CN111226017A

CN111226017A - Mortise lock assembly with electric lock actuator

Info

Publication number: CN111226017A
Application number: CN201880063248.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 安德鲁·威廉姆斯; 保罗·托马斯·斯宾塞
Original assignee: Assa Abloy Australia Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Assa Abloy Australia Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2017-07-27
Filing date: 2018-07-27
Publication date: 2020-06-02
Anticipated expiration: 2038-07-27
Also published as: AU2018308949B2; AU2018305775B2; CN111226016B; WO2019018897A1; AU2018305728A1; AU2018305774A1; CN111315949A; CN111226016A; NZ761122A; AU2018305775A1; NZ761119A; WO2019018899A1; AU2018308949A1; CN111315949B; CN111263840B; AU2018305774B2; NZ761127A; CN111263840A; WO2019018900A1; CN111226017B

Abstract

A mortise lock assembly (1) includes a manual actuator (28), the manual actuator (28) operable to retract a latch bolt assembly (22). The manual actuator (28) comprises an inner hub (31) and an outer hub (29). The mortise latch assembly (1) further comprises a locking mechanism (32), the locking mechanism (32) comprising an inner pawl (34) and an outer pawl (33) that are adjustable upon operation of a motor (37).

Description

Mortise lock assembly with electric lock actuator

The present application further relates to PCT applications entitled "mobile Lock associating Electronic switching element", "mobile Lock associating Electronic Control Module" and "Monitoring System for Lock associating" having an international application date of 2018, 7-27 th in the name of asa interlock australian private ltd, and the entire contents of each of the related PCT applications are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to mortise lock assemblies of the kind including a bolt, a manual actuator operable to move the bolt, and a lock mechanism having an electric actuator for controlling operation of the manual actuator. The present invention also relates generally to a security system including such a mortise lock assembly. It will be convenient to hereinafter describe the invention with particular reference to latch assemblies, however, it will be appreciated that the invention is applicable to other forms of mortice lock assemblies, such as locking bolt assemblies.

Background

A mortice lock assembly of the foregoing kind may include a pair of hubs that are each rotatable relative to the housing to move a latch bolt from an extended position. The lock mechanism may include a detent lever that is adjustable to assume a locked position to prevent rotation of the respective hub. The detent lever can be moved by operation of the cylinder lock or by an electric actuator.

Where the lock mechanism includes an electrically powered actuator, it may take the form of a solenoid which uses a change in the supply of electrical power to change the position of the catch lever. The solenoid may, for example, remain energized so as to retract its plunger against the biasing force of the compression spring, such that selectively turning off the power releases the plunger to move under the force of the spring, thereby moving the capture lever.

The manner in which the solenoid is physically arranged relative to the detent is adjustable to allow the lock mechanism to respond to a power failure event in a predetermined manner. The arrangement may be referred to as fail secure or fail secure, and the spring in the solenoid is adapted to respond accordingly. When a power failure event occurs and the lock mechanism is set to fail locked, the detent lever will remain in or move to the locked position, thereby preventing rotation of either hub. Alternatively, when the lock mechanism is set to de-energize the lock, the capture lever will remain in or move to the release position, thereby allowing rotation of either hub.

The applicant has appreciated that, depending on the arrangement of the solenoid, it may be problematic, or at least inefficient, to require the solenoid to continuously draw power to maintain the lock mechanism in the locked condition. Furthermore, it can be difficult to physically fit all of the elements of the lock into the housing while allowing the arrangement of the solenoid relative to the detent to be adjustable to respond to a power failure event, particularly where space within the housing is limited. Further, it would be preferable for a mortise lock assembly to provide greater flexibility in how it responds to power failure events.

The reference herein to a patent document or to other material which is given as prior art is not to be taken as an admission that the document or material was known in australia or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a mortice lock assembly for use with a door comprising: a housing; a plug movable relative to the housing between an extended position and a retracted position; a manual actuator including an inner hub and an outer hub each operable from inside and outside of the housing, respectively, to move the bolt from at least the extended position to the retracted position; a locking mechanism including an inner pawl and an outer pawl, the inner pawl and the outer pawl adjustable relative to the inner hub and the outer hub, respectively; and an electric actuator for adjusting the state of the inner and outer pawls between a locked state in which the respective inner or outer hub becomes inoperable and an unlocked state in which the respective inner or outer hub becomes operable, and including a motor having an output that produces rotation about an electric hub axis when the motor is operable. Preferably, the mortise lock assembly includes a biasing spring for moving the bolt back to the extended position, although the inner hub and the outer hub may also be operable to move the bolt from the retracted position to the extended position.

