TWI901317B - Locking structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A locking structure is used to fix a plate. The plate has a hole. The locking structure includes a base, a positioning column and a positioning buckle. The positioning column is disposed on the base, and the positioning column includes two limiting parts, a through groove, a rotation groove, and two positioning grooves. The through groove and the rotating groove are formed sequentially from top to bottom between the two limiting parts. The two positioning grooves are respectively provided in the two limiting parts and communicate with the through groove and the rotating groove. The positioning buckle includes a fastener, a connecting post and a plurality of elastic arms. The connecting post has a first end and a second end opposite to each other, and the fastener is arranged on the first end of the connecting post. A plurality of elastic arms is arranged on the second end of the connecting column and extend toward the first end. The openings of the plate body are set around the positioning posts, and the fastener of the positioning buckle passes through the through groove to the rotating groove. After rotating the positioning buckle at the rotating grooves, the fastener is accommodated in the two positioning grooves, and a plurality of elastic arms are pressed against on the plate.

Description

Locking structure

The present disclosure relates to a locking structure, and in particular to a locking structure that uses a single component to simultaneously achieve connection and fixation.

In existing devices, internal assembly fixation within electronic equipment is typically based on screws, preventing component separation from external forces and ensuring component positioning. This method typically utilizes screws for component fixation. However, for machine designs requiring a high number of screws, this increases machine weight, material costs, and assembly time, hindering the need for weight reduction in large products. Furthermore, if a component cannot contain metal parts (such as in the antenna area) to prevent functional degradation, hook-type fixings are often the only option. However, this method carries the risk of unhooking after assembly, generating unusual noise or causing components to fall out.

In view of the above, the present disclosure provides, in one embodiment, a locking structure for fixing a plate body, wherein the plate body has an opening, and the locking structure includes a base, a positioning column, and a positioning buckle. The positioning column is arranged on the base, and the positioning column includes two limiting members, a through groove, a rotation groove, and two positioning grooves. The through groove and the rotation groove are formed in sequence from top to bottom between the two limiting members, and the two positioning grooves are respectively arranged on the two limiting members and connected to the through groove and the rotation groove. The positioning buckle includes a fastener, a connecting column, and a plurality of elastic arms. The connecting column has a first end and a second end opposite to each other, and the fastener is arranged at the first end of the connecting column. The plurality of elastic arms are arranged at the second end of the connecting column and extend toward the first end. The opening of the plate body is suitable for being mounted on the positioning column, and the fastener of the positioning buckle is suitable for passing through the through groove to the rotation groove and rotating at the rotation groove, so that the fastener is accommodated in the two positioning grooves, and the multiple spring arms are pressed against the plate body.

With this system, simply slide the plate onto the positioning post, insert the positioning buckle through the slot into the rotation slot, and rotate the post to secure the post and, simultaneously, the plate. This effectively reduces screw usage and the labor and time required to secure each screw. Furthermore, because the system is designed for rotational fastening, non-metallic materials such as plastic or elastic materials can be used, reducing overall workpiece weight and addressing issues such as areas where screws or metal fixings are unsuitable.

The following embodiments are described in detail. However, these embodiments are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, some elements are omitted from the drawings to clearly illustrate the technical features of the present disclosure. The same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to represent the same or similar elements.

Please first refer to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a locking structure securing a plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the locking structure and plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the locking structure 100 is used to secure a plate 90, which has at least one opening 91. In this embodiment, to enhance the locking of the plate 90, openings 91 are provided at four corresponding corners of the plate 90 for illustration purposes. The number of openings 91 provided on the plate 90 can be adjusted and designed based on the desired locking requirements.

The locking structure 100 includes a base 10, positioning posts 20, and positioning buckles 30. In actual design, the number and placement of the positioning posts 20 and positioning buckles 30 can correspond to the number and placement of the openings 91 in the plate 90. Since this embodiment uses four openings 91 as an example, the description also uses four positioning posts 20 and positioning buckles 30 as an example. The base 10 can be any shape or object, such as a component to which the plate 90 is to be secured, such as a housing, a circuit board, or a flat surface. In this embodiment, a rectangular housing with an upward opening is used as an example.

