DE3809330A1 - Heatable lock - Google Patents

Abstract

At outside temperatures below freezing point, a lock can be heated electrically to a temperature which is above freezing point. As a result, a freezing of the lock is prevented or a frozen lock is defrosted again. The lock (1) is surrounded by a casing which has insulating material (4) and a heating element (3). Essential parts of the lock, such as the lock cylinder (6) and its socket (5), are surrounded by this heatable insulating casing. The triggering and control of the heating current take place manually by means of a time circuit or by temperature measurement, the heating current being triggered or controlled by threshold temperatures. <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a lock for windows, doors or similar.

Locks that are exposed to the weather can Temperatures below freezing as a result Freeze any water or water vapor. To turn one There are many to defrost the frozen lock if necessary chemical or thermoelectric aids known, and for Prevention uses chemical aids.

A disadvantage when defrosting locks that have already been frozen is the difficulty of getting the aid into the already Frozen lock to bring in optimally. It's too often Aid is not at hand when needed in the locked car etc. But also with preventive measures Protection, which is quite possible, must be the disadvantage in buying be taken that this protection in regular temporal Intervals must be renewed and that this renewing is easy can be forgotten once, making the protection effective loses. Even if thawing the frozen Schlosses is successful, this process often takes considerably long and is for the user at the deep Outside temperatures are usually uncomfortable. In addition, chemical Aids also have the disadvantage of possible lacquer contamination cleaning with liquid running out of the lock Substances are accepted.

The invention is therefore based on the object, the first mentioned, occurring when thawing a lock, Eliminate disadvantages and create a lock that doesn't freeze or if necessary without further aids can be thawed quickly.

This goal is achieved in that the castle is a Heizele ment and the lock or essential parts thereof heat-insulating material are surrounded. The heating current can manually, for example, near the castle buttons or switches to be attached or via a time switch tion can be triggered. The heating current can be switched off automatically triggers when the temperature on a sensor is a falls below a certain threshold temperature. The measures Sensor either the outside temperature or the temperature in the Inside the lock, i.e. inside its thermal insulation.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are in the An Proverbs 2 to 10 marked and are here based on the attached drawings are explained in more detail.

It shows Fig. 1 to illustrate the structure of a heatable lock according to the preamble of claim 1, the cross section through a lock ( 1 ) which has a lock cylinder ( 6 ) and an associated socket or guide ( 5 ). The lock ( 1 ) is surrounded by a casing ( 2 ) which has a heating element ( 3 ) and a casing made of heat-insulating material ( 4 ).

The heating element can also be on the inside of the insulation materials incorporated. The execution is then like this possible that the arrangement is prefabricated as a component and Unit mounted on the lock or essential parts of it  becomes.

The advantage of this embodiment, in which a lock of is surrounded by a heating element and thermal insulation, lies in the simple, also retrospectively possible, assembly and the less expensive production.

It shows Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a heatable lock, the lock cylinder is guided (2) directly into the enclosure (1) comprising a guide (5) of wear-resistant material, a heating element (4) and a sheath (3) of heat-insulating Has material.

The advantage of this embodiment, in which the version of the lock cylinder is replaced in the manner shown, is due to the material savings in the lower heat capacity of the parts of the arrangement to be heated, because only the lock cylinder and its guide ( 5 ) are made of metal. This enables lower power consumption with shorter heating times. Another advantage is the space saving compared to the first arrangement.

The locking cylinder can be inserted into the heated version can be used.

The thermal insulation of the lock while avoiding thermal bridges is of fundamental importance. This point must be particularly observed in an embodiment in which the lock is to be kept constantly at a temperature above the freezing point. It shows Fig. 4 shows the longitudinal section through a lock, as used in motor vehicle doors.

The lock ( 1 ) is installed in a frame ( 5 ) and is held by a mounting screw ( 3 ). The heating element is located within the casing of the lock made of heat-insulating material ( 2 ). On the outside of the lock, in front of its outer shield ( 4 ), there is a push-on cap or adhesive made of insulation material ( 2 ) to interrupt the heat conduction.

If the inside temperature of the lock is to be measured within the heat insulation, the temperature sensor can be designed in screw form and used instead of the mounting screw ( 3 ) so that the sensor extends into the inside of the lock.

