EP0034129A1 - Electric lock - Google Patents

Abstract

The inner support plate carries a horizontal locking bar and loading bar with a feeler sliding on the same axis through one of two openings in opposite ends of the casing, the other opening being closed by a reversible stopper. The other end of the support plate carries the two coils of an electromagnetic with a sheet steel armature for releasing the catch. A key may be inserted into a cylinder on the front wall of the casing to operate a pivoting finger and move the armature mechanically. The lock is convertible from left-hand to right-hand operation simply by turning the support plate through 180 deg. about the axis of the cylinder, and transferring the stopper to the other end of the casing. This facility eliminates the need to mfr. and stock two variants of the device.

Description

The invention relates to an electric lock of the kind comprising a substantially rectangular housing in which are slidably mounted along the same axis a locking bar provided with a bolt and a loading bar provided with a feeler which slides in a channel of the bolt, lock in which the bars are connected together by a loading spring arranged so that the retraction of the feeler in the housing tends to cause the retraction of the bolt in this same housing, the retraction of the bolt being prohibited by an escape mechanism which comprises an electromagnet with a wafer-shaped anchor capable of oscillating substantially in the direction of sliding of the bars and the excitation of which causes movement of the anchor by which the locking bar is located released by the exhaust mechanism by allowing the bolt to retract under the effect of the loading spring, and in which a front wall of the casing rte a lock cylinder which controls, inside the case, a pivoting finger capable of to engage the anchor to cause said movement.

In known electric locks of this kind, the group which includes the bars, the exhaust mechanism and the electromagnet is carried by the front wall of the housing. The axis of rotation of the cylinder, which is transverse to the axis of sliding of the bars, is normally below this axis of sliding in the installation condition. Traditionally, the cylinder is oriented in such a way that the introduction of the key into the lock takes place with the teeth of the key facing upwards.

One such arrangement divides existing locks into two general categories, that is, right locks and left locks, in which the bolt and feeler protrude right and left respectively.

The use of a right lock on a leaf intended to receive a left lock (and vice versa) is undesirable, because the installed lock appears inverted, that is to say that the cylinder is located at the top and not below, and in addition the key must be inserted with its teeth facing downwards.

Manufacturers are therefore obliged to build both types of right and left electric locks, and resellers are also obliged to keep these two types in stock.

The object of the invention is that of producing an electric lock which, by means of simple and few operations, capable of being carried out instantly by the dealer or by the installer, can be transformed from the right type to the left type and conversely, while having in these two types, once installed, the desired characteristics and in particular the arrangement of the cylinder at the bottom rather than at the top and an orientation of the cylinder such that it can receive the key with its teeth turned towards the high.

According to the invention this object is achieved by means of an electric lock of the type referred to at the start, characterized in that each of the two side walls of the housing has a respective lateral opening, centered on the longitudinal central axis of the housing and profiled as the bolt, in that the group comprising the bars, the exhaust mechanism and the electromagnet is. carried by a support plate attached to the inside of the housing and capable of being selectively fixed against the front wall in two positions offset by 180 ° relative to each other, for each of which the axis of sliding of the bars coincides with said longitudinal median axis and for each of which one or the other of the lateral openings is crossed by the bolt, and in that the housing is associated with a stopper insert which is capable of being embedded in the side opening which is not occupied by the bolt.

Thanks to this invention, the dealer or the installer, when he wishes to transform an electric lock from the right type to the left type or vice versa, must do nothing other than reverse the assembly position of the support plate by 180 °. the housing and insert the stopper insert in the opening not occupied by the bolt.

A lock according to the invention described above makes it possible to obtain a significant reduction in costs, both in manufacturing and distribution and in storage at resellers.

The existing electric locks are also of different types with regard to the arrangement of the cylinder on the front wall of the housing, which is the wall intended to be applied against a panel of the leaf, which in turn has a hole for passage of the cylinder. Electric locks in commerce differ in effect by what is called the "pitch", that is to say the distance between the axis of the cylinder and the side wall from which the bolt protrudes. The steps in use are 50, 60 and 70 mm. In an electric lock with a pitch of 60 mm, the cylinder is in particular half the length of the front wall of the housing.

To meet customer demands, manufacturers are forced to plan, and resellers are forced to keep electric locks in stock in three different steps. Ultimately, in the case of traditional electric locks of the right and left types, it is necessary to envisage up to six different types with, so to speak, a multiplication by three of the disadvantages mentioned above.

