CN216130705U

CN216130705U - Electric lock

Info

Publication number: CN216130705U
Application number: CN202121881831.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 梁忠; 古雪丰
Original assignee: Consumer 2.0 Inc
Current assignee: Consumer 2.0 Inc
Priority date: 2021-08-12
Filing date: 2021-08-12
Publication date: 2022-03-25
Anticipated expiration: 2031-08-12

Abstract

One example embodiment provides an electric lock, including: (a) a knob; (b) a lock body; (c) the rotating shaft comprises a rotating shaft front end and an opposite rotating shaft rear end, wherein the rotating shaft rear end is fixedly connected with the lock body to control the lock body to be opened and closed; (d) the gear assembly comprises a gear and a movable piece which have the same axis; and (e) a motor assembly for driving the gear to rotate. The knob is connected with the rotating shaft through the movable piece; the movable piece interacts with the gear through a mechanical barrier, so that the gear is electrically driven by the motor component to enable the movable piece to rotate; and when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the moveable member can pass over the mechanical barrier to allow the moveable member to freely rotate relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch. In some example embodiments, a design of an electric lock structure is provided that significantly improves the safety of the electric lock.

Description

Electric lock

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of locks, and more particularly, to an electric lock.

Background

The existing unlocking mode of the electric door lock mostly adopts a motor gear box component to directly drive a rotating shaft gear to carry out the locking and unlocking operation, and the structure of the electric door lock has defects. When the user uses knob manually operation lock switch, need to twist vigorously and move the knob and drive whole motor gear and rotate together, lead to the user can't easily lock or unblank fast, child or old man etc. the personnel that the strength is weak a bit can't unblank smoothly if meet the stall or the midway outage condition and flee, its security and practicality greatly reduced.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above, it is, in certain exemplary embodiments, one of the objectives to provide an improved electric lock to solve the problems of safety and practicality of the existing electric door lock.

Accordingly, in one aspect, there is provided an electric lock comprising: (a) a knob; (b) a lock body; (c) the rotating shaft comprises a rotating shaft front end and an opposite rotating shaft rear end, wherein the rotating shaft rear end is fixedly connected with the lock body to control the lock body to be opened and closed; (d) the gear assembly comprises a gear and a movable piece which have the same axis; and (e) a motor assembly for driving the gear to rotate. The knob is connected with the rotating shaft through the movable piece; the movable piece interacts with the gear through a mechanical barrier, so that the gear is electrically driven by the motor component to enable the movable piece to rotate; and when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the moveable member can pass over the mechanical barrier to allow the moveable member to freely rotate relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch.

In another exemplary embodiment, there is provided an electric lock including: (a) a knob; (b) a lock body; (c) the rotating shaft comprises a rotating shaft front end and an opposite rotating shaft rear end, wherein the rotating shaft rear end is fixedly connected with the lock body to control the lock body to be opened and closed; (d) a gear assembly including a gear and an inner core having a common axis; and (e) a motor assembly for driving the gear to rotate. The gear includes an inner wall defining a gear interior space for receiving the inner core, wherein the inner wall includes at least one protrusion extending toward the hub; the inner core is at least partially mounted within the gear interior space, wherein the inner core includes an inner core opening disposed in the hub and at least one ball spring mechanism disposed in the inner core, the at least one ball spring mechanism including a ball extending away from the hub and adjacent to the inner wall; the electric lock also comprises a connecting piece, wherein the connecting piece comprises a connecting piece front end, an opposite connecting piece rear end and a connecting piece periphery with the size and the shape matched with the inner core opening, the connecting piece front end is connected with the knob, and the connecting piece rear end penetrates through the inner core opening to be connected with the front end of the rotating shaft; wherein when the motor assembly drives the gear to rotate, the at least one protrusion interacts with the at least one ball spring mechanism to drive the inner core and the rotating shaft to rotate together, thereby electrically controlling the lock body switch; and the at least one ball spring mechanism may be compressed such that when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the ball rides over the at least one protrusion to free the inner core from rotating relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch.

In another exemplary embodiment, there is provided an electric lock including: (a) a knob; (b) a lock body; (c) the rotating shaft comprises a rotating shaft front end and an opposite rotating shaft rear end, wherein the rotating shaft rear end is fixedly connected with the lock body to control the lock body to be opened and closed; (d) a gear assembly including a gear and an inner core having a common axis; and (e) a motor assembly for driving rotation of the gear; wherein the gear comprises an inner wall defining a gear interior space for receiving the inner core, wherein the inner wall comprises two protrusions extending towards the hub; the inner core is mounted at least partially within the gear interior space, wherein the inner core includes (i) an inner core opening disposed at the hub; (ii) a first frame, the first frame comprising: the first ball head is arranged on the first frame, extends away from the axle center and is abutted against the inner wall; and a first arm and a second arm; (iii) a second frame arranged symmetrically to the first frame on the inner core, the second frame comprising: the second ball head is arranged on the second frame, extends away from the axle center and is abutted against the inner wall; and a third arm and a fourth arm; (iv) a first spring elastically connecting the first arm of the first frame and the third arm of the second frame; and (v) a second spring elastically connecting the second arm of the first frame and the fourth arm of the second frame; the electric lock also comprises a connecting piece, wherein the connecting piece comprises a connecting piece front end, an opposite connecting piece rear end and a connecting piece periphery with the size and the shape matched with the inner core opening, the connecting piece front end is connected with the knob, and the connecting piece rear end penetrates through the inner core opening to be connected with the front end of the rotating shaft; when the motor assembly drives the gear to rotate, the two bulges respectively interact with the first frame and the second frame to drive the inner core and the rotating shaft to rotate together, so that the lock body switch is electrically controlled; and the first and second springs may be compressed such that when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the first and second frames approach each other such that the first and second bulbs each pass over one of the two protrusions to free the inner core from rotation relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch.

Other example embodiments are discussed herein.

The present disclosure has a number of advantages in various embodiments. In some embodiments, the inner core (also called as the moving part) is mutually supported with the gear for the lock body switch of electric lockset can pass through electric control, also can pass through manual control, thereby makes the user can easily operate electric lockset's switch, obtains better user experience. In some embodiments, a lock with a free rotation mechanism is provided, and the free effect is realized after the electric drive switch is locked. In some embodiments, the ball-spring mechanism of the inner core can be compressed, so that when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the ball of the ball-spring mechanism passes over the protrusion of the gear to allow the inner core to rotate freely relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually perform an unlocking operation without having to twist the knob with great force. The design of this electric lock structure can avoid the user to be stranded because of unable manual unblanking under the circumstances of locking the stifled commentaries on classics of cutting off the power supply suddenly midway at the electric switch lock, is showing the security that has improved electric lock. In some embodiments, the circuit board can control the orientation of the gear and shaft, thereby enabling a swiveling action after the lock body switch is electrically controlled to allow the inner core a range of rotational angles relative to the gear without having to pass over the protrusion of the gear to facilitate manual control of the lock body switch by a user.

Drawings

FIG. 1A is an exploded view of an electric lockset according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 1B is an assembled rear view of the power latch according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 1A, with the lock body in an unlocked state;

FIG. 1C is an assembled rear view of the electric lockset according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 1A, wherein the lock body is in a locked state;

FIG. 2A is an exploded view of an electric lockset according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2B is an assembled rear view of the power latch according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is an exploded view of a gear assembly according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 3B is an exploded view from another angle of the gear assembly according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3C is a schematic structural view of a gear assembly and motor assembly main gear according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D shows an enlarged view of region P' of FIG. 3C;

FIG. 4A is a schematic elevational view of a gear assembly according to another example embodiment;

FIG. 4B is a schematic back view of the inner core of the gear assembly shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C is an exploded view of the inner core shown in FIG. 4B;

FIG. 4D is a schematic structural view of a gear assembly and motor assembly main gear according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5A is a schematic front view of a gear according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 5B is a schematic back view of a gear according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a front end of a spindle according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of a circuit board according to an example embodiment;

FIG. 8A is a schematic view of a free-wheeling mechanism in an unlocked state according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8B is a schematic illustration of the free wheeling mechanism according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 8A prior to a swing action in the locked state (the spindle is rotated 90 counterclockwise to lock);

FIG. 8C is a schematic view of the free wheeling mechanism according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 8A after a swing action in the locked state (the spindle is rotated 90 counterclockwise to lock);

FIG. 8D is a schematic illustration of the free wheeling mechanism according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 8A prior to a swing action in the locked state (the spindle is rotated 90 clockwise to lock);

FIG. 8E is a schematic view of the free wheeling mechanism according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 8A after a swing action in the locked state (the spindle is rotated 90 clockwise to lock);

FIG. 9A is a schematic illustration of a gear assembly of the freewheeling mechanism and a main gear of the motor assembly at a mid-stop during motoring control in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

fig. 9B is a schematic view of the ball of the plunger after passing over the protrusion when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob in a state where the gear assembly of the free-wheeling mechanism and the motor assembly main gear are stopped halfway during the motor control according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in fig. 9A.

FIG. 10A is a schematic illustration of a gear assembly of the freewheeling mechanism and a main gear of the motor assembly stopped during motoring control in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

fig. 10B is a schematic view of the ball of the plunger after passing over the protrusion when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob in a state where the gear assembly of the free-wheeling mechanism and the motor assembly main gear are stopped halfway during the motor control according to the same exemplary embodiment as shown in fig. 10A.

Detailed Description

As used herein and in the claims, "comprising" means including, but not excluding, the following elements.

As used herein and in the claims, "connected" refers to the physical joining of one element to another element, either directly or indirectly.

