CN110720768B

CN110720768B - Lock mechanism for relatively movable objects

Info

Publication number: CN110720768B
Application number: CN201810782320.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈庚金; 刘骏达; 苏信诚; 庄子德; 林淑珍
Original assignee: King Slide Works Co Ltd; King Slide Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: King Slide Works Co Ltd; King Slide Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-07-17
Filing date: 2018-07-17
Publication date: 2022-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-17
Also published as: CN110720768A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for relatively movable objects, the locking mechanism being capable of being arranged on one of a first object and a second object which are relatively movable. The locking mechanism includes a driving device and a locking member. The locking piece can be driven by the driving device to move from a first position to a second position in a non-rotating mode; when the locking piece is located at one of the first position and the second position, the locking piece is used for locking the other one of the first object and the second object; when the locking piece is at the other one of the first position and the second position, the locking piece is unlocked from the other one of the first object and the second object.

Description

Lock mechanism for relatively movable objects

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a lock, and more particularly to a lock mechanism for relatively movable objects.

Background

Generally, the slide rail assembly can be used in a rack system of a home, office, or electronic device. The sliding rail assembly comprises a first rail and a second rail which are respectively arranged on a first object and a second object, such as a cabinet body and a drawer, so that the drawer can be opened or closed relative to the first rail and/or the cabinet body through the second rail.

Depending on the demand, sometimes the market or the user does not want the second rail (the second object) to be arbitrarily operated from a predetermined position with respect to the first rail (the first object) to leave the predetermined position. For example, U.S. patent publication No. US8,328,299B2 discloses a drawer slide and lock mechanism. The locking mechanism 104 is an electronic lock. As can be seen from fig. 1 of the drawings, the drawer slide includes an outer rail 106 and an inner rail 108. The inner rail 108 is movable relative to the outer rail 106 to a retracted position. Wherein the inner rail 108 is provided with a pin 116 at the rear end. The lock mechanism 104, on the other hand, includes a latch receiver 115, a lever arm 117, and a motor 119. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the latch receivers 115 and 218 may be in a first position, and in the first position, the latch receiver 115,218 is in a state of catching the pins 116 and 216 of the inner rail 108, and in cooperation with fig. 3, once the motors 119 and 240,328 receive an electronic control signal, the motor 328 may drive the lever arm 304 to rotate, so that the top portion 308 of the lever arm 304 may be coupled and push the latch receiver 324 to rotate from the first position to the second position, thereby locking the pin 316 of the inner rail 322. According to this arrangement, the inner rail 322 can be locked in the retracted position relative to the outer rail.

Further, the latch receiver 324 and the lever arm 304 of the patent are linked by rotation, and the locking mechanism needs to be locked or unlocked by applying elastic force through the first spring 326 and the second spring 350. However, with different market needs and different structural actuation considerations, it is sometimes not desirable to implement the lock function with the configuration of the patent, and therefore, how to develop a product that locks the movable object with respect to the fixed object in different ways and has a compact structure becomes an issue that cannot be ignored.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a lock mechanism that can be applied to relatively movable objects.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a lock mechanism is adapted for use with a first object and a second object that are movable relative to each other, the lock mechanism being disposed on one of the first object and the second object, and the lock mechanism including a driving device and a lock member. The locking piece can be driven by the driving device to linearly move from a first position to a second position; when the locking piece is located at one of the first position and the second position, the locking piece is used for locking the other one of the first object and the second object; when the locking piece is located at the other one of the first position and the second position, the locking piece does not lock the other one of the first object and the second object.

Preferably, the locking mechanism further comprises a resilient member for providing a resilient force to the locking member.

Preferably, the driving device includes a motor, and the locking mechanism further includes a linking member connected to the locking member, the linking member being linearly movable in response to a rotational driving force provided by the motor.

Preferably, the locking mechanism further comprises a driving member connected to a shaft of the motor, and the linkage member is driven by the driving member.

Preferably, the direction of the linear motion of the linking member is substantially perpendicular to the axis.

Preferably, the locking mechanism includes a housing, and the linking member and the housing have mutually matching structural features for guiding the linking member to move linearly relative to the housing.