According to a preferred embodiment, the electric lock is characterized in that the front wall of the housing has a pair of slots parallel to each other and to the median longitudinal axis, one of these slots being crossed by a prismatic axis of the cylinder, axis on which the anchor drive finger is fixed, and in the other of these slots being inserted screws for fixing the cylinder to this same wall, the midpoint of the slots coinciding with the longitudinal midpoint of the housing , and the finger and the anchor being dimensioned and arranged in such a way that the finger can engage the anchor in all the fixing positions of the cylinder along the slots.

An electric lock, thus produced can not only be transformed from the straight type to the typed. left and vice versa, but is also capable of being transformed from one step to the next, and this with extremely simple operations which can also be carried out on the spot by the dealer or by the installer.

To change the pitch of the lock, it is enough, after the case has been opened, to loosen the fixing screws of the cylinder, slide the latter along slots and then tighten the screws. In the case of a bolt on the right, for example, by moving the cylinder to the right limit of the slots we obtain a lock having the minimum pitch (normally 50 mm), by placing the cylinder in the middle we obtain a lock having the pitch intermediate (normally 60 mm) and by moving the cylinder to the far left you get a lock with the maximum pitch (70 mm for example). As will also be understood, if we transform a right lock into a left lock while leaving the step unchanged, it becomes maximum if it was minimum and vice versa, while the intermediate step remains the same.

In the following, the invention is explained in more detail using the drawings showing only one embodiment.

• FIG. 1 is a front view of an electric lock shown in the condition installed on a grid or similar closure,
• Figure 2 is an elevational view of the lock and its keeper on the opposite side, with respect to Figure 1, in which a closure wall of the housing has been removed and the mechanism of the lock has been shown in the condition of locking,
• FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lock,
• Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, in which the mechanism has been shown after the release trigger -, *
• FIGS. 5 and 6 are partial views, similar to FIG. 4, which represent the group of the operating finger of the anchor of the lock in two positions which correspond to opposite extreme steps, and
• Figure 7 is a view similar to that of Figure 4, but in which the lock has been transformed by reversing 180 ° of its inner support plate.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, the lock shown comprises a sheet metal housing 10, substantially rectangular. The housing 10 is defined, inter alia, by a front wall 12 and by two side walls 14a, 14b.

The front wall 12 is intended to be applied and fixed against a panel of an opening leaf. In Figure 1 this panel has been shown in the form of a sheet metal plate P forming part of a grid.

The housing 10 is associated with a cover 13 made of sheet metal, which constitutes the other front wall of the lock and which is intended to be turned towards the inside of the room or enclosure whose lock must provide protection.

The cover 16 is fixed to the housing 10 by means of screws 18 which serve at the same time to fix the housing 10 to the panel P.

Inside the housing 10 is attached a support plate 20 made of robust sheet metal. The plate 20 has a substantially rectangular perimeter shape which corresponds to the internal shape of the housing. The plate 20 is fixed against the front wall 12 by the same fixing screws 18 ..

On the support plate 20 are slidably mounted, along the same axis, a locking bar 22 and a loading bar 24. The sliding axis of the two bars 22, 24 coincides with the longitudinal central axis of the plate 20 , or from the housing 10.

The locking bar 22 carries a profiled bolt 26 and the loading bar 24 carries a feeler 28 in the form of a roller capable of moving, in a known manner, in a channel of the bolt 26.

The support plate 20 has, on one of its end edges, a square wing 30 in which is formed a profiled window 32 for the sliding of the bolt 26.

On its opposite end edge, the plate 20 carries another square wing 34, similar to the previous one and which supports a pair of coils 36 of an electromagnet.

With the coils 36 cooperates an anchor 38 constituted by a large plate of sheet steel, capable of oscillating around an axis 40 carried by the plate 20, that is to say _; substantially in the direction of sliding of the bars 22, 24.

The anchor 38 has a window 42, an edge of which is liable to be engaged by the end of a pawl 44 which is part of an escape mechanism of known type, indicated as a whole by 46. For the clarity of the present description it suffices to say that when the loading bar 24 is in the armed or retracted position, illustrated in FIG. 2, and that the pawl 44 is engaged on the one hand with the anchor 38 and on the other hand with a bridge 48 integral with the locking bar 22, a loading spring 50 is kept compressed. When the coils 36 of the electromagnet are excited, the displacement of the anchor 38 in the position of FIG. 4 releases the pawl 44 which in turn releases the trigger guard 48, which triggers the retraction of the bolt 26 , thanks to the relaxation of the spring 50, 'all as shown in Figure 4.

The support plate 20 being installed in the housing 10, the movement of the bolt 26 takes place through a profiled opening 52a, formed in the side wall 14a and coinciding with the window 32.

