This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan patent application serial no. 108108325, filed on Mar. 12, 2019. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
The disclosure relates to a lock mechanism and a holding structure, in particular, to a lock mechanism and a holding structure for an electronic device.
In recent years, in stores, hospitals, stations, banks, transportation vehicles or other public places, display devices are usually provided to provide audio and video information to the public. The display devices can be equipped with a virtual operation interface (such as a touch panel) or a physical operation interface (such as a keyboard or mouse) to facilitate the operation of the users, so as to obtain the information needed. Generally, the display device is mostly fastened to the machine, the wall, the frame or other carriers. Therefore, in the process of dismounting the display device, the operator has to remove the screw by hand tools or automatic tools in order to remove the display device from the machine, the wall, the frame or other carriers. On the other hand, the operator has to fasten the display device to the machine, wall, frame or other carriers by using hand tools or an automatic tool to fasten the locking screws. The above process of dismounting the display device is time consuming and inconvenient.
The disclosure provides a lock mechanism which is extremely convenient in operation.
The disclosure provides a holding structure for an electronic device, which is extremely convenient in operation and has a good reliability.
A lock mechanism in one embodiment of the disclosure includes a main body, a base, a rotating component and a position limiting component. The base is slidably connected to the main body, and the main body is sleeved on the base. The rotating component is pivoted to the main body, and the rotating component is configured to drive the base to slide relative to the main body. The position limiting component is coupled to the rotating component so as to lock the rotating component with one of the main body and the base.
A holding structure for an electronic device in one embodiment of the disclosure includes a carrier, an electronic device, and a plurality of lock mechanisms. The carrier has a first surface, a second surface opposite to the first surface, and an opening penetrating the first surface and the second surface. The electronic device includes a body and a case connecting to the body. The case abuts against the first surface of the carrier, and the body passes through the opening of the carrier. The body has a mounting part extending beyond the second surface of the carrier. The lock mechanisms are disposed at the periphery of the mounting part of the body. Each of the lock mechanisms includes a main body, a base, a rotating component and a position limiting component. The main body is detachably fastened with the mounting part of the body. The base is slidably connected to the main body, and the main body is sleeved on the base. The rotating component is pivoted to the main body. The rotating component drives the base to slide relative to the main body in a direction toward the second surface of the carrier and to abut against the second surface of the carrier, or drives the base to slide relative to the main body in a direction away from the second surface of the carrier to make the base and the second surface of the carrier separate from each other. The position limiting component is coupled to the rotating component so as to lock the rotating component with one of the main body and the base.
Based on the above, the lock mechanism of one embodiment of the disclosure is extremely convenient in operation. By driving the rotating component to rotate relative to the main body, the base is able to be directly or indirectly driven by the rotating component to slide relative to the main body. Since the holding structure for the electronic device adopts the lock mechanism in one embodiment of the disclosure, the steps to mount or remove the electronic device are extremely fast and easy for the operator. On the other hand, after the electronic device is locked on the carrier by the lock mechanisms, the rotating component is prevented from being arbitrarily rotated because of the engagement of the rotating component and the position limiting component. Accordingly, the electronic device is firmly mounted on the carrier. In other words, the holding structure for the electronic device in one embodiment of the disclosure has a good reliability.
In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the disclosure more comprehensible, embodiments accompanying figures are described in detail below.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
Referring to
Furthermore, in order to ensure the sliding connection between the base 120 and the main body 110 and to prevent the base 120 from departing from the main body 110 via the opening 110b, the lock mechanism 100 is configured with a position limiting member 140 passing through the top surface 110a of the main body 110 and fastened to the base 120. Still further, the top surface 110a of the main body 110 is configured with a through-hole 110c, the position limiting member 140 is inserted into the main body 110 via the through-hole 110c and is fastened to the base 120 located inside the main body 110. For example, the position limiting member 140 may be a positioning screw having the first end 141 and the second end 142 opposite to each other. The first end 141 has an external thread, and a bearing surface 120a facing the through-hole 110c of the base 120 is configured with a locking hole 120b. The external thread of the first end 141 of the position limiting member 140 is used to engage with an internal thread of the locking hole 120b of the base 120, so as to fasten the position limiting member 140 with the base 120. On the other hand, the outer diameter of the second end 142 of the position limiting member 140 is greater than the outer diameter of the first end 141 of the position limiting member 140, and the through-hole 110c is configured with a position limiting structure therein. In the process of the position limiting member 140 being slid along with the base 120 with respect to the main body 110, if the base 120 slides in the direction away from the top surface 110a, once the second end 142 of the position limiting member 140 interferes with the position limiting structure inside the through-hole 110c, the base 120 stops sliding in the direction away from the top surface 110a, so as to prevent the base 120 from departing from the main body 110. In other words, the position limiting member 140 can be used to ensure the siding connection between the base 120 and the main body 110 and to ensure the base 120 being slid relative to the main body 110 within a specific stroke.
