EP3739154B1 - Locking system - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a locking system with a lock and a holder for releasably receiving the lock, the lock comprising a lock body and an alarm device for generating an alarm.

In a known locking system of this type, the holder offers a convenient way of storing the lock during transport between different locations. For this purpose, the holder can be attached, for example, to the frame of a two-wheeler or to the door of a container.

The alarm device is used to trigger an alarm when an unauthorized opening attempt is detected and to draw the attention of the owner of the lock and/or people in the vicinity of the lock to an attempted break-in. Typically, the alarm device includes an acceleration or vibration sensor, which detects a movement of the lock associated with an attempted break-in and triggers an alarm accordingly.

US 2008/0061975 A1 describes, for example, a security device for securing displayed objects to a slat wall, whereby an alarm is triggered if a base of the security device and thus a secured object is removed from the slat wall or an alarm cable is severed.

Further describes FR 2 983 230 A1 a lock for securing vehicles, whereby the lock can be inserted into a slot provided for this purpose while driving. By inserting the lock into the receptacle the main power supply of the vehicle is also closed, so that the vehicle can only be started when the lock is in the socket. Furthermore, an alarm of the vehicle can be influenced by inserting the lock into the receptacle. The lock acts on functions of the vehicle.

US 5,408,212A shows a lock that can be hooked into a holder. In this case, the lock has an alarm device which can be selectively switched off by means of a switch that is accessible on the outside of the lock.

In particular, locks for securing two-wheelers, but also locks that are used to lock containers to be delivered or trucks, are usually moved during transport, and it is then usually not desirable to trigger an alarm due to registered vibrations of the lock.

It is therefore an object of the invention to enable a particularly simple and convenient way of suppressing the alarm of a lock that is in a transport state.

This object is achieved by a locking system having the features of claim 1 and in particular in that the lock and/or the holder has or has at least one means by which the generation of the alarm can be suppressed when the lock is accommodated in the holder .

The invention is based on the general idea of using the lock holder provided in any case not only for holding the lock during transport, but also for suppressing the alarm. The holder thus fulfills a dual function in an advantageous manner. By the Generation of the alarm of the lock accommodated in the holder can be suppressed according to the invention, the user does not have to take any additional conscious actions to suppress the alarm, but only, as usual, insert the lock into the holder, which means that the alarm can be suppressed particularly easily and conveniently .

The lock also includes a first sensor which is connected to the alarm device and is designed to detect the inclusion of the lock in the holder. According to the invention, a transport state can be recognized by this detection of the recording of the lock and, if necessary, the generation of an alarm can be suppressed.

The alarm device is also designed to suppress the generation of the alarm when the first sensor detects that the lock has been received in the holder. By accommodating the lock in the holder, a transport state can be signaled in which the generation of an alarm is not desired. Since vibrations frequently occur during transport, which in principle could lead to the alarm being triggered, the triggering of an alarm when a transport state is detected can be automatically suppressed by detecting the inclusion of the lock in the holder.

Further developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims, the description and the drawing.

The lock of a locking system according to the invention can be designed, for example, as a U-bolt lock, in which a rigid, U-shaped bracket can be locked in the lock body of the lock in order to secure an object. Furthermore, the lock can be designed as an articulated or folding lock which comprises a plurality of articulated rods which are connected to one another and can be pivoted, with at least one of the articulated rods being able to be locked on the lock body. It is also possible to form the lock as a chain or rope lock, so that the respective ends of a chain or rope can be locked on the lock body.

Such locks can be used, for example, to secure a bicycle, for example to a bicycle stand, a lamppost or a fence. Furthermore, the bracket, joint rods or chain links of the lock can be guided between the spokes of one of the wheels in order to limit movement of the wheel and to secure the two-wheeler against unauthorized driving away. It is also possible to secure a two-wheeler against unauthorized driving away by means of a brake disk lock, in that a safety bracket of the lock reaches through a ventilation opening of a brake disk of the two-wheeler.

The lock can also be used to securely lock doors or boxes. For example, a shackle of the lock, e.g. a padlock, can be passed through the eyelet of a hasp connected to the frame of a door, or the wings of a double door can be securely connected to one another by the lock. Such locks can also be used to protect containers or truck loading doors against unauthorized opening attempts.

The holder can be designed in such a way that it completely or partially encloses the received lock. Furthermore, the holder can also be provided as any other form of bearing, by which the lock is held or supported at least at one point. Stable positioning or stowage of the lock, in particular during transport, can thus be ensured by the holder.

The alarm device can include an acceleration or vibration sensor, the signal from which triggers the alarm. Such a sensor makes it possible to recognize an attempt to break open the lock, since such forces are usually applied to the lock, as a result of which the lock experiences a vibration.