Preferably, the locking mechanism further comprises a manual release feature disposed on one of the linkage member and the locking member, wherein the manual release feature is configured to move the locking member from the first position to the second position when the linkage member does not respond to the rotational driving force provided by the motor.

Preferably, the lock mechanism is detachably connected to one of the first object and the second object through the housing.

Preferably, the lock mechanism further includes a fixing seat, and the lock member further includes a contact portion, the elastic member being arranged between the fixing seat and the contact portion.

Preferably, the locking mechanism further comprises a sensor for detecting whether the second object is in a predetermined position relative to the first object.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a locking mechanism for a first object and a second object, the locking mechanism being disposed on one of the first object and the second object, the locking mechanism comprising a driving device and a locking member. The locking piece can be driven by the driving device to move from a first position to a second position in a non-rotating mode; when the locking piece is located at one of the first position and the second position, the locking piece is used for locking the other one of the first object and the second object so as to prevent the second object from moving relative to the first object; when the locking piece is located at the other one of the first position and the second position, the locking piece does not lock the other one of the first object and the second object so as to allow the second object to move relative to the first object.

Preferably, the first object and the second object are respectively a first rail and a second rail of a slide rail assembly; or the first object and the second object are respectively a cabinet body and a movable piece.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a locking mechanism includes a driving device, a driving member, a locking member, a linking member and an elastic member. The driving device comprises a motor; the driving member is connected with a shaft of the motor; the linkage piece is connected with the locking piece; the elastic piece is used for providing elastic force to one of the linkage piece and the locking piece so as to keep the locking piece at a locking position; the driving part is used for driving the linkage part through a rotary driving force provided by the shaft of the motor, so that the locking part is linearly displaced from the locking position and leaves the locking position.

Drawings

For further explanation of the above objects, structural features and effects of the present invention, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic view showing a lock mechanism according to a first embodiment of the present invention in combination with a slide rail assembly.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the lock mechanism and slide rail assembly according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of the locking mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention capable of locking a second rail of the slide rail assembly to prevent the second rail from moving away from a predetermined position relative to a first rail.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of a portion of the second rail of the slide rail assembly that can be locked by the lock mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of the lock mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention unlocking the portion of the second rail of the slide rail assembly.

Fig. 6 shows a partial perspective view of the lock mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention unlocking the second rail of the track assembly to allow the second rail to move away from the predetermined position relative to the first rail.

Fig. 7 is a schematic plan view showing the locking mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention being capable of locking the second rail of the slide rail assembly so that the second rail is maintained in the predetermined position relative to the first rail.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the region a of fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a schematic plan view of the lock mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention unlocking the second rail of the slide assembly to displace the second rail from the predetermined position to another predetermined position relative to the first rail.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the region a of fig. 9.

Fig. 11 shows a schematic view of the lock mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention being able to be manually operated.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view of the first embodiment of the present invention, showing a slide rail assembly with a lock mechanism, applied to a cabinet and a drawer of a piece of furniture.

Fig. 13 is a schematic view showing the lock mechanism of the second embodiment of the present invention applied to another type of slide rail assembly, and two slide rails thereof are held at a predetermined position relative to each other by the locking of the lock mechanism.

Fig. 14 shows a schematic view of the lock mechanism of the second embodiment of the present invention applied to another type of slide rail assembly, and the lock mechanism has been unlocked, and two slide rails can be in another predetermined position relative to each other.

FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing a locking mechanism of a third embodiment of the present invention applied to a cabinet and a movable member, wherein the movable member is locked at a predetermined position relative to the cabinet by the locking mechanism.

Fig. 16 is a schematic view showing the locking mechanism of the third embodiment of the present invention unlocked to allow the movable member to move from a predetermined position with respect to the cabinet.

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the locking mechanism 20 of the first embodiment of the present invention is suitable for use with a first object and a second object that are movable relative to each other. In this embodiment, the first and second objects are, for example, a first rail 24 and a second rail 26, respectively, of a slide assembly 22. The second rail 26 is displaceable relative to the first rail 24. Preferably, the slide assembly 22 further includes a third rail 28 movably mounted between the first rail 24 and the second rail 26 for extending the displacement stroke of the second rail 26 relative to the first rail 24.