Preferably, the mortise lock includes a power storage device within the housing that supplies power to at least the electric actuator, as this simplifies the installation process, however, the power storage device may also be located outside the housing. Preferably, the electric actuator comprises no more than one motor having an output that causes rotation about the electric hub axis when the motor is operable. It is further preferred that the motor includes a drive shaft that rotates about the electrical hub axis when the motor is energized.

The lock mechanism preferably includes a gearing arrangement intermediate the electric actuator and the inner and outer pawls. The transmission arrangement may take any form and preferably includes a cam that is rotatable upon operation of the electrical actuator to adjust the state of one or both of the inner and outer pawls. This arrangement has the advantage of allowing a greater selectivity of how the inner pawl and or the outer pawl can be adjusted by an electric actuator. Although the cam may act directly on the inner and outer pawls, it is preferred that the transmission arrangement includes an inner cam follower and an outer cam follower each of which interact with the cam so as to be movable between the first and second positions as the cam rotates. The inner cam follower and the outer cam follower may each be linearly movable between the first position and the second position. The lock mechanism may include a biasing arrangement for urging the inner cam follower and the outer cam follower towards the first position, although this is merely preferred. Alternatively, the inner and outer cam followers may interact with the cam in some form of capture arrangement to retain the inner and outer followers in a preferred position, such as the first position. Preferably, the cam includes a cam surface and each of the inner and outer cam followers each includes a bearing surface over which the cam surface slides as the cam rotates. The configuration of each bearing surface may take any suitable form and in one form each bearing surface includes an inclined portion over which the cam surface slides to move the inner and outer cam followers to the second position. Obviously, other surface configurations may also achieve this function.

The inner hub and the outer hub are preferably mounted relative to the housing for rotation about a hub axis and the inner pawl and the outer pawl are mounted relative to the housing for rotation about a pawl axis, wherein the hub axis and the pawl axis are parallel. Alternatively, the hub axis and the pawl axis may be arranged at an angle to each other or coaxial with each other. The lock mechanism may comprise a pawl shaft on which each of the inner and outer pawls is mounted for rotation thereabout, although other arrangements may be suitable.

The power storage device may take any suitable form, including any form of rechargeable battery or capacitor, including any one or more of ultracapacitors, pseudocapacitors, and hybrid capacitors. It is further preferred that the mortice lock assembly includes at least one electrical contact through which power can be supplied to the power storage means from a mains power supply remote from the housing. Preferably, the lock mechanism is selectable for operation in a power-off unlocked mode or a power-off locked mode during a power failure event in which power cannot be supplied from the mains power supply to the power storage device. It is further preferred that both the inner pawl and the outer pawl adopt the unlocked state in the event of a power failure if the lock mechanism is selected to operate in the de-energized unlocked state, and that both the inner pawl and the outer pawl adopt the locked state in the event of a power failure if the lock mechanism is selected to operate in the de-energized locked state. However, it is still further preferred that the lock mechanism be selectable to operate in the power-off unlocked mode or the power-off locked mode separately for each of the inner pawl and the outer pawl such that the inner pawl and the outer pawl assume the unlocked state or the locked state in the event of the power failure. The manner in which the lock mechanism can be selected to operate can take any suitable form, and one form includes a lock mechanism switch (see claim 18) that is adjustable to control the operation of the lock mechanism to a fail-safe, fail-safe or escape mode, wherein in the escape mode one or both of the inner pawl and the outer pawl adopt the unlocked state. Alternatively, the selection of the operation of the lock mechanism may be remotely adjusted. Preferably, the lock mechanism switch is adjustable from outside the housing. This has the advantage of avoiding opening the lock housing to adjust the mode of operation of the lock mechanism, which can result in inadvertent changes to the internal components. The lock mechanism switch may be adjustable when the housing is installed in or on a door, or alternatively, prevent adjustment once installed in a door. The first arrangement has the advantage of simplifying the mode selection process, while the second arrangement has the safety advantage of preventing adjustments once installed as compared to the first arrangement.

