An exemplary embodiment provides an electric lock, comprising: (a) a knob; (b) a lock body; (c) a rotatable shaft comprising a rotatable-shaft front end and an opposing rotatable-shaft rear end, wherein the rotatable-shaft rear end is fixedly connected to the lock body to control a locking and unlocking of the lock body; (d) a gear assembly comprising a gear and a movable piece with a common axis center; and (e) a motor assembly for driving the gear to rotate. The knob and the rotatable shaft are connected via the movable piece; the movable piece interacts with the gear via a mechanical barrier, such that electrically driving the gear by the motor assembly causes the movable piece to rotate; and the movable piece can pass over the mechanical barrier when a sufficient rotational force is applied to the knob, such that the movable piece is free to rotate relative to the gear, thereby allowing a user to manually control the locking and unlocking of the lock body. In some exemplary embodiments, the provided design of the electric lock structure significantly improves the safety of the electric lock.

Certain aspects of the technology disclosed herein include an apparatus and method for storing energy in a electromechanical lock. The electromechanical lock can include a main housing and a deadbolt. The main housing can be configured to extend a deadbolt along a path to lock and/or unlock a door. The deadbolt can have a hollow inner region configured to receive an energy storage device. The energy storage device within the deadbolt can be electrically connected to the main housing. The energy storage device can be used to power an actuator and/or accelerometer in the main housing.

The invention provides a digital lock (100, 1001, 1002) including at least two magnets. One magnet is a semi hard magnet (310) and the other magnet is a hard magnet (320). The hard magnet (320) is configured to open or close the digital lock (100, 1001, 1002). The semi hard magnet (310) and the hard magnet (320) are placed adjacent to each other. A change in magnetisation polarisation of the semi hard magnet (310) is configured to push or pull the hard magnet (320) to open or close the digital lock (100, 1001, 1002).

An electronic lock includes a deadbolt, a driver mechanism, a transmission mechanism and a control mechanism. The transmission mechanism includes a transmission gear that is driven by the driver mechanism to rotate, a resilient unit that is mounted to and co-rotatable with the transmission gear, and a rotary member that is operable to rotate relative to the transmission gear between a locking position and an unlocking position, and that is connected to the deadbolt. The control mechanism is connected to the rotary member, and ceases operation of the driver mechanism when detecting that the rotary member has been rotated to one of the locking and unlocking positions.

An exemplary method includes operating an access control device including a bolt, an output gear having a magnet mounted thereon, a first magnetic sensor, and a second magnetic sensor. The method generally includes selectively determining a position of the output gear via one of the first magnetic sensor or the second magnetic sensor based upon a current handedness of the access control device. With the access control device in a first handing configuration, the first magnetic sensor may be used to a first handedness first home position of the output gear. With the access control device in a second handing configuration, the second magnetic sensor may be utilized to detect a second handedness first home position of the output gear

A method for detecting a handed configuration of a door includes providing an electronic lock, which includes a latch assembly that includes a bolt movable between an extended position and a retracted position and a motor that is configured to drive the bolt between the extended position and the retracted position. The latch assembly includes a control circuit for controlling the motor to selectively move the bolt, at least one sensor in electrical communication with the control circuit, and at least one orientation indicator. The method includes detecting the presence of the at least one the orientation indicator and identifying a handed configuration based on the detection by the at least one sensor. The method includes driving, by the control circuit, the motor based on the identified handed configuration. The control circuit identifies the handed configuration without moving the bolt between the extended position and the retracted position.

An electric strike lock is disclosed. The electric strike lock cooperates with a lock when in use. The lock has a lock tongue. The electric strike lock includes a base. The base has an opening for accommodating the lock tongue. The base has a pair of grooves corresponding to two opposite sides of the opening. Two sliding members are slidably disposed in the respective grooves. The sliding members are connected with at least one driving unit for the sliding members to slide closer to each other so that the lock tongue is engaged in the opening, or for the sliding members to gradually slide away from each other so that the lock tongue is disengaged from the opening, thereby performing locking and unlocking operations on a door in a sliding manner.

An intelligent lock guard device, including a box body, the box body includes an upper box cover and a lower box body being buckled to form a hollow box body; the protection lock, including a lock catch and a lock body mechanism; the lock catch includes a fixing crossbeam and a locking rod, the fixing crossbeam is fixed on the upper box cover, and the locking rod is provided with a locking hole; the locking body mechanism, including a lock shaft, a toothed belt and a motor; the locking body mechanism is fixed on the lower box body; the lock shaft is provided with a lock cylinder convex bar, and the track of the toothed belt is parallel to the direction in which the lock cylinder convex bar is inserted or removed from the locking hole.

Electromechanical lock and method are disclosed. The lock includes: a movable permanent magnet to move between a first position and a second position; a stationary permanent semi-hard magnet; and an electrically powered magnetization coil positioned adjacent to the stationary permanent semi-hard magnet to switch a polarity of the stationary permanent semi-hard magnet between a first magnetization configuration and a second magnetization configuration. The first magnetization configuration of the stationary permanent semi-hard magnet moves the movable permanent magnet to the first position. The second magnetization configuration of the stationary permanent semi-hard magnet moves the movable permanent magnet to the second position. A magnetic axis of the movable permanent magnet is side by side with a magnetic axis of the stationary permanent semi-hard magnet.

An electromechanical lock includes an electromechanical locking mechanism and a control circuit, wherein an associated counter-piece is locked by way of the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism has a latch, an entrainer that is rotatable about an axis of rotation for driving the latch, and an electric motor for driving the entrainer, wherein the latch is moveable between a locking position and an unlocking position, wherein the latch is preloaded in the direction of the locking position. The entrainer is rotatable into a release position, a standby position, and a blocking position and the latch can is driven to perform a movement into the unlocking position by rotating the entrainer into the release position. In the standby position, the latch is released to be urged back against the preload. In the blocking position, the entrainer blocks the latch against a movement in the direction of the unlocking position.