The first sensor can be arranged on an outer surface of the lock body. As a result, the sensor is easily accessible and the lock can be detected in the holder in a particularly simple manner, for example by switching over a mechanical contact switch while the lock is being introduced into the holder. In particular, such a contact switch can be switched over against spring tension when the lock is inserted into the holder, so that the switch switches back automatically when the lock is removed from the holder. The removal can also be recorded immediately and an alarm can no longer be suppressed, so that the user does not have to consciously activate the alarm device.

Provision can also be made for the first sensor to be arranged inside the lock body, in which case the lock body can in particular have an opening through which the first sensor is accessible from the outside. The first sensor is therefore not or only partially visible from the outside and is less directly accessible, which protects the lock from attempts at manipulation aimed at suppressing the generation of an alarm. Furthermore, with such an arrangement within the lock body, the first sensor can also be protected from other external influences that can lead to a defect in the sensor, for example weather influences or the effects of force on the sensor due to uncontrolled transport or uncontrolled insertion of the lock into the holder.

The first sensor can be a mechanical sensor, in particular a mechanical contact switch, a pressure sensor, a capacitive sensor, a magnetic Sensor, be an inductive sensor or an optical sensor. The recording of the lock can thus be detected in basically any way, with the design of the sensor being able to be adapted to the respective circumstances, in particular the design and the area of application of the lock. A particularly simple way of detecting that the lock has been received is by using a sensor designed as a mechanical contact switch.

It is also possible to design the first sensor as a radio receiver to which a signal indicating that the lock has been received in the holder can be transmitted from the outside. Such a signal can, for example, be transmitted by the user himself via a mobile radio device, so that the user can in principle order the suppression of the alarm at any desired time. Additionally or alternatively, an element can be provided in the holder that emits a radio signal when the lock is picked up.

According to some embodiments, the holder has a counter-element that interacts with the first sensor of the lock accommodated in the holder. The lock and the holder of the locking system are matched to one another in such a way that the counter-element actuates the first sensor of the lock when it is received in the holder and thus a signal transmitting the recording can be emitted by the sensor.

The counter-element can be designed, for example, as an elevation that actuates a mechanical contact switch of the lock. The contact switch can be arranged on the outside of the surface of the lock body or inside the lock body, with the elevation being able to engage in an opening of the lock body when the contact switch is arranged inside the lock body in order to actuate the sensor. It is also possible for the first sensor to be designed in a different form and for the means required for actuating the sensor to be brought into its vicinity as a result of the elevation.

For example, the first sensor can be designed as a magnetic sensor and the elevation can have a magnetic material that is brought into the vicinity of the sensor when the lock is received in the holder in order to generate a signal.

It can be provided that the alarm device can be switched off when the first sensor detects that the lock has been received in the holder. Since the alarm device is usually supplied by an electrical energy source and the alarm is optionally transmitted by radio, it can be useful to separate the alarm device from the energy source during transport in order to avoid unnecessary energy consumption. As a result of this energy saving, the lock or the alarm device can be used over an overall longer period of time without the need for interruptions in usability due to charging or changing the energy source.

According to some embodiments, the lock includes a second sensor, which is connected to the alarm device and is designed to detect a locking state of the lock. In this case, the second sensor can be designed in such a way that it only detects a change in the locking state, ie emits a signal when the lock is transferred from an open position to a closed position and possibly vice versa. Furthermore, the second sensor can also emit intermittent or cyclic signals which transmit information about the locking state of the lock, it also being possible in particular to record the point in time at which a signal is sent.

It can be provided that the generation of the alarm can only be suppressed if there is a predetermined temporal correlation between the signals of the first sensor and the second sensor and/or that the alarm device a predetermined temporal correlation between the signals of the first sensor and the second sensor can be switched off. By checking such a temporal correlation, it can be ensured that the lock was actually transferred to a transport state and the signal from the first sensor was not triggered due to an attempt at manipulation, in which the generation of the alarm was caused by an apparent detection of the inclusion of the lock in the holder should be suppressed.

Since the locking of the lock detected by the second sensor is only carried out by the owner, a transport status and thus a desired suppression of the alarm can be indicated by inserting the lock into the holder provided for transport within a predetermined period of time after the transfer to the locking status . The transport state can accordingly be recognized in that the recording of the lock in the holder provided, detected by the first sensor, takes place in close proximity to a preceding locking of the lock, detected by the second sensor.

For this purpose, as mentioned above, the second sensor can detect a change in the locking status and emit a corresponding signal or check the locking status at defined time intervals, with both the information about the locking status and the time of the query being recorded. Even with such a permanent check of the locking state, the time of locking can be determined and linked to a subsequent insertion of the lock into the holder.