Preferably, the mortise lock assembly includes a monitoring arrangement that monitors any one or more of the operation, the state or the position of the inner hub, the outer hub, the inner pawl, the outer pawl, the bolt or the power storage device. It is further preferred that the monitoring arrangement monitors each of the inner hub and the outer hub to determine whether either of the inner hub or the outer hub has rotated between a first position and a second position. Where the mortise lock includes a monitoring arrangement and the housing is configured to receive a cylinder lock and the bolt is configured to interact with a cylinder cam of the cylinder lock, it is preferred that the monitoring arrangement monitors movement of the cylinder cam from a first position towards a second position in which the cylinder cam is engaged with the bolt. The monitoring arrangement may take any suitable form such that it may include at least one shuttle for interacting with the barrel cam, the at least one shuttle moving relative to the housing between a first position corresponding to the barrel cam adopting the first position and a second position when the barrel cam is moved towards the second position. The monitoring arrangement may also include a monitoring switch capable of adjusting an output signal from the mortise lock.

A mortise lock assembly may include any form of plug, and in a preferred form includes a plug assembly including a plug head and biasing means for biasing the plug head toward the extended position. Further, the plug head may include a beveled leading surface. Still further, the plug assembly may include an auxiliary plug movable relative to the housing between a deadbolted position and an deadbolted position.

Preferably, the inner and outer pawls are each adjustable relative to the inner and outer hubs, respectively, upon operation of the electric actuator.

It is further preferred that the inner pawl is adjustable relative to the outer pawl upon operation of the electric actuator.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a security system for use with a door, comprising: a mortice lock assembly as hereinbefore described and configured for connection to a mains power supply; an access control reader for location proximate the door, configured for direct or indirect connection to the mains power supply and to the mortice lock assembly, such that a signal can be sent to the lock mechanism if a security protocol is satisfied.

Preferably, the security system includes a remote monitoring station for connection to at least the mortise lock assembly, whereby in use the remote monitoring station monitors operation of at least the inner hub or the outer hub. The remote monitoring station may comprise an audible indicator and or a visual indicator for indicating operation of the at least inner or outer hub. The remote monitoring station may also be configured to connect to the access control reader and include a data recorder for recording security protocol data.

It will be convenient to describe the invention in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The particularity of the drawings and the accompanying description is not intended to limit the broad definition of the invention as provided in the claims. Rather, the drawings and detailed description are merely illustrative of how the invention may be practiced.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded isometric view of a lock incorporating a mortise lock according to one aspect of the present invention in combination with a security system according to another aspect of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an isometric view of the mortice lock assembly from figure 1 with a cover plate forming part of the housing removed.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the mortise lock from FIG. 2 with the latch bolt assembly and the auxiliary bolt assembly in an extended position.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the mortice lock assembly from fig. 3 with the latch bolt assembly and the auxiliary bolt assembly in a retracted position.

Figure 5 is an opposite side view of the mortice lock assembly from figure 3.

Fig. 6 is an exploded isometric view of the lock mechanism, inner hub and outer hub.

Fig. 7 is an isometric view of the lock mechanism partially assembled from fig. 6 with both the inside pawl and the outside pawl in the unlocked position.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of a portion of the lock mechanism with the inner pawl shown in the release position.

Fig. 9 is a top plan view of the lock mechanism with this PCB removed to reveal the orientation of the cam relative to the inner and outer cam followers when the inner and outer pawls are each in the unlocked state.

Fig. 10 is an isometric view of the lock mechanism partially assembled from fig. 6 with both the inside pawl and the outside pawl in a locked condition.

Fig. 11 is a side elevational view of a portion of the lock mechanism with the inner pawl shown in the locked condition.

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the lock mechanism with this PCB removed to reveal the orientation of the cam relative to the inner and outer cam followers when the inner and outer pawls are each in the locked condition.

FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the mortise lock from FIG. 1 with the inner cylinder cam installed.

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the mortise lock from FIG. 13 with the inner cylinder cam rotated to move the inner shuttle.

Figure 15 is a side elevational view of the mortice lock assembly from figure 14 with the inner cylinder cam rotated further to engage the auxiliary bolt assembly.

Fig. 16 is a side elevational view of the mortice lock assembly from fig. 15 with the inner cylinder cam further rotated to retract the auxiliary bolt assembly and the latch bolt assembly.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded isometric view of a lock 1 including a mortise lock assembly 2 according to one aspect of the present invention. The shown lock 1 further comprises an inner door fitting 3 and an outer door fitting for positioning on the inside and outside, respectively, of a door 5 (only part of the door leaf stile is shown in fig. 1). The inner door fitting 3 comprises an inner handle 6, which inner handle 6 is rotatable relative to the inner fitting plate 4 about the hub axis X-X. Whereas the outer door fitting 4 comprises a corresponding outer handle 8, said outer handle 8 is also rotatable relative to the outer fitting plate 9 about the hub axis X-X. Fig. 1 also shows an inner fitting plate 7 and an outer fitting plate 9, each of which comprises apertures for receiving therethrough an inner cylinder lock 10 and an outer cylinder lock 10. Each of the inner cylinder lock 10 and the outer cylinder lock 11 is operable by a suitably configured key (not shown) for rotating the respective cylinder cam 12 about the cylinder cam axis Y-Y (only the inner cylinder cam 12 is visible in fig. 1).

While the mortise lock assembly 2 may be installed in a variety of different doors, fig. 1 illustrates a hollow door stile that may receive appropriate wiring therein. The mortise lock housing 13 shown in FIG. 1 includes electrical contacts or receptacles 14 that provide connection points for wiring 15. The wiring preferably comprises two wires leading to the mains supply 16. One communication line leads to a remote monitoring station 17 located remotely from the door 5 and one communication line leads to an access control reader 18 located close to the door 5. The access control reader 18 is preferably of the kind that processes wireless signals 19 generated by a key card or tag 20 for use in authenticating an access protocol. And the remote monitoring station 17 is preferably monitored by a person. The remote monitoring station 17 may monitor functions related to the operation of the mortise lock assembly 2 and these functions will be described in more detail with reference to the following illustrations. The remote monitoring station 17 may also be wired to the access control reader 18 to record data related to the use of the access control reader 18 and adjust its security protocol procedures.

Referring now to fig. 2, the cover plate 21 (see fig. 1) of the housing 13 is shown removed. The mortise lock assembly 12 includes a plug 22, or more specifically, the latch plug assembly 22 shown in an extended position in FIG. 2, the latch plug assembly 22 including a plug head 23 having a sloped leading face. The plug assembly 22 includes a plug body 24 within the housing 13, the plug body 24 configured to slide within the housing 13 between an extended position as shown and a retracted position (see fig. 4). A biasing spring (not shown) acts between the rear wall of the housing 13 and the plug body 24 to urge the plug assembly 22 toward the extended position. Fig. 2 also shows an auxiliary plug assembly 25, which includes an auxiliary plug head 26 and an auxiliary plug body 27. An auxiliary plug spring (not shown) acts between the auxiliary plug body 27 and the rear wall of the housing 13 to urge the auxiliary plug head 26 towards the extended position as shown. The auxiliary bolt assembly 25 interacts with the latch bolt assembly 22 to deadlock the latch bolt assembly 22 in the extended position when the door 5 is closed, in a manner that will be understood by those skilled in the art. More specifically, the details of the structural interaction of the auxiliary bolt assembly 25 with the latch bolt assembly 22 are not essential to the invention, but preferably there is some interaction to achieve the deadlock function.

The latch bolt assembly 22 is adjustable relative to the housing 13 by operation of a manual actuator 28, the manual actuator 28 including an outer hub 29, a hub rod 30 and an inner hub 31 (see fig. 5) in fig. 2. Upon rotation of either the inner handle 6 or the outer handle 8, both the inner hub 31 and the outer hub 29 are independently rotatable about the hub axis X-X, respectively. Rotation of either inner hub 31 or outer hub 29 about hub axis X-X will cause hub rod 30 to also rotate about hub axis X-X from the position shown in fig. 3 to the position shown in fig. 4, thereby retracting the latch bolt assembly.