Depending on the purpose, the heating current can be different triggered or controlled.

The advantage of automatic triggering or control lies in that the castle is kept ice-free at all times. The advantage of time switching or manual triggering is that they only have electricity at very specific times necessary, normally only when the lock is in effect is frozen.

It shows Fig. 4 shows the schematic of an electrical circuit is driven in by a temperature sensor (1) is a time interval heating current tripping (3). If a temperature threshold value is reached, current is released for the heating element ( 2 ) for a specific interval. An optical display ( 4 ) connected in parallel to the heating element shows the heating voltage, so that malfunctions such as undesired continuous heating can be detected in good time. An additional optical display, which is connected in series with the heating element, can indicate the heating current and thus the correct function of the heating element.

The heating element is only by a temperature sensor Temperatures around or below freezing  switches. The sensor can either be outside or inside of the castle.

If the sensor is outside the lock, for example in a door panel, the heating element remains as long as the outside temperature is below the Freezing point. Because the castle itself because of the permanent heating and good thermal insulation only a little can cool down is only a small permanent heating current necessary.

An improvement could be that the size of the Heating current is controlled by the outside temperature. Here the digital triggering is preferably by an analog one Control replaced.

The temperature sensor can also be built so that it Temperature determined inside the castle. He could do that for example, be installed in a mounting screw, the reaches into the version of the castle, or into one Place the socket that is as far as possible from the heating element is far away. If the temperature inside the castle below if the freezing point drops, it becomes with a stronger heating electricity heated than with the permanent heating during the Measurement of the outside temperature. Through this circuit the Temperature inside the lock always above the freezer held point.

It shows Fig. 5 a diagram of a circuit with a manual or timed release of the heating current through the heating element (1). The current is controlled either by an interval switch ( 5 ), which is triggered manually by a button or switch ( 4 ). This button or switch can be located near the lock, for example. Or the heating current is triggered by a timer ( 2 ) at a preselected time and limited by an interval switch ( 3 ). This semi-automatic function can be used, for example, to set a specific time at which a lock should be ice-free.

When using these two circuits, the heating current requested regardless of the outside temperature if required will.

With purely manual actuation, it can be opened if necessary thaw the lock a switch or push button directly Trigger heating current. Then flows for the entire duration of the Pressing a heating current. You can use buttons or Switches are designed so that they are even at extremely low Avoid freezing temperatures if possible or if necessary due to their low heat capacity even from outside are easy to defrost. Also a splash protection in the sense a cover for attaching near the lock key or switch would make sense here.

The heated lock makes Darge in all of its here embodiments presented carrying additional Aids for thawing frozen locks are superfluous and is inexpensive to manufacture. It consumes when good Insulation relatively little due to the low heat capacity Heating current, so also provides for example for car batteries does not represent an excessive load at the lowest temperatures, so that their starting ability is not significantly impaired becomes.

Claims (10)

1. Heated lock, characterized in that it can be heated electrically by a heating element. 2. Heated lock according to claim 1, characterized net that the castle or essential parts of it with a Heating element and insulation material is encased. 3. Heated lock according to claims 1 and 2, characterized characterized in that heating element and insulation material too are summarized in one component. 4. Heated lock according to claims 1 and 2, characterized characterized in that the socket is a heating element and / or Contains or is made of heat insulation material. 5. Heated lock according to claims 1 and 2, characterized marked that on the inside of the cylinder barrel a metal guide for the lock cylinder is incorporated. 6. Heated lock according to claims 1 and 2, characterized characterized in that the heating current by under or over exceed a threshold temperature on a temperature measurement sensor is controlled automatically. 7. Heated lock according to claim 6, characterized net that the heating current ge by measuring the outside temperature is controlled.   8. Heated lock according to claim 6, characterized records that the heating current by measuring the internal temperature the lock is controlled. 9. Heated lock according to claims 1 and 2, characterized characterized in that the heating current manually or by a Time circuit with preselectable tripping time is controlled. 10. Heated lock according to claims 1 and 2, characterized characterized in that as a function check an optical on show is connected in parallel to the heating element.