Preferably, the first rail 24 includes a first rail portion 30 and a first extension portion 32. The first extension 32 extends laterally with respect to the longitudinal length of the first rail portion 30. The third rail 28 is movably mounted to the first rail 24 by the first rail portion 30.

Preferably, the second rail 26 includes a second rail portion 34 and a second extending portion 36. The second extension 36 extends laterally with respect to the longitudinal length of the second rail 34. The second rail 26 is movably mounted to the third rail 28 by the second rail portion 34.

Preferably, the locking mechanism 20 is disposed on one of the first rail 24 and the second rail 26. Here, the locking mechanism 20 is detachably connected to one of the first rail 24 and the second rail 26, for example, the locking mechanism 20 is detachably connected to the first rail 24. Specifically, the lock mechanism 20 is detachably connected to at least one corresponding feature (e.g., a first corresponding feature 42a and/or a second corresponding feature 42 b) of a wall 32a of the first extension 32 of the first rail 24 via at least one connecting feature (e.g., a first connecting feature 40a and/or a second connecting feature 40b) of a housing 38, wherein the at least one connecting

feature

40a, 40b and the at least one

corresponding feature

42a, 42b are connected by, for example, but not limited to, snapping, fastening, or screwing.

On the other hand, the other of the first rail 24 and the second rail 26 is arranged with an additional feature 44, the additional feature 44 being adapted to cooperate with a locking portion 54 of the lock mechanism 20. Here, the additional feature 44 is provided by an extension wall 45a of a fitting 45, and the fitting 45 is detachably connected to the other one of the first rail 24 and the second rail 26, for example, the fitting 45 is detachably connected to the second rail 26. Specifically, the fitting 45 is removably coupled to at least one mounting structure (e.g., a first mounting structure 48a and/or a second mounting structure 48b) of the second extension 36 of the second rail 26 via at least one mounting feature (e.g., a first mounting feature 46a and/or a second mounting feature 46 b). The at least one mounting

feature

46a, 46b and the at least one mounting

structure

48a, 48b are coupled by, for example, a snap, or a screw, but not limited to, an embodiment. It should be noted that, in practice, the additional feature 44 can be directly integrated into the second rail 26, and the implementation is not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the locking mechanism 20 includes a driving device 50 and a locking member 52. The lock 52 includes the lock portion 54 (or latch). The lock 52 may be in a first position P1 (shown in fig. 3 and 4) or a second position P2 (shown in fig. 5 and 6).

In fig. 3 and 4, when the latch 52 is in the first position P1, the latch 52 is configured to lock the second rail 26 to prevent the second rail 26 from moving relative to the first rail 24.

Preferably, the drive means includes a motor 56 (e.g., a servo motor), and the locking mechanism 20 further includes a resilient member 58, a linking member 60 and a driving member 62.

The elastic member 58 is used to provide elastic force to the locking member 52. Here, the locking element 52 can be maintained at the first position P1 in response to the elastic force of the elastic element 58, and the first position P1 is a locking position, but is not limited to the embodiment. Further, when the second rail 26 is at a predetermined position X1 (such as a retracted position, but not limited to) relative to the first rail 24, and the locking element 52 is at the first position P1, the locking element 54 of the locking element 52 can lock the additional feature 44 (such as a hole or a groove) of the second rail 26. In this state, the second rail 26 is prevented from moving away from the predetermined position X1 in a direction D with respect to the first rail 24.

The linkage 60 is connected to the locking member 52. Here, for example, the linking member 60 is fixed to the locking member 52, so that the linking member 60 and the locking member 52 can be regarded as a whole. The linkage 60 is linearly movable in response to a rotational driving force provided by a shaft 56a of the motor 56.

