CN213654516U - Lock and vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the disclosure discloses a lockset and a vehicle. The lockset includes: the driving assembly comprises a lock tongue and a driving mechanism suitable for driving the lock tongue to move, a locking part is suitable for moving between a first position and a second position, the lock tongue is engaged with the locking part at the first position so as to enable the lock to keep a locked state, and the lock tongue is engaged with the locking part at the second position so as to enable the lock to keep an unlocked state; wherein the driving mechanism includes a driving member that applies a force to the latch tongue toward the lock section, and is configured to drive the latch tongue to move toward the lock section to engage with the lock section while the lock section moves to the second position. Through the lockset, the method for operating the lockset and the vehicle of the embodiment of the disclosure, a user is effectively prevented from locking the lockset at will and the parking behavior of the user is normalized.

Description

Lock and vehicle

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of locks, and more particularly, to a lock for a vehicle such as a two-wheel vehicle or a three-wheel vehicle and a vehicle including the same.

Background

With the increase of the travel demand of people, the demand of vehicles is also increasing. Bicycles such as sharing bicycles are one of the important transportation means for people to go out daily as a convenient and fast transportation means. Bicycles are typically fitted with horseshoe-shaped locks. Typically, a lock is disposed on a bicycle frame and is provided with a lock ring groove and a lock ring that slides therein. After the user closes the lock, the lock ring can achieve the effect of locking the bicycle by blocking the spokes of the wheel.

The bicycle brings convenience to people and brings huge pressure to city management. For example, the casual parking of a user of a bicycle not only affects the normal traffic order, but also may cause traffic accidents, thereby causing damage to the property and body of people. Therefore, it is desirable to restrict and manage the parking of the vehicle.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a lock to solve or at least partially alleviate one or more problems of the prior art.

In a first aspect of the disclosure, a lockset is provided. The lockset includes: a drive assembly including a locking bolt and a drive mechanism adapted to drive movement of the locking bolt, a detent adapted to move between a first position in which the locking bolt engages the detent to retain the lock in a locked condition and a second position in which the locking bolt engages the detent to retain the lock in an unlocked condition; wherein the drive mechanism includes a drive member that applies a force to the lock tongue toward the lock section, and is configured to drive the lock tongue to move toward the lock section to engage with the lock section while the lock section moves to the second position.

With the help of the orientation locking part is right the driving piece of spring bolt application of force, move locking part to the second position and keep locking part at the second position immediately simultaneously, prevent effectively that the user from shutting the tool to lock at will, and then standardizing user's parking action.

In some embodiments, the locking bolt includes a detent and the lockout portion includes a first recess and a second recess, the detent engaging the first recess at the first position to retain the lock in the locked condition and engaging the second recess at the second position to retain the lock in the unlocked condition. Through the double-groove structure, the locking state and the unlocking state of the lockset can be simply and reliably locked.

In some embodiments, the drive mechanism comprises a driver independently operable relative to the driver, wherein in the first position the driver drives the deadbolt into engagement with the first recess. Thereby, the interference of the movements of the driver and the driver can be prevented.

In some embodiments, the driver includes a motor and a cam coupled to the motor, the cam configured to drive the deadbolt toward or away from the lockout portion to engage or disengage the lockout portion. From this, can realize the intelligent control of spring bolt motion.

In some embodiments, the lock is configured to: in response to detecting an attempt to switch the lock from the unlocked state to the locked state and an indication that the lock or a device on which the lock is mounted is within a permitted range, actuating the actuator to move the bolt away from the latch portion to disengage the latch portion. Therefore, the unlocking state is allowed to be released only when the lockset or the equipment provided with the lockset is in the range of the allowable area, so that the user can conveniently close the lock. Thereby, the parking behavior of the user is normalized.

In some embodiments, the lock further comprises a sensor configured to at least be adapted to sense a signal indicative of the allowed area range; and the lock is configured to determine whether the lock or a device on which the lock is mounted is within the permitted area based on the signal. Thus, it can be determined accurately and reliably whether the lock or the device on which the lock is mounted is within the allowable area by the sensor. In some embodiments, the sensor is configured at least for sensing a signal strength of a bluetooth spike indicative of the allowed zone range.

