EP0962612A2

EP0962612A2 - Lock cylinder

Info

Publication number: EP0962612A2
Application number: EP99304314A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Martin Schmitz; Harald Ruprecht
Original assignee: Dom Sicherheitstechnik GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Dom Sicherheitstechnik GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1998-06-03
Filing date: 1999-06-03
Publication date: 1999-12-08
Also published as: EP0962612A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a lock cylinder (1) having a lock member (4) and a lock member driving shaft (6) which is operable by a turning knob (8,9) via a gearwheel transmission gear which comprises a pinion (17) located on the driving shaft (6), which meshes with an internal toothing (18) of the turning knob (8,9). The axis of rotation of the turning knob (8,9) lies parallel and offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the driving shaft (6).

Description

The invention relates to a lock cylinder having a lock member and a lock member driving shaft that is arranged to be driven by a turning knob, the turning knob being located on a bearing built into the housing.
A lock cylinder of the kind in question is known from EP 0 588 209 Al, in which on the one end face of the cylinder housing there is provided a bearing ring which engages through an end wall of the turning knob. The axis of rotation of the turning knob is identical with that of the lock member driving shaft. The use of such a lock cylinder presents problems in, for example, tubular framed doors, which allow the installation of mortise locks having a minimal pin dimension. When the door is pulled open and closed there is a risk that fingers gripping the turning knob will become caught, namely, because of the small space between turning knob and door frame.
The invention is based on the problem of providing a lock cylinder of the kind mentioned in the preamble, which can be used also with mortise locks having a minimal pin dimension.
The problem is solved by a lock cylinder having the features of claim 1, in which the axis of rotation of the turning knob lies parallel and offset with respect to the axis of rotation of the driving shaft.
As a result of such a construction, a lock cylinder is provided which can be used with advantage even in mortise locks having a small pin dimension. The axis of rotation of the turning knob and that of the lock member driving shaft no longer coincide, but are spaced parallel with respect to one another. Because of this. it is possible to arrange the axis of rotation of the turning knob relative to the lock member driving shaft such that the position the turning knob assumes in relation to the lock cylinder is such that even when the pin dimension of mortise locks is small, the fingers of the hand used to operate the door can be prevented from becoming caught between the turning knob and the door frame as the door is pulled closed or opened. Starting from a chosen middle position of the turning knob, the knob can then, for example, be arranged offset to the left or the right, to be precise by shifting the bearing built into the housing correspondingly. A further advantage is that the driving shaft is driven by a gearwheel transmission gear. Offsetting the turning knob relative to the lock member driving shaft axis enables a turning knob of large diameter to be chosen, which is conducive to ease of handling. This in turn allows the driving shaft to be driven by the turning knob via a transmission gear, so that even a relatively small rotation of the turning knob is sufficient for the locking operation to be effected by means of the lock member. In detail, a pinion is arranged on the driving shaft, which pinion meshes with an internal toothing of the turning knob. It is possible to construct the pinion integrally with the driving shaft. A further advantageous feature is that the turning knob is located on a bearing ring fixedly connected to the cylinder housing. An advantageous fixing thereof results from the fact that several fixing points arranged on the circular arc around the pinion axis are provided for fixing the bearing ring as desired in relation to the pinion axis. Depending on the desired position of the axis of rotation of the turning knob, the corresponding fixing point comes into effect. As regards fixing of the bearing ring, this is effected by screw fixing of the bearing ring to the profiled section of the lock cylinder or to a mounting surrounding the lock cylinder. Because the turning knob can be of large diameter, an inner housing connected non-rotatably to the lock cylinder can be provided in the turning knob. A central element arranged non-rotatably with respect to the inner housing can be guided right through the pinion of the driving shaft. This central element can contain, for example, wiring connections that lead to electronics units of the inner housing. If the lock cylinder is in the form of a double lock cylinder. then the lock cylinder carries a turning knob on both sides. The central element is also correspondingly constructed; in particular, it is of tubular construction and connects the two inner housings with one another. The driving shaft is then divided, so that the lock member is arranged between the two facing end portions of the driving shaft parts and can be coupled to the end portions to turn with them. The coupling in question comprises a magnet armature, whilst the associated coil sits on the central element. The coil is supplied via the electrical wiring connection inside the tubular central element. The magnet armature is consequently able to enter the coupling position relative to the relevant end portion of the driving shaft. In a further development, the bearing ring is secured by means of a screw bolt to the profiled section of the lock cylinder, the profiled section has at both ends threaded portions carrying external threads, the inner housing being secured to the outwardly prospecting threaded portion by means of a nut. The screw bolt therefore fulfils a dual function: on the one hand it serves to fix the bearing ring and on the other hand it carries the inner housing which can be screwed down by means of the nut. Finally, with regard to unauthorised interference, advantageously has an electric circuit for reading the key code and for operating the coupling to be arranged in the two inner housings such that the memory containing the key code and the magnet activation system are arranged on the inner side of the double lock cylinder.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained hereinafter with reference to the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1: shows an approximately actual size lock cylinder configured according to the invention, in the form of double lock cylinder,
Fig. 2: is a section along the line II-II in Fig. 1, to an enlarged scale,
Fig. 3: is a longitudinal section through the lock cylinder,
Fig. 4: is the section along the line IV-IV in Fig. 3,
Fig. 5: is a section comparable to Fig. 4, the turning knob being arranged offset to the left with respect to the cylinder housing.
Fig. 6: is a view similar to Fig. 4, but with the turning knob offset to the right with respect to the cylinder housing,
Fig. 7: is a view similar to Fig. 3, but relating to the second embodiment,
Fig. 8: is a section along the line VIII-VIII in Fig. 7, and
Fig. 9: is a longitudinal section through a driving shaft with driven shafts arranged concentrically with respect thereto, relating to the third embodiment.

