DOOR LOCK AND CONTROL APPARATUS THEREOF

Technical Field

The present application relates to a door lock of an electrical appliance and a control apparatus thereof, and specifically, to a door lock and a control apparatus thereof, so that if a door of an electrical appliance is forced open and the door lock is damaged, a main circuit can be disconnected to keep the electrical appliance in a safe state.

Background Art

Currently, a door of an electrical appliance (for example, a washing machine) is locked on a panel of the electrical appliance by using an electromagnetic door lock. Such an electromagnetic door lock needs to satisfy a safety requirement in a particular condition. For example, if the electrical appliance is still in high-speed operation, in some extreme cases, an external force is used to forcefully pull the door, related components of the electromagnetic door lock are broken by a pulling force and the door of the electrical appliance is forced open. In this case, a working circuit of the electrical appliance needs to be instantaneously cut off to stop the operation of the electrical appliance.

In an existing control manner, a sensor is usually used to monitor whether the door of the electrical appliance is opened or closed. When it is detected that the door is opened, the sensor sends a control signal to disconnect a main circuit. However, such a control manner based on the sensor is not reliable and safe enough in some cases. In one aspect, the working performance of the sensor may be affected by factors such as parts aging, short circuits, and external interference. In another aspect, there is a particular delay in the entire process in which the door is opened, the sensor generates a response and sends a control signal, and a control circuit receives the control signal and performs a corresponding measure. In some environments that need to have relatively high safety, such a delay may cause negative results.

In addition, for production lines of some existing electrical appliance products, the mechanical structure and circuit structure of an electrical appliance product need to be greatly changed to add a sensor, or it may even be necessary to redesign the housing of the electrical appliance product. As a result, the design is delayed and costs are relatively high.

Summary of the Invention

In view of the foregoing defects in the prior art, the present application is to provide a safe and reliable control apparatus of a door lock, in which a sensor is not used, so that no changes or as few changes as possible are made to an existing structure, and when a door of an electrical appliance is forced open, the control apparatus can cut off a working circuit of the electrical appliance in time to stop the operation of a machine.

According to an aspect, the present application provides a door lock, including: a switch apparatus; a pin apparatus, the pin apparatus being capable of moving in a first direction toward the switch apparatus or away from the switch apparatus; and a direction-changing apparatus, the direction-changing apparatus being used to enable, when a force is applied to the pin apparatus in a second direction, the pin apparatus to move in the first direction toward the switch apparatus, to contact the switch apparatus to turn off the switch apparatus.

According to the door lock, a top end and a tail end are disposed on the pin apparatus, and the direction-changing apparatus is disposed at the tail end of the pin apparatus or near the tail end.

According to the door lock, the direction-changing apparatus has a mechanical structure. According to the door lock, the first direction is a longitudinal direction, and the second direction is a transverse direction.

According to the door lock, the direction-changing apparatus is used to enable, when the force applied to the pin apparatus in the second direction exceeds a predetermined value, the pin apparatus to move in the first direction toward the switch apparatus, to contact the switch apparatus to turn off the switch apparatus.

According to the door lock, the door lock further includes: a slider, the slider having a slider locking position and a slider release position, and being capable of moving reciprocally in the second direction between the slider locking position and the slider release position, where the slider applies a force to the pin apparatus in the second direction; the slider has a locking hole, the pin apparatus also has a pin apparatus locking position and a pin apparatus release position, the pin apparatus is inserted in the locking hole when moving to the pin apparatus locking position to lock the slider in the slider locking position; and the direction-changing apparatus includes a movable block disposed on the slider and a rocker plate disposed at the bottom of the locking hole.

According to the door lock, the switch apparatus further includes: a pair of elastic sheets, the elastic sheets including a dynamic elastic sheet and a static elastic sheet, wherein the top end of the pin apparatus is connected to the dynamic elastic sheet; when the pin apparatus is in the pin apparatus locking position, the pair of elastic sheets are in contact with each other, to turn on the switch apparatus; and when the pin apparatus is in the pin apparatus release position, the pin apparatus separates the pair of elastic sheets, to turn off the switch apparatus.

According to the door lock, the direction-changing apparatus includes a separable portion disposed at the tail end; the separable portion and the pin apparatus have an integrated structure; and the separable portion is arranged to lock the slider when the pin apparatus is in the pin apparatus locking position, and to be cut off when the pin apparatus is unlocked under a particular force, to enable an inclined surface to be formed at the tail end of the pin apparatus.

According to the door lock, the direction-changing apparatus includes a separable portion disposed on a side wall of the locking hole.

According to the door lock, the direction-changing apparatus includes a movable block disposed on the slider and a rocker plate disposed at the bottom of the locking hole.

According to the door lock, the length of the separable portion is less than the lateral width of the pin apparatus, to reduce the strength of the separable portion, to enable the separable portion to be cut off by a side wall of the locking hole to form the inclined surface.

According to the door lock, the separable portion may be disposed at two ends or in a middle position of the pin apparatus in a lateral width direction.

