EP3772562B1

EP3772562B1 - Door lock and door with such door lock

Info

Publication number: EP3772562B1
Application number: EP19190377.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Chih-Min Lien
Original assignee: WFE Technology Corp
Current assignee: WFE Technology Corp
Priority date: 2019-08-06
Filing date: 2019-08-06
Publication date: 2024-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-06
Also published as: EP3772562A1; EP3772562C0

Description

The disclosure relates to a door lock, and more particularly to a door lock mountable on a door panel, and a door with such door lock.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional door lock includes a housing 12 disposed within a door panel 11, a handle unit 13 disposed at interior and exterior of the door panel 11, a transmitting unit 14 disposed within the housing 12 and coupled with the handle unit 13, a deadbolt unit 15 coupled with and driven by the transmitting unit 14, and a clutch unit 16 disposed within the housing 12. The handle unit 13 has internal and external handles 131, 132 respectively disposed at interior and exterior of the door panel 11. The transmitting unit 14 has internal and external cams 141, 142 respectively operated by the internal and external handles 131, 132 to make rotations. The external cam 142 has a latch slot 143. The clutch unit 16 has an actuator 161 and a latch 162 actuated by the actuator 161 to be engaged in the latch slot 143 such that the rotation of the external cam 142 is restricted to prevent opening the door lock from outside of the door panel 11.
However, the component parts of the clutch unit 16 are liable to deterioration and are needed to be replaced after a period of use. The replacement is inconvenient to conduct under a narrow space within the door panel 11 using a hand tool.
In GB 2262770 A , a clutch device for electric locks has coaxial external and internal semitubes rotationally coupled to a deadbolt and a knob/handle, respectively. The internal semitube has a spring loaded retractable clutch pin capable of being inserted solely through a radial aperture in the internal semitube disabling the knob/handle from operation of the deadbolt, or simultaneously through a second radial aperture in the external semitube in which condition the knob/handle is enabled and can operate the deadbolt. The clutch pin is operated by an actuator associated with a cam and electric drive unit.
In WO 97/09501 A1 , a clutch mechanism for door lock is conjunction with lever handles, and has two coupling assemblies rotatably coupled to a lockset actuator and the exterior door handle, respectively. A drive assembly includes a motor selectively controlling the position of a coupling pin to provide for the locking and unlocking functions.
In US 2007/157684 A1 , an electronic door lock assembly includes a clutch coupler operatively connecting a handle with a retractor when the coupler is located in an engaged position, and an actuator operable to displace the coupler between a nonengaged position and the engaged position. An override mechanism includes a movable override member configured to displace the coupler between the nonengaged and engaged positions, and also retain the coupler at the engaged position when the override member is disposed at an unlock position and prevents displacement of the coupler during actuator operation when the override member is disposed at a lockout position.
In US 2019/0119962 A1 , a reversible electric door lock is capable of being applied to left-hand and right-hand doors. A clutch unit includes external and internal driving members and a clutch pin movable between an engaging position to allow synchronous rotation of the external and internal driving members to actuate a dead bolt unit, and a disengaged position to allow idle rotation of the internal driving member.
Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a door lock and a door with such door lock that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.
According to an aspect of the disclosure, a door lock is defined by claim 1.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a door includes a door panel and a door lock as defined by claim 1.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a conventional door lock;
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the conventional door lock;
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a first embodiment of a door with a door lock according to the disclosure;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the first embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 3;
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a second embodiment of a door with a door lock according to the disclosure;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of a door with a door lock according to the disclosure; and
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line X-X of FIG. 9.

Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals or terminal portions of reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, a first embodiment of a door according to the disclosure includes a door panel 2, a door lock 3 and a handle 4.
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, the door panel 2 has externally and internally facing surfaces 21, 22 opposite to each other in a first direction, and a side surface 23 interposed between the externally and internally facing surfaces 21, 22 to cooperatively define an accommodation space 24 thereamong. The door panel 2 may be made of wood or metal material, and is generally a cuboid.
The door lock 3 is mounted on the door panel 2, and includes a deadbolt device 5 which is mounted in the accommodation space 24, a clutch device 6 mounted on and exterior of the externally facing surface 21 of the door panel 2, and an unlocking device 7 disposed to actuate the clutch device 6.
The deadbolt device 5 includes a deadbolt 51 which is movable relative to the door panel 2 between a locking position, where a tongue of the deadbolt 51 projects outwardly of the accommodation space 24, and an unlocking position, where the tongue of the deadbolt 51 is retracted into the accommodation space 24. In this embodiment, the unlocking device 7 is of an electronic key, such as utilizing protocol of radio frequency identification (RFID), or a conventional key.
The clutch device 6 includes a housing seat unit 61 mounted on and exterior of the externally facing surface 21 of the door panel 2, and a clutch unit 62, a driving unit 63 and a power supply unit 64 disposed within the housing seat unit 61.
The housing seat unit 61 has a seat frame 611 mounted on the externally facing surface 21 of the door panel 2, a housing shell 612 disposed outwardly of and covering the seat frame 611, and a power supply compartment 613 defined by the seat frame 611 and the housing shell 612.
The clutch unit 62 has a clutch driving member 65, an output axle 66, a clutch pin 67, a biasing member 68 and a ring-shaped retaining member 69.
The clutch driving member 65 is rotatably mounted on the housing seat unit 61 about a first axis (L1) in the first direction, and is engaged with the handle 4. Specifically, the clutch driving member 65 has an engaging end portion 656 which is engaged with the handle 4, a driving end portion 651 which is opposite to the engaging end portion 656 in the first direction and which has a receiving slot 652 that extends along the first axis (L1) for the output axle 66 to be rotatably received therein, and a communicating bore 653 that extends radially to be in spatial communication with the receiving slot 652 for the clutch pin 67 to be movably inserted therein. The communicating bore 653 has a smaller-diameter segment 654 and a larger-diameter segment 655 formed proximate to and distal from the output axle 66, respectively, and a shoulder 657 formed between the smaller-diameter segment 654 and the larger-diameter segment 655.
The output axle 66 is rotatably received in the receiving slot 652 of the clutch driving member 65 , and is engaged with the deadbolt 51. The output axle 66 has an embedded groove 661 extending along a second axis (L2) that is transverse to the first axis (L1). In this embodiment, the first axis (L1) is normal to the externally facing surface 21 of the door panel 2, and the second axis (L2) is perpendicular to the first axis (L1). Alternatively, predetermined angles may be included between the first and second axes (L1, L2), and between the first axis (L1) and the externally facing surface 21 as required.
The clutch pin 67 extends along the second axis (L2), and is disposed in and movable relative to the clutch driving member 65 along the second axis (L2). The clutch pin 67 has a flange 671 extending radially from a periphery thereof. The clutch pin 67 is operative to move between an engaged position (see FIG. 5), where the clutch pin 67 is engaged in the embedded groove 661 of the output axle 66 when the communicating bore 653 is aligned with the embedded groove 661 along the second axis (L2), so as to allow synchronous rotation of the output axle 66 with the clutch driving member 65 to establish a connection between the handle 4 and the deadbolt 51, and a disengaged position (see FIG. 4), where the clutch pin 67 is disengaged from the embedded groove 661 so as to allow an idle rotation of the output axle 66 relative to the clutch driving member 65 to disconnect the connection between the handle 4 and the deadbolt 51.