The driving member 62 is connected to the shaft 56a of the motor 56, and the driving member 62 is, for example, a cam or a lever arm. The linkage 60 can be driven by the driving member 62. Preferably, the direction of the linear movement of the linkage 60 is substantially perpendicular to the axis 56 a. For example, the direction of linear movement of the linkage 60 is transverse, and the direction of arrangement of the shaft 56a of the motor 56 is longitudinal (the longitudinal direction is the same as the length direction or the movement direction of the slide rail). Further, the linkage member 60 and a base 38a of the housing 38 have mutually matching structural features for guiding the linkage member 60 to move linearly relative to the base 38a of the housing 38. The matching features are, for example, a protrusion 64a or a slot 64b (or a slot), for example, the protrusion 64a is disposed through a portion of the slot 64b, and the slot 64b (or slot) is bounded so that the linkage 60 can move linearly with respect to the base 38a within a limited range.

Preferably, the locking mechanism 20 further includes a retaining bracket 66 secured relative to the housing 38. Herein, the fixing base 66 includes a first portion 66a, a second portion 66b and a third portion 66c arranged between the first portion 66a and the second portion 66 b. The third portion 66c is fixed to the base 38a of the housing 38, and the first portion 66a and the second portion 66b are substantially perpendicular to the third portion 66 c. Wherein, when the lock 52 is in the first position P1, the locking portion 54 of the lock 52 is extended relative to the first portion 66a of the holder 66 and locks the additional feature 44 of the extending wall 45a of the fitting 45. On the other hand, the locking element 52 further includes a contact portion 68, and the elastic member 58 is disposed between the second portion 66b of the fixing seat 66 and the contact portion 68 of the locking element 52. Preferably, the lock mechanism 20 further includes a sensor 70, the sensor 70 being configured to detect whether the second rail 26 is at the predetermined position X1. For example, the sensor 70 is a micro switch, and the micro switch includes an elastic sensing portion 70a, when the second rail 26 is at the predetermined position X1 relative to the first rail 24, a portion of the second rail 26, for example, the extending wall 45a of the fitting 45 on the second rail 26, can press the elastic sensing portion 70a, so that the elastic sensing portion 70a accumulates an elastic force to generate an electronic sensing signal, and the sensor 70 accordingly detects that the second rail 26 is at the predetermined position X1 relative to the first rail 24.

As shown in fig. 4, 5 and 6, the locking element 52 can be driven by the driving device 50 to move from the first position P1 to the second position P2 in a non-rotational manner. Here, it is exemplified that the lock 52 is linearly displaced from the first position P1 to the second position P2 in a transverse direction T, and the second position P2 is the unlocked position. Wherein when the lock 52 is in the second position P2, the lock 52 unlocks the second rail 26 to allow the second rail 26 to move relative to the first rail 24.

Specifically, when the motor 56 of the driving device 50 receives an electronic control signal, the shaft 56a of the motor 56 can be controlled to rotate to a specific angle, so that the driving member 62 rotates from a first state S1 (shown in fig. 4) to a second state S2 (shown in fig. 5 and 6) in a direction (e.g., clockwise), so as to drive the linking member 60 and the locking member 52 from the first position P1 to the second position P2, such that the locking portion 54 of the locking member 52 is in a retracted state relative to the first portion 66a of the fixing seat 66 and the additional feature 44 of the extending wall 45a of the fitting 45 is unlocked. In this state, the second rail 26 may be allowed to move away from the predetermined position X1 in the direction D and reach another predetermined position X2 (e.g., an extended position, see fig. 6) relative to the first rail 24. When the locking element 52 is at the second position P2, the elastic element 58 is pushed between the second portion 66b of the fixing seat 66 and the contact portion 68 of the locking element 52, so that the elastic element 58 is in a state of accumulating an elastic force.

It can be seen that the driving device 50 can receive an electronic control signal from an electronic device (such as a computer, a mobile phone or a wireless sensor) of the user to control the locking member 52 to unlock the second rail 26. It should be noted that when the second rail 26 is displaced from the predetermined position X1 to another predetermined position X2 in the direction D relative to the first rail 24, the extending wall 45a of the fitting 45 on the second rail 26 no longer presses the elastic sensing portion 70a, so that the elastic sensing portion 70a releases the accumulated elastic force, and the sensor 70 accordingly detects that the second rail 26 has departed from the predetermined position X1 relative to the first rail 24. In addition, once the driving member 62 is restored from the second state S2 (shown in fig. 6 or 5) to the first state S1 (shown in fig. 3 or 4) in another direction (e.g., counterclockwise), the locking member 52 can be restored from the second position P2 to the first position P1 in response to the elastic force accumulated by the elastic member 58 being released.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, when the second rail 26 is at the predetermined position X1 relative to the first rail 24, the lock 52 is at the first position P1, and the lock 54 of the lock 52 can be used to lock the additional feature 44 of the fitting 45 on the second rail 26. In addition, when the second rail 26 is at the predetermined position X1, the extending wall 45a of the fitting 45 on the second rail 26 can press the elastic sensing portion 70a, so that the sensor 70 can accordingly detect that the second rail 26 is at the predetermined position X1 relative to the first rail 24.