In the present embodiment, the rotating component 130 is pivoted to the main body 110 and is configured to abut against the base 120. Furthermore, the rotating component 130 includes at least one cam 133 (schematically depicted as two) configured to abut against the bearing surface 120a. Since the main body 110 covers the base 120, the top surface 110a of the main body 110 is configured with at least one slot 111 (schematically depicted as two) so as to expose at least one portion of the bearing surface 120a of the base 120. Each slot 111 is configured to accommodate one cam 133, to make each cam 133 abut against the bearing surface 120a inside the corresponding slot 111. Accordingly, in the process of the rotating component 130 rotating with respect to the main body 110, based on the geometric profile variation of the cam 133, the cam 133 may push the base 120, and the base 120 may slide relative to the main body 110.
The two slots 111 are respectively located at two opposite sides of the position limiting member 140 so as to make the two cams 133 of the rotating component 130 apply force to the base 120 evenly. For example, each slot 111 and the inner space of the main body 110 are mutually communicated, and each slot 111 further penetrates the top surface 110a and connects two opposite sidewall surfaces of the top surface 110a, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. On the other hand, the number of the cams 133 is the same as the number of the slots 111, and the number of the cams 133 and the number of the slots 111 are adjusted according to actual requirements.
Referring to
To be more specific, the rotating component 130 further includes a gripping part 131 and at least one arm part 132 (schematically depicted as two). The gripping part 131 is connected to the cam 133 through the arm part 132, and the gripping part 131 facilitates an operator to apply force to the rotating component 130. It should be noted here, the number of the arm parts 132 can be adjusted according to the number of the cams 133.
On the other hand, each cam 133 has a cam surface 133s abutting against the bearing surface 120a of the base 120, and the cam surface 133s surrounds the shaft 125 (or the reference axis AX). When the rotating component 130 rotates about the reference axis AX with respect to the main body 110, the cam 133 moves synchronously and the cam surface 133s abuts against the bearing surface 120a of the base 120 via different portions thereon. Because of the variation in distance between the portions on the cam surface 133s and the reference axis AX, the base 120 can be driven by the cam 133 to slide relative to the main body 110. For example, in the process of rotating the cam 133, if the distances between the reference axis AX and the portions of the cam surface 133s used to abut against the bearing surface 120a of the base 120 are gradually increased, the proportion of the base 120 exposed from the main body 110 may be gradually increased. On the contrary, if the distances between the reference axis AX and the portions of the cam surface 133s used to abut against the bearing surface 120a of the base 120 are gradually decreased, the proportion of the base 120 exposed from the main body 110 may be gradually decreased. Therefore, the geometric profile of the cam surface 133s of each cam 133 can be adjusted according to the requirement of sliding path of the base 120.
It should be noted here, the shortest connecting line between the shaft 125 and the portion of the cam surface 133s of the cam 133 used to abut against the bearing surface 120a of the base 120 is substantially perpendicular to the bearing surface 120a and is substantially parallel to the direction (such as direction z) that the base 120 slides relative to the main body 110. Accordingly, the force applied to the base 120 by the two cams 133 can be more concentrated, so as to assist stabilizing the abutting relationship between the two cams 133 and the base 120.