As used herein and in the claims, "interact" refers to a physical interaction of one component with another component such that when one component is pressed against the other component, the component will move the other component together. In some embodiments, the protrusion interacts with the ball spring mechanism such that when the protrusion abuts the ball spring mechanism, the protrusion will drive the ball spring mechanism to move together in the same direction, thereby driving the inner core and the rotating shaft to rotate together.

As used herein and in the claims, the terms "substantially," "approximately," "about," mean that the recited feature, angle, shape, state, structure, or value need not be achieved exactly, but may not preclude deviations or variations in the amount of effect that the feature is intended to provide, including for example, tolerances, measurement error, measurement accuracy limitations, and other factors known to those of skill in the art. For example, an object that is "substantially" perpendicular to an axis, line, or surface would mean that the object is either completely perpendicular to the axis, line, or surface or nearly completely perpendicular to the axis, line, or surface, e.g., with a 5% deviation.

As used herein and in the claims, "electric lockset" refers to a latch device that can rely on a motor to control a switch. In some embodiments, the switch of the electric lock can be controlled electrically by the motor or manually by the user. In some embodiments, a powered lock may be installed on a door as a door lock to lock and unlock the door.

As used herein and in the claims, "mechanical barrier" refers to any physical structure capable of restricting or impeding the passage of a component therethrough, such as a stop, protrusion, ridge, bump, spur, or any other form of obstruction.

As used herein and in the claims, "ball spring mechanism" refers to a resilient member having a ball at one end. In one embodiment, the ball spring mechanism is comprised of a spring and a bead. In some other embodiments, the ball spring mechanism may be made up of a plurality of different components, or an integral component. For example, the ball spring mechanism may include any resilient element other than a spring, including but not limited to a stretch band, a rubber band, a stretch glue. For example, the ball spring mechanism may include any element having a ball head other than a bead, including but not limited to a bullet, a round-headed cylinder, or a round-headed screw.

As used herein and in the claims, "ball head" refers to a component in a ball head spring mechanism or frame that includes an end face having a curvature at the end face. In some embodiments, the "bulb" may be a bead. In some other embodiments, the "ball head" may be a projection that has a curvature only at the end face, while other portions may be other shapes.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that structures such as projections, grooves, projections, openings, housings, etc. may have a variety of shapes and sizes.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. may be used herein to describe various limitations, elements, components, regions, sections and/or sections, these limitations, elements, components, regions, sections and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one limitation, element, component, region, section or section from another limitation, element, component, region, section or section. Thus, a first limitation, element, component, region, section or section discussed below could be termed a second limitation, element, component, region, section or section without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

It will be further understood that terms such as "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "left," "right," "side," "length," "width," "inner," "outer," "lateral," "vertical," "horizontal," and the like as may be used herein are used merely for convenience of description to describe reference points and thus will not limit example embodiments to any particular orientation or configuration.

One embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electric lock, including: (a) a knob; (b) a lock body; (c) a spindle comprising a spindle front end and an opposite spindle rear end, wherein the spindle rear end is fixedly connected to the lock body to control the lock body to open and close; (d) the gear assembly comprises a gear and a movable piece which have the same axis; and (e) a motor assembly for driving the gear to rotate. The knob is connected with the rotating shaft through the movable piece; the movable piece interacts with the gear through a mechanical barrier, so that the gear is electrically driven by the motor component to enable the movable piece to rotate; and when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the moveable member can pass over the mechanical barrier to allow the moveable member to freely rotate relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch.

In one embodiment, the gear comprises an inner wall defining a gear interior space for receiving the moveable member, wherein the mechanical barrier comprises at least one protrusion extending from the inner wall toward the hub; the movable member comprises at least one ball spring mechanism, and the at least one ball spring mechanism comprises a ball which extends away from the axis and is adjacent to the inner wall; and the at least one ball spring mechanism may be compressed such that the ball rides over the at least one protrusion when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob.

In one embodiment, the moveable member includes at least one recess disposed in the moveable member configured to receive one of the at least one ball spring mechanism.

In one embodiment, the at least one protrusion is two protrusions symmetrically arranged on two opposite sides of the inner wall and extending towards the axis; and the at least one ball spring mechanism is two ball spring mechanisms.

In one embodiment, the gear comprises an inner wall defining a gear interior space for receiving the moveable member, wherein the mechanical barrier comprises at least one protrusion extending from the inner wall toward the hub; the movable member is at least partially mounted within the gear interior space, wherein the movable member includes at least two frames disposed therein, each of the at least two frames including a ball head disposed thereon; wherein the ball extends away from the hub and each of the at least two frames is resiliently connected with an adjacent frame such that the ball abuts the inner wall and upon application of sufficient rotational force to the knob, the at least two frames approach each other such that the ball passes over the at least one protrusion.

In one embodiment, the ball head and the hub define a radial axis therebetween; and the electric lock further comprises at least one limiting piece which is configured to hold the frame and limit the ball head to move along the radial shaft.

In one embodiment, each of the at least two frames includes at least one guide rail configured to be juxtaposed with the defining piece and to define movement of the frame along the guide rail.

In one embodiment, the at least two frames comprise: (i) a first frame, the first frame comprising: the first ball head is arranged on the first frame, extends away from the axle center and is abutted against the inner wall; and a first arm and a second arm; (ii) a second frame arranged symmetrically to the first frame on the inner core, the second frame comprising: the second ball head is arranged on the second frame, extends away from the axle center and is abutted against the inner wall; and a third arm and a fourth arm; the moving member further includes: a first spring elastically connecting the first arm of the first frame and the third arm of the second frame; and a second spring elastically connecting the second arm of the first frame and the fourth arm of the second frame.

In one embodiment, the movable member includes a movable member opening disposed at the hub, wherein the gear includes a gear opening disposed at the hub, wherein the gear opening is larger in size than the movable member opening such that when the knob is manually rotated, the knob drives the movable member and the rotating shaft to rotate independently of the gear.

In one embodiment, the motor assembly includes a main gear engaged with the gear to drive the gear to rotate.

In one embodiment, the ball head is a bead, bullet, round-head cylinder, or round-head screw.

In one embodiment, the spindle front end and spindle rear end define a longitudinal axis therebetween, and the spindle front end includes a projection extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and away from the spindle, the projection including a magnet disposed thereon; and the electric lock further comprises a circuit board electrically connected with the motor assembly, the circuit board is arranged basically perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and comprises a circuit board opening to allow the rear end of the rotating shaft to pass through the circuit board opening to be fixedly connected with the lock body, and the circuit board further comprises a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor for detecting the position of the magnet, so that the circuit board can determine and control the orientation of the rotating shaft through the detected position of the magnet, and the lock body switch is electrically controlled.

In one embodiment, the gear further comprises a gear front face facing the knob and an opposite gear back face, and a first baffle and a second baffle symmetrically arranged on the gear back face; and the circuit board further comprises a fourth sensor for detecting the first and second shutters, so that the circuit board can determine and control the orientation of the gear by the detected positions of the first and second shutters, thereby electrically controlling the rotation of the gear.

In one embodiment, the first sensor and the second sensor are symmetrically disposed on the circuit board centered about a circuit board opening, wherein a line connecting the first sensor and the second sensor defines a first circuit board centerline; and the third sensor and the fourth sensor are symmetrically arranged on the circuit board with the circuit board opening as the center and are aligned along a second circuit board center line perpendicular to the first circuit board center line.

In one embodiment, the electric lock further comprises a front cover plate and a rear cover plate, the front cover plate and the rear cover plate are connected to form a housing and define a housing inner space therein, wherein the gear assembly, the motor assembly, the circuit board and at least part of the rotating shaft are arranged in the housing inner space, and the knob and the lock body are arranged outside the housing inner space.

In one embodiment, the knob is mounted on the front cover plate and fixed using a snap spring, and the circuit board is mounted on the rear cover plate and faces the inner space of the housing.

In one embodiment, said movable member is free to rotate 360 ° relative to said gear

In one embodiment, the inner core includes at least one recess disposed therein configured to receive one of the at least one ball spring mechanism.

In one embodiment, the gear includes a gear opening disposed in the hub, wherein the gear opening is larger in size than the core opening such that when the knob is manually rotated, the knob causes the core and the shaft to rotate independently of the gear.

In one embodiment, each ball of the ball spring mechanism is a bead, a bullet, a round-head cylinder, or a round-head screw.

In one embodiment, the inner core is free to rotate 360 ° relative to the gear.

In one exemplary embodiment, there is provided an electric lock including: (a) a knob; (b) a lock body; (c) the rotating shaft comprises a rotating shaft front end and an opposite rotating shaft rear end, wherein the rotating shaft rear end is fixedly connected with the lock body to control the lock body to be opened and closed; (d) a gear assembly including a gear and an inner core having a common axis; and (e) a motor assembly for driving rotation of the gear; wherein the gear comprises an inner wall defining a gear interior space for receiving the inner core, wherein the inner wall comprises two protrusions extending towards the hub; the inner core is mounted at least partially within the gear interior space, wherein the inner core includes (i) an inner core opening disposed at the hub; (ii) a first frame, the first frame comprising: the first ball head is arranged on the first frame, extends away from the axle center and is abutted against the inner wall; and a first arm and a second arm; (iii) a second frame arranged symmetrically to the first frame on the inner core, the second frame comprising: the second ball head is arranged on the second frame, extends away from the axle center and is abutted against the inner wall; and a third arm and a fourth arm; (iv) a first spring elastically connecting the first arm of the first frame and the third arm of the second frame; and (v) a second spring elastically connecting the second arm of the first frame and the fourth arm of the second frame; the electric lock also comprises a connecting piece, wherein the connecting piece comprises a connecting piece front end, an opposite connecting piece rear end and a connecting piece periphery with the size and the shape matched with the inner core opening, the connecting piece front end is connected with the knob, and the connecting piece rear end penetrates through the inner core opening to be connected with the front end of the rotating shaft; when the motor assembly drives the gear to rotate, the two bulges respectively interact with the first frame and the second frame to drive the inner core and the rotating shaft to rotate together, so that the lock body switch is electrically controlled; and the first and second springs may be compressed such that when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the first and second frames approach each other such that the first and second bulbs each pass over one of the two protrusions to free the inner core from rotation relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch.

