TWI869182B - Hook locking device - Google Patents

Abstract

A hook locking device includes a body, a hook, a lock and a control circuit. The hook is connected to one end of the body and forms a hanging notch with the body. The free end of the hook has a fastening member. The lock includes a connecting end and a clipping end. The connecting end is movably connected to the other end of the body. In the locked state, the clipping end locks with the fastening member to close the hanging notch. In the unlocked state, the clipping end is separated from the fastening member. The control circuit is in the hook and includes a NFC antenna, a driving module and a processor. The NFC antenna receives a wireless signal. The processor obtains and verifies the authentication information from the wireless signal. The driving module drives the fastening member to release the clipping end when the verification is passed.

Description

Hook lock device

The present invention relates to the field of electronic locks, and in particular to a hook lock device.

In today's life, people often need a means of transportation (such as a motorcycle) to carry out daily activities when they go out. In order to increase the storage space, a hook is generally provided on the motorcycle for users to hang items. However, if the hook is not equipped with a lock, the items hung on the hook are easily stolen by thieves. Therefore, a key mechanical lock is usually provided on the hook to prevent thieves from stealing. However, the key mechanical lock is easy to be damaged, and the key used to unlock the key mechanical lock may be lost or copied by thieves due to improper storage by the user.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a hook lock device. The hook lock device includes a main body, a hook body, a lock body and a control circuit. The hook body is connected to one end of the main body and forms a hanging notch with the main body. The free end of the hook body has a clamping portion. The lock body includes a connecting end and a buckling end. The connecting end can be movably connected to the other end of the main body. When in the locked state, the buckling end of the lock body and the clamping portion of the hook body are buckled to close the hanging notch. When in the unlocked state, the buckling end of the lock body is separated from the clamping portion of the hook body. The control circuit is arranged inside the hook body and includes a near-field communication (NFC) antenna, a drive module and a processor. The drive module is connected to the snap-fitting part. The processor is connected to the NFC antenna and the drive module. The NFC antenna receives the first wireless signal. The processor obtains and verifies the first verification information from the first wireless signal, and outputs the drive signal to the drive module when the verification is passed. The drive module drives the snap-fitting part to release the snap-fitting end in response to receiving the drive signal.

In summary, according to some embodiments, the present invention does not require the user to keep a physical key, which can protect the items hung on the hook from being stolen, and because no physical key is required, the security of the hook lock device can be improved. For example, the hook lock device is not easily damaged or cracked. In some embodiments, the control circuit of the present invention uses NFC technology to transmit wireless signals and generates power through the magnetic field effect of NFC technology, so no battery or external power supply is required. In this way, the maintenance cost of batteries and external power supply can be eliminated, and the convenience of the hook lock device can be increased.

10: Hook lock device

20: Body

21: First end

22: Second end

30:Hook body

31: Free end

32: snap-fit part

40: Lock body

41:Connection terminal

42: snap-fit end

50: Control circuit

51:NFC antenna

52:Drive module

53:Processor

54: Light-emitting module

55: Voltage regulator circuit

60: Hanging gap

70: Mounting seat

71: Carrier

72: First opening gap

73: Clamping parts

74: Arm clamp

75: Second opening gap

80: Motorcycle

81: Pipe column

82:Handle

Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the hook lock device in some embodiments of the present invention in the locked state.

Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the hook lock device in some embodiments of the present invention in an unlocked state.

FIG3 is a block diagram of the control circuit of the hook lock device of some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG4 is a block diagram of the control circuit of the hook lock device of some embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the application of the hook lock device of some embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the mounting base of the hook lock device of some embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the mounting base of the hook lock device of some embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the mounting base of the hook lock device of some embodiments of the present invention.

Refer to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the hook lock device 10 of some embodiments of the present invention in a locked state. Figure 2 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the hook lock device 10 of some embodiments of the present invention in an unlocked state. Figure 3 is a block diagram of the control circuit 50 of the hook lock device 10 of some embodiments of the present invention. The hook lock device 10 includes a body 20, a hook body 30, a lock body 40 and a control circuit 50. The hook body 30 is connected to one end of the body 20 (hereinafter referred to as the first end 21), and forms a hanging gap 60 with the body 20. For example, one end of the hook body 30 is connected to one end of the main body 20 (i.e., the first end 21), and the other end of the hook body 30 (i.e., the free end 31) is spaced a distance from the other end of the main body 20 (hereinafter referred to as the second end 22) to form a hanging gap 60. The object (not shown) is hung on the hook body 30 by being placed in the hanging gap 60.