In some embodiments, the lock further comprises a locator configured to obtain a current location of the lock or a device in which the lock is installed. In some embodiments, the lock is configured to determine whether the lock or a device on which the lock is mounted is within the allowed zone based on the current location-in some embodiments, the locator is, for example, a GPS or beidou location module.

In some embodiments, the actuating member includes a spring adapted to continuously apply a force to the deadbolt toward the detent.

In some embodiments, the lock further comprises an alert component configured to provide an indication to a user that the lock or a device on which the lock is mounted is not within the permitted area. With the help of the alarm part, a user can conveniently learn the operation state of the lockset.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for operating a lock of the above aspect, comprising:

in response to detecting an attempt to switch the lock from an unlocked state to a locked state, determining whether the lock or the device on which the lock is mounted is within an allowed area; and

in response to an indication that the lock or the device on which the lock is mounted is within the allowable area, actuating the drive assembly of the lock to disengage the bolt of the drive assembly from the lockout portion to release the hold of the unlocked state of the lock.

In some embodiments, actuating the drive assembly of the lock comprises: rotating a cam of a driver of the drive assembly to move the bolt away from the latching portion to disengage the latching portion.

In some embodiments, determining whether the lock or the device on which the lock is mounted is within an allowed area comprises: sensing a signal indicative of the allowed area range; and determining whether the lock or a device on which the lock is mounted is within the allowable area based on the signal.

In some embodiments, sensing the signal indicative of the allowed area range comprises: sensing, by a sensor, a signal strength of the Bluetooth spike indicative of the allowable zone range.

In some embodiments, determining whether the lock or the device on which the lock is mounted is within an allowed area comprises: acquiring the current position of the lock or equipment for installing the lock; and determining whether the lock or the device on which the lock is installed is within the allowable area range based on the current position.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: in response to an indication that the lock or the device on which the lock is installed is not within the allowed area range, providing an indication to a user that the lock or the device on which the lock is installed is not within the allowed area range.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle comprising the lock set of the above aspect mounted on a body of the vehicle for locking the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the vehicle is a shared bicycle.

Further features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. It should be understood that this summary is not intended to identify key or critical features of the embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following more particular descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure as illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numbers generally represent like parts throughout the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 shows an overall schematic view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a latch in a locked state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic view of a lock in an unlocked state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

fig. 4 shows a block diagram of a method for operating a lock according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to several example embodiments. It should be understood that these examples are described only for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to better understand and thereby enable the present disclosure, and are not intended to set forth any limitations on the scope of the technical solutions of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term "include" and its variants are to be read as open-ended terms meaning "including, but not limited to. The term "based on" will be read as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" should be understood as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" should be understood as "at least one other embodiment". The terms "first," "second," and the like may refer to different or the same object. Other explicit and implicit definitions may be included below. The definitions of the terms are consistent throughout the specification unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The latch 100 and its method of operation according to embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to fig. 1-4. It is to be noted that, in the following description, a "bicycle" will be used as an example of a vehicle. The scope of the present disclosure is not so limited and any vehicle capable of employing the latch 100 described herein is within the scope of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a vehicle 1 equipped with a lock 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, a latch 100 is mounted on a body of a vehicle 1, and the latch 100 may be used to lock the vehicle. It is noted that although the vehicle 1 shown in fig. 1 is a bicycle, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the vehicle may be a tricycle, a motorcycle, or other vehicle. Latch 100 is also not limited to being mounted to the rear wheel of a bicycle, but may be mounted to, for example, the front wheel, or any other suitable location.

Fig. 2 and 3 show schematic structural views of the locked and unlocked states of the lock 100 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively. It should be understood that for the sake of clarity only the main features relevant to the inventive concept of the present application are shown in fig. 2 and 3, while other features not relevant to the inventive concept of the present application, which are well known to a person skilled in the art of locks, have been omitted.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, a lock 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a lock body. The driving assembly 10 and the locking part 20 may be provided in the main body. Drive assembly 10 includes a locking bolt 12 and a drive mechanism 14 adapted to drive movement of locking bolt 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the latch 100 is an intelligent latch, and electrical components such as a circuit board, battery, motor, communication module, etc. may be housed within a cavity defined by the latch body. In some embodiments, the cavity may be sealed to prevent ingress of rain or dust.