According to the door lock, the door lock further includes: a cam, a lock hook being disposed on the cam, wherein when the cam rotates around a rotating shaft, the lock hook may be locked at a door hook on a door of an electrical appliance; the slider may abut the cam to lock the cam when being in the slider locking position; and the rotation of the cam may drive the slider to move reciprocally between the slider locking position and the slider release position.

According to the door lock, when an external force pulls open the door of the electrical appliance, the door hook pulls the cam to rotate; and the cam pushes the slider to move in the second direction from the slider locking position to the slider release position, the separable portion is cut off, and the pin apparatus is pushed from the pin apparatus locking position to the pin apparatus release position.

According to the door lock, the door lock has a base; the first direction is perpendicular to a direction of the base; and the second direction is parallel to the direction of the base.

According to the door lock, the door lock is used on a home appliance.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a control apparatus of a door lock, including: a control circuit, the control circuit including a switch apparatus; a pin apparatus, the pin apparatus being capable of moving in a longitudinal direction toward the switch apparatus and being capable of enabling the pin apparatus to be in contact with the switch apparatus, to enable the switch apparatus to turn off; and a mechanical driving apparatus, wherein the pin apparatus is capable of being driven by the mechanical driving apparatus to enable the pin apparatus to move in the longitudinal direction toward the switch apparatus, to enable the pin apparatus to be in contact with the switch apparatus, to enable the switch apparatus to turn off.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the control apparatus further includes: a direction-changing apparatus, the pin apparatus passes through the direction-changing apparatus, to enable, when a transverse force is applied to the pin apparatus, the pin apparatus to move in the longitudinal direction toward the switch apparatus, to enable the pin apparatus to be in contact with the switch apparatus, to enable the switch apparatus to turn off.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the direction-changing apparatus enables, when the transverse force applied to the pin apparatus is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the pin apparatus to move in the longitudinal direction toward the switch apparatus, to enable the pin apparatus to be in contact with the switch apparatus, to enable the switch apparatus to turn off.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the direction-changing apparatus has a mechanical structure.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the door lock further includes: an electronic driving apparatus, where a driving signal for starting the electronic driving apparatus is an electronic signal, to drive the pin apparatus; and the mechanical driving apparatus is initially driven by a mechanical force, to drive the pin apparatus.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the control circuit further includes a connecting end, a control end, and a common end, wherein a first current circuit is formed between the connecting end and the common end through the switch apparatus, and a second current circuit is formed between the control end and the common end through the electronic driving apparatus; the pin apparatus is driven by the electronic driving apparatus to enable the pin apparatus to move in the longitudinal direction toward the switch apparatus, to enable the pin apparatus to be in contact with the switch apparatus, to enable the switch apparatus to turn off; the first current circuit and the second current circuit are connected to the common end through a common connecting point; the connecting end can be serially connected to a power supply through an electric motor in the first current circuit; the control end can be serially connected to the power supply through the electronic driving apparatus in the second current circuit; the common end is connected to the ground of the power supply; and the switch apparatus is capable of being turned on or turned off, the switch apparatus is turned on or turned off to control the first current circuit to be connected or disconnected, to enable the electric motor to be connected to or disconnected from the power supply in the first current circuit.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, when the electronic driving apparatus is started, the electronic driving apparatus can drive the pin apparatus, to enable the pin apparatus to move in the longitudinal direction toward the switch apparatus. According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the electronic driving apparatus includes a coil and an iron core, and when the electronic driving apparatus is connected to the second current circuit, the coil enables the iron core to move under the effect of an electromagnetic force, to drive the pin apparatus to make a longitudinal movement.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, a convex shoulder is disposed on the pin apparatus, and the iron core drives the convex shoulder through a self -locking block, to drive the pin apparatus to move.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the start signal is an excitation pulse, and each excitation pulse can enable the iron core to move once, to drive the self-locking block to move once; and the self -locking block has a locked state and a released state, and the self-locking block is configured to be switched between the locked state and the released state once when moving once.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the switch apparatus includes a movable elastic sheet and a fixed elastic sheet, the pin apparatus has a tail end and a top end, and the top end of the pin apparatus can be in contact with the movable elastic sheet; a movable contact is disposed at a distal end of the movable elastic sheet, a fixed contact is disposed at a distal end of the fixed elastic sheet, when the movable contact is in contact with the fixed contact, the switch apparatus is turned on, and the first current circuit is connected, and when the movable contact is separated from the fixed contact, the switch apparatus is turned off, and the first current circuit is disconnected.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the direction-changing apparatus is disposed at the tail end of the pin apparatus, and includes a separable portion; and when the transverse force applied to the tail end of the pin apparatus is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the separable portion can be separated from the tail end to enable an inclined surface to be formed at the tail end of the pin apparatus, and the pin apparatus can be pushed by a transverse force applied to the inclined surface to make a longitudinal movement.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the control apparatus further includes: a slider, the slider having a slider locking position and a slider release position, and being capable of moving reciprocally in a transverse direction between the slider locking position and the slider release position, wherein the slider has a locking hole, and when the slider moves to the slider locking position, the tail end of the pin apparatus can be inserted in the locking hole, and the slider is locked at the slider locking position; and when the tail end is inserted in the locking hole and the slider is transversely pushed by an external force greater than or equal to the predetermined value to move from the slider locking position toward the slider release position, a side wall of the locking hole can cut off the separable portion, and the side wall of the locking hole pushes the inclined surface to enable the pin apparatus to make a longitudinal movement.