The free end 31 of the hook body 30 has a snap-fitting portion 32. The lock body 40 includes a connecting end 41 and a buckling end 42. The connecting end 41 can be movably connected to the other end (and the second end 22) of the body 20. In the locked state, the buckling end 42 of the lock body 40 and the buckling portion 32 of the hook body 30 are buckled to close the hanging gap 60. Specifically, by the buckling end 42 of the lock body 40 and the buckling portion 32 of the hook body 30 being buckled, the lock body 40 can cover the hanging gap 60, thereby closing the hanging gap 60. At this time, the items placed in the hanging notch 60 and hung on the hook body 30 cannot be removed from the hanging notch 60 because the hanging notch 60 is closed. In this way, the items can be prevented from being stolen. In the unlocked state, the buckle end 42 of the lock body 40 is separated from the snap-fit portion 32 of the hook body 30. In this way, the hanging notch 60 is exposed because it is not covered by the lock body 40. At this time, the items can be freely removed from the hanging notch 60 so that the user can obtain the items.

The control circuit 50 is disposed inside the hook body 30. The control circuit 50 includes an NFC antenna 51, a drive module 52, and a processor 53. The drive module 52 is connected to the engaging portion 32. The processor 53 is connected to the NFC antenna 51 and the drive module 52. The processor 53 is, for example, an NFC chip. The NFC antenna 51 receives a first wireless signal. The first wireless signal is from an electronic device of a user, and the user places first verification information into the first wireless signal through the electronic device. The processor 53 obtains and verifies the first verification information from the first wireless signal, and outputs a drive signal to the drive module 52 when verification is passed. The driving module 52 drives the clamping part 32 to release the buckling end 42 in response to receiving the driving signal, so that the lock body 40 is in an unlocked state. In one example, the driving module 52 includes an electromagnetic valve. In the locked state, the clamping rod of the electromagnetic valve clamps the buckling end 42 that is buckled with the clamping part 32. After the first verification information is verified, the electromagnetic valve responds to the driving signal and actuates, and retracts its clamping rod to make the clamping part 32 release the buckling end 42, and the lock body 40 is in an unlocked state. In another example, the driving module 52 includes a motor and a push member. The push piece is located in the engaging portion 32, and in the locked state, the push piece abuts against the buckle end 42. After the first verification information is verified, the motor responds to the driving signal and moves the push piece toward the opening of the engaging portion 32, so that the push piece pushes the buckle end 42 away from the engaging portion 32, and the lock body 40 is in the unlocked state. In this way, the safety of the hook lock device 10 can be improved by judging whether the lock body 40 is in the unlocked state through electronic verification.

In some embodiments, the first verification information is password information. The password information is, for example, a personal identification number (PIN) entered by a user through an electronic device. The processor 53 stores the password verification information. The verification procedure of the first verification information is to verify whether the password information is consistent with the password verification information. Specifically, when the password information is consistent with the password verification information, the processor 53 determines that the verification is passed, thereby making the lock body 40 unlocked. When the password information does not match the password verification information, the processor 53 determines that the verification is not passed, thereby maintaining the lock body 40 in the locked state.

In some embodiments, the first verification information is ciphertext information. The processor 53 decrypts the ciphertext information to obtain the decrypted information. The verification procedure of the first verification information is to verify whether the decrypted information is consistent with the plaintext information. The plaintext information is in the second wireless signal sent before the NFC antenna 51 receives the first wireless signal. For example, before the NFC antenna 51 receives the first wireless signal, the processor 53 uses the stored serial number as the plaintext information or generates a random number as the plaintext information through a random number generator. Then, the processor 53 stores the plaintext information and puts the plaintext information into the second wireless signal to send the second wireless signal to the user's electronic device via the NFC antenna 51. Afterwards, the user's electronic device encrypts the plaintext information (e.g., symmetric encryption or asymmetric encryption) to generate ciphertext information, places the ciphertext information into the first wireless signal as the first verification information, and sends the first wireless signal to the hook lock device 10. Asymmetric encryption is, for example, the RSA algorithm or the digital signature algorithm (DSA). When the user's electronic device executes the digital signature algorithm on the plaintext information, the generated ciphertext information is a digital signature information. The processor 53 obtains the ciphertext information in the first wireless signal via the NFC antenna 51, and decrypts the ciphertext information to obtain decrypted information. When the decrypted information matches the plaintext information, the processor 53 determines that the verification is successful, and the lock body 40 is unlocked. When the decrypted information does not match the plaintext information, the processor 53 determines that the verification is unsuccessful, and the lock body 40 remains in the locked state.