To check the predetermined temporal correlation, the two sensor signals can be evaluated by an evaluation logic, for example, as a module of the alarm device, such as a software module, or as a separate and connected to the alarm device component can be formed. Furthermore, the evaluation logic can be designed to suppress the alarm or to control the alarm device to that effect on the basis of the evaluated signals. Since the alarm device can be switched off in particular when there is a predetermined temporal correlation between the two sensor signals, energy savings and uninterrupted usability of the lock over a longer period of time can in turn be achieved.

According to some specific embodiments, the generation of the alarm can only be suppressed if a signal from the first sensor follows a signal from the second sensor within a predetermined or predeterminable period of time. Such a temporal correlation takes account of the identification of the transport state by detecting the reception of the lock in the holder in the temporal vicinity of a previous locking of the lock. The duration of such a time window, in which the recording of the lock can follow locking in order to identify the transport state, can be 10 s, for example. However, the time window can also be specified by the user in order to be able to be adapted to his requirements, for example with regard to the distance between the place of use of the lock and the holder.

Fig. 1

eine konzeptionelle Darstellung des erfindungsgemäßen Schließsystems.

The invention is described below purely by way of example using a possible embodiment with reference to the attached drawing. It shows:

1

a conceptual representation of the locking system according to the invention.

1 shows a locking system 11, which includes a lock 13, which is accommodated in an associated holder 15. The lock 13 is designed here as a U-bolt lock and has an essentially U-shaped bracket 33 which can be locked on the lock body 17 . Such a U-bolt lock represents only one possible embodiment of the lock 13, with configurations as a chain, cable, folding or brake disc lock being possible in particular. The bracket 15 is designed here in such a way that the received lock 13 is supported by it on a lower section and laterally, it being possible for the bracket 15 to also act on other points of the lock 13 to support or mount it.

A first sensor 21 for detecting the inclusion of the lock 13 in the holder 15 and a second sensor 29 for detecting a locking state are arranged inside the lock body 17 . The sensors 21, 29 can be arranged anywhere within the lock body 17 or on its outer surface 25.

The sensors 21 , 29 are connected to an evaluation logic 31 which evaluates and processes the signals from the sensors 21 , 29 and which is connected to an alarm device 19 . As shown here, the evaluation logic 31 can be arranged structurally separately from the alarm device 19 or can also be integrated directly into the alarm device 19 as a software module.

An alarm can be triggered by means of the alarm device 19 if an attempt to break open the lock 13 is detected. For this purpose, the alarm device 19 can comprise, for example, an acceleration or vibration sensor (not shown), based on the signal of which an alarm is generated when forces are applied to the lock 13 during an attempt to break in and the lock 13 experiences a vibration. Such shocks can however, also occur when the lock 13 is being transported, in which case, as a rule, no triggering of the alarm by the alarm device 19 is desired. In addition, the alarm can be suppressed when the lock 13 is held in the holder 15 .

For this purpose, the holder 15 has an elevation 23 which engages in an opening 27 in the lock body 17 of the lock 13 used and interacts with the first sensor 21 in order to detect the inclusion of the lock 13 in the holder 15 . In this case, the first sensor 21 can be designed, for example, as a mechanical contact switch which is actuated by the elevation 23 of the holder 15 .

However, it is also possible to provide a first sensor 21 of a different type and to bring means through the elevation 23 into the vicinity of the first sensor 21 in order to actuate it. For example, the elevation 23 can have a magnetic material that is brought into the vicinity of a magnetic first sensor 21 through the opening 27 in the lock body 17 . Furthermore, a counter-element 23 that is not designed as an elevation can also be provided on the holder 15 , which interacts with the first sensor 21 in order to signal that the lock 13 has been received in the holder 15 . For example, a radio signal can be generated by means of a counter-element 23 while the lock 13 is being picked up, which is received by a first sensor 21 embodied as a radio receiver.

The interaction between the elevation 23 and the first sensor 21 signals that the lock 13 has been received in the holder 15 and is detected by the first sensor 21 . The evaluation logic 31 connected to the first sensor 21 receives and processes a signal from the first sensor 21 indicating that the lock 13 has been received in the holder 15 and causes the generation of an alarm by the alarm device 19 to be suppressed. To this In this way, an unwanted alarm can be conveniently prevented from being output during transport with the lock 13 in the holder 15, without the user having to take any further steps than the usual insertion of the lock 13 into the holder 15. For example, the alarm device 19 can be switched off by a signal from the first sensor 21 indicating that the lock 13 is in the holder 15, in order to avoid unnecessary energy consumption by the alarm device 19 when no alarm is to be generated.