According to the control apparatus of a door lock, the control apparatus further includes: a cam, a lock hook being disposed on the cam, wherein when the cam rotates around a rotating shaft, the lock hook may be locked at a door hook on a door of an electrical appliance; the slider may abut the cam to lock the cam when being in the slider locking position; and the reciprocal rotation of the cam may enable the slider to move reciprocally in the transverse direction between the slider locking position and the slider release position. When the slider is in the slider locking position and an external force greater than or equal to the predetermined value pulls open the door of the electrical appliance, the door hook pulls the cam to rotate. When the cam pushes the slider to move in the transverse direction from the slider locking position to the slider release position, the cam cuts off the separable portion and pushes the pin apparatus to make a longitudinal movement to disconnect the switch apparatus.

The concept, specific structure, and generated technical effects of the present application are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings for thorough understanding of the objectives, features, and effects of the present application.

Brief Description of the Drawings

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic structural diagram showing the front of a door lock according to the present application.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram after a top cover 117 of the door lock in FIG. 1 is removed and an actuator 103 is removed.

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3E are schematic structural diagrams of a control apparatus of a door lock according to the present application, showing a first embodiment of a direction-changing apparatus.

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D show an arrangement principle and different embodiments of a separable portion 331 on a pin apparatus (or pin) 330.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are schematic structural side views of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 before and after the separable portion 331 is cut off.

FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E are other schematic structural diagrams of a control apparatus of a door lock according to the present application, showing a second embodiment of the direction- changing apparatus.

FIG. 7A to FIG. 7E are other schematic structural diagram of a control apparatus of a door lock according to the present application, showing a third embodiment of the direction-changing apparatus.

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B show a control circuit 800 used to drive the pin apparatus (or pin) 330.

FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional view of a switch box 105, showing some specific components for driving the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 in the switch box 105.

Detailed Description

Various specific implementation manners of the present application are described below with reference to some accompanying drawings that are a part of the specification. It should be understood that terms representing directions are used in the present application. Direction or orientation terms such as "front", "rear", "up", "down", "left", and "right" describe various examples of structural parts and elements of the present application. However, these terms are used herein only for ease of description, and are determined based on examples of orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. In the embodiments disclosed in the present application, arrangements in different directions may be used. Therefore, these terms representing directions are merely descriptive but should not be considered to be limitative. In the following accompanying drawings, the same numeral is used for the same component, and similar numerals are used for similar components, to avoid repetition in description.

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic structural diagram showing the front of a door lock according to the present application. As shown in FIG. 1, the door lock includes a door lock box 110. A top cover 117 is disposed at an upper portion of the door lock box 110. A door key hole 112 is opened on an upper surface on a side of the head portion of the top cover 117 of the door lock box and is used to accommodate a door hook 101. The door hook 101 is located above the door key hole 112. When being inserted into the door lock through the door key hole 112 on the upper surface of the door lock box 110, the door hook 101 is hooked at a cam 201 (referring to the cam 201 shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 3E) inside the door lock. When the cam 201 is locked, a door of an electrical appliance is locked accordingly.

In FIG. 1, the door lock further includes an actuator 103 and a switch box 105. The actuation component 103 may be an electromagnetic driving component. The switch box 105 is mounted on a lower surface on a side of a tail portion of the top cover 117. The function of the switch box 105 is mainly to control the movement of a pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to lock or release a slider

204 (referring to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3E) and connect or disconnect a power supply of a main circuit of the electrical appliance.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram after the top cover 117 of the door lock in FIG. 1 is removed and the actuator 103 is removed, so as to show more details about components in a base 114, the switch box 105, and the slider 204 and a relationship among the base 114, the switch box 105, and the slider 204. The details and relationship are used as an embodiment to show a main operation mechanism of the door lock.

In FIG. 2, the base 114 and the switch box 105 are arranged adjacently in a row in a width direction of the door lock box 110 below the top cover 117. The slider 204 is disposed between the top cover 117 and the switch box 105, and traverses the switch box 105 in the width direction of the door lock box 110. The head end of the slider 204 continues to extend toward the base 114, so as to cover a part above the base 114. The slider 204 may slide in a transverse direction (that is, a second direction) parallel to the base 114. A locking hole 219 is opened on the slider 204. When the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 (referring to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3E) in the switch box 105 extends out in a first direction (longitudinal direction) perpendicular to the second direction to insert the locking hole 219, the slider 204 is locked.