The locking portion 20 may be in the form of an arcuate locking ring, as shown, and may be disposed in a locking ring slot. The latch portion 20 is adapted to move between a first position in which the bolt 12 engages the latch portion 20 to hold the lock 100 in a latched state and a second position; in the second position, locking bolt 12 engages detent 20 to hold lock 100 in the unlocked state.

In the illustrated embodiment, a handle 40 may be further disposed on the lock ring groove, and a user may move the lock ring by pulling the handle 40 to lock the vehicle. A spring (not shown) is also disposed in the lock ring groove. When the lock 100 is unlocked in the locked position (i.e., the first position shown in fig. 2), the spring within the shackle groove may exert a force on the shackle to urge the shackle to move to open the lock 100. It should be understood that this is merely exemplary and that the unlocking motion of the locking ring may be accomplished in other ways depending on the application of the lock 100.

In the illustrated embodiment, when the locking portion 20 is closed extending across the hollow of the lock 100, as shown in fig. 2, the lock 100 is locked; when the locking portion 20 is retracted into the locking ring groove to expose the hollow portion, the lock 100 is opened as shown in fig. 3. It should be understood that the shape of the lockout portion 20 is merely exemplary, and the lockout portion 20 may take on different shapes depending on the shape and application of the lock 100.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the driving mechanism 14 may include a driving member 142, and the driving member 142 applies force to the latch bolt 12 toward the latching part 20. The driver 142 is configured to drive the bolt 12 to move toward the latching portion 20 to engage with the latching portion 20 while the latching portion 20 moves to the second position. Through the driving member 142, the lock in the unlocking state can be conveniently realized. In the illustrated embodiment, the driving member 142 is a spring configured to continuously apply a force to the locking bolt 12 toward the latching portion 20. In this case, the locking tongue can be driven with a simple structure in cooperation with the spring in the locking ring groove to maintain the unlocked state of the lock. It should be understood that this is merely exemplary. In some embodiments, the drive member may be other actuation means, such as an electromagnet, cylinder, or other actuator.

By the action of the driving member 142 and the locking portion 20, the locking bolt 12 is moved toward the locking portion 20 while the locking portion 20 is moved to the unlocking position. Thus, in this case, the engagement of locking bolt 12 with second groove 24 will prevent movement of the locking ring, and even if the user pushes handle 40, lock 100 cannot be locked. Therefore, the parking behavior of the user is guided by limiting the locking of the user, the user is effectively prevented from locking the lockset at will, and the parking area of the user is standardized.

In the illustrated embodiment, the locking bolt 12 includes a locking pin; the latch portion 20 may include a first recess 22 and a second recess 24. As shown in fig. 2, in the locked position (i.e., the first position) of lock 100, bolt 12 engages first recess 22, thereby maintaining lock 100 in the latched state. In this case, the bicycle will not be able to move. When lock 100 is in the unlocked position (i.e., the position shown in fig. 3), locking bolt 12 now engages second recess 24, thereby locking lock 100 in the unlocked state. The locking and unlocking of the lock 100 is easily achieved by the pin-and-slot locking structure, and the structure is simple and reliable.

In the illustrated embodiment, the drive mechanism 14 further includes a driver. As shown in fig. 2, when lock 100 is in the locked position, the driver actuates lock pin 122 of locking bolt 12 into engagement with first recess 22. In some embodiments, the driver includes a motor 144 and a cam 146 coupled to the motor 144. When it is desired to lock the lock 100, the cam 146 drives the locking pin 122 toward the locking ring such that the locking pin is inserted into the first groove 22, thereby locking the locking ring. When it is desired to open the lock 100, for example when a user obtains authorization for use of the vehicle by scanning a code, the cam 146 drives the locking pin 122 to move away from the locking ring so that the locking pin 122 disengages from the first recess 22, thereby releasing the locking ring. The locking ring may be further moved under the force of a spring to move the locking ring away from the hollow of the lock 100. At this point, latch 100 is open and the user is free to use the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the drive may also include a transmission coupled with the motor 144. Cam rotation control may be achieved via a transmission. It should be understood that the cam is merely an exemplary embodiment and that the driving portion of the cam may have various shapes. In some embodiments, the driver may operate independently of the driver 142. In this case, it is effectively avoided that the movement of the driving member 142 is interfered with when the lock is in the unlocked position shown in fig. 3.