The mortise lock assembly 2 also includes a lock mechanism 32 that controls rotation of either or both of the inner hub 31 and the outer hub 29. The lock mechanism 32 shown in fig. 2 includes an outer pawl 33 and an inner pawl 34 (see fig. 5) each rotatable about a pawl axis Z-Z (see fig. 6). Fig. 3 and 4 show at least the outer pawl 33 in an unlocked state and when the outer pawl 33 is in this state, the outer hub 29 is free to rotate about the hub axis X-X to retract the latch bolt assembly 22 from the extended position. While fig. 5, for example, shows the inner pawl 34 in a locked state, preventing rotation of the inner hub 31 to retract the latch bolt assembly 22 from the extended position.

Fig. 2 also shows a power control unit 25 in the upper cavity of the housing 13, the power control unit 25 including electrical contacts 14 on its upper surface. As can be appreciated from fig. 5, the power unit also includes a power storage device 36, which may take the form of any form of rechargeable battery, capacitor, including any one or more of ultracapacitors, pseudocapacitors, and hybrid capacitors.

The internal elements of the lock mechanism 32 can be more easily understood from fig. 6. The latch mechanism shown includes an electric actuator in the form of a single motor 37 having an output in the form of a drive shaft 38 which rotates about an electric actuator axis a-a. The electric actuator axis a-a is substantially perpendicular to and spaced from the pawl axis Z-Z.

The lock mechanism 32 also includes a gearing arrangement between the motor 37 and the inner and

outer pawls

34, 35. The illustrated transmission includes a cam 39 that is rotatable about an actuator axis a-a when the motor 37 is operated. The transmission also includes an inner cam follower 40 and an outer cam follower 41 that move linearly in response to rotation of the cam 39. The motor 37, inner cam follower 40 and outer cam follower 41 are located within a housing, which in the embodiment shown in figure 6 is in the form of an inner portion 42 and an outer portion 43. The housing also houses an inner spring 44 and an outer spring 45, which inner spring 44 and outer spring 45 act between the

housing portions

42, 43 and the inner cam follower 40 and outer cam follower 41 respectively. Fig. 6 also shows a pawl shaft 65, and each of the inner pawl 34 and the outer pawl 35 is mounted on the pawl shaft 65 so as to rotate thereabout. Finally, the lock mechanism also includes a sensor plate 46 that forms part of a PCB 48 (see also fig. 2) that joins the lock mechanism 32 with the power control unit 35. The sensor plate 46 includes a cam sensor 47 for sensing the rotational position of the cam 39, and

hub sensors

66, 67 for sensing the rotational position of each of the hubs 29, 31 (which are visible in fig. 8 and 10, respectively). Each of the cam 39 and

hubs

29, 31 includes an embedded magnet (not shown) that is sensed by the respective cam sensor 47 and

hub sensor

66, 67. However, this arrangement may be replaced by a series of microswitches.

Referring now to fig. 7, both the inner and

outer pawls

34, 35 are shown in an unlocked state relative to the inner and

outer hubs

31, 29, respectively. Both the inner hub 31 and the outer hub 29 each include a

shoulder

49, 50, the

shoulders

49, 50 being positioned adjacent to but spaced apart from the

upper arms

51, 52 of each of the inner and

outer pawls

34, 35, respectively. It will be appreciated that with the inner and

outer pawls

34, 35 in this position, both the inner and

outer hubs

31, 29 are able to rotate about the actuation axis X-X. Referring now to fig. 8, a partial cross-sectional view of the lock mechanism 32 is shown, and in particular the lower arm 53 of the inner pawl 34 is shown captured in the groove 54 (see fig. 6) of the inner cam follower 40 for movement therewith. Inner spring 44 urges inner cam follower 40 to cause inner pawls 34 to adopt the position shown in fig. 8, and in the position shown in fig. 8, inner cam follower 40 is considered to be in the first position.