The biasing member 68 is in the form of a coil spring which is sleeved around the clutch pin 67 and has two ends abutting against the shoulder 657 and the flange 671, respectively, to bias the clutch pin 67 away from the output axle 66. Alternatively, the biasing member 68 may be an elastic block or the like.
The retaining member 69 is disposed over the larger-diameter segment 655 and has a through hole 691 which extends therethrough along the second axis (L2) for permitting movement of the clutch pin 67 and which has a diameter smaller than that of the flange 671 to stop the movement of the clutch pin 67 away from the output axle 66.
The driving unit 63 is disposed on the housing seat unit 61, and has a motor 631 which is disposed within the seat frame 611, and a pressing member 632 which is actuated by the motor 631 to be moved relative to the clutch driving member 65. The pressing member 632 has a pressing end surface 633 which abuts against and presses on the clutch pin 67, and two guiding slope surfaces 634 which are adjoined to the pressing end surface 633. In this embodiment, the pressing member 632 is made of a polyoxymethylene (POM) material to minimize wearing by the clutch pin 67, or the like with high stiffness and lower friction.
The power supply unit 64 is disposed in the power supply compartment 613 and is electronically connected with the motor 631 and the unlocking device 7. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 64 is a dry cell pack or a rechargeable battery pack to supply power to the motor 631.
The handle 4 is rotatably disposed on the housing seat unit 61. When it is desired to unlock the door through identification of the unlocking device 7, the motor 631 is actuated to move the pressing member 632 to press and move the clutch pin 67 along the second axis (L2) to the engaged position. At this stage, turning of the handle 4 can rotate the clutch driving member 65 to bring an angular movement of the clutch pin 67 relative to the pressing member 632 along a path (a) that surrounds the second axis (L2), and a torque is transmitted through the clutch driving member 65, the clutch pin 67 and the output axle 66 to retreat the deadbolt 5 to the unlocking position. When the motor 631 is deactivated to release the pressing force to move the pressing member 632, the clutch pin 67 is moved by means of the biasing member 68 to be disengaged from the embedded groove 661 to the disengaged position. The connection between the handle 4 and the deadbolt 51 is disconnected so as to keep the deadbolt 51 in the locking position.
Moreover, when the handle 4 is rotated so that the clutch pin 67 is disengaged from pressing member 632, with a shear stress arising from the clutch driving member 65 and the output axle 66 and a friction between the clutch pin 67 and each inner wall of the communicating bore 653 and the embedded groove 661, the clutch pin 67 can be retained in the embedded groove 661 against the biasing action of the biasing member 68. Once the clutch pin 67 is unintentionally disengaged from the embedded groove 661 during rotation of the handle 4 (i.e. when the communicating bore 653 is not aligned with the embedded groove 661), the user can rotate the handle 4 back to its original position (i.e. a parallel position) such that the clutch pin 67 is turned along the path (a). The movement of the clutch pin 67 is guided by one of the guiding slope surfaces 634 which is adjoined to the pressing end surface 633 along the path (a) to reach the pressing end surface 633.
As illustrated, with the clutch device 6 mounted on and exterior of the door panel 2, the clutch device 6 can be conveniently detached and replaced with usage of a hand tool without the need to remove component parts in the accommodation space 24 of the door panel 2. Additionally, the assembly and disassembly of the door lock 3 are convenient to conduct. For example, when it is desired to replace the unlocking device 7, the clutch device 6 is merely required to be replaced, which renders the operation convenient.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in a second embodiment, the unlocking device 7 utilizes a face recognition technology. Alternatively, referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the unlocking device 7 is in the form of a digital code lock.