According to the first embodiment, illustrated in Figures 1 to 6, the lock cylinder in its entirety is denoted by the reference number 1. It is in the form of a double profile lock cylinder having a cylinder housing 2, which receives a lock member 4 centrally in a cut-out 3. The lock member 4 projects into a flange-like region A of the cylinder housing 2, this region A starting from a region B of circular-cylindrical cross-section. Region B has a longitudinally extending bearing bore 5 for receiving a centrally divided driving shaft 6. One part 6' is mounted in the profiled section 2' on the outer side of the door, whilst the other part 6" is received by the profiled section 2" on the inner side of the door.
A bearing ring 7 is fixed in front of the end face of each profiled section 2', 2". Its outer diameter is larger than the largest cross-section of the cylinder housing 2, so that the bearing ring 7 protrudes beyond the cylinder housing 2 all round. On the outside, each bearing ring 7 acts as a bearing for a respective turning knob 8, 9. The turning knob 9 is the knob on the outer side of the door. A bore 10 extends from the end of the bearing ring 7 facing the profiled section 2', 2", and is engaged by a projecting collar 11 of the profiled section 2', 2". The collar 11 extends concentrically with respect to the axis of rotation Y of the driving shaft 6. In this manner, the axis of rotation X of the turning knob 8, 9 is arranged parallel and offset with respect to the axis of rotation Y of the driving shaft 6.
Several fixing points arranged on a circular arc C around the pinion axis Y serve for fixing the bearing ring 7 as desired in relation to the pinion axis. For that purpose, each cup-shaped bearing ring 7 has in its base three through- holes 12, 12' and 12". As shown in Figures 3 and 4, passing through the through-hole 12 is a threaded portion 13' of a screw bolt 13, which threaded portion 13' engages in an internal thread of the profiled section 2', 2". A collar 13" adjoining the threaded portion 13' is used to fixedly clamp the bearing ring 7. An outwardly directed threaded portion 13"', which engages through a cup-shaped recess 14 of an inner housing 15 of the turning knob 8, 9, projects beyond the collar 13" in an axial direction. A nut 16 screwed onto the outwardly projecting threaded portion 13"' is used to fix the inner housing 15 axially.
If, as shown in Figure 5, the turning knob 9 has been offset to the left with respect to the cylinder housing 2, the bearing ring 7 has to be rotated clockwise so that the through-hole 12" serves for fixing the bearing ring by means of the screw bolt 13. If it is desired to offset the turning knob 9 to the right-hand side, compare Figure 6, then the through-hole 12' is used to fix the bearing ring 7. This applies equally to the bearing ring 7 for the turning knob 8. In this way, it is ensured that even with a mortise lock having a small pin dimension, which is used preferably for tubular framed doors, there is sufficient space between the turning knob 8, 9 and the door frame so that injuries caused by catching the fingers of the hand used to operate the door between door frame and turning knob are largely excluded.
To facilitate tightening of the screw bolt 13, this is provided with a hexagon socket for placement of a suitable tool.
According to the first exemplary embodiment, the driving shaft 6 is driven by a gearwheel transmission gear. For that purpose the driving shaft 6, or its parts 6', 6", forms at each end a pinion 17, which meshes with an internal toothing 18 of the turning knob 8, 9. The internal toothing 18 is in this case arranged on a ring 19 connected without relative rotation to the turning knob 8, 9. Turning the turning knob 8, 9 therefore causes the parts 6', 6" of the driving shaft 6 to be turned simultaneously with the knob. Passing through both parts 6', 6" of the driving shaft 6 is a central element 20 of tubular construction, the ends of which engage through a cup base 15' of the inner housing 15 and are fixed non-rotatably there. The two inner housings 15 of the turning knobs 8, 9 are connected to one another by this measure.
The lock member 4 is arranged to be coupled with the centrally divided driving shaft 6 so that they rotate together. The coupling K in question contains a pivotable magnet armature 21, which is mounted in the manner of a rocker centrally in the lock member 4 to bring either one or the other of the two armature arms into engagement. Each armature arm has associated with it on the central element a respective coil 22, 23, which are separated from one another by a partition wall 24. The facing ends of the parts 6', 6" of the driving shaft 6 extend as far as this partition wall. The partition wall 24 also provides support for the pivotable magnet armature 21 as a counter-bearing to the rocker-type bearing of the lock member 4. The ends of the parts 6', 6" of the driving shaft 6 lying opposite one another are provided with radial coupling recesses 25, 26 for radial entry of the armature arms of the magnet armature 21. By passing current through one or other of the coils 22, 23, the magnet armature 21 enters one of the two coupling recesses 25, 26 of the parts 6', 6" of the driving shaft 6, as illustrated in Fig. 3 by dot-dash lines. To permit current to pass through the coils 22, 23, the tubular central element 20 acts as carrier for electrical connecting leads 27. The power supply is effected via an energy storage mechanism 28, for example in the form of a battery, arranged in the inner housing 15 of the turning knob on the inner side of the door. If mains electricity is used, the energy storage mechanism 28 can be in the form of a storage battery.