Fig. 9 shows a plan view of the cam 39 and both the inner cam follower 40 and the outer cam follower 41 in the first position. In contrast, fig. 12 shows that the cam 39 has been rotated 180 ° by operation of the motor 37 (see fig. 11), whereby the cam surface 55 slides over the bearing surfaces 56, 57 of each of the inner and

outer cam followers

40, 41. As can be appreciated from fig. 11, this has pushed the inner cam follower 40 towards the second position, causing the inner pawl 34 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction such that the upper arm 51 of the inner pawl 34 is located below the shoulder 49 of the inner hub 31. This arrangement is further illustrated in fig. 12, which shows both the inner pawl 34 and the outer pawl 35 in the locked position due to the cam 39 adopting the position shown in fig. 12. Thereby preventing rotation of the inner hub 31 and the outer hub 29, respectively. It will be appreciated that rotation of the cam 39 through 90 deg. in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction from the position shown in figure 9 will result in movement of either the inner cam follower 40 or the outer cam follower 41 only. However, in view of the shape of the cam surface 55, each bearing

surface

56, 57 on the respective inner and

outer cam followers

40, 41 includes an inclined portion to allow the cam 39 to rotate to the position shown in fig. 10.

The mortice lock assembly 2 is preferably configured to respond to a power failure event in a predetermined manner. In this regard, it is preferred that the lock mechanism 32 be selectable for operation in a fail safe mode, a fail secure mode, and an escape mode. Fig. 2 shows a pair of

switches

58, 59 forming part of the lock mechanism 32, both

switches

58, 59 being accessible through an aperture formed in the rear wall of the housing 13. The manual switches 58, 59 may be located elsewhere on the housing and to this extent they may be located behind a panel 60 attached to the front wall of the housing 13. Alternatively, the selection of the operational state may be remotely adjustable by some form of wireless communication device. Any of these alternatives will enable adjustment when the housing 13 is installed in the door 5. However, the advantage of enabling the

switches

58, 59 to be adjusted through the rear wall of the housing is: this will prevent unauthorized adjustment of the selected operating state of the lock mechanism 32.

Each

switch

58, 59 is adjustable between three positions corresponding to the use of the power-off unlock mode, the power-off lock mode and the escape mode of the lock mechanism 32, respectively. In addition, each

switch

58, 59 is dedicated to either the inner pawl 34 or the outer pawl 35, respectively. Thus, for example, this allows both the inner pawl 34 and the outer pawl 35 to respond to a power failure event in the same manner or alternatively in different manners. This is achieved by the inner pawl 34 being able to move independently of the outer pawl 35 when the motor 37 is operated. When a power failure event occurs, if the inner switch 59 is set to the power-off unlocked mode and the outer switch 58 is set to the power-off locked mode, the inner pawl 34 will adopt the unlocked state and the outer pawl 35 will adopt the locked state. This will allow people inside the building to continue to leave during a power failure event while preventing people outside the building from entering the building. Since the mortise lock assembly 2 includes the power storage device 36, these operating states of the lock mechanism can be achieved without the use of a solenoid. The power storage device 36 will hold sufficient power to adjust the state of the inner and

outer pawls

34, 35 at least once in the event that power cannot be supplied to the power storage device 36 from the mains power supply 16. Thus, for purposes of this description, a power failure event is an event in which power cannot be supplied from the mains power supply 16 to the power storage device 36.

Both the inner cylinder lock 10 and the outer cylinder lock 11 include an inner cylinder cam 12 and an outer cylinder cam (not shown), respectively, each of which is configured to interact with the latch bolt assembly 22. The manner in which the inner cylindrical cam 12 interacts with the latch bolt assembly 22 is more clearly illustrated with reference to fig. 13-16. Fig. 13 shows the inner cylindrical cam 12 in a vertical orientation and it should be noted that both the auxiliary plug assembly 25 and the latch plug assembly 22 are in an extended position. Fig. 13 also shows an outer shuttle 61 which shields an inner shuttle 62 (see fig. 14), each of which individually interacts with a switch mechanism 63. As can be appreciated by comparing fig. 13 and 14, rotation of the inner cylindrical cam in the counterclockwise direction causes the distal end of the cam to engage and move the inner shuttle 62 toward the front wall of the outer housing 13. This in turn triggers the switch mechanism 67 forming part of the monitoring device to signal to the remote monitoring station 17 that an authorized person is mechanically bypassing the lock mechanism 32. Further rotation of the inner cylindrical cam 12 in the counterclockwise direction from the position shown in fig. 14 to the position shown in fig. 15 causes the distal end of the cam to engage a portion of the latch bolt assembly 22. Likewise, further rotation of the inner cylinder cam 12 from the position shown in FIG. 15 to the position shown in FIG. 16 causes both the auxiliary plug assembly 25 and the latch plug assembly 22 to retract to the retracted position.

