EP1815094B1 - Lock for two-notch locking bolt comprising a single switch - Google Patents

Abstract

A lock for an opening panel. The lock includes a rotary bolt with first and second locking notches, a strike which can be engaged in the bolt in order to lock the opening panel, a retaining pawl including at least one tooth which co-operates with the locking notches of the bolt in order to lock same in relation to the first or second locking notch, and a switch which is controlled with a control lever. The switch has two states which indicate if the lock is open or closed. In addition, the switch includes a mechanical element which co-operates with the control lever when the lock is closed, such that the switch indicates that the lock is closed only when the tooth of the retaining pawl co-operates with the second locking notch of the bolt. The mechanical element includes a pawl which maintains the control lever in position, thereby preventing the switch from changing from the first state to the second state.

Description

The invention relates to a lock for bolt with two locking catches. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a lock having a switch to indicate not only the "open" state but also the "closed" state of the lock.

At present, there are known locks able to detect, on the one hand if the door is open or not closed properly, that is to say if the retention pawl cooperates with the bolt at the first notch closure, and on the other hand, if the door is closed, that is to say if the retention pawl cooperates with the second locking latch of the bolt. Conventionally, this type of lock comprises two switches, one of the two being dedicated to provide the indication of the "open or poorly closed" state of the door and the other being dedicated to provide the indication relating to the door in the "closed" state of the door.

It will be noted that, conventionally, the door closed at the first lock notch of the bolt is simply equivalent to an indication "open door" given by a switch. The first switch is usually located on the bolt between the first and second lock while the second switch is located on the retention pawl.

This type of lock has the major disadvantage of requiring two switches, which is particularly expensive. Moreover, the electrical circuit necessary for the operation of these two switches is bulky while the space available in a lock is very small.

Locks having a single switch are also known, as in the document US 6175202 , which discloses a lock using a single switch adapted to detect the pre-closing position, just before the retention pawl cooperates with the second bolt closing notch, to engage or stop a closing assist mechanism. Another lock having a single switch is also known from US 5,785,364 which corresponds to the preamble of claim 1. The problem of the locks of the state of the art using a single switch lies in the fact that they are not reliable as to the information of the state, open or closed, lock. Indeed, with a single switch, they can correctly indicate only one state of the lock, either the "open" state or the "closed" state.

Indeed, for problems of manufacturing tolerances and because of difficulties related to the environment, the switch is necessarily at least switched just before or just after the second lock.

The invention intends to remedy the disadvantages of the devices of the prior art by proposing a lock for opening having a single switch able to indicate with certainty the "open" and "closed" state of the lock, that is to say the open position of the bolt and the closed position complete (to the second lock notch) of the bolt, thanks to a simple and effective means not requiring a complex connectivity.

Thus, the present invention relates to a lock for an opening according to claim 1.

According to one embodiment a tab of the retaining pawl comes into contact with the holding pawl to force the latter to release the control lever, this contact intervening substantially at the moment when the tooth of the retaining pawl passes the second locking catch bolt.

Thanks to the control lever holding pawl, the latter does not switch the switch when lowering the pawl to the first locking position so that the information relating to the "closed" state of the lock will be obtained only when the tooth of the retention pawl actually cooperates with the second locking latch of the bolt.

The invention is described below in more detail, with the aid of figures representing only preferred embodiments of the invention.

The figure 1 is a schematic representation of the lock in the "open" state, the two latches not closing the latch cooperating with the retention pawl,

The Figures 2a and 2b are two views of a schematic representation of the lock shown on the figure 1 in the "pre-closed" state, the tooth of the retention pawl having just passed the first latch of the bolt,

The Figures 3a and 3b are two views of a schematic representation of the lock shown on the figure 1 in the "pre-closed" state, the tooth of the retention pawl being located between the first and the second locking latch of the bolt, close to the latter,

The Figures 4a and 4b are two views of a schematic representation of the lock shown on the figure 1 when the top of the tooth of the retention pawl is substantially against the top of the second closing catch,

The Figures 5a and 5b are two views of a schematic representation of the lock shown on the figure 1 when the tooth of the retention pawl has just passed the second locking latch of the bolt, that is to say that the lock, or the bolt, is in the "closed" state,

The figure 6 illustrates the state of the switch, closed (position 1) or open (position 0) of a lock according to the invention, during the opening and closing of the lock according to the position of the tooth of the pawl of retention with respect to locking notches of the bolt.

The Figures 1 to 5 illustrate chronologically the closing kinematics of a lock according to the invention, since the open position of the bolt 1 illustrated on the figure 1 up to the position of closure of the bolt 1 illustrated on the Figures 5a and 5b . In the context of this patent application, the term "closure" is used to designate the state of the lock when the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 cooperates with the second locking catch 4 of the bolt 1 so as to block the latter 1. Thus, in contrast, the opening of the lock will here be indicated by the switch 8 when the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 is between the first 7 and the second 4 locking notch, against the first notch closure 7 , or beyond the first notch; the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 can no longer cooperate with the closing notches 4, 7.