As shown in fig. 8, 9 and 10, when the locking element 52 is linearly displaced from the first position P1 to the second position P2 in the transverse direction T by the driving device 50, the locking portion 54 of the locking element 52 does not lock the additional feature 44 of the fitting 45 on the second rail 26, so that the second rail 26 can be displaced from the predetermined position X1 to the other predetermined position X2 in the direction D relative to the first rail 24. In addition, when the second rail 26 is no longer at the predetermined position X1 (e.g., at the other predetermined position X2), the extending wall 45a of the fitting 45 on the second rail 26 no longer presses the elastic sensing portion 70a, so that the sensor 70 accordingly detects that the second rail 26 has departed from the predetermined position X1 relative to the first rail 24.

As shown in fig. 8 and 11, the locking mechanism 20 also includes a manual release feature 74 disposed in one of the linkage 60 and the lock 52. When the linkage 60 does not respond to the rotational driving force provided by the shaft 56a of the motor 56, the manual release feature 74 can drive the lock 52 from the first position P1 (shown in fig. 8) to the second position P2 (shown in fig. 11) by applying a force F to the manual release feature 74.

Further, taking the manual release feature 74 disposed on the linkage 60 and the manual release feature 74 as a hole as an example, a user may tie a rope 76 to the manual release feature 74 in advance. Further, in some situations (for example, in a situation where the motor 56 of the driving device 50 is powered off or damaged), the shaft 56a of the motor 56 of the driving device 50 cannot be actuated, so that the driving member 62 is in the first state S1 and cannot drive the linkage 60 (as shown in fig. 8), in which case, the user can drive the linkage 60 by applying the force F through the rope 76 to drive the locking member 52 to move from the first position P1 (as shown in fig. 8) to the second position P2 (as shown in fig. 11).

As shown in FIG. 12, the rail assembly 22 is a bottom-mounted drawer rail (upside down rail) and can be used in furniture applications. The furniture includes a cabinet 78 and a drawer 80. The majority of the slide assembly 22 is hidden at the bottom of the drawer 80. The first rail 24 is fixedly installed on the cabinet 78, and the second rail 26 is used for carrying the bottom of the drawer 80. The structural configuration of the locking mechanism 20 is disclosed above and will not be described herein for the sake of brevity.

Referring to fig. 13 and 14, the slide rail assembly 22 is a bottom-mount drawer slide rail, and in the second embodiment, the slide rail assembly 200 is schematically illustrated as a side-mount slide rail. The slide assembly 200 includes a first rail 202 and a second rail 204 that are movable relative to each other. Preferably, the first rail 202 and the second rail 204 are capable of facilitating relative displacement therebetween by means of an auxiliary sliding member (e.g., a ball, not shown). The first rail 202 can be fixed to a cabinet, for example, and at least a portion of the second rail 204 can be mounted to a movable member, such as a side of a drawer. Further, the lock mechanism 20 may be mounted to one of the first rail 202 and the second rail 204, with the other of the first rail 202 and the second rail 204 being arranged with the additional feature 44. The structural arrangement and mating relationship of the locking mechanism 20 and the additional feature 44 are disclosed in the first embodiment and will not be described herein for brevity.