In one embodiment, the first ball head and the hub define a first radial axis therebetween, and the second ball head and the hub define a second radial axis therebetween; and the electric lock further includes: a first and second limiting member configured to hold the first frame and limit movement of the first ball head along the first radial axis; and third and fourth limiters configured to retain the second frame and to limit movement of the second ball head along the second radial axis.

In one embodiment, the first arm of the first frame comprises a first rail; the second arm of the first frame comprises a second rail; the third arm of the second frame comprises a third rail; the fourth arm of the fourth frame comprises a fourth rail; wherein the first and second delimiters are juxtaposed with the first and second guide rails, respectively, and limit movement of the first frame along the first and second guide rails, respectively; and the third and fourth delimiters are juxtaposed with the third and fourth guide rails, respectively, and limit movement of the second frame along the third and fourth guide rails, respectively.

Various aspects of the utility model are further described below in conjunction with the following figures. In the following description, like reference numerals are used to describe like parts in the various drawings.

Electric lock

Example 1

Fig. 1A-1C illustrate an electric latch 1000 according to an example embodiment. The power latch 1000 basically includes a knob 1100, a lock body 1200, a spindle 1300, a gear assembly 1400, a motor assembly 1500, and optionally a front cover 1610 and a rear cover 1620 (shown only in fig. 1A), and a circuit board 1700. For convenience of description, a direction toward the knob 1100 is referred to as front, and a direction toward the lock body 1200 is referred to as rear. In this embodiment, the front cover plate 1610 and the rear cover plate 1620 are coupled to form a housing and define a housing inner space therein. The gear assembly 1400, the motor assembly 1500, the circuit board 1700, and at least a portion of the shaft 1300 are disposed within the interior space of the housing, while the knob 1100 and the lock body 1200 are disposed in front of the front cover 1610, behind the back cover 1620, and outside the interior space of the housing, respectively.

Referring now to fig. 1A, the knob 1100 has a knob front surface 1101 remote from the front cover plate 1610 and an opposing knob rear surface (not shown), both having a substantially circular periphery. The knob front surface 1101 is provided with a grip 1102 that can be toggled. The knob has a connection post (not shown) on a rear surface thereof to connect the rotation shaft 1300. In this embodiment, the handle 1102 is a in-line handle that protrudes out of the knob front face 1101.

The bezel 1610 includes a bezel front surface 1617 and an opposing bezel rear surface 1618 (shown in fig. 1B and 1C). The front cover plate front surface 1617 is provided with a knob mounting groove 1616 for receiving the knob and a knob mounting hole 1614 through which the coupling post of the knob 1100 is inserted. The knob 1100 is mounted on the knob mounting groove 1616 of the front cover 1610 and fixed in position using a snap spring 1612.

The gear assembly 1400 includes a gear 1410 and a plunger 1420 (which is also referred to as a moving member in some embodiments). In this embodiment, the gear 1410 and the core 1420 are arranged to have the same axis. Gear 1410 includes a gear interior 1411 for receiving inner core 1420 and a gear opening 1413 disposed in the shaft. In this embodiment, the gear 1410 has a gear front face facing the front cover plate 1610 and an opposite gear rear face, and the gear inner space 1411 is provided on the gear front face of the gear 1410. The inner core 1420 fits at least partially within the gear interior 1411 to engage the gear 1410, forming the gear assembly 1400 as a whole. The inner core 1420 includes a core opening 1421 disposed in the axial center and two symmetrical

ball spring mechanisms

1430A and 1430B disposed on the inner core 1420. The gear assembly 1400 construction will be described in detail in later examples.

Referring now to FIG. 1B, the spindle 1300 includes a spindle front end 1301 and an opposing spindle rear end 1302. The spindle front end 1301 and the spindle rear end 1302 define a longitudinal axis 1303 (shown in phantom) therebetween. In this embodiment, the shaft 1300 is made up of two separate pieces, each having a shaft sleeve 1310 at the front end 1301 of the shaft and a shaft body 1320 at the rear end 1302 of the shaft. The spindle sleeve 1310 may be fixedly coupled with the spindle body 1320. In one embodiment, the shaft sleeve 1310 is provided with a shaft receptacle (not shown) for inserting the shaft 1320 to achieve a fixed connection therebetween. In this embodiment, the axle body 1320 is substantially rectangular and has an axle body front end 1322 into which the axle body receptacle of the spindle sleeve 1310 is inserted and an opposite axle body rear end (i.e., the spindle rear end 1302). The rear end 1302 of the shaft is fixedly connected to the lock body 1200 to control the opening and closing of the lock body 1200.

In some embodiments, the electric lock 1000 may further include a connector for connecting the knob 1100 to the shaft 1300. In this embodiment, the connector is a shaft connector 1316 (shown in FIG. 1A) disposed at the forward end 1301 of the shaft and extending forwardly along the longitudinal axis 1303. The spindle connector 1316 includes a connector front end configured to couple with the knob 1100 and an opposing connector rear end located in the spindle housing 1310 and having a connector outer perimeter sized and shaped to mate with the core opening 1421. In this embodiment, the front end of the connector of the shaft connector 1316 has a slot 1317 for fixedly receiving a connector post (not shown) of the knob 1100. The front end of the connector passes through the gear opening 1413 and the core opening 1421 and is fixedly connected to the knob 1100, such that when the knob 1100 is axially rotated in one direction along the longitudinal axis 1303, the core 1420 and the shaft 1300 are directly rotated in the same direction. In this embodiment, the spindle sleeve 1310 also includes an annular flange 1313 disposed about the spindle sleeve 1310 near the spindle front end 1301, and a protrusion 1312 (shown in fig. 1B and 1C) substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 1303 and extending from the annular flange 1313 away from the spindle 1300. The provision of the annular flange 1313 prevents longitudinal movement of the gear assembly 1400 along the longitudinal axis 1303 in the assembled power latch 1000.

The motor assembly 1500 is disposed within the housing interior space adjacent the gear assembly 1400 (shown in fig. 1A). The motor assembly 1500 includes a main gear 1510 and a motor (schematically represented as block 1520). The main gear 1510 may be directly or indirectly actuated by a motor 1520, and the main gear 1510 meshes with gears 1410 of the gear assembly 1400 to drive the gears 1410 to rotate. For example, the motor 1520 may drive the main gear 1510 to rotate in a first direction, thereby rotating the gear 1410 in an opposite second direction.

As previously described, the front cover 1610 and the rear cover 1620 are connected to form a housing of the electric lock 1000. Back cover 1620 (shown only in fig. 1A and not in fig. 1B and 1C) has a back cover front surface 1621 and an opposing back cover back surface (not shown). In this embodiment, the back cover 1620 is provided with a back cover opening 1622 to allow the rear end 1302 of the shaft to pass therethrough for secure attachment to the lock body 1200. Optionally, the back cover 1620 is further provided with a wire via 1623 through which a power supply wire (not shown) passes. In some embodiments, motor assembly 1500 may be mounted on back cover front surface 1621, operable by power supplied through electrical wiring. In some other embodiments, the motor assembly 1500 may be mounted on the front cover plate rear surface 1618.

In some embodiments, the power latch 1000 further includes a circuit board 1700 electrically connected to the motor assembly 1500. Circuit board 1700 may be mounted on back cover plate front surface 1621 having circuit board front surface 1710 and an opposing circuit board back surface (not shown). In this embodiment, the circuit board 1700 is disposed substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 1303 of the shaft 1300 and includes a circuit board opening 1720. The circuit board opening 1720 and the back cover opening 1622 are substantially aligned when assembled to allow the rear shaft end 1302 to pass therethrough for secure attachment to the lock body 1200. The circuit board 1700 may also include a plurality of sensors disposed thereon for detecting the position of the various components. In this embodiment, the circuit board 1700 has a first sensor 1711, a second sensor 1712, a third sensor 1713, and a fourth sensor 1714 disposed on the circuit board front 1710 and around the circuit board opening 1720. The structure of the circuit board 1700 will be described in detail in examples later.

Continuing now with reference to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C. In this embodiment, the lock body 1200 of the electric lock 1000 includes a latch mechanism 1220, a latch bolt frame 1212 connected to the latch mechanism 1220, and a latch bolt 1210 disposed therein. The latching mechanism 1220 controls the latching tongue 1210 to extend out of the lock body 1200 or to retract into the lock body 1200 so that the lock body 1200 can be switched between the unlocked state and the locked state, respectively. The latching mechanism 1220 may include a spindle receptacle 1222 for receiving the spindle rear end 1302. In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 1B and 1C, the rear end of the shaft body 1320 (i.e., the rear end 1302 of the rotation shaft) is inserted into and passes through the rotation shaft insertion hole 1222, so that the rotation shaft 1300 and the lock body 1200 are fixedly connected. Thus, the knob 1100, the rotation shaft 1300 and the lock body 1200 are fixedly connected to each other, so that the knob 1100 is rotated to control the opening and closing of the lock body 1200 by rotating the rotation shaft 1300. As shown in fig. 1B, in the unlocked state, the bolt 1210 is hidden within the lock body 1200. In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 1C, when the shaft 1300 is rotated about 90 ° along the longitudinal axis 1303, it drives the lock body 1200 to switch from the unlocked state to the locked state, and the bolt 1210 extends out of the lock body 1200 in the locked state.