The lock conventionally comprises a bolt 1 having a housing 5, or recess, to accommodate a striker, not shown in the accompanying figures. The bolt 1 shown in the accompanying figures comprises a circular orifice 6 defining its axis of rotation, said bolt 1 mounted in the lock being fixed, for example by means of an axis fixed to the counterplate of the lock, not shown in the figures, by The bolt 1 is rotatably mounted in an XOY plane and is connected to a return spring, not shown in the accompanying figures, acting in pressure on the bolt 1 to bring it into its position. opening, in which it does not cooperate with the retaining pawl 3. In this example, in the appended figures, the direction of the force exerted by the return spring of the bolt 1 is the clockwise direction on the views of the Figures 2a , 3a , 4a and 5a presenting for example the front face of the bolt 1 and the counterclockwise direction on the views of the figures 2b , 3b , 4b and 5b presenting the rear face of the bolt 1.

The retention pawl 3 is also a conventional element of a lock. he comprises a tooth 2 which will come into contact or abut with the first 7 or the second 4 locking notch of the bolt 1. The retention pawl 3 is rotatably mounted and rotates in a plane parallel to the plane of rotation XOY of the bolt 1.

The lock according to the invention also comprises a switch, or switch 8, adapted to be in an activated state and a deactivated state, characteristic of the "open" or "closed" state of the lock, this switch 8 comprises a pin plunger 18 axially slidable to occupy a protruding position out of the switch 8 and a position retracted into the switch 8, its two positions of the plunger pin 18 marking the two states on / off of the switch 8 corresponding to the two states open / closed bolt 1 or lock. The teat-plunger 18 is slidably mounted in a conduit of the switch 8 and has a spring or the like, not shown in the accompanying figures, acting in pressure on said pin-plunger 18 to bring it into its protruding position out of the switch 8. Arbitrarily, it was chosen here to consider that the protruding position of the plunger nipple 18 would mean the closed state of the lock while the retracted position of the plunger nipple 18 indicate the open state of the lock.

The control lever 9, also called probe, has the function of cooperating with the switch 8, via its contact with its pin-plunger 18, to position it in its two states. The contact between the control lever 9 and the switch 8 is thus achieved via a pin-plunger 18, said pin-plunger 18 being movable between a protruding position out of the switch 8 and a position retracted into said switch 8. Thus, when the control lever 9 does not rest on the plunger 18, as illustrated on the Figures 5a and 5b , switch 8 indicates the closed state of the lock and conversely, when the control lever 9 presses the plunger 18, the switch 8 indicates the open state of the lock. Arbitrarily, it is chosen to consider that when the control lever 9 is in its rest position, the pin-plunger 18 is depressed, the control lever 9 is movable between a rest position and an extreme position; the rest position being that in which the control lever 9 contacts the switch 8 to put it in its first state and the extreme position being that in which the control lever 9 does not contact the switch 8 to put it in its second state .

The bolt 1, the retention pawl 3, the switch 8 and the control lever 9 are conventional elements of a lock and have no particular characteristic. Moreover, the respective functions of these different elements 1, 3 and 8 are identical in the present invention to those they have in the locks of the state of the art.

Here, only the shape and the relative displacement of the control lever 9 have characteristics peculiar to the invention. In addition, the retention pawl 3 has a tab 10 intended to come into contact or abutment with the holding pawl 11 of the control lever 9 so that the holding pawl 11 releases the control lever 9. This tab 10 extends perpendicularly to the plane of rotation XOY of the bolt 1 and retention pawl 3.

The lock according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises a mechanical means comprising a holding ratchet of the control lever adapted to hold the control lever in position, the holding of the control lever in position preventing the change of the first to second state of the switch. Thus, thanks to this mechanical means 11, the information relating to the "closed" state of the lock, and therefore of the opening, will only be obtained at the level of the switch 8 when the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 has actually passed the second notch 4, and thus the lock, or the bolt 1, will be in its closed position.

The control lever 9, or probe, here comprises a substantially rectangular portion 12 intended to come to contact the switch 8 when the control lever 9 is in its rest position. The control lever 9 further comprises a protruding portion 13 in the shape of a beak. When the control lever 9 is held in the rest position by the retaining pawl 11, the latter 11 supports / holds the control lever 9, the protruding portion 13 of the control lever 9 resting on the retaining pawl 11. Lever 9 is rotatably mounted and is rotatable perpendicular to the plane of rotation XOY of the bolt 1 and the retention pawl 3, from its rest position to its end position, when the lock is closed, where the control lever 9 comes in abutment against a sidewall 14 of the bolt 1. A spring, or pressure means, not shown in the accompanying figures, acts on the control lever 9 to bring it to its extreme position.

It will be noted that the control lever 9 is rotatable in a plane perpendicular to the plane of rotation XOY of the bolt 1. This allows in particular that the portion 13 of the control lever 9 comes into contact with a side of the bolt 1 so that this last 1, when opening the lock, returns the control lever 9 from its extreme position to its rest position.