The other side wall 14b has an opening 52b identical to the opening 52a.

In the arrangement shown in Figures 2 to 4 the opening 52b is unused. An intermediate piece 54, of metal or plastic, is fixed by embedding in this opening to plug it. The insert _. 54 has, seen from above, an L shape so as to define a wing 56 for plugging the opening 52b and a wing 58 intended to project from the side wall 14b to serve as a handle. The fixing by embedding of the intermediate piece 54 is obtained by the engagement of the edges of the opening 52b between the wing 56 and hook formations 60 which project from the latter. The intermediate piece 54 is also held in place by the cover 16.

The bolt 26 and the feeler roller 28 are intended to cooperate with a mortise 62 (Figure 3). This consists of a profiled window, formed in a plate 64 made of sheet metal. The plate 64 constitutes a side wall of a sheet metal keeper 66 in the form of a box, which is capable of being fixed to a fixed upright of the door or, in the case of a grid with two leaves , as in the case in point, on the opposite leaf of the grid, on an appropriate panel or plate P (figure 1).

The plate 64 is fixed to a side wall 68 of the keeper 66 by means of screws 70 screwed into corresponding tapped holes 72 of the wall 68 and which pass through vertical buttonholes 74 of the plate 64. Thanks to the presence of the buttonholes 74, as well as it will be understood, it is possible to adjust the height of the mortise 62 to make it coincide exactly with the bolt 26. This system is particularly useful for modifying the height adjustment of the mortise 62 when the movable leaf on which the housing 10 is fixed underwent a slight lowering with use.

The mortise 62 has a lateral tab 76 which, in known manner, serves as a stop for retracting the loading bar 24, by means of the roller 28, in order to arm the lock.

Unlocking the lock, obtained by passing the anchor 38 from the position in FIG. 2 to that of FIG. 4, can also be obtained by hand using a key. For this purpose, on the front wall 12 is mounted a cylinder 78 (Figure 1) which is intended to protrude through a corresponding hole, formed in the panel of the leaf, such as the plate P ₁ .

The front wall 12 has a pair of slots 80, 82 parallel to each other and to the median longitudinal axis of sliding of the bars 22, 24. The slot 80 receives a pair of screws 84. The screws 84 are screwed into - corresponding holes (not shown) of the cylinder 78 and serve to fix the latter on the external face of the wall 12, with the interposition of a plate 86 (FIG. 1) covering the slots 80, 82. The screws 84 also fix, on the inner face of the wall 12, a sheet metal yoke 88 in which the root is inserted a finger 90 wedged on a prismatic axis (not shown) of the cylinder-78. This axis extends through the slot 82.

The finger 90 is constituted by a sturdy sheet metal blade, the free, rounded end of which is intended to engage the anchor 38 as shown in FIG. 4. In other words, by pivoting the finger 90 using the key introduced into the cylinder 78, it is possible to drive the anchor 38 in the same way as it is driven under the effect of the attraction of the coils 36.

The cover 16 also carries a cylinder 92, fixed in a conventional manner and with which is associated a finger 94 similar to finger 90.

In Figures 1 to 4 the cylinder 78 has been shown in a position corresponding to the midpoint of the length of the two slots 80 and 82. This position corresponds to a pitch B (Figure 1) which is normally 60 mm.

Thanks to the slots 80, 82 it is possible to modify the pitch, reducing it for example to a minimum value A (figure 1), normally 50 mm, or by increasing it to a maximum value C (figure 1), normally 70 mm. The finger 90 and the anchor 38 must be dimensioned and arranged in such a way that the finger 90 can engage the anchor 38 for all the positions of the cylinder 78 along the slots 80, 82, that is to say for all the steps between A and C. In Figure 5, where the arrangement corresponds to the minimum pitch A, it can be seen that in order to drive the anchor 38, the key and therefore the finger 90 must be rotated by a greater angle than in the case of pitch B (FIG. 4). When, on the contrary, the maximum pitch C is involved, as in FIG. 6, the angle of rotation of the key and of the finger 90 for driving the anchor 38 is smaller than in the previous cases.

In practice these differences in angles have no drawbacks.

A lock as shown is capable of being easily transformed from the right type to the left type. For this purpose, it suffices to remove from the housing 10 the support plate 20 with the whole group of elements carried by it, and reinsert it into the housing 10 after having turned it by 180 °, that is to say say as shown in Figure 7. In the arrangement of Figure 7 the bolt 26 extends through the opening 52b, from which the insert 54 has been removed. This intermediate piece has been replaced in the opening 52a.