It is also preferred that the monitoring arrangement monitors the relative positions of the inner hub 31 and the outer hub 29 by means of the

hub sensors

66 and 67 and or the relative position of the cam 39 by means of the cam sensor 47 to determine whether any of the inner hub 31, the outer hub 29 or the cam 39 has rotated.

Figure 2 also shows that the mortice lock assembly 2 includes a monitor switch 64, the monitor switch 64 being adjustable between a first position and a second position. The function of the monitoring switch is to condition the signal sent from the mortise lock assembly 2 to the remote monitoring station 17 to conform to the monitoring station's protocol.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing that the mortice lock assembly 2 as hereinbefore described provides a relatively simple alternative to a lock mechanism utilising an electric actuator. The preferred arrangement incorporating the motor 32 rather than the solenoid may provide an alternative to lower power consumption. In addition, the ability to utilize a pair of

switches

58, 59 to select a fail safe, fail secure, or escape mode for each pawl simplifies the adjustment process while providing greater flexibility in how the lock mechanism 32 responds to power failure events.

Various modifications and/or additions may be introduced into a mortice lock assembly as previously described without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mortise lock assembly for use with a door, comprising: a housing; a plug movable relative to the housing between an extended position and a retracted position; a manual actuator including an inner hub and an outer hub each operable from inside and outside of the housing, respectively, to move the bolt from at least the extended position to the retracted position; a lock mechanism including an inner pawl and an outer pawl, the inner pawl and the outer pawl being adjustable relative to the inner hub and the outer hub, respectively; and an electric actuator for adjusting the state of the inner and outer pawls between a locked state in which the respective inner or outer hub becomes inoperable and an unlocked state in which the respective inner or outer hub becomes operable, the electric actuator including a motor having an output that causes rotation about an electric hub axis when the motor is operable.

2. The mortise lock assembly according to claim 1, comprising a power storage device located within the housing, the power storage device supplying power to at least the electric actuator.

3. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the motor includes a drive shaft which rotates about the electrically powered hub axis when the motor is energised.

4. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the lock mechanism includes a gearing arrangement intermediate the electrically powered actuator and the inner and outer pawls.

5. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 4 wherein the drive arrangement includes a cam which is rotatable on operation of the electrical actuator to adjust the state of one or both of the inner and outer pawls.

6. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 5 wherein the drive arrangement includes an inner cam follower and an outer cam follower each interacting with the cam so as to be movable between first and second positions on rotation of the cam.

7. The mortice lock assembly according to claim 6 wherein the inner cam follower and the outer cam follower each move linearly between the first position and the second position.

8. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 6 or 7 wherein the lock mechanism includes a biasing arrangement for urging the inner and outer cam followers towards the first position.

9. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of claims 6 to 8 wherein the cam includes a cam surface and each of the inner and outer cam followers each include a bearing surface over which the cam surface slides as the cam rotates.

10. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 9 wherein each bearing surface includes an inclined portion over which the cam surface slides to move the inner and outer cam followers to the second position.

11. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein an inner hub and an outer hub are mounted relative to the housing for rotation about a hub axis and the inner pawl and the outer pawl are mounted relative to the housing for rotation about a pawl axis, wherein the hub axis and the pawl axis are parallel.

12. The mortise lock assembly according to claim 11, wherein the lock mechanism includes a pawl shaft, each of the inner pawl and the outer pawl being mounted on the pawl shaft for rotation thereabout.

13. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the power storage means includes any form of rechargeable battery or capacitor including any one or more of a super capacitor, ultra capacitor, pseudo capacitor and hybrid capacitor.

14. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims including at least one electrical contact through which power can be supplied to the power storage means from a mains power supply remote from the housing.

15. The mortice lock assembly according to claim 14 wherein the lock mechanism is selectable for operation in a fail safe mode or a fail secure mode during a power failure event in which power cannot be supplied from the mains power supply to the power storage means.

16. The mortice lock assembly according to claim 15 wherein the inner pawl and the outer pawl adopt the unlocked state in the event of a power failure if the lock mechanism is selected to operate in the fail safe state and the inner pawl and the outer pawl adopt the locked state in the event of a power failure if the lock mechanism is selected to operate in the fail secure state.

17. The mortise lock assembly according to claim 15, wherein the lock mechanism is selectable to operate in the power-off unlocked mode or the power-off locked mode separately for each of the inner pawl and the outer pawl such that the inner pawl and the outer pawl assume the unlocked state or the locked state in the event of the power failure.

18. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of claims 15 to 17 including a lock mechanism switch operable to control the inner pawl and the outer pawl individually, the lock mechanism switch being adjustable to control the operation of the lock mechanism to a fail safe, fail secure or escape mode wherein in an escape mode one or both of the inner pawl and the outer pawl adopt the unlocked state.

19. The mortice lock assembly according to claim 18 wherein the lock mechanism switch is adjustable from outside the housing.

20. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 18 or 19 wherein the lock mechanism switch is adjustable when the housing is installed in or on the door.

21. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims including a monitoring arrangement which monitors any one or more of the operation, the condition or the position of the inner hub, the outer hub, the inner detent, the outer detent, the bolt or the power storage device.

22. The mortice lock assembly according to claim 21 wherein the monitoring arrangement monitors each of the inner hub and the outer hub to determine whether either of the inner hub or the outer hub has rotated between a first position and a second position.

23. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 21 or 22 wherein the housing is configured to receive a cylinder lock and the bolt is configured to interact with a cylinder cam of the cylinder lock, wherein the monitoring arrangement monitors movement of the cylinder cam from a first position towards a second position in which the cylinder cam is engaged with the bolt.

24. The mortice lock assembly according to claim 23 wherein the monitoring arrangement includes at least one shuttle for interacting with the cylinder cam, the at least one shuttle moving relative to the housing between a first position corresponding to the cylinder cam adopting the first position and a second position when the cylinder cam moves towards the second position.

25. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 24 wherein the monitoring arrangement includes a monitoring switch which is adjustable between a first position in which a signal is transmitted to a remote monitoring station remote from the mortice lock assembly and a second position in which the signal is prevented from being transmitted to the remote monitoring system.

26. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the bolt is in the form of a bolt assembly including a bolt head and biasing means for biasing the bolt head towards the extended position.

27. The mortice lock assembly according to claim 26 wherein the plug head includes a ramped leading surface.

28. A mortice lock assembly according to claim 26 or 27 including an auxiliary bolt movable relative to the housing between a deadlocking position and an unlocked position.

29. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the electrically powered actuator includes no more than one of the motors.

30. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the inner and outer pawls are each adjustable relative to the inner and outer hubs respectively upon operation of the electrical actuator.

31. A mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the inner pawl is adjustable relative to the outer pawl upon operation of the electrical actuator.

32. A security system for use with a door, comprising: a mortice lock assembly according to any one of the preceding claims configured for connection to a mains power supply; an access control reader for location proximate the door, configured for direct or indirect connection to the mains power supply and to the mortice lock assembly, such that a signal can be sent to the lock mechanism if a security protocol is satisfied.

33. A security system according to claim 32, including a remote monitoring station for connection to at least the mortise lock assembly, whereby in use the remote monitoring station monitors operation of at least the inner hub, the outer hub or the cam.

34. A safety system as in claim 33, wherein the remote monitoring station includes an audible and or visual indicator for indicating operation of the at least inner or outer hub.

35. A security system according to claim 33 or 34, wherein the remote monitoring station is further configured for connection to the access control reader and includes a data recorder for recording security protocol data.