As shown in FIG. 2, the cam 201 is disposed on the base 114. The cam 201 is disposed below the door hook 101. The main body of the cam 201 has a crescent-shaped bent structure. An arc- shaped open slot 202 is provided. An upper end of the open slot 202 is a lock hook 205. After being inserted in the door key hole 112, the door hook 101 pushes the cam 201 to rotate. The rotation of the cam 201 enables the lock hook 205 to be inserted into a hole 104 of the door hook 101 to hook the door hook 101. A lower end of the open slot 202 is in contact with a front end of the door hook 101. When the door hook 101 is inserted, the front end of the door hook 101 abuts the lower end of the open slot 202 to push the cam 201 to rotate counterclockwise.

The cam 201 is fixed on the base 114 by using a rotating shaft 212 on two sides, to enable the cam 201 to rotate around the rotating shaft 212. A torsion spring 210 is sleeved over the rotating shaft 212. The torsion spring 210 provides a torsion for resetting the cam 201. When the door hook 101 is pulled out from the cam 201, the torsion spring 210 drives the cam 201 to rotate clockwise. A cam pin 211 is further disposed on two sides of a tail end (a distal end away from the open slot 202) of the cam 201. The cam pin 211 adjoins the head end (a left end) of the slider 204. Meanwhile, the torsion spring 210 provides an offset force for opening the door. That is, when the cam 201 and the slider 204 are in an unlocked position, the torsion spring 210 ejects the door hook 101 from the cam 201.

FIG. 2 shows the front of the slider 204. The reset spring 213 is disposed at the tail end (a right end) of the slider 204. Because of mutual effects between the reset spring 213 and the torsion spring 210, during the rotation of the cam 201, the slider 204 accordingly moves reciprocally in the second direction. Specifically, the reset spring 213 provides a pre-tightening force for making the slider 204 adjoin the cam pin 211 on the cam 201. The torsion spring 210 provides a pushing force for making the cam 201 rotate clockwise. In this way, the torsion spring 210 and the reset spring 213 fit each other. During clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the cam 201, the contact between a rear surface of the cam 201 and the slider 204 enables the slider 204 to make a corresponding reciprocal movement.

FIG. 3A to FIG. 3E are schematic structural diagrams of a control apparatus of a door lock, show a first embodiment of a direction-changing apparatus, and are used to illustrate a relationship among the cam 201, the slider 204, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, and a switch apparatus in the switch box 105 when the door is forced open if an external force is greater than a predetermined value (for example, greater than 450 N) after the door lock is locked by the switch box 105. For ease of illustration, the switch box 105 moves from a lower portion of the slider 204 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 to an upper portion of the slider 204. The working principle is kept unchanged. The pin apparatus (or pin) 330 still moves in a direction perpendicular to the slider 204.

As shown in FIG. 3A, a dynamic elastic sheet (or a movable elastic sheet) 341 and a static elastic sheet (or a fixed elastic sheet) 342 are disposed in the switch box 105. A dynamic contact (a movable contact) 343 is disposed at a distal end of the dynamic elastic sheet 341. A static contact (or a fixed contact) 344 is disposed at a distal end of the static elastic sheet 342. Near ends of the dynamic elastic sheet 341 and the static elastic sheet 342 are connected to a working circuit or a main circuit of the electrical appliance, to control the electrical appliance to be connected to and disconnected from a power supply. The dynamic elastic sheet 341, the static elastic sheet 342, the dynamic contact 343, and the static contact 344 together form the switch apparatus 340. The contact and separation between the dynamic contact 343 and the static contact 344 is controlled to control the switch apparatus 340 to be turned on or turned off, to control the connection and disconnection of the working circuit. Specifically, when the dynamic contact 343 is in contact with the static contact 344, the switch apparatus 340 is turned on, and the working circuit is connected; and when the dynamic contact 343 is separated from the static contact 344, the switch apparatus 340 is turned off, and the working circuit is disconnected

When the door of the electrical appliance is closed, as shown in FIG. 3 A, the door hook 101 on the door is inserted in the door key hole 112 to push the cam 201 to rotate counterclockwise. The lock hook 205 of the cam 201 is inserted into the hole 104 of the door hook 101 to hook the door hook 101. When the reset spring 213 (referring to FIG. 2) at the right end of the slider 204 pushes the slider 204 to move leftward in the second direction (in a transverse direction) to a slider locking position, the left end of the slider 204 adj oins the cam pin 21 1 of the cam 201. In this case, the locking hole 219 of the slider 204 is aligned with the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. A switch control end (or a top end) 335 at an upper portion of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is connected to the dynamic elastic sheet 341 having a downward elastic force. A contact end (or a tail end) 337 at a lower portion of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is inserted downwardly in the first direction (a longitudinal direction) into the locking hole 219 under the effect of the elastic force of the dynamic elastic sheet 341. The pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is in a pin apparatus locking position. The slider 204 is locked and cannot move leftward or rightward in the second direction. The left end of the slider 204 is held against the cam 201 to prevent the cam 201 from rotation. The door hook 101 is hooked by the cam 201 and cannot be pulled out. The door is locked, and the electrical appliance is in a safe state. In this case, in the switch box 105, being driven by the dynamic elastic sheet 341, the dynamic contact 343 and the static contact 344 come into contact, the switch apparatus 340 is controlled to be turned on, the working circuit of the electrical appliance is connected, and the electrical appliance starts to operate.