In one embodiment, at least a portion of the lock body 1200 may be mounted or embedded at a side of a door (not shown) to lock and unlock the door. In one embodiment, the housing may be mounted on a door and face into a room (not shown), thereby allowing a user to manually unlock the lock from the room when necessary, avoiding situations where the user is trapped in the room.

Example 2

Fig. 2A and 2B illustrate an electric lockset 1000' according to another example embodiment. In this embodiment, the electric lock 1000 'includes a knob 1100', a lock body (not shown), a rotation shaft 1300 ', a gear assembly 1400', a motor assembly 1500 ', a front cover 1610' and a rear cover (not shown), which are substantially similar in structure and arrangement to those described in example 1. In this embodiment, the electric lockset 1000' may not include a circuit board.

Referring now to fig. 2A, in this embodiment, a gear assembly 1400 ' includes a gear 1410 ' and an inner core 1420 ' having a common axis. The gear 1410 ' includes a gear interior 1411 ' for receiving the core 1420 ' and a gear opening 1413 ' disposed at the shaft center, while the core 1420 ' includes a core opening 1421 ' disposed at the shaft center and two symmetrical ball spring mechanisms 1430A ' and 1430B ' provided to the core 1420 '. Unlike example 1, in this embodiment, the gear inner space 1411 'is provided on the gear back side of the gear 1410' away from the front cover 1610 ', and thus in the assembled electric lock 1000' (fig. 2B), the core 1420 'is arranged in a direction away from the front cover 1610'.

In this embodiment, the knob 1100 ' includes a knob rear surface 1103 ' (fig. 2A) facing the front cover plate 1610 ' with a connection post 1104 ' projecting out of the knob rear surface 1103 '. In some embodiments, the connection post 1104 ' may serve as a connection for connecting the knob 1100 ' to the shaft 1300 ', which is connected to the shaft front 1301 ' of the shaft 1300 ' through the core opening 1421 ', and has a connection periphery sized and shaped to match the core opening 1421 '. For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 2A, the outer peripheries of the core opening 1421 ' and the connecting post 1104 ' can be both square with substantially the same size and shape, so that when the knob 1100 ' is rotated axially in one direction, the core 1420 ' and the shaft 1300 ' are directly rotated in the same direction. In other embodiments, the connection post 1104 'may not be used as a connector having an outer periphery matching the core opening, but merely inserted into a slot (not shown) in the front end 1301' of the shaft to achieve a secure connection between the knob 1100 'and the shaft 1300'.

With continued reference now to fig. 2A and 2B, in this embodiment, the spindle 1300 'includes a spindle sleeve 1310' that includes a spindle sleeve rear end 1318 'distal from the front cover plate 1610'. Optionally, the rear end 1318 'of the shaft sleeve is provided with a shaft insertion hole 1315' for inserting a shaft (not shown) therein to achieve a fixed connection therebetween, and the shaft can be fixedly connected with a lock body (not shown) to control the opening and closing thereof.

Optionally, the electric lock 1000 'may further include a motor fixing plate 1530' for fixedly mounting the motor assembly 1500 'on the front cover 1610' (shown in fig. 2B) or the rear cover.

Gear assembly

Example 3

Referring now to fig. 3A-3D, one example embodiment of a gear assembly 1400 is shown. It should be appreciated that while the same reference numeral "gear assembly 1400" as in example 1 is used to describe an example embodiment of a gear assembly, the gear assembly described in example 3 is not limited to use in the power latch 1000 of example 1, but may be used in any other example of a power latch, including but not limited to the power latch 1000' of example 2 described above. Thus, in some embodiments, the gear assembly 1400 may also be the gear assembly 1400' of example 2.

As described above, gear assembly 1400 includes gear 1410 and inner core 1420 having common hub 1402. Gear 1410 includes an inner wall 1414 and a gear opening 1413 disposed in the hub 1402. The inner wall 1414 defines a gear interior 1411 for housing the inner core 1420. Gear 1410 has a gear front face 1404 (shown in FIG. 3A) and an opposing gear back face 1406 (shown in FIG. 3B), and gear interior 1411 is disposed on gear front face 1404 of gear 1410. In this embodiment, the inner wall 1414 of the gear 1410 is substantially circular. Inner wall 1414 further includes a first protrusion 1412A and a second protrusion 1412B (also referred to as mechanical barriers in some embodiments) symmetrically disposed on opposite sides thereof and extending toward core 1402. In this embodiment, the gear opening 1413 is generally circular to allow a connection (not shown) of a knob or spindle to pass therethrough.

Inner core 1420 may be mounted at least partially within gear interior 1411 to engage gear 1410. The core 1420 has a core front side 1424 (shown in fig. 3A) facing away from the gear 1410 and an opposite core back side 1425 (shown in fig. 3B) facing toward the gear 1410. In this embodiment, the inner core 1420 has a substantially disc-shaped inner core outer periphery that is slightly smaller than the outer periphery of the gear inner space 1411. Inner core 1420 includes a core opening 1421 disposed in hub 1402. Optionally, the core front 1424 is further provided with a core cover 1426, the outer periphery of which is matched (e.g., equal to or slightly larger than) the inner periphery (i.e., the inner wall 1414) of the gear 1410, so that the core 1420 can be stably installed in the gear inner space 1411 to prevent it from falling off. The core cover plate 1426 includes a core cover plate opening 1428 aligned with the core opening 1421. In this embodiment, the core opening 1421 is substantially square and the core deck opening 1428 is substantially circular, slightly smaller than the core opening 1421, such that the spindle nose (not shown) can pass through the core opening 1421 but not through the core deck opening 1428 in the assembled power latch to prevent longitudinal movement of the spindle.

In this embodiment, the size of the gear opening 1413 is larger than the plunger opening 1421 such that when a user manually rotates a knob (not shown), the knob may cause the plunger 1420 and shaft (not shown) to rotate independently of the gear 1410.

As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, inner core 1420 further includes a first recess 1423A and a second recess 1423B (shown in fig. 3B). The first recess 1423A and the second recess 1423B are symmetrically disposed in the inner core 1420 about an inner core opening 1421, and have

open ends

1427A and 1427B and opposite closed ends, respectively, at the outer periphery of the inner core 1420. Open end 1427A and the opposing closed end define a first groove length for first groove 1423A, while open end 1427B and the opposing closed end define a second groove length for second groove 1423B. First recess 1423A and second recess 1423B are configured to receive first ball spring mechanism 1430A and second ball spring mechanism 1430B, respectively. First ball spring mechanism 1430A includes a coil spring 1432A and a bead 1431A which, in combination, are sequentially placed into first recess 1423A from open end 1427A such that bead 1431A forms the ball of first ball spring mechanism 1430A away from core opening 1421. Second ball spring mechanism 1430B includes a spring 1432B and a bead 1431B that, in combination, are sequentially placed into second recess 1423B from open end 1427B such that bead 1431B forms a ball of second ball spring mechanism 1430B (particularly shown in fig. 3C and 3D) away from core opening 1421. In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 3A, the inner core cover plate 1426 further includes

side holes

1422A and 1422B, which correspond in location to the first recess 1423A and the second recess 1423B, respectively, to provide a location for applying force when the user needs to move the inner core 1420 away from the gear 1410.

Referring now to fig. 3C and 3D, a combined gear assembly 1400 is shown in which an inner core 1420 is mounted within the interior space of gear 1410, both having the same axis 1402. To clearly show the internal structure, a portion of the gear 1410 in fig. 3C is removed to expose a first ball spring mechanism 1430A disposed in the first recess 1423A of the inner core 1420. The spring 1432A of the first ball spring mechanism 1430A is disposed in the first recess 1423A and has a distal end 1434A extending away from the hub 1402 and an opposite proximal end 1433A. Bead 1431A is disposed on distal end 1434A and has an end face 14312A distal from hub 1402 that abuts inner wall 1414 of gear 1410. The proximal end 1433A and the end face 14312A of the spring 1432A define a variable length T1 of the first ball spring mechanism 1430A. The length T1 may change in response to the expansion and contraction of spring 1432A. As previously described, inner wall 1414 includes first protrusion 1412A and second protrusion (not shown) symmetrically disposed on opposite sides thereof and extending toward hub 1402. Although the structure of the second ball spring mechanism 1430B, which is symmetrical to the first ball spring mechanism 1430A, is not fully shown in fig. 3C and 3D, it should be understood that the structure, arrangement, and first ball spring mechanism 1430A of the second ball spring mechanism 1430B may be similar in this embodiment.

Fig. 3C also shows a main gear 1510 of the motor assembly 1500 that meshes with a gear 1410 of the gear assembly 1400 to drive the gear 1410 to rotate. FIG. 3C illustrates one embodiment of motor assembly 1500 driving rotation of gear 1410. For convenience of description, the rotation direction of the gear is indicated by an arrow. In this embodiment, the main gear 1510 of the motor assembly 1500 rotates in a clockwise direction when viewed from the front of the gear, such that the gear 1410 rotates in an opposite counterclockwise direction about the axis 1402.