In some embodiments, the latch 100 may include a controller (not shown). The controller is configured to: in response to detecting an attempt to switch the lock (100) from the open state to the closed state and an indication that the lock or the device in which the lock is installed is within a permissible region, the locking bolt 12 is driven to move away from the latching portion 20 to disengage the latching portion 20.

In the illustrated embodiment, when the lock 100 is in the second position as shown in FIG. 3, the user attempts to close the lock, such as by pushing on the handle 40 to move the shackle. The lock 100 cannot be locked because the locking pin 122 is inserted into the second groove 24. At this point, the controller drives the locking pin 122 out of the second groove 24 in response to an indication that the lock 100 or the device in which the lock 100 is installed is within the allowable area, thereby unlocking the locking ring with the locking pin. Upon releasing the lock of the locking pin to the locking ring, the lock 100 may perform a locking action.

In some embodiments, the latch may also include a sensor (not shown). The sensor is configured to at least be adapted to sense a signal indicative of the allowed area range. The lock is configured to determine whether the lock or a device to which the lock is mounted is within the allowable area based on the signal. In some embodiments, the sensor is capable of receiving or sensing a signal of the allowed area range when the lock or vehicle is proximate to the allowed area range. In some embodiments, the sensor is configured at least for sensing signal strength of a bluetooth spike indicative of an allowable zone range. Thus, by the intensity, it is possible to easily and easily determine whether the vehicle is located within the allowable area.

In some embodiments, the lock further comprises a locator configured to obtain a current location of the lock or a device in which the lock is installed. The locator may obtain the current location of the lock or the device in which the lock is installed. The lock may determine whether the lock or the vehicle is within the allowable area based on the current location. In some embodiments, the locator is, for example, a GPS or beidou location module, or other known or future developed location system.

In some embodiments, the lock 100 may be manually locked. For example, after locking of the locking ring by the locking pin, the user may move the locking ring by pushing the handle 40, and the locking ring may be pushed to the first position shown in FIG. 2 as the locking pin 122 disengages from the second groove 24. In this position, the drive mechanism may drive the detent 122 into the first recess 22 to effect locking. Since the locking operation of the lock 100 is well known to those skilled in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In some embodiments, latch 100 also includes an alarm component (not shown). When a user attempts to turn off the lock, the alert feature may be configured to provide an indication to the user that the lock 100 or vehicle is not within the allowable area. The user may be aware of the reason for the inability to close the lock based on the indication, thereby alerting the user to park the vehicle in a designated area or an area where parking is allowed.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method 400 for operating a lock is also provided. Fig. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a method 400 for operating a lock according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

At 402, in response to detecting an attempt to switch the latch 100 from the unlocked state to the locked state, it is determined whether the latch or vehicle is within an allowable area. There are a number of implementations in determining whether the latch 100 or the vehicle 1 in which the latch 100 is installed is within the allowable area.

In some embodiments, the lockset can also include a sensor. The sensor is adapted to sense a signal indicative of the extent of the allowed area. It is determined whether the lock or the device in which the lock is installed is within the allowable area based on the signal sensed by the sensor. In some embodiments, the sensor is configured at least for sensing signal strength of a bluetooth spike indicative of an allowable zone range. Thus, by the sensed intensity, it is possible to easily and easily determine whether the vehicle is located within the allowable area.

In some embodiments, the latch 100 may include a processor having prestored therein allowable area range information that may allow the vehicle to be parked. The processor may determine whether the latch 100 or the vehicle 1 in which the latch 100 is installed is within the allowable area by comparing the current location information with the allowable area range. In other embodiments, the latch 100 may enable a determination by the server whether the vehicle 1 is within the allowable area. For example, the lock may obtain an indication of whether the lock 100 or the vehicle 1 in which the lock 100 is installed is within the allowable area, and determine whether the lock 100 or the vehicle 1 in which the lock 100 is installed is within the allowable area based on the indication. For example, the lock 100 may include a communication module to send current location information of the lock to a server, and the server determines whether the lock 100 is within the allowable area based on the current location information of the lock, and sends the determination result back to the lock.

At 404, if the lock 100 or the vehicle 1 on which the lock 100 is mounted is within the allowable area, the driving assembly 10 of the lock 100 is actuated to disengage the bolt 12 of the driving assembly 10 from the locking part 20, thereby releasing the lock 100 from being maintained in the unlocked state. Thus, the user may perform a lock lockout.