Please refer to Figures 2 and 3 together. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a positioning post according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Positioning post 20 is mounted on base 10 and includes two stoppers 21, a through-slot 22, a rotational slot 23, and two positioning slots 24. The through-slot 22 and the rotational slot 23 are formed sequentially from top to bottom between the two stoppers 21. The two positioning slots 24 are located on one stopper 21 and connect the through-slot 22 and the rotational slot 23.

Next, please refer to Figures 2 and 4 simultaneously. Figure 4 is a perspective view of a positioning buckle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Positioning buckle 30 includes a fastener 31, a connecting post 32, and a plurality of elastic arms 33. The connecting post 32 has a first end 321 and a second end 322 opposite each other. The fastener 31 is disposed at the first end 321 of the connecting post 32, and the plurality of elastic arms 33 are disposed at the second end 322 of the connecting post 32 and extend toward the first end 321.

Next, please refer to Figures 2, 5 to 7. Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present disclosure when the positioning buckle passes through the through-slot to the rotation slot. Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present disclosure after the positioning buckle is rotated and positioned. Figure 7 is a partial schematic diagram of the right side at the 7-7 section line of Figure 1. After the opening 91 of the plate 90 is mounted on the positioning column 20, the fastener 31 of the positioning buckle 30 passes through the through-slot 22 to the rotation slot 23. Please refer to Figures 2 to 4 at the same time. When installing the positioning buckle 30, first rotate the positioning buckle 30 until the long side extension direction of the fastener 31 is parallel to the long side extension direction of the through-slot 22 of the positioning column 20. Then, as shown in Figure 5, assemble the positioning buckle 30 downward until the fastener 31 passes through the through-slot 22 to be located in the rotation slot 23. At this time, since the space of the rotation groove 23 is larger than that of the through groove 22 and is larger than the length L of the long side of the fastener 31, the fastener 31 can rotate freely at the corresponding rotation groove 23.

Subsequently, please refer to Figures 6 and 7. After rotating the positioning buckle 30 at the rotation slot 23, the fastener 31 will be accommodated in the two positioning slots 24, and the multiple elastic arms 33 will press against the plate 90. When the user operates the positioning buckle 30 to rotate, the long side direction of the fastener 31 of the positioning buckle 30 will rotate to be perpendicular to the long side extension direction of the through slot 22. At this time, the two ends of the fastener 31 in the long side direction will be accommodated in the two positioning slots 24 and will no longer be able to pass through the through slot 22. In this way, the positioning buckle 30 can be fixed to the positioning column 20. At the same time, the multiple elastic arms 33 of the positioning buckle 30 will press against the plate 90, so that the plate 90 is pressed downward to position. In addition, since the opening 91 of the plate 90 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the positioning column 20, the positioning column 20 can also provide positioning of the plate 90 in the plane direction.

Thus, simply slide the plate 90 onto the positioning post 20, insert the positioning buckle 30 through the through slot 22 and into the rotation slot 23, and rotate the positioning buckle 30 to secure it. This also secures the plate 90 in place. This effectively reduces the number of screws used and the labor and time required to secure each screw. Furthermore, because the fastening mechanism is rotated and locked, non-metallic materials such as plastic or elastic materials can be used, reducing the overall weight of the workpiece and addressing issues such as where screws or metal fixings are unsuitable.