In some embodiments, the NFC antenna 51 receives a third wireless signal before receiving the first wireless signal. The processor 53 obtains and verifies the second verification information from the third wireless signal, and executes the verification procedure of the first verification information when the verification is passed. In this way, by determining whether to make the lock body 40 enter the unlocked state through double electronic verification, the security of the hook lock device 10 can be further improved.

In some embodiments, the second verification information is account information. The account information is, for example, an account name and its corresponding password entered by a user through an electronic device. The processor 53 stores the account verification information. The verification procedure of the second verification information is to verify whether the account information is consistent with the account verification information. Specifically, when the account information is consistent with the account verification information, the processor 53 determines that the verification is passed, thereby executing the verification procedure of the first verification information. When the account information is inconsistent with the account verification information, the processor 53 determines that the verification is not passed, thereby maintaining the lock body 40 in the locked state, placing the verification failure message into the fourth wireless signal, and sending the fourth wireless signal to the user's electronic device via the NFC antenna 51. In this way, the user can know that the account information he/she entered is incorrect, and can re-enter new account information.

In some embodiments, one of the buckle end 42 of the lock body 40 and the engaging portion 32 of the hook body 30 is provided with a plug and the other is provided with a bolt groove. When in the locked state, the plug and the bolt groove are bolted to each other.

In some embodiments, the connection end 41 of the lock body 40 has a rotating member to drive the lock body 40 to move when in the unlocked state. Specifically, in the unlocked state, the rotating member is rotated by the external force generated when the locking portion 32 releases the locking end 42, and drives the lock body 40 to move. For example, the lock body 40 moves horizontally or vertically along the rotation direction of the rotating member. The rotating member is, for example, a knob. In this way, the displacement direction of the lock body 40 can be limited to reduce the risk of damage to the lock body 40 due to arbitrary displacement.

In some embodiments, the connecting end 41 of the lock body 40 has a spring to make the lock body 40 bounce off the hook body 30 in the unlocked state. Specifically, in the locked state, the spring of the connecting end 41 of the lock body 40 is squeezed by the external force generated when the buckle end 42 locks the clamping part 32, thereby accumulating elastic restoring force. In the unlocked state, since the clamping part 32 releases the buckle end 42, the squeezing force of the spring is removed, and the spring releases its accumulated elastic restoring force to make the lock body 40 bounce off the hook body 30 by the elastic restoring force.

Referring to FIG. 4 , it is a block diagram of a control circuit 50 of a hook lock device 10 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the control circuit 50 further includes a light emitting module 54. The light emitting module 54 is implemented by a light emitting diode, for example. When the NFC antenna 51 receives the first wireless signal, the processor 53 controls the light emitting module 54 to present a first light emitting state. In some embodiments, in addition to receiving the first wireless signal, when the NFC antenna 51 receives the third wireless signal, sends the second wireless signal, or sends the fourth wireless signal, the processor 53 can also control the light emitting module 54 to present the first light emitting state. In other words, when the NFC antenna 51 receives or sends a wireless signal, the processor 53 controls the light module 54 to present a first light state, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the NFC antenna 51 receives or sends a wireless signal carrying different information, the processor 53 controls the light module 54 to present a different light state. In this way, the user can know that the hook lock device 10 is currently transmitting a wireless signal. When the drive module 52 drives the engaging portion 32, the processor 53 controls the light module 54 to present a second light state different from the first light state. For example, the first light state is a flashing light, and the second light state is a constant light. In this way, the user can know that the hook lock device 10 is being unlocked.