In some embodiments, actuating the drive assembly 10 of the lock 100 includes: the cam of the actuator of the actuation assembly 10 is rotated to move the locking bolt 12 away from the latching portion 20 to disengage the latching portion 20. It should be understood that this is only one exemplary embodiment. In other embodiments, the latch bolt 12 may be driven by an electromagnetic component to unlock the latching portion 20.

In some embodiments, if the latch 100 or the vehicle 1 on which the latch 100 is mounted is not within the allowed area, an indication is provided to the user that the latch 100 or the vehicle 1 on which the latch 100 is mounted is not within the allowed area. In this case, the user can learn the reason why the vehicle cannot be locked, thereby normalizing his own parking behavior. In some embodiments, if the latch 100 or the vehicle 1 on which the latch 100 is mounted is within the allowed area range, an indication may also be provided to the user that the latch 100 or the vehicle 1 on which the latch 100 is mounted is within the allowed area range. In this case, the user may be further reminded to perform the lock-off to prevent the user from forgetting to lock-off.

The functions described herein above may be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, without limitation, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include: a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an Application Specific Standard Product (ASSP), a system on a chip (SOC), a load programmable logic device (CPLD), and the like.

Program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Under certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination.

In the foregoing, embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or technical improvements over the prior art in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims (12)

1. A lock, comprising:

a drive assembly (10) including a bolt (12) and a drive mechanism (14) adapted to drive movement of the bolt (12),

a latch portion (20) adapted to move between a first position in which the bolt (12) engages the latch portion (20) to hold the lock (100) in a latched state and a second position in which the bolt (12) engages the latch portion (20) to hold the lock (100) in an unlatched state;

wherein the drive mechanism comprises a drive member (142) for applying a force to the bolt (12) towards the detent portion (20), configured to drive the bolt (12) to move towards the detent portion (20) to engage with the detent portion (20) whilst the detent portion (20) moves to the second position.

2. The lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the bolt (12) comprises a detent (122) and the blocking portion (20) comprises a first recess (22) and a second recess (24), the detent (122) engaging with the first recess (22) in the first position to maintain the lock (100) in the blocked state and engaging with the second recess (24) in the second position to maintain the lock (100) in the unblocked state.

3. The lock according to claim 2, characterized in that the drive mechanism (14) comprises a driver which is independently operable with respect to the drive member (142), wherein in the first position the driver drives the bolt (12) into engagement with the first recess (22).

4. The lock according to claim 3, characterized in that said actuator comprises an electric motor (144) and a cam (146) coupled to said electric motor (144), said cam (146) being configured to actuate said bolt (12) towards or away from said blocking portion (20) to engage or disengage said blocking portion (20).

5. The lock according to claim 4, characterized in that it is configured to: in response to detecting an attempt to switch the lock (100) from the unlocked state to the locked state and an indication that the lock or the device in which the lock is installed is within a permissible region, actuating the actuator to move the bolt (12) away from the latch portion (20) to disengage the latch portion (20).

6. The lock according to claim 5, further comprising a sensor configured at least adapted to sense a signal indicative of the allowed area range, and the lock (100) is configured to determine whether the lock or a device mounting the lock is in the allowed area range based on the signal.

7. The lock according to claim 6, wherein said sensor is configured at least for sensing a signal strength of a Bluetooth spike indicative of said permissible region range.

8. The lock according to any one of claims 5-7, further comprising a locator configured to obtain a current position of the lock or a device mounting the lock, and the lock (100) is configured to determine whether the lock or the device mounting the lock is in the allowed area range based on the current position.

9. The lock according to any of claims 1-2 and 4-7, characterized in that said actuating member (142) comprises a spring adapted to continuously exert a force on said bolt (12) towards said blocking portion (20).

10. The lock of any one of claims 1-2 and 4-7, further comprising an alert component configured to provide an indication to a user that the lock or a device on which the lock is mounted is not within a permitted area.

11. A vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a lock according to any one of claims 1-10, said lock (100) being mounted on the body of said vehicle (1) for locking said vehicle (1).

12. Vehicle according to claim 11, characterized in that the vehicle (1) is a shared bicycle.

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