Referring to
The mounting process of the electronic device 50 being locked to a carrier 60 by the lock mechanism 100 is described hereinafter. Referring to
Firstly, the body 51 of the electronic device 50 is passed through the opening 61 of the carrier 60 from the first surface 60a of the carrier 60. Since the size of the case 52 is greater than the size of the opening 61, the case 52 would structurally interferes with the first surface 60a of the carrier 60 so as to stop the body 51 from moving. At this time, a mounting part 53 of the body 51 exceeds beyond the second surface 60b of the carrier 60. After the case 52 abuts against the first surface 60a of the carrier 60, the lock mechanism 100 is disposed at the periphery of the mounting part 53 of the body 51. The mounting part 53 is configured with a mounting hole 53a that is provided for a locking portion 115 of the main body 110 inserting into and thus is engaged with the locking portion 115. In contrast, after the engaging relationship of the locking portion 115 of the main body 110 and the mounting hole 53a of the mounting part 53 is released, the lock mechanism 100 can be detached from the body 51.
Next, referring to
It should be noted here, the cam surface 133s of the cam 133 may be configured with a plurality of position limiting portions 1331. Accordingly, the lock mechanism 100 may lock the electronic device 50 to the carriers having different thicknesses base on the multi-stage locking design, so as to provide a better operating flexibility. In another embodiment, after the base 120 abuts against the second surface 60b of the carrier 60 and the position limiting element 150 is engaged with one of the position limiting portions 1331 (as shown in
The base 120 further makes the cushioning pad 101 presses against the second surface 60b of the carrier 60, so the looking portion 115 of the main body 110 may drive the mounting part 53 of the body 51 to further move in the direction away from the second surface 60b of the carrier 60, and thus the case 52 presses even harder to the first surface 60a of the carrier 60. Accordingly, the electronic device 50 can be more securely mounted to the carrier 60, so as to have better reliability.
Referring to
Furthermore, as shown in
On the other hand, the first end 141 of the position limiting member 140 is fastened to the base 120, and the depth that the first end 141 of the position limiting member 140 fastened into the locking hole 120b can be adjusted. The greater the depth that the first end 141 of the position limiting member 140 fastened into the locking hole 120b is, the greater the amount of compression that the elastic member 160 compressed by the second end 142 of the position limiting member 140 becomes. The greater the amount of compression that the elastic member 160 compressed by the second end 142 of the position limiting member 140 in advance is, the greater the force that the operator needs to apply to rotate the rotating component 130 becomes. Correspondingly, the engagement of the position limiting element 150 and one of the position limiting portions 1331 is based on a greater amount of pre-compression of the elastic member 160 and thus is more stable.
In the following, other embodiments will be described in detail to explain the disclosure in detail, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same technical content will be omitted. For the omitted part, please refer to the foregoing embodiments, and details are not described below.
Referring to
On the other hand, the cam 133A has a plurality of position limiting portions 1332. The position limiting portions 1332 are located on a side surface 133m connecting with the cam surface 133s (as shown in
Take a step further, in the process that each cam 133A is rotated about the reference axis AX and relative to the main body 110, once any one of the position limiting portions 1332 is aligned with the position limiting element 150A on the main body 110, the position limiting element 150A may be locked into that position limiting portion 1332. Therefore, the rotating component 130A is locked and is unable to rotate relative to the main body 110, temporarily. After a force is applied to the rotating component 130A to release the engagement between the position limiting element 150A and the position limiting portion 1332, the rotating component 130A can be rotated relative to the main body 110 again. In other words, after rotating a specific stroke, the rotating component 130A can be locked to the main body 110 through the fitting of the position limiting element 150A and the position limiting portions 1332 of the corresponding cam 133A.
Referring to
The rotating component 130B includes at least one arm part 132 (schematically depicted as two), and the two arm parts 132 are respectively pivoted to the two side walls 110f. To be more specific, the two guiding members 145 respectively pass through the two arm parts 132, and each of the two guiding members 145 has one degree of freedom for sliding relative to the corresponding arm part 132. Therefore, in the process of the rotating component 130B being rotated relative to the main body 110B, each of the guiding members 145 is driven by the corresponding arm part 132 to slide relative to the main body 110B, so as to drive the base 120 to slide relative to the main body 110B. For example, each arm part 132 has a first position limiting slot 1321, and each side wall 110f is configured with a second position limiting slot 112. The first position limiting slot 1321 of each arm part 132 is partially overlapped with the second position limiting slot 112 of the corresponding side wall 110f, and the second position limiting slot 112 of each side wall 110f exposes at least one portion of the base 120. Therefore, each guiding member 145 can sequentially pass through the corresponding first position limiting slot 1321 and the corresponding second position limiting slot 112, such that the first guiding member 145 may be fastened into the base 120.