Claims

A door lock (3) mountable on a door panel (2), and connectable with a handle (4), the door panel (2) having externally and internally facing surfaces (21, 22) opposite to each other in a first direction, and a side surface (23) interposed between the externally and internally facing surfaces (21, 22) to cooperatively define an accommodation space (24) thereamong, said door lock (3) comprising:
a deadbolt device (5) mountable in the accommodation space (24), and including a deadbolt (51) which is movable relative to the door panel (2) between a locking position, where a tongue of said deadbolt (51) projects outwardly of the accommodation space (24), and an unlocking position, where said tongue of said deadbolt (51) is retracted into the accommodation space (24); and

a clutch device (6) including a housing seat unit (61) which is mountable on and exterior of the externally facing surface (21) of the door panel (2), and a clutch unit (62) which is disposed within said housing seat unit (61), said clutch unit (62) having a clutch driving member (65) which is rotatably mounted on said housing seat unit (61) about a first axis (L1) in the first direction and which has an engaging end portion to be engaged with the handle (4), and a driving end portion (651) that is opposite to said engaging end portion (656) in the first direction and that has a receiving slot (652) extending along the first axis (L1), and a communicating bore (653) extending radially to be in spatial communication with said receiving slot (652), an output axle (66) which is rotatably received in said receiving slot (652) and which has an embedded groove (661) extending along a second axis (L2) that is transverse to the first axis (L1) and a clutch pin (67) which is disposed in and movable relative to said communicating bore (653) of said clutch driving member (65) along the second axis (L2) and which is operative to move between an engaged position, where said communicating bore (653) is aligned with said embedded groove (661) along the second axis (L2) and where said clutch pin (67) is engaged with said embedded groove (661) of said output axle (66) so as to allow synchronous rotation of said output axle (66) with said clutch driving member (65) to establish a connection between the handle (4) and said deadbolt (51), and a disengaged position, where said communicating bore (653) is not aligned with said embedded groove (661) and where said clutch pin (67) is disengaged from said embedded groove (661) of said output axle (66) so as to allow an idle rotation of said output axle (66) relative to said clutch driving member (65) to disconnect the connection between the handle (4) and said deadbolt (51), said clutch device (6) further including a driving unit (63) which is disposed within said housing seat unit (61), said driving unit (63) having a motor (631) which is disposed on said housing seat unit (61), characterized in that:
said clutch unit (62) has a biasing member (68), said communicating bore (653) having a smaller-diameter segment (654) and a larger-diameter segment (655) formed proximate to and distal from said output axle (66), respectively, and a shoulder (657) formed between said smaller-diameter segment (654) and said larger-diameter segment (655), said clutch pin (67) having a flange (671) extending radially from a periphery thereof, said biasing member (68) having two ends which abut against said shoulder (657) and said flange (671), respectively, to bias said clutch pin (67) away from said output axle (66),

said clutch unit (62) having a ring-shaped retaining member (69) which is disposed over said larger-diameter segment (655) and which has a through hole (691) that extends therethrough along the second axis (L2) for permitting movement of said clutch pin (67) and that has a diameter smaller than that of said flange (671) to stop the movement of said clutch pin (67) away from said output axle (66),

said driving unit (63) having a pressing member (632) which is made of a polyoxymethylene material and which is actuated by said motor (631) to be moved relative to said clutch driving member (65) to press and move said clutch pin (67) along the second axis (L2) to the engaged position,

said clutch driving member (65) being rotated with the handle (4) to bring an angular movement of said clutch pin (67) relative to said pressing member (632) along a path (a) that surrounds the second axis (L2), said pressing member (632) having a pressing end surface (633) which abuts against and presses on said clutch pin (67), and at least one guiding slope surface (634) which is adjoined to said pressing end surface (633) along the path (a) to allow sliding engagement with said clutch pin (67) to facilitate movement of said clutch pin (67) onto said pressing end surface (633).
The door lock as claimed in Claim 1, characterized in that said clutch device (6) includes a power supply unit (64) disposed within said housing seat unit (61) to supply power to said motor (631), said housing seat unit (61) having a seat frame (611) which is mountable on the externally facing surface (21) of the door panel (2), a housing shell (612) which is disposed outwardly of and covers said seat frame (611), and a power supply compartment (613) which is defined by said seat frame (611) and said housing shell (612) for accommodating said power supply unit (64) therein.
A door comprising:
a door panel (2) having externally and internally facing surfaces (21, 22) opposite to each other in a first direction, and a side surface (23) interposed between said externally and internally facing surfaces (21, 22) to cooperatively define an accommodation space (24) thereamong;

a door lock (3) as claimed in claim 1,

mounted on said door panel (2),

and including a deadbolt device (5) which is mounted in said accommodation space (24), said deadbolt device (5) including a deadbolt (51) which is movable relative to said door panel (2) between a locking position, where a tongue of said deadbolt (51) projects outwardly of said accommodation space (24), and an unlocking position, where said tongue of said deadbolt (51) is retracted into said accommodation space (24); and

a handle (4) connected with said door lock (3) .