In a third embodiment, as shown in fig. 15 and 16, the locking mechanism 20 is adapted for use with a first object and a second object that are movable relative to each other. Herein, the first object and the second object are a cabinet 302 and a movable member 304, respectively. The movable member 304 is movable relative to the cabinet 302. The movable member 304 is, for example, a door panel that can be closed or opened with respect to the cabinet 302. Further, the lock mechanism 20 can be mounted to one of the cabinet 302 and the movable member 304 with the additional feature 44 disposed on the other of the cabinet 302 and the movable member 304. The structural arrangement and mating relationship of the locking mechanism 20 and the additional feature 44 are disclosed in the first embodiment and will not be described herein for brevity.

From the above description, it can be seen that the enhanced efficacy and advantages of the present invention are:

(1) the lock 52 of the lock mechanism 20 is non-rotatably (e.g., linearly) displaceable from a first position P1 to a second position P2 by the drive device 50.

(2) The locking mechanism 20 is an electronic lock or an intelligent lock, and is adapted to be movable relative to a first object and a second object, the locking mechanism 20 can lock the second object relative to the first object at a predetermined position X1, and a user can unlock the second object by an electronic control method. The first object and the second object can be the matching combination of a first rail and a second rail, a cabinet and a drawer or a cabinet and a door plate.

(3) The locking mechanism 20 may be electrically controlled or manually operated to unlock the locking mechanism 20 from the second object relative to the first object.

(4) The sensor 70 can be used to detect whether the second object is at the predetermined position X1 relative to the first object.

(5) The locking piece 52 can be maintained at the first position P1 in response to the elastic force of the elastic member 58.

(6) The linking member 60 is connected to the locking member 52, and the linking member 60 and the base 38a of the housing 38 have matching structural features for guiding the linking member 60 to move linearly relative to the housing 38.

(7) Because the locking mechanism 20 is removably connected to one of the first and second objects, a user can determine whether to attach the locking mechanism 20 to one of the first and second objects, as desired, and the other of the first and second objects is arranged with additional features 44 that can cooperate with the locking mechanism 20.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the present specific embodiments, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments are illustrative only, and various equivalent changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and therefore, it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A piece of furniture is characterized by comprising a cabinet body and a drawer;

a slide rail assembly comprising a first rail and a second rail, the slide rail assembly being a bottom-mount drawer slide rail applicable to furniture, the first rail being fixedly mounted to the cabinet body and the second rail being adapted to carry the bottom of the drawer;

a lock mechanism, the lock mechanism comprising:

a driving device including a motor;

a driving member connected to a shaft of the motor;

a locking piece which can be driven by the driving device to move from a locking position to an unlocking position in a non-rotating way;

a linkage member connected to the locking member, an elastic member for providing an elastic force to one of the locking member and the linkage member to maintain the locking member at the locking position; wherein:

the driving part is arranged to drive the linkage part through a rotary driving force provided by the shaft of the motor, so that the locking part linearly and non-rotatably leaves the locking position from the locking position;

wherein, the linkage piece is fixedly connected with the locking piece, the linkage piece and the locking piece can be seen as a whole, and the linkage piece can respond to a rotary driving force provided by a shaft of the motor and linearly move; wherein, the linear moving direction of the linkage piece is substantially vertical to the direction of the shaft;

the locking mechanism comprises a shell, and the linkage piece and the shell have matched structural characteristics and are used for guiding the linkage piece to move linearly relative to the shell;

wherein the locking mechanism is removably attached to one of the first or second rails, the locking mechanism including a locking portion, the other of the first or second rails being arranged with an additional feature for cooperating with the locking portion;

when the locking piece is in the locking position, the locking piece is used for locking the other one of the first rail or the second rail so as to prevent the second rail from moving relative to the first rail.

2. The article of furniture of claim 1, further comprising a resilient member for providing a resilient force to the locking member.

3. The furniture as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a manual release feature disposed on one of the linkage and the lock, wherein the manual release feature is capable of moving the lock from the locked position to the unlocked position when the linkage is not responsive to the rotational driving force provided by the motor.

4. The article of furniture of claim 1, wherein the lock mechanism is removably coupled to one of the first rail and the second rail through the housing.

5. The article of furniture according to claim 2 further comprising a retaining base and said locking element further comprises a contact portion, said resilient element being disposed between said retaining base and said contact portion.

6. The article of furniture of claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting whether the second rail is in a predetermined position relative to the first rail.