On the other hand, the main body 110B is configured with a shaft 126 at each side wall 110f (i.e., the side that the second limiting slot 112 is located). Each shaft 126 and the corresponding second position limiting slot 112 are arranged side by side, and the arm part 132 is pivoted to the main body 110B through the shaft 126. To be more specific, the rotating component 130B can be rotated relative to the main body 110B and about the reference axis AX of the two shafts 126, so as to drive each guiding member 145 to slide within the corresponding first position limiting slot 1321 and the corresponding second position limiting slot 112, and thus to drive the base 120 to slide relative to the main body 110B. In the present embodiment, the sliding direction of each guiding member 145 within the corresponding second position limiting slot 112 is perpendicular to the reference axis AX. In addition, along with the rotation of the rotating component 130B relative to the main body 110B, the position of the guiding member 145 within the corresponding first position limiting slot 1321 is also changed. In other words, the rotation of the rotating component 130B relative to the main body 110B can drive the guiding member 145 to slide within the corresponding second position limiting slot 112. On the other hand, the sliding direction of each guiding member 145 within the corresponding first position limiting slot 1321 may be the extending direction of that first position limiting slot 1321. Accordingly, the sliding direction of each guiding member 145 within the corresponding second position limiting slot 112 may be the extending direction of that second position limiting slot 112. The extending directions of the first position limiting slot 1321 and the second position limiting slot 112, which are corresponding to each other, are always kept to be intersected with each other, so as to ensure that each guiding member 145 is driven by the rotating component 130B.
In the present embodiment, the main body 110B further has a bearing surface 110s. The bearing surface 110s is located between the two side walls 110f and is connected to the top surface 110a and the two side walls 110f. To be more specific, the position limiting element 150B is disposed on the bearing surface 110s and includes a plurality of position limiting portions 151. On the other hand, the gripping part 131 of the rotating component 130B has an engaging portion 135 on a side facing the bearing surface 110s, and the engaging portion 135 is used to engage with the position limiting portions 151. Furthermore, the position limiting portions 151 are located on the moving path of the engaging portion 135. In the process that the rotating component 130B is rotated relative to the main body 110B, the engaging portion 135 can be moved toward the position limiting portions 151 and thus is engaged with one of the position limiting portions 151. Once the engaging portion 135 is engaged with one of the position limiting portions 151, the rotating component 130B is locked and temporarily unable to rotate relative to the main body 110B. After the force is applied to the rotating component 130B to release the engagement between the engaging portion 135 and the position limiting component 150, the rotating component 130B can be rotated relative to the main body 110B again. In other words, after rotating a specific stroke, the rotating component 130B can be locked to the main body 110B through the engagement of the engaging portion 135 and the position limiting component 150B.
For example, the position limiting component 150B may be a crest and sag structure located on the bearing surface 110s, and the engaging portion 135 may be a convex structure or a concave structure that fits with the crest and sag structure. On the other hand, the main body 110B further has a recess 113 located on the bearing surface 110s. The recess 113 extends from the top surface 110a to the bottom surface opposite to the top surface 110a, and the position limiting component 150B is disposed in the recess 113 and at a side away from the top surface 110a (such as the side close to the bottom surface) for example. Since the engaging portion 135 extends into the recess 113, the engaging portion 135 may be guided by the recess 113 while moving on the bearing surface 110s, so as to ensure that the engaging portion 135 to move through the position limiting component 150B.
In summary, the lock mechanism of one embodiment of the disclosure is extremely convenient in operation. By driving the rotating component to rotate relative to the main body, the base is able to be directly or indirectly driven by the rotating component to slide relative to the main body. Since the holding structure for the electronic device adopts the lock mechanism in one embodiment of the disclosure, the steps to mount or remove the electronic device are extremely fast and easy for the operator. On the other hand, after the electronic device is locked on the carrier by the lock mechanisms, the rotating component is prevented from being arbitrarily rotated because of the engagement of the rotating component and the position limiting component. Accordingly, the electronic device is firmly mounted on the carrier. In other words, the holding structure for the electronic device in one embodiment of the disclosure has a good reliability.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
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108108325 | Mar 2019 | TW | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20200291689 A1 | Sep 2020 | US |