Each turning knob 8, 9 contains an electronic circuit in the form of reader unit 29). This scans the key code of magnetically coded key, for example, a key card, not illustrated. The inner housing 15 of the turning knob 8 on the inner side of the door holds an electronics unit 30, which is connected via the electrical lead connection 27 to the electronics unit 31 of the inner housing 15 of the turning knob 9 on the outer side of the door. The memory 32 containing the key code is. however, preferably provided on the inner side of the lock cylinder 1. This applies similarly to the magnet activation system, to counteract misuse from the outer side of the door.
From Figure 3 it is clear that the profiled section 2" is provided with a bus convection 33, which passes through the associated screw bolt 13 and leads to the electronics unit 30.
If the key being used does not correspond to the turning knob 8, 9, the magnet armature 21 assumes a position indicated by solid lines in Figure 3, so that rotation of the turning knob 8, 9 does not result in accompanying rotation of the lock member 4. Only by introducing the key belonging to the turning knob 8, 9 is the magnet armature 21 pivoted by whichever coil 22, 23 is being supplied with current, so that an armature arm comes into engagement with the respective coupling recess 25, 26.
Provision can also be made for the part 6' of the driving shaft 6 associated with the inside turning knob 8 always to rotate with the associated armature arm, so that operation of the lock is possible from the inner side of the door without a key.
For the purpose of saving energy, an annular magnet, not illustrated, which acts on a magnetic switch arranged in the inner housingl5, can be arranged in the door knob. On no-load rotation of the turning knob 8, 9, this magnetic switch is activated by the annular magnet to activate the reader unit 29.
The second embodiment of the lock cylinder 1' illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 corresponds largely to the first embodiment. Identical parts therefore carry identical reference numbers. Unlike the first embodiment, the ends of the central element 34 are now inserted in the knob 8, 9 at the end of the cylinder housing so that they are telescopically displaceable. In detail, the cup base 15' of each inner housing 15 forms a non-circular through-opening 35 for the central element 34 of flat cross-section. On the wide faces of the same there are provided over the entire length of the central element 34 conductor paths 36, which can be contacted by sliding-action contacts 37 of the inner housing 15.
Level with the lock member 4, the central element 34 carries an adapter 38 for retaining the coils 22, 23, which co-operate with the magnet armature 21 as in the first exemplary embodiment. This construction is suitable for doors of different thickness, so that the central element 34 can be adapted in a simple way to cylinder housings of different thickness and therefore different length.
With reference to the diagrammatic illustration in Figure 9, relating to the third embodiment, the driven shaft is denoted by the reference number 39. At its end, it also forms a pinion 40. The tubular driving shaft 39 receives two driven shafts 41, 42 arranged concentrically with respect thereto, which at their ends carry respective lock members 41', 42', which project beyond the driven shafts 41, 42 radially. These driven shafts 41, 42 can be brought into engagement with the driving shaft 39 by radial coupling so that they rotate together. For that purpose. passing through the driven shaft 42 is a central element 43, which is of tubular construction and inside carries two coils 44, 45 arranged axially one behind the other. The coil 44 co-operates with a radially displaceable coupling member 46, so that when the coil 44 is energised the coupling member 46 connects the driving shaft 39 to the driven shaft 41 so that they rotate together. Similarly, the coil 45 acts on a radially displaceable coupling member 47, by means of which the two driven shafts 41, 42 are arranged to be coupled to one another so that they rotate together. When the power supply to the coils 44, 45 is cut off, the coupling members 46. 47 return to their disengaged position. In this way, a hierarchically operating locking system can be achieved. If, for example, this is used in a bank. then the bank manager has a key that brings both coupling members 46, 47 into the coupled position. Rotation of the driving shaft 39 consequently leads to locking displacement of the lock members 41', 42'. A bank employee on the other hand can engage only one coupling member 46, 47 by means of his key. It is then not possible to effect complete operation of the lock. For operation of the lock, two bank officials always have to be present. each of their differently coded keys bringing a respective coupling member 46, 47 into the operative position.
All of the features disclosed are essential to the invention. The disclosure of the application fully includes the disclosure content of the associated/accompanying priority documents (copy of the prior application), also for the purpose of incorporating features of these documents into claims of the present invention.