The arrangement of anchor 38 and. exhaust mechanism 46 is reversed with respect to that of Figures 2 and 4, but this does not prejudice their operation.

The cylinder 78 and its finger 94, them, remained in their place and in particular the introduction of the key in the cylinder 78 can take place, as before, with the teeth of the key turned upwards. The removal of the plate 20 and its replacement have been made possible thanks to the fact that in the plate 20 is provided a large window 96 for the passage of the finger 90 and the flange 88.

In the case of the inverted position of FIG. 7, it is also possible to modify the pitch of the lock. This will be measured from the side wall opposite to the previous one and, as will be understood, the one which in the arrangement of FIG. 1 was the minimum pitch A becomes the maximum pitch C and vice versa, while the pitch intermediate B remains unchanged.

Claims (7)

1. An electric lock of the kind comprising a substantially rectangular housing (10) in which are slidably mounted along the same axis a locking bar (22) provided with a bolt (26) and a loading bar (24) provided with a feeler (28) which slides in a latch channel (26), lock in which the bars (22, 24) are interconnected by a loading spring (50) arranged so that the retraction of the feeler (28 ) in the housing (10) tends to cause the retraction of the bolt (26) in the same housing (10), the retraction of the bolt (26) being prohibited by an escape mechanism (46) which includes an electro -magnet (36, 38) with an anchor (38) in the form of a plate capable of oscillating substantially in the direction of sliding of the bars (22, 24) and the excitation of which causes movement of the anchor (38) to which the locking bar (22) is released by the exhaust mechanism (46) allowing the retraction of the bolt ( 26) under the effect of the loading spring (50), and in which a front wall (12) of the housing (10) carries a lock cylinder (78) which controls, inside the housing (10), a pivoting finger (90) Suspected _- tible to engage the anchor (38) to cause said movement, characterized in that each of the two side walls (14a, 14b) of the housing (10) presents a respective lateral opening (52a, 52b), centered on the longitudinal central axis of the housing (10) and profiled in the same way as the bolt (26), in that the group comprising the bars (22, 24), the exhaust mechanism (46) and the electromagnet (36, 38) is carried by a support plate (20) attached to the inside of the housing (10) and capable of to be selectively fixed against the front wall (12) in two positions offset by 180 ° relative to each other, for each of which the axis of sliding of the bars (22, 24) coincides with said longitudinal central axis and for each of which one or the other of the lateral openings is crossed by the bolt (26), and in that to the housing (10) is associated a plugging intermediate piece (54) which is capable of being embedded in the lateral opening which is not occupied by the bolt (26). 2. Electric lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the front wall (12) of the housing (10) has a pair of slots (80, 82) parallel to each other and to the median longitudinal axis, one (82 ) of these slots being crossed by a prismatic axis of the cylinder (78), axis on which the finger (90) for driving the anchor (38) is wedged, and in the other (80) of these slots being inserted screws (84) for fixing the cylinder to this same wall, the midpoint of the slots (80, 82) coinciding with the longitudinal midpoint of the housing, and the finger (90) and the anchor (38) being dimensioned and arranged in such a way that the finger (90) can engage the anchor (38) in all the fixing positions of the cylinder (78) along the slots (80, 82). 3. Electric lock according to claim 2, characterized in that a plate (86) covering the slots (80, 82) is interposed between the cylinder (78) and the front wall (12). 4. Electric lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the support plate (20) is capable of being fixed to the front wall (12) by means of the same screws (18) serving to fix the housing (10) to the swinging from the door for which the lock is intended. 5. Electric lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the support plate (20) comprises, along its lateral edges, a pair of opposite wings (30, 34) folded at right angles, which are intended to be find in the immediate vicinity of the inner faces of the respective side walls (14a, 14b) of the housing, and in that in one (30) of the wings is provided a window (32) for passage and guide of the bolt (26), while the other wing (34) supports the coil or coils (36) of the electromagnet. 6. An electric lock according to claim 1, characterized in that the stopper insert (54) is provided with a wing (58) intended to protrude - relative to the corresponding side wall (14a, 14b) of the housing ( 10) to serve as a handle. 7. Electric lock according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a keeper (66) in the form of a box, capable of being fixed. to the fixed upright or to a leaf opposite the door and having a mortise (62) for engaging the bolt (26) and the feeler (28), this mortise being formed in a plate (64) attached to a side wall (68 ) of the keeper (66) and which has vertical buttonholes (74) for the passage of screws (70) for fixing to the side wall in order to allow the height adjustment of the mortise (62).

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