device 940 can send a start pulse signal, a reset pulse signal, and a restart pulse signal to the start device 856 as needed.

Although the present application has been described with reference to the particular embodiments shown in the drawings, it should be understood that those skilled in the art will also recognize that there are various ways of changing the structures in the embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the spirit, scope, and context of the teachings of the present application. For example, the principles of the present application are also applicable to embodiments that omit a single locking slide for the drive slide, namely: the locking slide is directly driven by the rotation of the cam between the locking position and the releasing position, so that the locking slide can move between the locking position and the releasing position. The scope of protection of the present application should not be limited by the embodiments of the present application, but should be defined by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A door lock (100) characterized by: the method comprises the following steps:

a locking slider (318), the locking slider (318) having a locking aperture (419) and having a locking position and a releasing position, the locking slider (318) reciprocating in a first direction (x) between its locking position and releasing position, the locking slider (318) having a slider one-way blocking portion (411); and

a locking pin (425), the locking pin (425) having a locking position and a releasing position, the locking pin (425) being reciprocatable in a third direction (z) between its locking position and releasing position, the locking pin (425) being insertable into the locking hole (419) when it reaches its locking position and the locking pin (425) being reachable to its releasing position when it exits the locking hole (419); wherein the lock pin (425) has a tail end (452), the tail end (452) of the lock pin (425) is insertable into the lock hole (419) of the locking slider (318), the tail end (452) of the lock pin (425) is provided with a lock pin one-way blocking portion (412);

wherein the slider unidirectional obstruction (411) and the latch unidirectional obstruction (412) are configured to cooperate such that movement of the locking slider (318) from its release position to its locking position is prevented.

2. The door lock according to claim 1, wherein:

the slider check stop (411) and the latch check stop (412) are configured to: the detent (425) can be caused to block the lock slide (318) between the release position and the lock position of the lock slide (318).

3. The door lock according to claim 1, wherein:

the locking pin one-way blocking portion (412) includes a locking pin step (436);

the slider unidirectional blocking portion (411) includes a slider step portion (435), and the locking pin step portion (436) is complementary to the slider step portion (435).

4. The door lock according to claim 1, wherein:

said locking slide (318) having a head end (422) and a tail end (326);

the slider one-way blocking portion (411) is provided above the lock slider (318) between the head end (422) of the lock slider (318) and the lock hole (419) along the first direction (x).

5. The door lock of claim 4, wherein:

the detent check (412) is disposed on the trailing end (452) of the detent (425) proximate to the head end (422) of the locking slide (318).

6. A door lock (100) according to claim 1, wherein:

the first direction is an x direction, and the third direction is a z direction.

7. A door lock (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises:

a cam (208), the cam (208) having a locking position and a releasing position, the cam (208) being capable of rotational movement in its locking and releasing positions;

a slider mechanism (310), the slider mechanism (310) including a locking slider (318), the slider mechanism (310) having a locking position and a releasing position, the slider mechanism (310) moving between its locking position and releasing position in response to rotation of the cam (208);

wherein when the slider mechanism (310) is in its locked position, the locking slider (318) is also in its locked position; when the slider mechanism (310) is in its release position, the lock slider (318) is also in its release position.

8. A door lock (100) according to claim 7, wherein:

the slider mechanism (310) further comprises: a drive slider (317), the drive slider (317) having a locked position and a released position, the drive slider (317) being drivable by the cam (208) to move in the second direction (y) between its locked and released positions, and the drive slider (317) being drivable to move the lock slider (318) in the first direction (x);

wherein when the slider mechanism (310) is in its locked position, the drive slider (317) is also in its locked position; when the slider mechanism (310) is in its release position, the drive slider (317) is also in its release position.

9. A door lock (100) according to claim 8, wherein:

-the front end of the drive slider (317) has a front end face (492), the cam (208) has a lower end face (494), the front end face (492) of the drive slider (317) being in contact with the lower end face (494) of the cam (208) so that the drive slider (317) can move in a second direction (y) between its locking and releasing positions with the rotation of the cam (208) when the cam (208) is rotated between its locking and releasing positions;

the drive slide (317) has a drive slide ramp (421) on one side, the head end (422) of the locking slide (318) also has a locking slide ramp (423) complementary to the drive slide ramp (421), the locking slide (318) moving in a first direction (x) with the movement of the drive slide (317) between a locking position and a releasing position of the locking slide (318) when the drive slide (317) moves between its locking position and releasing position.

10. A door lock (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the first direction is an x direction, the second direction is a y direction, and the third direction is a z direction.

11. A door lock (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises:

a spring plate (624);

wherein a head end (529) of the locking pin (425) is contactable with the resilient tab (624), the resilient tab (624) applying a force to the locking pin (425) that urges the locking pin (425) in a third direction (z) from its release position to its locking position.

12. A door lock (100) according to claim 11, characterized in that it further comprises:

a stationary contact (638);

wherein the spring piece (624) comprises a movable contact (632), and the movable contact (632) can be contacted with the fixed contact (638) to switch on the working circuit of the door lock.

13. A door lock (100) according to claim 12, characterized in that it further comprises:

an electronic drive (650), said electronic drive (650) being capable of applying a force to said locking pin (425) to drive said locking pin (425) from its locking position to a release position in a third direction (z) in accordance with an electronic control signal.

14. A door lock (100) according to claim 13, the door lock (100) being for an electrical device, characterized in that: the door lock (100) further comprises:

a control device (940), the control device (940) being configured to detect whether the door lock (100) is in a normal door closing state or an abnormal door closing state, and to control the control circuit (800) of the door lock (100) based on the normal door closing state or the abnormal door closing state of the door lock (100).