As shown in fig. 3C and 3D, in this embodiment, spring 1432A has a spring force that presses against the bead such that end face 14312A of bead 1431A remains in abutment with inner wall 1414 of gear 1410. At this time, the length T1 of the first ball spring mechanism 1430A is slightly longer than the first groove length of the first groove 1423A. When the motor assembly 1500 drives the main gear 1510 in a clockwise direction such that the gear 1410 rotates counterclockwise, the first protrusion 1412A abuts the bead 1431A, and the spring 1432A has a force sufficient to bear the mutual pushing force of the first protrusion 1412A and the bead 1431A, such that the initial position of the bead 1431A relative to the gear 1410 is continuously maintained, and the length T1 of the first ball spring mechanism 1430A is substantially maintained, such that the core 1420 is driven to rotate counterclockwise with the gear 1410 under the interaction of the first protrusion 1412A and the first ball spring mechanism 1430A.

On the other hand, when the gear 1410 is stationary (e.g., in the event that the motor assembly 1500 is stopped, or the power switch lock is suddenly de-energized or locked for rotation), the user can manually rotate the knob (not shown) to rotate the plunger 1420 in the opposite clockwise direction. With bead 1431A in an initial position against first projection 1412A, when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob to counteract the mutual urging of first projection 1412A and bead 1431A, spring 1432A may be compressed and length T1 of first ball spring mechanism 1430A correspondingly reduced to move bead 1431A away from the initial position over first projection 1412A, such that core 1420 may freely rotate clockwise with respect to gear 1410. The specific operation of the power latch will be described in more detail below.

Example 4

Fig. 4A-4D illustrate a gear assembly 2400 according to another example embodiment. The gear assembly described in example 4 may be applied in the aforementioned example 1 power latch 1000, example 2 power latch 1000', or any other example of a power latch. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the gear assembly 2400 may replace the gear assembly 1400 in example 1. In other embodiments, the gear assembly 2400 may replace the gear assembly 1400' of example 2.

Referring now to fig. 4A and 4D, the gear assembly 2400 includes a gear 2410 and a core 2420 having a common axis 2402. In this embodiment, the structure, arrangement, and structure of the gear 2410 are substantially the same as those of the gear 1410 in the foregoing example 3. As shown in fig. 4D, an inner wall 2414 of gear 2410 defines a gear interior space for housing core 2420. Inner wall 2414 further includes a first protrusion 2412A and a second protrusion 2412B (in some embodiments, the protrusions are also referred to as mechanical barriers) symmetrically disposed on opposite sides thereof and extending toward hub 2402.

Referring now to fig. 4A-4D, the inner core 2420 may be at least partially installed within the interior space of the gear 2410 to engage with the gear 2410. The core 2420 has a core front face 2424 (shown in fig. 4A) facing away from the gear 2410 and an opposing core back face 2425 (shown in fig. 4B and 4C) facing toward the gear 2410. Optionally, the core front 2424 further comprises a core cover 2426, the outer circumference of which matches (e.g., is equal to or slightly larger than) the inner circumference of the gear 2410 (i.e., the inner wall 2414), so that the core 2420 can be stably installed in the inner space of the gear 2410 to prevent the core from falling off. In this embodiment, the inner core flap 2426 also includes side holes 2422A, 2422B, 2422C, and 2422D, the location and function of which will be described in more detail below.

Referring now to fig. 4B and 4C, the core 2420 includes a core opening 2421 disposed at the core 2402, a first frame 2430A, a second frame 2430B, a first spring 2432A, and a second spring 2432B. In this embodiment, the first and

second frames

2430A, 2430B are symmetrically disposed within the core 2420. The first frame 2430A includes a first ball head 2431A disposed thereon that extends away from the hub 2402 and has a first end 24312A distal from the hub 2402, the first end 24312A having an arc. First ball end 2431A and hub 2402 define a first radial axis 2450A therebetween. The first frame 2430A also includes first and

second arms

2433A and 2434A, respectively, disposed on one side of the first radial axis 2450A and extending toward the second frame 2430B. The second frame 2430B includes a second ball 2431B disposed thereon, extending away from the axis 2402 and having a second end surface 24312B away from the axis 2402, the second end surface 24312B having a curvature. Second ball end 2431B defines a second radial axis 2450B with axial center 2402. The second frame 2430B also includes third and

fourth arms

2433B and 2434B, respectively, disposed on one side of the second radial axis 2450B and extending toward the first frame 2430A. In this embodiment, first radial axis 2450A is aligned parallel to second radial axis 2450B. The first and

third arms

2433A, 2433B are positioned adjacent to each other, while the second and

fourth arms

2434A, 2434B are positioned adjacent to each other.

In this embodiment, the first spring 2432A is positioned between the first arm 2433A of the first frame 2430A and the third arm 2433B of the second frame 2430B, with one end received at and abutting the first arm 2433A and the other opposite end received at and abutting the third arm 2433B to resiliently connect the two (i.e., the first arm 2433A of the first frame 2430A and the third arm 2433B of the second frame 2430B). The second spring 2432B is positioned between the second arm 2434A of the first frame 2430A and the fourth arm 2434B of the second frame 2430B, with one end received at and abutting the second arm 2434A and the other opposite end received at and abutting the fourth arm 2434B to resiliently connect the two (i.e., the second arm 2434A of the first frame 2430A and the fourth arm 2434B of the second frame 2430B). Optionally, the core 2420 can further include a first groove 2423A and a second groove 2423B (shown in fig. 4C) disposed in the core back 2425 that are configured to receive at least a portion of the first spring 2432A and the second spring 2432B, respectively, to maintain the position of the first spring 2432A and the second spring 2432B within the core 2420. The provision of the first and

second springs

2432A, 2432B allows the first and

second frames

2430A, 2430B to be resiliently connected to one another and such that the first and

second bulbs

2431A, 2431B extend away from the axis 2402 and abut an inner wall 2414 (shown in fig. 4D) of the gear 2410 at the first and second end faces 24312A, 24312B, respectively.

In some embodiments, the electric lockset can further include a first limiter 2440A, a second limiter 2440B, a third limiter 2440C, and a fourth limiter 2440D disposed on the core back 2425. In this embodiment, the limiting members 2440A-2440D are configured as clips. Optionally, the first arm 2433A of the first frame 2430A is provided with a first guide rail 24331A on its side away from the first radial axis 2450A, and the second arm 2434A is provided with a second guide rail 24341A on its side away from the first radial axis 2450A. The third arm 2433B of the second frame 2430B is provided with a third guide rail 24331B on its side away from the second radial axis 2450B; the fourth arm 2434B of the second frame 2430B is provided with a fourth guide rail 24341B on its side away from the second radial axis 2450B. In this embodiment, the first and second defining

members

2440A and 2440B are juxtaposed with the first and

second guide rails

24331A and 24341A, respectively, and define the first frame 2430A for movement along the first and

second guide rails

24331A and 24341A, respectively, to retain the first frame 2430A and define the first bulb 2431A for movement along the first radial axis 2450A. A third and

fourth delimiter

2440C, 2440D are juxtaposed with the third and

fourth guides

24331B, 24341B, respectively, and delimit movement of the second frame 2430B along the third and

fourth guides

24331B, 24341B, respectively, to retain the second frame 2430B and delimit movement of the second bulb 2431B along the second radial axis 2450B.

In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 4A, the inner core cover plate 2426 further includes

side apertures

2422A, 2422B, 2422C and 2422D located to correspond to the first, second, third and

fourth limiters

2440A, 2440B, 2440C and 2440D, respectively, to at least partially receive the first, second, third and

fourth limiters

2440A, 2440B, 2440C and 2440D, respectively, and to provide a force-applying location when the user desires to move the inner core 2420 away from the gear 2410.

Referring now to fig. 4D, a combined gear assembly 2400 is shown with the core 2420 installed within the interior space of the gear 2410, both having the same axis 2402. The core cover plate is not shown in fig. 4D to clearly show the internal structure of the core 1420. As previously described, the inner wall 2414 includes a first protrusion 2412A and a second protrusion 2412B symmetrically disposed on opposite sides thereof and extending toward the axis 2402. The inner core 2420 includes a first frame 2430A and a second frame 2430B disposed therein. The first and

second frames

2430A and 2430B are elastically connected by first and

second springs

2432A and 2432B such that the first and

second bulbs

24312A and 2431B abut the inner wall 2414.

Fig. 4D also shows a main gear 1510 of the motor assembly 1500 that meshes with a gear 2410 of the gear assembly 2400 to drive the rotation of the gear 2410. Fig. 4D illustrates one embodiment of the motor assembly 1500 driving rotation of the gear 2410. For convenience of description, the rotation direction of the gear is indicated by an arrow. In this embodiment, the main gear 1510 of the motor assembly 1500 rotates in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from the front of the gears, thereby rotating the gear 2410 in an opposite clockwise direction about the axis 2402.

As shown in fig. 4D, in this embodiment, the first spring 2432A and the second spring 2432B have elastic forces that press against the first frame 2430A and the second frame 2430B such that the first ball head 2431A and the second ball head 2431B remain in abutment with the inner wall 2414 of the gear 2410. When the motor assembly 1500 drives the main gear 1510 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, so that the gear 1410 rotates clockwise, the first protrusion 2412A abuts against the first ball head 2431A, the second protrusion 2412B abuts against the second ball head 2431B, and the first spring 2432A and the second spring 2432B have elastic forces sufficient to bear the mutual pushing force of the first protrusion 2412A and the second protrusion 2412B with the first ball head 2431A and the second ball head 2431B, respectively, so that the relative distance between the first frame 2430A and the second frame 2430B is substantially maintained, and the inner core 2420 is driven to rotate clockwise along with the gear 2410 under the interaction of the first protrusion 2412A and the second protrusion 2412B with the first frame 2430A and the second frame 2430B, respectively.