Please refer to Figures 3, 7 and 8. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the positioning buckle. In Figure 3, for the convenience of explanation, the directions parallel to the surface of the base 10 and perpendicular to each other are defined as the X direction and the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the X direction and the Y direction is the Z direction. Figure 8 shows the vertical distance D between the upper surface of the fastener 31 connected to the connecting column 32 and the end of the elastic arm 33 far from the second end 322 when the elastic arm 33 is not pressed to the top of the plate 90 and is maintained in a natural state. When the elastic arm 33 is not pressed to the top of the plate 90 and is in a natural state, the distance D is less than the thickness T of the limiting member 21 at the positioning groove 24. As can be seen from Figures 3 and 7, this thickness T refers to the thickness of the limiting member 21 in the Z direction corresponding to the positioning groove 24. The thickness T may be smaller than the thickness of the limiting members 21 on the left and right sides of the positioning slot 24 , so as to provide a positioning feeling when the limiting members 21 are lifted upwards and securely accommodated in the positioning slot 24 during the rotation process.

Thus, when the fastener 31 is positioned in the positioning slot 24 as shown in Figures 6 and 7 , the end of the spring arm 33, distal from the second end 322, is located below the upper surface of the stopper 21. At this point, because the upper surface of the plate 90 is flush with the upper surface of the stopper 21, the spring arm 33 presses against the plate 90, providing a downward force on the plate 90. Furthermore, because the spring arm 33 has a certain elastic force, it can also deform slightly outward without breaking or applying excessive force to the plate 90.

Furthermore, the width of the through slot 22 in one direction is smaller than the width of the rotation slot 23 in that direction. Continuing with Figure 3, the through slot 22 has a width W1 in the X-direction, while the rotation slot 23 has a width W2 in the X-direction. Width W1 is smaller than width W2. This allows the fastener 31 to rotate easily within the rotation slot 23 when passing through the through slot 22 to the rotation slot 23, while remaining difficult to exit.

Furthermore, referring to Figures 3 and 4 simultaneously, the width W3 of the fastener 31 is smaller than the width W1 of the through-slot 22 in the X-direction, and the length L of the fastener 31 is greater than the width W1 of the through-slot 22 in the X-direction. Therefore, the fastener 31 can pass through the through-slot 22 in the direction of the smaller width W3. Once the fastener 31 is rotated, since the length L is greater than the width W1 of the through-slot 22, the fastener 31 will not be able to pass through the through-slot 22. In other words, the positioning buckle 30 only needs to be rotated a small angle to prevent the fastener 31 from passing through the through-slot 22 and being fastened and positioned. Even if the user cannot rotate the positioning buckle 30 until the fastener 31 is located in the positioning slot 24 in one go, by first rotating it a small angle, it is sufficient to prevent the positioning buckle 30 from falling out of the through-slot 22.

Please continue to refer to Figure 4. The connecting column 32 is provided with an operating portion 34 at the second end 322. The operating portion 34 may have a structure such as a straight slot, a cross slot or an inner polygonal hole, which can be used to rotate the positioning buckle 30 using a tool. In this embodiment, a straight slot is used as an example. In addition, the extension direction of the straight slot can also be designed to be parallel to the extension direction of the long side of the fastener 31 as a directional identification. In this way, when the user wants to pass the fastener 31 of the positioning buckle 30 through the through slot 22, since the straight extension direction of the straight slot is the same as the extension direction of the long side of the fastener 31, it can be used as a basis for aligning the long side direction of the through slot 22 (i.e., the Y direction shown in Figure 3). In this way, there is no need to repeatedly rotate the positioning buckle 30 to observe the direction of the fastener 31 located below.

In addition to changing the internal shape of the operating portion 34, the outer periphery of the operating portion 34 can also be changed, such as being designed to be non-circular. For example, the outer periphery of the operating portion 34 can be designed to be hexagonal. In this case, a tool such as an Allen wrench can be used to engage the operating portion 34 to drive the positioning buckle 30 to rotate.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3 , the positioning post 20 of this embodiment has a cylindrical outer periphery, but in other embodiments, a polygonal post may also be used. Regardless of whether a cylindrical or polygonal post is used, when the opening 91 of the plate 90 is inserted into the positioning post 20, both provide horizontal translational restraint. Furthermore, when a polygonal post is used, when only a single positioning post 20 is used for positioning, it can also provide horizontal rotational restraint, preventing the plate 90 from rotating relative to the positioning post 20.