In some embodiments, the control circuit 50 further includes a voltage regulator circuit 55. The voltage regulator circuit 55 is connected to the NFC antenna 51, the driving module 52, and the light-emitting module 54. When the NFC antenna 51 receives the first wireless signal (or receives the third wireless signal, or sends the second wireless signal, or sends the fourth wireless signal), the NFC antenna 51 generates an induction power due to the magnetic field effect. The voltage regulator circuit 55 regulates the induction power (e.g., step-up and step-down) to provide a regulated power to the driving module 52 and the light-emitting module 54, so that the driving module 52 and the light-emitting module 54 can operate normally. The voltage regulator circuit 55 can be implemented by a circuit with a voltage regulator function assembled from active components (such as transistors) and/or passive components (such as resistors, inductors, and capacitors). In some embodiments, the processor 53 has a built-in module with a voltage regulator function, so the processor 53 can operate normally directly through the inductive power supply without the voltage regulator circuit 55. In other embodiments, if the processor 53 does not have a built-in module with a voltage regulator function, the processor 53 is connected to the voltage regulator circuit 55 so that the voltage regulator circuit 55 can provide a regulated power supply to the processor 53 and enable the processor 53 to operate normally.

In some embodiments, the processor 53 stores a storage information, which includes information about the owner of the locked object, information about the name of the locked object, information about the production of the locked object, information about the shelf life of the locked object, a record table of the use and return of the locked object, and a recent unlocking time. When the user locks the object into the hook body 30 of the hook lock device 10, the wireless signal containing the locked object owner information, the locked object name information, the locked object production information, and the locked object shelf life information is sent to the control circuit 50 of the hook lock device 10 through an electronic device, so that the processor 53 of the control circuit 50 parses and stores the locked object owner information, the locked object name information, the locked object production information, and the locked object shelf life information. The owner information of the locked object refers to the name of the person who manages the object, the name information of the locked object refers to the name of the object, the production information of the locked object refers to the manufacturing data such as the factory date and instrument number of the object, and the shelf life information of the locked object refers to the shelf life of the object.

When the user locks the item into the hook body 30 of the hook lock device 10, a wireless signal with return record information is sent to the control circuit 50 of the hook lock device 10 through an electronic device, so that the processor 53 of the control circuit 50 analyzes the wireless signal and stores the return record information in the locked item collection and return record table stored therein. The return record information records the name of the returned item, the time of item return (i.e. the time when the item is locked into the hook body 30 of the hook lock device 10), the name of the return person, and other information.

When the user takes out the item locked in the hook body 30 of the hook lock device 10, the control circuit 50 of the hook lock device 10 generates and stores a collection record information in the locked item collection and return record table stored therein. The collection record information records the name of the taken out item, the time of item collection (i.e., the time when the item locked in the hook body 30 of the hook lock device 10 is taken out), the name of the person who collected it (which can be input to the control circuit 50 through a wireless signal when the user unlocks the hook lock device 10), and other information.

When the user takes out the item locked in the hook body 30 of the hook lock device 10, the control circuit 50 of the hook lock device 10 generates an unlocking time and updates the stored recent unlocking time according to the unlocking time. The recent unlocking time refers to the time when the hook lock device 10 was last unlocked.

Referring to FIG. 5 , it is a schematic diagram of the application of the hook lock device 10 of some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the hook lock device 10 further includes a mounting seat 70 for connecting to an external housing (such as a housing of a motorcycle 80), and the body 20 of the hook lock device 10 is located on the mounting seat 70. In some embodiments, the mounting seat 70 is fixed to the external housing by screwing, snapping or gluing.

Referring to FIG. 6 , it is a schematic diagram of a mounting base 70 of a hook lock device 10 of some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the mounting base 70 has a carrier 71. The bottom end of the carrier 71 is connected to the second end 22 of the body 20, and the top end of the carrier 71 has an open notch (also referred to as a first open notch 72). In this way, the user can also hang an item (not shown) on the carrier 71 by placing it in the first open notch 72, thereby increasing the storage space of the hook lock device 10.

Refer to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the mounting base 70 of the hook lock device 10 of some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the mounting base 70 has a clamping member 73. The clamping member 73 has two clamping arms 74, one end of the two clamping arms 74 is connected to the second end 22 of the body 20, and the other end of the two clamping arms 74 is formed with an open gap (also referred to as a second open gap 75). The user places an external housing (such as a column 81 or a handle 82 of a motorcycle 80) into the second open gap 75, and closes the second open gap 75 by screwing, so that the hook lock device 10 is fixed to the external housing through the mounting base 70.