On the other hand, when the gear 2410 is stationary (e.g., when the motor assembly 1500 is stopped, or the power switch lock is suddenly turned off midway, or the lock is locked), the user may manually rotate the knob (not shown) to rotate the core 2420 in the opposite counterclockwise direction. With the first and

second bulbs

2431A and 2431B abutting the initial positions of the first and

second projections

2412A and 2412B, respectively, when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob to counteract the mutual urging of the first and

second bulbs

2431A and 2431B with the first and

second projections

2412A and 2412B, respectively, the first and

second springs

2432A and 2432B may be compressed such that the first and

second frames

2430A and 2430B are brought closer toward each other and the relative distance therebetween is correspondingly reduced to move the first and

second bulbs

2431A and 2431B away from the initial positions over the first and

second projections

2412A and 2412B, respectively, such that the core 2420 may freely rotate counterclockwise relative to the gear 2410. The specific operation of the power latch will be described in more detail below.

Example 5

Fig. 5A and 5B illustrate front and back views, respectively, of a gear 1410 in a gear assembly according to another example embodiment. As shown in fig. 5A, a first protrusion 1412A and a second protrusion 1412B are symmetrically disposed on opposite sides of the inner wall 1414 and extend toward the hub 1402, wherein an imaginary line connecting the first protrusion 1412A and the second protrusion 1412B defines a first gear centerline 1441. As shown in fig. 5B, the gear 1410 further includes a first shield 1451 and a second shield 1452 (also shown in phantom in fig. 5A) symmetrically disposed on the gear back 1406, wherein an imaginary line connecting the first shield 1451 and the second shield 1452 defines a second gear centerline 1442. In this embodiment, second gear centerline 1442 is substantially perpendicular to first gear centerline 1441 and intersects hub 1402. First and

second stops

1451, 1452 are provided that can be used to determine the orientation of the gear 1410, the specific operation of which will be described in more detail below.

Rotating shaft

Example 6

Referring now to fig. 1A and 6, the spindle front 1301 of the spindle 1300 includes a slot 1317 sized and shaped to securely couple with the knob 1102. In this embodiment, an annular flange 1313 is provided around the spindle sleeve 1310. The spindle sleeve 1310 includes a protrusion 1312 extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 1303 (fig. 1A) and away from the spindle 1300 from the annular flange 1313. The protrusion 1312 includes a magnet 1314 disposed thereon, which may be used to determine the orientation of the shaft 1300, the operation of which will be described in detail below. In this embodiment, the magnet 1314 is generally disk-shaped. In some embodiments, magnet 1314 may be made of a magnetic metal or alloy. In other embodiments, the magnet 1314 and the protrusion 1312 may be any other shape, such as rectangular, etc.

Circuit board

Example 7

Referring now to fig. 7, a circuit board front side 1710 of circuit board 1700 is shown. As depicted in fig. 1A, the electric latch 1000 optionally includes a circuit board 1700 that includes a circuit board opening 1720. In this embodiment, the circuit board 1700 has a first sensor 1711, a second sensor 1712, a third sensor 1713, and a fourth sensor 1714 disposed on the circuit board front 1710 and around the circuit board opening 1720. The first sensor 1711 and the second sensor 1712 are symmetrically disposed on the circuit board 1700 with the circuit board opening 1720 as a substantially central axis, wherein an imaginary line connecting the first sensor 1711 and the second sensor 1712 defines a first circuit board centerline 1731. The third sensor 1713 and the fourth sensor 1714 are disposed on the circuit board 1700 substantially centered on the circuit board opening 1720 with a line connecting the third sensor 1713 and the fourth sensor 1714 defining a second circuit board centerline 1732. In this embodiment, first circuit board centerline 1731 is perpendicular to second circuit board centerline 1732.

In this embodiment, the first sensor 1711, the second sensor 1712, and the third sensor 1713 are used to detect the position of the magnet 1314 of the spindle 1300 in example 6 (as shown in fig. 6), so that the circuit board 1700 can determine and control the orientation of the spindle by the detected magnet position, thereby electrically controlling the lock body switch (the specific operation will be described in more detail below). The fourth sensor 1714 is used to detect the relative positions of the first and

second shutters

1451 and 1452 of the gear 1410 in example 5, so that the circuit board 1700 can determine and control the orientation of the gear by the detected positions of the first and second shutters, thereby electrically controlling the rotation of the gear (the specific operation will be described in detail below).

In some embodiments, circuit board 1700 may also include a processor (e.g., a microprocessor) to control and monitor all operations of the power latch, such as sending instructions to the motor assembly to close or open the latch. In some embodiments, circuit board 1700 may also include data storage and/or transmission media, among others.

Specific operation process of electric lock with free rotating mechanism

Electric control electric lock switch

The specific operation of the electrically controlled electric lock switch will now be described in detail. For convenience of description, the gear assembly 1400, the motor assembly 1500, the rotation shaft 1300, and the circuit board 1700 are collectively referred to as a free rotation mechanism 7000. Fig. 8A-8E illustrate how the gear assembly 1400 (including the gear 1410 of example 5), the motor assembly 1500, the shaft 1300 (including the magnet 1314 of example 6), and the circuit board 1700 (example 7) cooperate during a power control switch lockout procedure in a free-wheeling mechanism 7000 according to an example embodiment. For convenience of description, the rotation direction of the gear is indicated by an arrow. While the example embodiment of the electrically controlled on-off locking process is described using the gear assembly 1400 of example 3, any other example of a gear assembly may apply an electrically controlled on-off locking process similar thereto, including, but not limited to, the gear assembly 2400 of example 4.

Example 8-clockwise lock closing procedure:

fig. 8A-8C illustrate a locking process in which the spindle is rotated clockwise in one embodiment. As shown in fig. 8A, when the first blocking plate 1451 is substantially juxtaposed with the fourth sensor 1714 and the magnet 1314 is substantially juxtaposed with the second sensor 1713, the lock body (not shown) is in an unlocked state. When the motor assembly 1500 receives the lock-off command, the motor drives the main gear 1510 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, so as to drive the gear 1410 to rotate in an opposite clockwise direction, as shown in fig. 8B. At this time, the first protrusion 1412A and the second protrusion 1412B in the gear 1410 respectively push against the

beads

1431A and 1431B of the core 1420 to form a mutual pushing force, so that the core 1420 and the shaft 1300 are driven to rotate clockwise along with the gear 1410. When the first sensor 1711 detects the magnet 1314, the circuit board determines that the lock is in place and instructs the motor assembly 1500 to stop operating, and at this time, as shown in fig. 8B, the shaft 1300 and the inner core 1420 both rotate clockwise by about 90 °, thereby switching the lock body from the unlocked state (fig. 8A) to the locked state (fig. 8B). Subsequently, optionally, the motor assembly 1500 performs a rotational motion of rotating the main gear 1510 clockwise, thereby rotating the gear 1410 in an opposite counterclockwise direction; when the fourth sensor 1714 detects the first barrier 1451, the motor assembly 1500 stops again, and at this time, as shown in fig. 8C, the gear 1410 rotates counterclockwise by about 90 ° while the rotation shaft 1300 and the core 1420 remain stationary. This pivoting action allows the inner core 1420 to achieve approximately 90 ° of free rotation in each of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions relative to the gear 1410 without the need for the

beads

1431A and 1431B to pass over the first and second tabs 1421A and 1421B of the gear 1410, facilitating manual control of the lock body switch by the user.

Example 9-counterclockwise locking procedure:

referring now to fig. 8A, 8D and 8E together, a locking process in which the spindle is rotated counterclockwise in another embodiment will now be described. As shown in fig. 8A, when the first blocking plate 1451 is substantially juxtaposed with the fourth sensor 1714 and the magnet 1314 is substantially juxtaposed with the second sensor 1713, the lock body (not shown) is in an unlocked state. When the motor assembly 1500 receives the lock-off command, the motor drives the main gear 1510 to rotate in a clockwise direction, so as to drive the gear 1410 to rotate in an opposite counterclockwise direction, as shown in fig. 8D. When the gear 1410 is rotated counterclockwise by about 180 °, the first protrusion 1412A and the second protrusion 1412B in the gear 1410 push against the

beads

1431B and 1431A of the core 1420, respectively, to push each other, so that the core 1420 and the shaft 1300 are rotated counterclockwise together with the gear 1410. When the second sensor 1712 detects the magnet 1314, the circuit board determines that the lock is in place and instructs the motor assembly 1500 to stop operating, and at this time, as shown in fig. 8D, the shaft 1300 and the inner core 1420 both rotate counterclockwise by about 90 °, thereby switching the lock body from the unlocked state (fig. 8A) to the locked state (fig. 8D). Subsequently, optionally, the motor assembly 1500 performs a gyrating motion of rotating the main gear 1510 counterclockwise, thereby rotating the gear 1410 in an opposite clockwise direction; when the second shutter 1452 is detected by the fourth sensor 1714, the motor assembly 1500 stops again, and at this time, the gear 1410 rotates clockwise by about 90 ° as shown in fig. 8E, while the rotation shaft 1300 and the core 1420 remain stationary. This pivoting action allows the inner core 1420 to achieve approximately 90 ° of free rotation in each of the clockwise and counterclockwise directions relative to the gear 1410 without the need for the

beads

In some embodiments, the electric lock has two locking directions, namely clockwise locking (as described in example 8) and counterclockwise locking (as described in example 9), which improves the utility of the electric lock.