Claims

Lock cylinder having a lock member and a lock member driving shaft operable by a turning knob, the turning knob being located on a bearing built into the housing, characterised in that the axis of rotation (X) of the turning knob (8, 9) lies parallel and offset with respect to the axis of rotation (Y) of the driving shaft (6).
A lock cylinder according to claim 1 or in particular according to claim 1, characterised in that the driving shaft (6) is driven by a gearwheel transmission gear (17, 18).
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised by a pinion (17) located on the driving shaft (6), which pinion meshes with an internal toothing (18) of the turning knob (8, 9).
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised in that the turning knob (8, 9) is positioned on a bearing ring (7) fixedly connected to the cylinder housing (2).
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised by several fixing points arranged on the circular arc (C) around the pinion axis (Y) for fixing the bearing ring (7) as desired in relation to the pinion axis (Y).
A lock cylinder according to the or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised by a screw fixing of the bearing ring (7) to the profiled section (2', 2") of the lock cylinder (1) or to a mounting surrounding the lock cylinder.
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised by an inner housing (15) of the turning knob (8, 9) connected non-rotatably to the lock cylinder (1).
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised by a central element (20, 34) arranged non-rotatably with respect to the inner housing (15) and engaging right through the pinion (17).
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised in that the lock cylinder (1) carries a respective turning knob (8, 9) on each side.
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised in that the central element (20), in particular of tubular construction, connects the two inner housings (15) with one another.
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised in that the lock member (4) is arranged to be coupled for co-rotation with the driving shaft (6), which is in particular divided.
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised in that the coupling (K) comprises a magnet armature (21) and the associated coil (22, 23) sits on the central element (20, 34).
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised in that the bearing ring (7) is secured by means of a screw bolt (13) to the profiled section (2', 2") of the lock cylinder (1), the screw bolt having at both ends threaded portions (13', 13"') carrying external threads, the inner housing (15) being secured to the outwardly projecting threaded portion (13"') by means of a nut (16).
A lock cylinder according to one or more of the preceding claims, or in particular according thereto, characterised in that an electronic circuit (reader unit 29) for reading the key code and operating the coupling (K) is arranged in the two inner housings (15) such that the memory (32) containing the key code and the magnet activation system are arranged on the inner side.