To open the door of the electrical appliance normally, a switch button of the electrical appliance is pressed, a driving mechanism in the switch box 105 counteracts the elastic force of the dynamic elastic sheet 341 to raise the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, the slider 204 is unlocked, and the cam 201 may rotate. Meanwhile, the dynamic contact 343 and the static contact 344 are separated, the switch apparatus 340 is controlled to be disconnected, the working circuit of the electrical appliance is disconnected, and the electrical appliance is powered off and stops operating. However, if an external force is applied to forcefully pull the door during the operation of the electrical appliance, the door lock is damaged, and the door of the electrical appliance is opened, to ensure the safety requirement, the operation of the electrical appliance needs to be stopped immediately. Therefore, the main circuit of the electrical appliance needs to be disconnected immediately. The cases shown in FIG. 3B to FIG. 3E are used to describe the working principle of disconnecting the main circuit.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the electrical appliance is operating at this time, and an external force (or a pushing force from inside) forcefully pulls open the door of the electrical appliance at the same time, the door hook 101 moves upward to use the lock hook 205 to drive the cam 201 to rotate clockwise. However, being locked by the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, the slider 204 cannot move to the right, so that the cam 201 is locked and cannot rotate.

As shown in FIG. 3C, when an external force is large enough, the locking of internal components of the door lock is damaged, and the door lock is opened in a manner of damaging the door lock. To control such damage in a controllable range and make use of the damage, when the inventor moves the slider 204 from the slider locking position to a slider release position, a separable portion 331 (referring to FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D and FIG. 5 A and FIG. 5B) is disposed on a side of the contact between the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 and the locking hole 219. The separable portion 331 interacts with a left side wall 311 of the locking hole 219 in a normal state to lock the door lock. However, when an external force is large enough (for example, approximately 450 N), the door hook 101 pulls the cam 201 to rotate to push the slider 204 to move rightward. The side wall 311 of the locking hole 219 cuts off the separable portion 331 of the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. An inclined surface 332 is formed at the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 after the separable portion 331 is cut off. The inclined surface 332 is used to enable the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to be pushed to move upward to a pin apparatus release position. Refer to FIG. 3D for details.

As shown in FIG. 3D, after the separable portion 331 is cut off from the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, the separable portion 331 falls off, and the inclined surface 332 is formed at the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. The slider 204 continues to move rightward. A force between the side wall 311 of the locking hole 219 and the inclined surface 332 generates an upward pushing force in the first direction to push the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to move upward. When the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 moves upward by a particular distance and counteracts the elastic force of the dynamic elastic sheet 341 to push away the dynamic contact 343, the dynamic contact 343 is separated from the static contact 344. The switch apparatus 340 is controlled to be is disconnected, the working circuit of the electrical appliance is cut off, and the electrical appliance stops operating. However, in this case, the door hook 101 is still not completely detached from the cam 201, and the door is still not completely opened. That is, the working circuit of the electrical appliance is disconnected before the door is opened, and the electrical appliance stops operating.

As shown in FIG. 3E, the door hook 101 is completely detached from the cam 201, and the door is opened. The cam 201 rotates clockwise to an unlocked state. The slider 204 moves to the slider release position, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 moves upward to the pin apparatus release position, the dynamic contact 343 and the static contact 344 are completely separated, and the switch apparatus 340 is controlled to be disconnected.

FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D show an arrangement principle and different embodiments of the separable portion 331 on the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. FIG. 5 A and FIG. 5B are schematic structural side views of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 before and after the separable portion 331 is cut off.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are schematic structural diagrams of a first embodiment of the separable portion 331 according to the present application. FIG. 4A shows an inverted three- dimensional structure of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, and is mainly used to present the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. The pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is generally a cubic structure, and the lateral width of a front force-bearing surface of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is H. After the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is inserted in the locking hole 219, when the slider 204 moves from the slider locking position toward the slider release position, a part of the contact between the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 and the locking hole 219 is the separable portion 331 to be cut off under control in the present application. In an ideal state, the inclined surface 332 represented by the dotted-line shaded parts in FIG. 4 A is formed after the separable portion 331 is cut off. An approximately 45° angle is formed between the inclined surface 332 and an end surface of the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. However, the separable portion 331 and the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 have an integrated structure. It is relatively difficult to control the cutting on the side wall 311 of the locking hole 219 according to the ideal state in FIG. 4 A to form the inclined surface 332.

In an ideal state shown in FIG. 4B, after the separable portion 331 is cut off, a structural state of the inclined surface 332 is formed at the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. As an embodiment, the cross section of the separable portion 331 that is cut off is a triangle. The main body is a triangular prism structure and has a length L. In this case, the length L of the separable portion 331 is equal to the width H of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. In fact, the shape and length of the separable portion 331 that is cut off may be set in various manners, provided that after the separable portion 331 is cut off, the inclined surface 332 having an approximately 45° angle is formed at the locking contact end 337.