Since the evaluation logic 31 is also connected to the second sensor 29, which detects a locking state of the lock 13, it can be verified that the lock 13 was actually inserted into the holder 15 for the purpose of transport, and the generation of the alarm by the alarm device 19 be suppressed accordingly. Because the evaluation logic 31 is designed to suppress the generation of the alarm only when there is a predetermined temporal correlation between the signals from the sensors 21 and 29, unauthorized attempts at manipulation aimed at suppressing the alarm can be counteracted particularly effectively.

Since the lock 13 can only be locked by the owner, a transport state can be characterized in that locking of the lock 13 is followed by the lock 13 being inserted into the holder 15 within a predetermined period of time. The transport state can thus be detected when the evaluation logic 31 detects a signal from the second sensor 29, which is followed by a signal from the first sensor 21 within a predetermined or specifiable period of time. For example, a transport state can be defined in that the lock 13 is inserted into the holder 15 or received by it within 10 s after locking.

By checking such a predetermined temporal correlation of the signals from the first sensor 21 and the second sensor 29, manipulation attempts aimed at suppressing the generation of the alarm can be prevented by the lock 13 being held in the holder 15 by actuating the first sensor 21 is pretended to be counteracted. Since the lock 13 has usually already been locked for a longer period of time during such attempts at manipulation, the signal from the first sensor 21 does not follow the locking of the lock 13 in close proximity, so that the predetermined temporal correlation between a signal from the first sensor 21 and a signal from the second sensor 29. In such a case, the generation of the alarm is accordingly not suppressed, so that attempts to break in by persons who are informed about the design and functionality of the lock 13 are made more difficult.

While the lock 13 is protected in a special way against attempts at manipulation by the combination of first sensor 21, second sensor 23 and evaluation logic 31, it is also possible in principle to suppress the alarm of a lock 13 held in a holder 15 directly when a signal is output from the make the recording detecting first sensor 21, ie without taking into account a signal from a second sensor 29, which detects the locking state of the lock 13, so that such a second sensor 29 does not necessarily have to be provided.

Reference List

11

locking system

13

Lock

15

bracket

17

lock body

19

alarm device

21

first sensor

23

counter element

25

surface

27

opening

29

second sensor

31

evaluation logic

33

lock shackle

Claims (9)

1. A locking system (11) comprising a lock (13) and a holder (15) for releasably receiving the lock (13) during a transport, wherein the lock (13) comprises a lock body (17) and an alarm device (19) for generating an alarm, and

   wherein the lock (13) and/or the holder (15) has/have at least one means by which the generation of the alarm can be suppressed when the lock (13) is received in the holder (15), characterized in that

   the lock (13) comprises a first sensor (21) which is connected to the alarm device (19) and which is configured to detect the receiving of the lock (13) in the holder (15),

   wherein a transport state can be recognized by this detection of the lock (11) in the holder (15), and

   wherein the alarm device (19) is configured to suppress the generation of the alarm when the first sensor (21) detects the receiving of the lock (13) in the holder (15).
2. A locking system in accordance with claim 1,
   wherein the first sensor (21) is arranged at an outer surface (25) of the lock body (17).
3. A locking system in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2,
   wherein the first sensor (21) is arranged within the lock body (17), in particular wherein the lock body (17) has an opening (27) through which the first sensor (21) is accessible from the outside.
4. A locking system (11) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first sensor (21) is a mechanical sensor, in particular a mechanical contact switch, a pressure sensor, a capacitive sensor, a magnetic sensor, an inductive sensor or an optical sensor.
5. A locking system (11) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the holder (15) has a counter-element (23) which cooperates with the first sensor (21) of the lock (13) received in the holder (15).
6. A locking system (11) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the alarm device (19) can be switched off when the first sensor (21) detects the receiving of the lock (13) in the holder (15).
7. A locking system (11) in accordance with any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lock (13) comprises a second sensor (29) which is connected to the alarm device (19) and which is configured to detect a locked state of the lock (13).
8. A locking system (11) in accordance with claim 7,
   wherein the generation of the alarm can only be suppressed in the event of a predetermined temporal correlation between the signals of the first sensor (21) and the second sensor (29) and/or wherein the alarm device (19) can be switched off in the event of a predetermined temporal correlation between the signals of the first sensor (21) and the second sensor (29).
9. A locking system (11) in accordance with claim 7 or claim 8,
   wherein the generation of the alarm can only be suppressed when a signal of the first sensor (21) follows a signal of the second sensor (29) within a predefined or predefinable time period.

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