Furthermore, Figure 4 shows that in this embodiment, there are four elastic arms 33, spaced 90 degrees apart and arranged around the connecting post 32. In conjunction with Figure 2, it can be seen that the distance d1 between the ends of at least two opposing elastic arms 33, distal from the second end 322, is greater than the diameter d2 of the opening 91. This ensures that the two opposing elastic arms 33 are both pressed against the surface of the plate 90, providing a relatively even pressure force on the plate 90.

In summary, the simple locking structure 100 allows the plate 90 to be quickly and easily locked in place. This effectively reduces the number of screws used and the labor and time required to tighten each screw. Furthermore, because the locking mechanism is rotationally engaged, it can also be used with non-metallic materials such as plastic or elastic materials, reducing the overall weight of the workpiece and resolving issues such as the inability to use screws or metal fixings in specific areas.

100: Locking mechanism 10: Base 20: Positioning column 21: Stopper 22: Through slot 23: Rotation slot 24: Positioning slot 30: Positioning buckle 31: Fastener 32: Connecting column 321: First end 322: Second end 33: Spring arm 34: Operating portion 90: Plate 91: Opening D, d1: Distance d2: Diameter L: Length T: Thickness W1, W2, W3: Width

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a locking structure securing a plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the locking structure and plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a perspective view of a positioning post according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 is a perspective view of a positioning buckle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the positioning buckle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as it passes through the through slot and into the rotation slot. Figure 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the positioning buckle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, after rotation and positioning. Figure 7 is a partial schematic view of the right side taken along line 7-7 of Figure 1. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the positioning buckle.

100: Locking structure

10: Base

20: Positioning column

30: Positioning buckle

31: Fasteners

90: Plate

91: Opening

d1: distance

d2: Diameter

Claims (10)

A locking structure for securing a plate having an opening, the locking structure comprising: a base; a positioning post disposed on the base, the positioning post comprising two stoppers, a through slot, a rotation slot, and two positioning slots, the through slot and the rotation slot being formed sequentially from top to bottom between the two stoppers, the two positioning slots being disposed on the two stoppers and connecting the through slot and the rotation slot; and a positioning buckle comprising a fastener, a connecting post, and a plurality of spring arms, the connecting post having a first end and a second end opposite each other, the fastener being disposed on the first end of the connecting post, and the spring arms being disposed on the second end of the connecting post and extending toward the first end; The opening of the plate is adapted to be fitted over the positioning post, and the fastener of the positioning buckle is adapted to pass through the through slot to the rotation slot and rotate in the rotation slot, so that the fastener is accommodated in the two positioning slots and the spring arms abut against the plate. A locking structure as described in claim 1, wherein the vertical distance between the surface of the fastener connected to the connecting column and the end of the elastic arm farthest from the second end is less than the thickness of the limiting member at the positioning groove. A locking structure as described in claim 1, wherein the width of the through groove in one direction is smaller than the width of the rotation groove in the same direction. A locking structure as described in claim 3, wherein the width of the fastener is smaller than the width of the through slot in the direction, and the length of the fastener is greater than the width of the through slot in the direction. A locking structure as described in claim 1, wherein the connecting post is provided with an operating portion at the second end. A locking structure as described in claim 5, wherein the operating part has a straight slot, a cross slot or an internal polygonal hole. The locking structure as described in claim 5, wherein the outer periphery of the operating portion is non-circular. The locking structure as described in claim 1, wherein the positioning post is a cylinder. The locking structure as described in claim 1, wherein the positioning column is a polygonal column. The locking structure as described in claim 1, wherein the number of the plurality of elastic arms is four, the four elastic arms are arranged around the connecting column at 90-degree intervals, and the distance between the ends of at least two oppositely arranged elastic arms farthest from the second end is greater than the diameter of the opening.