FIG. 4C is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of the separable portion

331 according to the present application. To cut off the separable portion 331 according to an expected manner and form predetermined inclined surface 332, the structure of the separable portion 331 needs to be weakened. The manner shown in FIG. 4C is to reduce the length of the separable portion 331. The length of the separable portion 331 in FIG. 4C is reduced to LI. LKH. The separable portion 331 is disposed on a side of the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, and a partial structure of the inclined surface 332 is reserved on the other side. In this manner, a force-bearing range of the separable portion 331 is reduced. In the case of a normal force, the separable portion 331 may bear a force of locking the slider 204. However, when the door is forced open, the separable portion 331 is relatively easily cut off, to form the inclined surface 332.

FIG. 4D is a schematic structural diagram of a third embodiment of the separable portion 331 according to the present application. The length L2 of the separable portion 331 is less than H. The separable portion 331 is disposed in a middle position of the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. A partial structure of the inclined surface 332 is reserved on two sides of the locking contact end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. The principle in FIG. 4D is the same as that shown in FIG. 4C. Details are no longer described.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are schematic structural side views of the embodiment in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D, and show the principle of forming the inclined surface 332.

The length L of the separable portion 331 is reduced to reduce the strength of the separable portion 331 for cutting according to a planned inclined surface 332. Another structure or manner may be used to achieve the same effect. For example, holes similar to those on the edge of a postage stamp are provided along a sectional surface of the inclined surface 332, so that the strength of the separable portion 331 may be reduced, to enable the separable portion 331 to be successfully cut off. Alternatively, the separable portion 331 is cut off in advance according to the angle of the inclined surface 332 and is then bonded on the inclined surface 332, so that the fixed structure of the separable portion 331 is weakened and can be conveniently cut off. Moreover, the separable portion is disposed on an edge of the contact between the locking hole 219 of the slider 204 and the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. During unlocking, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is cut off to form the inclined surface for pushing the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to move upward. These designs and structures are obtained by merely making some slight adjustments to the original apparatus and components, and an overall mechanical structure and corresponding position and connection relationships are not changed. During actual production and use, only a module or component needs to be replaced to provide more reliable safety protection for a new electrical appliance device. Nearly no change needs to be made to original production lines and production devices.

FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E are other schematic structural diagrams of a control apparatus of a door lock, and show a second embodiment of the direction-changing apparatus. A separable portion 661 is disposed at an edge of the contact between the locking hole 219 of the slider 204 and the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. As shown in FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E, the separable portion 661 is disposed on a hole wall in the locking hole 219 of the slider 204. When the door is forced open under an external force, the tail end (or the locking contact end) 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 cuts off the separable portion 661 from the slider 204. The inclined surface is formed on a side of the contact between the slider 204 and the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, so as to change a transverse (or the second direction) force to a longitudinal (or the first direction) force, to push the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to move upward. As the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 moves upward, the top end (or the switch control end) 335 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 pushes open the movable elastic sheet 341, to enable the movable contact 343 to be separated from the fixed contact 344, to disconnect the working circuit of the electrical appliance.

In fact, no matter whether the separable portion is disposed on the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 or on the slider 204, the same effect can be achieved provided that a direction-changing apparatus is formed between the slider 204 and the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 and a transverse force can be changed to a longitudinal force to push the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to make a longitudinal movement. In the present application, to further enhance the reliability and safety of using the electrical appliance, a mechanical structure is used for the direction-changing apparatus to form a mechanical driving apparatus, so that when a transverse force applied by the slider 204 to the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 exceeds a predetermined value, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 can be driven without needing an electrical signal to make a longitudinal movement, and the working circuit of the electrical appliance can be disconnected in time. The direction-changing apparatus may be disposed at the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 that bears a transverse force, or may be disposed near the tail end 337. Other different structures or designs may be used.

FIG. 7A to FIG. 7E are other schematic structural diagrams of a control apparatus of a door lock, and show a third embodiment of the direction-changing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 7A to FIG. 7E, a movable block 772, a spring 773, and a rocker plate 771 on the slider 204 together form the direction-changing apparatus. The slider 204 has a body, and the rocker plate 771 is disposed in the locking hole 219 and abuts the body of the slider 204, and may rotate around a fixed shaft with the movement of the slider 204 in the transverse direction. A part of the contact between the slider 204 and the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is disposed to be the movable block 772. The movable block 772 is connected to the slider 204 through the transverse spring 773.

FIG. 7A shows that when the door is in a locked state, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 falls in the locking hole 219, the movable contact 343 is in contact with the fixed contact 344, and the working circuit of the electrical appliance is connected. FIG. 7B shows that when the door is in a locked state and is forced open, the cam 201 drives the slider 204 to move rightward, to enable the movable block 772 to be held against the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, to prevent the door from being opened. The slider 204 at the same time drives the rocker plate 771 to rotate clockwise to approach the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. FIG. 7C and FIG. 7D show that when an external force for forcing the door open exceeds the predetermined value (for example, is greater than 450 N), the cam 201 drives the slider 204 to continue to move rightward, and at the same time drives the rocker plate 771 to continue to rotate clockwise, so as to abut the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 and further raise the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. However, the movable block 772 is blocked by the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to stop moving, and further compresses the spring 773, to generate relative displacement with respect to the body of the slider 240. FIG. 7E shows that as the rocker plate 771 raises the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, the top end 335 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 pushes open the movable elastic sheet 341, to enable the movable contact 343 to be separated from the fixed contact 344, so as to disconnect the working circuit. Meanwhile, as the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 moves upward, the lower edge of the tail end 337 is higher than the movable block 772, and the rightward movement of the movable block 772 cannot be blocked. The compressed spring 773 pushes the movable block 772 to move rightward and be reset.