Referring to FIG8 , it is a schematic diagram of a mounting base 70 of a hook lock device 10 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, one end of two clamping arms 74 of a clamping member 73 of the mounting base 70 is connected to the second end 22 of the body 20 and has a spring, which is squeezed by an external force applied by a user to accumulate elastic restoring force, and forms a second opening gap 75 at the other end of the two clamping arms 74. The user places an external housing (such as a handlebar 82 of a motorcycle 80) into the second opening gap 75 and removes the squeezing force applied to the spring, at which time the spring releases its accumulated elastic restoring force, so that the other ends of the two clamping arms 74 are brought closer to each other by the elastic restoring force to close the second opening gap 75. In this way, the hook lock device 10 is fixed to the external housing through the mounting seat 70.

In summary, according to some embodiments, the present invention does not require the user to keep a physical key, which can protect the items hung on the hook from being stolen, and because no physical key is required, the security of the hook lock device can be improved. For example, the hook lock device is not easily damaged or cracked. In some embodiments, the control circuit of the present invention uses NFC technology to transmit wireless signals and generates power through the magnetic field effect of NFC technology, so no battery or external power supply is required. In this way, the maintenance cost of batteries and external power supply can be eliminated, and the convenience of the hook lock device can be increased.

10: Hook lock device

20: Body

21: First end

22: Second end

30:Hook body

31: Free end

40: Lock body

41:Connection terminal

50: Control circuit

60: Hanging gap

Claims (12)

A hook lock device comprises: a main body; a hook body connected to one end of the main body and forming a hanging gap with the main body, and a free end of the hook body has a locking portion; a lock body, comprising a connecting end and a buckling end, the connecting end can be movably connected to the other end of the main body, wherein in a locked state, the buckling end of the lock body and the buckling portion of the hook body are buckled to close the hanging gap, and in an unlocked state, the buckling end of the lock body is separated from the buckling portion of the hook body; and a control circuit, arranged inside the hook body, and comprising: an NFC antenna, receiving a first wireless signal; A driving module connected to the locking portion, driving the locking portion to release the locking end in response to receiving a driving signal; and A processor connected to the NFC antenna and the driving module, obtaining and verifying a first verification information from the first wireless signal, and outputting the driving signal to the driving module when the verification is passed. A hook lock device as described in claim 1, wherein the first verification information is a password information, the processor stores a password verification information, and the verification procedure of the first verification information is to verify whether the password information is consistent with the password verification information. A hook lock device as described in claim 1, wherein the first verification information is a ciphertext information, the processor decrypts the ciphertext information to obtain a decrypted information, and the verification procedure of the first verification information is to verify whether the decrypted information is consistent with a plaintext information, wherein the plaintext information is in a second wireless signal sent before the NFC antenna receives the first wireless signal. A hook lock device as described in claim 1, wherein the NFC antenna receives a third wireless signal before receiving the first wireless signal, the processor obtains and verifies second verification information from the third wireless signal, and executes a verification procedure for the first verification information when the verification is passed. A hook lock device as described in claim 4, wherein the second verification information is account information, the processor stores an account verification information, and the verification procedure of the second verification information is to verify whether the account information is consistent with the account verification information. As described in claim 1, the hook lock device, wherein one of the buckling end of the lock body and the engaging portion of the hook body is provided with a plug and the other is provided with a bolt groove, and in the locked state, the plug and the bolt groove are bolted to each other. A hook lock device as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting end of the lock body has a rotating part to drive the lock body to move when in the unlocked state. A hook lock device as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting end of the lock body has a spring to make the lock body bounce away from the hook body when in the unlocked state. The hook lock device as described in claim 1 further includes a mounting base for connecting to an external shell, and the main body is located on the mounting base. The hook lock device as described in claim 1, wherein the control circuit further includes a light-emitting module, and when the NFC antenna receives the first wireless signal, the processor controls the light-emitting module to present a first light-emitting state, and when the driving module drives the engaging portion, the processor controls the light-emitting module to present a second light-emitting state different from the first light-emitting state. The hook lock device as described in claim 10, wherein the control circuit further includes a voltage regulating circuit, the NFC antenna generates an induction power when receiving the first wireless signal, and the voltage regulating circuit regulates the induction power to provide a regulated power to the driving module and the light-emitting module. A hook lock device as described in claim 1, wherein the processor stores storage information, the storage information includes an owner of a locked object, a name of a locked object, production information of a locked object, a storage period of the locked object, a record of the use and return of the locked object, and a recent unlocking time.

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