Example 10-unlocking procedure:

in some embodiments, the reverse of the locking process of example 8 or example 9 is an unlocking process. For example, after the locking process of example 8 is completed, the lock body is in the locked state (as shown in fig. 8C). When the motor assembly 1500 receives an unlocking command, the motor drives the main gear 1510 to rotate clockwise, so as to drive the gear 1410 to rotate in an opposite counterclockwise direction; when the gear 1410 is rotated counterclockwise by about 90 °, the first protrusion 1412A and the second protrusion 1412B in the gear 1410 push against the

beads

1431B and 1431A of the core 1420, respectively, to push each other, so that the core 1420 and the shaft 1300 are rotated counterclockwise together with the gear 1410. When the third sensor 1713 detects the magnet 1314 and when the fourth sensor 1714 detects the first stop 1451, the circuit board determines that the lock is in place and instructs the motor assembly 1500 to stop operating, at which time, as shown in fig. 8A, the shaft 1300 and the inner core 1420 are both rotated counterclockwise by about 90 °, thereby switching the lock body from the locked state (fig. 8D) to the unlocked state (fig. 8A).

In some other embodiments, the reverse of the process of example 8 or example 9 may also be used as an unlocking process for an electric lock.

Hand-operated electric lock switch

Example 11

Fig. 9A and 9B illustrate the specific operation of one embodiment of manually controlling the electric lock switch described above. As shown in fig. 9A, in this embodiment, the main gear 1510 of the free rotation mechanism 7000 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction by the motor, thereby driving the gear 1410 to rotate in an opposite clockwise direction. In a state of mid-stop during power control (e.g., in the event of a motor assembly 1500 shutdown, a power switch lock that is suddenly de-energized mid-way, or a lock stall), the main gear 1510 of the motor assembly 1500 will be stationary, thereby preventing any rotation of the gear 1410 in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. At this point, the user may manually rotate a knob (not shown) to rotate the inner core 1420 in a counterclockwise direction. With

beads

1431A and 1431B of inner core 1420 abutting first projection 1412A and second projection 1412B, respectively (as shown in fig. 9A), springs 1432A and 1432B may be compressed to move

beads

1431A and 1431B over first projection 1412A and second projection 1412B, respectively, as shown in fig. 9B, when a user applies a sufficient rotational force to a knob (not shown) in a counterclockwise direction to counteract the mutual urging of first projection 1412A and bead 1431A. At this time, the inner core 1420 has a free rotation space of about 180 ° in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the gear 1410 without passing over the first and second protrusions 1421A and 1421B again, thereby allowing a user to manually control the opening and closing of the latch body (not shown). In other embodiments, core 1420 may freely pass over first lobe 1421A and second lobe 1421B in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions, such that core 1420 may be substantially free to rotate 360 ° relative to gear 1410 without being constrained by gear 1410. In some embodiments, since the knob (not shown) can rotate the inner core 1420 and the rotating shaft (not shown) independently of the gear 1410, the user can perform the locking and unlocking operation manually without turning the knob with great force, which results in that the user can easily lock or unlock the lock manually, significantly increasing the safety and practicability thereof.

Example 12

Fig. 10A and 10B illustrate specific operations in another embodiment of manually controlling an electric lockset switch. In this embodiment, the free-wheeling mechanism 8000 includes the gear assembly 2400 and motor assembly 1500 described in example 4. As shown in fig. 10A, in this embodiment, the main gear 1510 of the free rotation mechanism 8000 is being rotated in a counterclockwise direction by the motor, thereby rotating the gear 2410 in an opposite clockwise direction. In a state of mid-stop during the power control (e.g., in the event of a motor assembly 1500 shutdown, a power momentary power failure in the mid-way of the power switch lock, or a lock stall), the main gear 1510 of the motor assembly 1500 will be stationary, thereby preventing any rotation of the gear 2410 in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions. At this point, the user may manually rotate a knob (not shown) to rotate the core 2420 in a counterclockwise direction. With the first bulb 2431A of the first frame 2430A and the second bulb 2431B of the second frame 2430B abutting the first protrusion 2412A and the second protrusion 2412B, respectively (as shown in fig. 10A), when a user applies a sufficient rotational force to the knob (not shown) in a counterclockwise direction to counteract the mutual urging of the first protrusion 2412A and the second protrusion 2412B with the first bulb 2431A and the second bulb 2431B, respectively, the first spring 2432A and the second spring 2432B may be compressed such that the first frame 2430A and the second frame 2430B approach one another to cause the first bulb 2431A and the second bulb 2431B to pass over the first protrusion 2412A and the second protrusion 2412B, respectively, as shown in fig. 10B. At this time, the inner core 2420 has a free rotation space of about 180 ° in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the gear 2410 without passing over the first and second protrusions 2421A and 2421B again, thereby allowing a user to manually control the latch (not shown) to be turned on and off. In other embodiments, the core 2420 may freely traverse the first and second protuberances 2421A and 2421B in both the clockwise and counterclockwise directions, such that the core 2420 is substantially free to rotate 360 ° relative to the gear 2410 without being constrained by the gear 2410.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model. Those skilled in the art can implement the utility model in various modifications, such as features from one embodiment can be used in another embodiment to yield yet a further embodiment, without departing from the scope and spirit of the utility model. Any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement made within the technical idea of using the present invention should be within the scope of the right of the present invention.

For example, the rotary shaft described in example 1 is composed of two separate members (a rotary shaft sleeve and a shaft body). In other embodiments, the spindle may not have a spindle sleeve and consist of only one integral component. In still other embodiments, the shaft may be made up of more than two or more pieces.

For example, in example 1, the shaft body is substantially rectangular, but it may be other shapes such as a cylindrical shape, a polygonal shape, an irregular shape, and the like.

For example, in example 1, the knob has a substantially circular periphery, but it may be other shapes such as square, diamond, oval, polygonal, irregular, and so forth.

For example, in example 1, the outer periphery of the gear inner space, the gear opening, is substantially circular, but it may be other shapes such as square, diamond, oval, polygonal, irregular, and the like.

For example, in example 2, the core opening and the outer perimeter of the connecting post may both be square in shape and size substantially the same, but both may also be other shapes in substantially the same size and shape, such as circles, diamonds, ovals, polygons, irregularities, and the like.

For example, in the above example, the inner core includes two ball spring mechanisms disposed on the inner core and the gear inner wall includes corresponding two protrusions. However, in some other embodiments, the inner core may have only one ball spring mechanism, with the gear inner wall including a corresponding one of the projections. In still other embodiments, the inner core may have three, four, or more ball spring mechanisms, with the gear inner wall including a corresponding number of protrusions. In other embodiments, the three, four, or more ball spring mechanisms and a corresponding number of protrusions may be equidistantly disposed within the inner core and the inner gear wall, respectively.

For example, in some embodiments, the number of protrusions of the ball spring mechanism of the plunger and the inner wall of the gear may be the same. In some other embodiments, the number of protrusions of the ball spring mechanism and the gear inner wall of the plunger may be different. For example, in one embodiment, the inner core may have a ball spring mechanism and the gear inner wall may have two protrusions. In another embodiment, the inner core may have two ball spring mechanisms and the gear inner wall may have a protrusion.

For example, in the above example, the mechanical barrier is a protrusion provided to an inner wall of the gear. However, in some other embodiments, the mechanical barrier may be any other form of obstruction capable of restricting or impeding the passage of the moveable member therepast, including but not limited to a stop, ridge, bump, spur, or the like.

For example, in the above example, the spring may be helical, but it may also be of any other shape, size, material or form capable of providing a spring force.

For example, in the above example, the ball spring mechanism is composed of a spring and a bead. However, in some other embodiments, the ball spring mechanism may be made up of multiple other components, or only one integral component. For example, the ball spring mechanism may include any resilient element other than a spring, including but not limited to a stretch band, a rubber band, a stretch glue. For example, the ball spring mechanism may include any rounded member other than a bead, including but not limited to a bullet, a rounded cylinder, or a rounded screw.

For example, in the above example, the first frame and the second frame are elastically connected by a spring. However, in some other embodiments, the first frame and the second frame may be resiliently connected by other means. For example, the first frame and the second frame may be elastically connected by any resilient element other than a spring, including but not limited to a stretch band, a rubber band, stretch glue, and the like.

For example, in some embodiments, the sensor may be a magnetic sensor. However, in some other embodiments, the sensor may be other kinds of sensors, including but not limited to a photosensor, a photo coupler, a hall sensor, a detection switch, a touch switch, and the like. In some embodiments, the first sensor, the second sensor, the third sensor, and the fourth sensor are all the same kind of sensor. In other embodiments, at least one of the first sensor, the second sensor, the third sensor, and the fourth sensor may be a different kind of sensor from the remaining sensors. For example, the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor may be photo-couplers, and the fourth sensor may be a hall sensor.