In the present application, FIG. 3A to FIG. 3E, FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E, and FIG. 7A to FIG. 7E show that in three embodiments of the direction-changing apparatus, when a force applied by the slider 204 to the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 in the transverse direction (the second direction) exceeds the predetermined value (for example, greater than 450 N), the direction-changing apparatus enables the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to move in a longitudinal direction (the first direction) toward the pin apparatus release position. In FIG. 3A to FIG. 3E, the direction- changing apparatus includes the separable portion 331 disposed at the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. In FIG. 6A to FIG. 6E, the direction-changing apparatus includes the separable portion 661 disposed in the locking hole 219 on the slider 204. The separable portion 661 is disposed at a lateral adjacent portion at the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. In FIG. 7A to FIG. 7E, the direction-changing apparatus includes the movable block 772, the spring 773, and the rocker plate 771. The rocker plate 771 of the direction-changing apparatus is disposed near the tail end 337 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330.

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B show a control circuit 800 used to drive the pin apparatus (or pin) 330.

As shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, the control circuit 800 includes a first current circuit (a working circuit) and a second current circuit (a control circuit). The first current circuit is formed between a connecting end 801 and a common end 802 through a switch apparatus 340. The second current circuit is formed between the control end 803 and the common end 802 through an electronic driving apparatus 810 and a start apparatus 820. The first current circuit and the second current circuit are connected to the common end 802 through a common connecting point 805.

The connecting end 801 can be serially connected to a power supply 840 through an electric motor 830 (or another driving component such as a motor) in the first current circuit. Two contacts 343, 344 of the switch apparatus 340 are respectively connected to the first current circuit through connecting points 804, 805. The switch apparatus 340 is turned on and turned off to control the first current circuit to be connected or disconnected, to control the electric motor 830 and the power supply 840 to be connected or disconnected. The electronic driving apparatus 810 and the start apparatus 820 are connected to the second current circuit through the control end 803 and a connecting point 806, and are further connected to the power supply 840. The start apparatus 820 may connect (excite) the electronic driving apparatus 810 according to a received control signal (or driving signal) 821, to control the switch apparatus 340 to be turned off or turned on. The common end 802 is connected to the ground of the power supply 840.

As shown in FIG. 8 A, the electronic driving apparatus 810 includes a coil 811 and an iron core 812. When the electronic driving apparatus 810 and the second current circuit are connected, the coil 811 is electrified to enable the iron core 812 to move under the effect of an electromagnetic force. A convex shoulder 339 (referring to FIG. 5A to FIG. 5B) is disposed on the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. The iron core 812 may drive the convex shoulder 339 to enable the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to move up and down in the longitudinal direction.

In an aspect, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 may be driven by various mechanical driving apparatuses in the foregoing drawings, so that when the transverse force applied to the tail end 337 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, even if the first current circuit is in a connected state, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 can move in the longitudinal direction toward the switch apparatus 340, and when the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 pushes the switch apparatus 340, the switch apparatus 340 is disconnected.

In another aspect, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 may be driven by the electronic driving apparatus 810 to move in the longitudinal direction, to control the switch apparatus 340 to be connected or disconnected. When the start apparatus 820 receives a driving signal (or control signal) 821, the start apparatus 820 is connected, and the power supply 840 is connected to the coil 811, to enable the coil 811 to be in an excited state, so as to enable the iron core 812 located in the coil 811 to drive the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 in the longitudinal direction to move to push the switch apparatus 340, so that the switch apparatus 340 is disconnected.

As shown in FIG. 8B, when the electrical appliance is working normally, the switch apparatus 340 is turned on. In this case, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 leaves the switch apparatus 340 and the turned on state of the switch apparatus 340 is not affected. Meanwhile, the start apparatus 820 does not receive a driving signal (or control signal) 821, the start apparatus 820 is not connected, and the power supply 840 is disconnected from the coil 811, so that the coil 811 is in a non-excited state and the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is not operated.

In the embodiment in FIG. 8 A and FIG. 8B, the start apparatus 820 may be a bipolar junction transistor. When the bipolar junction transistor is connected, the emitter and the collector of the bipolar junction transistor connect the power supply 840 and the coil 811. When the bipolar junction transistor is not connected, the emitter and the collector of the bipolar junction transistor disconnect the power supply 840 from the coil 811. The base of the bipolar junction transistor receives a driving signal (or control signal) 821. When the driving signal (or control signal) 821 appears, the bipolar junction transistor is connected. When the driving signal (or control signal) 821 disappears, the bipolar junction transistor is not connected.

In FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, when the electrical appliance is in a normal working state, for example, when the door is closed and then the electrical appliance starts to work, or when the electrical appliance stops working and then the door is opened, the electronic driving apparatus 810 drives the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to make a longitudinal movement to connect or disconnect the working circuit of the electrical appliance. When the door is in a locked state and is opened in an abnormal manner, a mechanical driving apparatus (the structures 331, 661, and (771, 772, and 773) the separable portion described in FIG. 3 A to FIG. 7E) may enable the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to move upward, so as to disconnect the working circuit in time. The pin apparatus (or pin) 330 used to connected or disconnect the working circuit may be controlled by the electronic driving apparatus 810 in a normal working state or may be controlled by the mechanical driving apparatus linked to the door lock when the door is opened in an abnormal manner. Therefore, operations are convenient, relatively high safety and reliability are achieved. An apparatus such as an additional sensor does not need to be added. No change needs to be made to the original mechanical mechanism or only relatively slight changes need to be made to the original mechanical mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a three-dimensional view of the switch box 105, and is used to show some specific components for driving the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 in the switch box 105. As shown in FIG. 9, a driver housing 910, a self -locking block 901, a push mechanism 902, and an inclined surface 903 of the electronic driving apparatus 810 are disposed in the switch box 105.

The driver housing 910 accommodates the coil 811. The iron core 812 (not shown in FIG. 9, and referring to FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B) is inserted in the coil 81 1. The effect of the self-locking block 901 is to drive the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to control the switch apparatus 340 to be switched between a connected state and a disconnected state.

Specifically, the self-locking block 901 has a locked state and a released state, and the iron core 812 may push the self-locking block 901 to be switched between the two states. Each time the iron core 812 moves, the self-locking block 901 moves once accordingly and is switched once between the locked state and the released state. It may be set that a driving signal (or control signal) is an excitation signal. Each excitation pulse can make the iron core 812 move once, to drive the self-locking block 901 to move once. The relative positions of the self-locking block 901 and the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 are properly arranged, so that when the self-locking block 901 is in different states, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 is in different positions, to enable the switch apparatus 340 to be in a connected or disconnected state.

Each time being excited, the electronic driving apparatus 810 pushes the self-locking block 901 to move forward once. The push mechanism 902 is disposed in the self-locking block 901. When the self-locking block 901 is pushed forward in the released state, the push mechanism 902 can lock the self-locking block 901 in a position to which the self-locking block 901 is pushed and cannot be reset, to change to the locked state. When the self-locking block 901 is pushed forward in the locked state, the push mechanism 902 can release the self-locking block 901, to enable the self-locking block 901 to be reset, so as to change to the released state. The push mechanism 902 may have various implementation manners, for example, a "ballpoint-pen-refill push mechanism".

The inclined surface 903 is disposed at the part of the contact between the self-locking block 901 and the convex shoulder 339 of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330. The convex shoulder 339 may slide along the inclined surface 903, to enable the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to move up and down as the self-locking block 901 moves forward and backward.

When the electrical appliance is working, that is, when the first current circuit is connected, the self-locking block 901 is in the released state, the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 falls down, and the switch apparatus 340 is connected. In a normal state, if the first current circuit needs to be disconnected to stop working, a control system (not shown) of the electrical appliance may send a pulse signal to the start apparatus 820, to enable the iron core 812 in the electronic driving apparatus 810 to push the self-locking block 901 forward under the effect of an electromagnetic force. The self-locking block 901 moves forward to drive the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to move upward, to push open the switch apparatus 340 to disconnect the first current circuit. Even if the pulse signal disappears, the self-locking block 901 is locked by the push mechanism 902 and therefore cannot be reset, so as to abut the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 to keep the pin apparatus (or pin) 330, instead of falling down, in a position of pushing open the switch apparatus 340. The first current circuit is always kept in a disconnected state. When a next pulse signal comes, the electronic driving apparatus 810 pushes the self-locking block 901 forward again. At this time, the push mechanism 902 releases the self-locking block 901 to reset the self-locking block 901. The pin apparatus (or pin) 330 falls down accordingly, so as to connect the switch apparatus 340.

It should be noted that the spirit and principle of the present application are not limited to the embodiments of the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 and the direction-changing apparatus disclosed in the present application. A person skilled in the art should understand that the pin apparatus (or pin) 330 and the direction-changing apparatus in the embodiments of the present application may be other mechanical structures having the same or similar functions. Under a magnetic force (or electromagnetic force) applied to the pin apparatus (or pin) in a transverse (second direction), the direction-changing apparatus can enable the pin apparatus (or pin) to move in a longitudinal direction (first direction), so as to push open the switch apparatus 340 to cut off the power supply circuit.

Although the present application is described with reference to specific implementation manners shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the arrangement of the door lock, particularly, the direction-changing apparatus of the present application may have many variations without departing from the spirit, scope, and background of the present application. A person skilled in the art will be aware that changes made in different manners to the structures in the embodiments disclosed in the present application all fall within the spirit and scope of the present application and the claims.