Claims

1. An electric lock, comprising:

(a) a knob;

(b) a lock body;

(c) the rotating shaft comprises a rotating shaft front end and an opposite rotating shaft rear end, wherein the rotating shaft rear end is fixedly connected with the lock body to control the lock body to be opened and closed;

(d) a gear assembly including a gear and an inner core having a common axis; and

(e) the motor assembly is used for driving the gear to rotate;

wherein,

the gear includes an inner wall defining a gear interior space for receiving the inner core, wherein the inner wall includes at least one protrusion extending toward the hub;

the inner core is at least partially mounted within the gear interior space, wherein the inner core includes an inner core opening disposed in the hub and at least one ball spring mechanism disposed in the inner core, the at least one ball spring mechanism including a ball extending away from the hub and adjacent to the inner wall;

the electric lock also comprises a connecting piece, wherein the connecting piece comprises a connecting piece front end, an opposite connecting piece rear end and a connecting piece periphery with the size and the shape matched with the inner core opening, the connecting piece front end is connected with the knob, and the connecting piece rear end penetrates through the inner core opening to be connected with the front end of the rotating shaft;

wherein when the motor assembly drives the gear to rotate, the at least one protrusion interacts with the at least one ball spring mechanism to drive the inner core and the rotating shaft to rotate together, thereby electrically controlling the lock body switch; and is

The at least one ball spring mechanism may be compressed such that when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the ball rides over the at least one protrusion to free the inner core from rotating relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch.

2. The power latch of claim 1, wherein the core includes at least one recess disposed in the core configured to receive one of the at least one ball spring mechanism.

3. The power latch of claim 1, wherein the gear includes a gear opening disposed in the hub, wherein the gear opening is larger in size than the core opening such that when the knob is manually rotated, the knob causes the core and the spindle to rotate independently of the gear.

4. The power lock of claim 1, wherein the motor assembly includes a main gear engaged with the gear to drive the gear to rotate.

5. The electric lock set forth in claim 1,

the at least one bulge is two bulges which are symmetrically arranged at two opposite sides of the inner wall and extend towards the axle center; and is

The at least one ball spring mechanism is two ball spring mechanisms.

6. The power latch of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein each ball in the ball spring mechanism is a bead, bullet, round-headed cylinder, or round-headed screw, respectively.

7. The electric lock according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the spindle front end and the spindle rear end defining a longitudinal axis therebetween, and the spindle front end including a projection extending substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and away from the spindle, the projection including a magnet disposed thereon; and is

The electric lock further comprises a circuit board electrically connected with the motor assembly, the circuit board is arranged basically perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and comprises a circuit board opening to allow the rear end of the rotating shaft to pass through the circuit board opening to be fixedly connected with the lock body, and the circuit board further comprises a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor for detecting the position of the magnet, so that the circuit board can determine and control the orientation of the rotating shaft through the detected position of the magnet, and the lock body switch is electrically controlled.

8. The electric lock set forth in claim 7,

the gear further comprises a gear front surface facing the knob, an opposite gear back surface, and a first baffle and a second baffle symmetrically arranged on the gear back surface; and is

The circuit board further includes a fourth sensor for detecting the first and second shutters, so that the circuit board can determine and control the orientation of the gear through the detected positions of the first and second shutters, thereby electrically controlling the rotation of the gear.

9. The electric lock set forth in claim 8,

the first sensor and the second sensor are symmetrically arranged on the circuit board by taking a circuit board opening as a center, wherein a connecting line connecting the first sensor and the second sensor defines a first circuit board center line; and is

The third sensor and the fourth sensor are symmetrically arranged on the circuit board with the circuit board opening as the center and are aligned along a second circuit board center line perpendicular to the first circuit board center line.

10. The electric locking device of claim 8 further comprising a front cover plate and a rear cover plate, said front cover plate and said rear cover plate being coupled to form a housing and defining a housing interior space therein, wherein said gear assembly, motor assembly, circuit board and at least a portion of said shaft are disposed within said housing interior space, and said knob and said lock body are disposed outside of said housing interior space.

11. The electric lock as claimed in claim 10, wherein the knob is mounted on the front cover plate using a snap spring, and the circuit board is mounted on the rear cover plate and faces the inner space of the housing.

12. The power latch of claim 1, wherein the inner core is free to rotate 360 ° relative to the gear.

13. An electric lock, comprising:

(a) a knob;

(b) a lock body;

(d) the gear assembly comprises a gear and a movable piece which have the same axis; and

(e) the motor assembly is used for driving the gear to rotate;

wherein,

the knob is connected with the rotating shaft through the movable piece;

the movable piece interacts with the gear through a mechanical barrier, so that the gear is electrically driven by the motor component to enable the movable piece to rotate; and is

When sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the moveable member can pass over the mechanical barrier to allow the moveable member to freely rotate relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch.

14. The electric lock set forth in claim 13,

the gear includes an inner wall defining a gear interior space for receiving the moveable member, wherein the mechanical barrier includes at least one protrusion extending from the inner wall toward the hub;

the movable member comprises at least one ball spring mechanism, and the at least one ball spring mechanism comprises a ball which extends away from the axis and is adjacent to the inner wall; and is

The at least one ball spring mechanism may be compressed such that the ball rides over the at least one protrusion when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob.

15. The power latch of claim 14, wherein the movable member includes at least one recess disposed in the movable member configured to receive one of the at least one ball spring mechanism.

16. The electric lock of claim 14,

The at least one ball spring mechanism is two ball spring mechanisms.

17. The electric power lockset as recited in claim 13,

the movable member is at least partially mounted within the gear interior space, wherein the movable member includes at least two frames disposed therein, each of the at least two frames including a ball head disposed thereon;

wherein the ball extends away from the hub and each of the at least two frames is resiliently connected with an adjacent frame such that the ball abuts the inner wall and upon application of sufficient rotational force to the knob, the at least two frames approach each other such that the ball passes over the at least one protrusion.

18. The electric lock of claim 17,

a radial axis is defined between the ball head and the shaft center; and is

The electric lock further includes at least one defining member configured to retain the frame and to define movement of the ball head along the radial axis.

19. The electric lock of claim 18,

each of the at least two frames includes at least one guide rail configured to be juxtaposed with the defining piece and to define movement of the frame along the guide rail.

20. The electric lock according to any one of claims 17 to 19,

the at least two frames include:

(i) a first frame, the first frame comprising:

the first ball head is arranged on the first frame, extends away from the axle center and is abutted against the inner wall; and

a first arm and a second arm;

(ii) a second frame disposed at the movable member symmetrically to the first frame, the second frame including:

the second ball head is arranged on the second frame, extends away from the axle center and is abutted against the inner wall; and

a third arm and a fourth arm;

the moving member further includes:

a first spring elastically connecting the first arm of the first frame and the second frame

A third arm; and

a second spring elastically connecting the second arm of the first frame and the second frame

And a fourth arm.

21. The power latch of claim 13, wherein the movable member includes a movable member opening disposed in the hub, wherein the gear includes a gear opening disposed in the hub, wherein the gear opening is sized larger than the movable member opening such that when the knob is manually rotated, the knob drives the movable member and the shaft to rotate independently of the gear.

22. The power lock of claim 13, wherein the motor assembly includes a main gear engaged with the gear to drive the gear to rotate.

23. The electric lockset as recited in any of claims 14-19, wherein the ball is a bead, a bullet, a round head cylinder, or a round head screw.

24. The electric lock according to any one of claims 14 to 19, 21 to 22,

25. The electric lockset of claim 24,

26. The electric lockset of claim 25,

27. The power lock of claim 26 further comprising a front cover plate and a rear cover plate, said front cover plate and said rear cover plate being joined to form a housing and defining a housing interior space therein, wherein said gear assembly, motor assembly, circuit board and at least a portion of said shaft are disposed within said housing interior space, and said knob and said lock body are disposed outside of said housing interior space.

28. The electric lock of claim 27, wherein the knob is mounted on the front cover plate using a snap spring, and the circuit board is mounted on the rear cover plate and faces the housing inner space.

29. The power latch of claim 13, wherein the movable member is free to rotate 360 ° relative to the gear.

30. An electric lock, comprising:

(a) a knob;

(b) a lock body;

(e) the motor assembly is used for driving the gear to rotate;

wherein,

the gear comprises an inner wall defining a gear interior space for receiving the inner core, wherein the inner wall comprises two protrusions extending towards the axis;

the inner core is at least partially mounted within the gear interior space, wherein the inner core comprises

(i) An inner core opening disposed in the hub;

(ii) a first frame, the first frame comprising:

a first arm and a second arm;

(iii) a second frame arranged symmetrically to the first frame on the inner core, the second frame comprising:

a third arm and a fourth arm;

(iv) a first spring elastically connecting the first arm of the first frame and the third arm of the second frame; and

(v) a second spring elastically connecting the second arm of the first frame and the fourth arm of the second frame;

when the motor assembly drives the gear to rotate, the two bulges respectively interact with the first frame and the second frame to drive the inner core and the rotating shaft to rotate together, so that the lock body switch is electrically controlled; and is

The first and second springs may be compressed such that when sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, the first and second frames approach each other such that the first and second bulbs each pass over one of the two protrusions to free the inner core from rotation relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the lock body switch.

31. The electric lockset of claim 30,

a first radial axis is defined between the first ball head and the hub, and a second radial axis is defined between the second ball head and the hub; and is

The electric lock further includes:

a first and second limiting member configured to hold the first frame and limit movement of the first ball head along the first radial axis; and

a third and fourth delimiter configured to retain the second frame and restrict movement of the second ball head along the second radial axis.

32. The electric lockset of claim 31,

the first arm of the first frame includes a first rail;

the second arm of the first frame comprises a second rail;

the third arm of the second frame comprises a third rail;

the fourth arm of the second frame comprises a fourth rail;

wherein the first and second delimiters are juxtaposed with the first and second guide rails, respectively, and limit movement of the first frame along the first and second guide rails, respectively; and is

The third and fourth delimiters are juxtaposed with the third and fourth guide rails, respectively, and limit movement of the second frame along the third and fourth guide rails, respectively.