The mechanical means chosen to illustrate the invention here consists of a holding pawl 11 formed by a circular ring 15 comprising two levers 16, 17. These two levers 16, 17 extend from the circumference of the ring 15, symmetrically. on both sides of said ring 15. As can be seen on the Figures 2 to 4 , the holding pawl 11, via one of the two levers 16, prevents the control lever 9 from tilting and thus switching the switch 8. The retaining pawl 11 is rotatable in a parallel plane, and shifted, to the XOY plane rotation of the bolt 1 and the retention pawl 3. The holding pawl 11 is located at proximity of the bolt 1 and the retaining pawl 3 on one side of the XOY plane.

Starting from the figure 1 , the bolt 1 is in the open position, the tooth 2 of the retaining pawl 3 and the locking notches 4, 7 of the bolt 1 not cooperating, the control lever 9 is in its rest position, that is, that is to say that the control lever 9 presses the plunger 18. In this configuration, the protruding portion 13 of the control lever 9 is simply based on a face 19 of the bolt 1, the retaining pawl 11 of the control lever 9 is not active, that is to say it is not necessary that the retaining pawl 11 maintains the control lever 9, the latter 9 already occupying its rest position.

As soon as the bolt 1 begins to rotate, from its open position to its closed position, the holding pawl 11, or more exactly one of its two levers, is placed under the control lever 9, plus exactly under the protruding portion 13 of said control lever 9, to maintain it in its rest position. In the absence of the retaining pawl 11, the control lever 9, under the effect of its spring, switch to its extreme position. Indeed, during the rotation of the bolt 1 to its closed position, the control lever 9 is no longer supported by one of the faces of the bolt 1, because of the particular geometry of a conventional bolt so that the holding pawl 11 takes over and keeps the control lever 9 in its rest position, the switch 8 is not switched.

As is apparent on the Figures 3a and 3b , the retaining pawl 11 holds the control lever 9 during the entire path of the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 between the first 7 and the second 4 locking notch of the bolt 1. The control lever 9 is held in its position resting until the passage of the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 beyond the top of the second locking notch 4, when the tooth 2 retention pawl 3 abuts against the second closing notch 4 to lock the bolt 1 in its closed position. As illustrated on Figures 4a and 4b , the holding pawl 11 still maintains the control lever 9 in the rest position when the top of the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 is substantially opposite the top of the second locking catch 4.

While the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 passes the second locking catch 4, the tab 10 of the retention pawl 3 abuts against the retaining pawl 11, more precisely against the lever 17 opposite the support lever 16, and pushes the latter 17 so that the holding pawl 11 no longer holds the control lever 9 in its rest position. As soon as the retaining pawl deviates from the control lever 9, the latter 9 tilts towards its end position and abuts against a sidewall 14 of the bolt 1. In this position, the control lever 9, or rather the portion 12 of the control lever 9, is no longer in contact with the switch 8 so that the latter 8 is changed state (switching).

Thus, in the example chosen to illustrate the invention, when the bolt 1 is in the open position, the control lever 9 actuates the switch 8 so that the switch 8 is in the closed position. This closed position of the switch 8 is maintained as the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 has not passed the second closure 4, that is to say that the bolt 1 is in the closed position. Thus, when the bolt 1 is in the closed position, the control lever 9 no longer actuates the switch 8 so that the switch 8 is in the open position.

The opening kinematics of the lock, or bolt 1, not shown in the accompanying figures, consists of raising, or tilting, the control lever 9 from its extreme position to its rest position. In its extreme position, illustrated on the Figures 5a and 5b , occupied when the bolt 1 is in the closed position, the control lever 9 abuts against a sidewall 14 of the bolt 1 so that when the bolt 1, under the effect of its return spring, starts to turn back from its closed position to its open position, the bolt 1 drives the control lever 9 and forces it to return to its rest position. Indeed, the protruding portion 13 of the control lever 9 tilts under the driving action of the bolt 1 and comes to rest on the face 18 of the bolt 1. Thus, when the control lever 9 returns to the rest position, it that is to say that it rests on the face 18 of the bolt 1, the control lever 9 actuates the switch 8 so that the plunger 18 of the switch 8 is depressed.

Finally, at the end of the opening stroke of the bolt 1, the tab 10 of the retention pawl 3 abuts against the retaining pawl 11 so as to place it again in the alignment of the control lever 9. Thus, when next closing kinematics of the opening, and therefore of the bolt 1, the holding pawl 11 will maintain the control lever 9 in the rest position, is in the position where the switch 8 is closed.

The figure 6 highlights when the switch 8 changes state (0 or 1) to indicate the closing or opening of the lock. The figure 6 allows to illustrate the specific characteristic of the lock according to the invention, namely the fact that the change of state of the switch 8, indicating the open / closed state of the lock, does not take place at the same time, or more exactly at the same relative position of the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 with respect to the closing catches 4, 7 of the bolt 1, when the lock is opened and when it is closed.

Thus, when the lock is opened, the switch 8 indicates the open state of the lock when the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 passes between the first 7 and the second 4 locking notch of the bolt 1 (and before the closed state ) but when the lock is closed, the switch 8 indicates the closed state only when the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 cooperates with the second closing catch 4, that is to say when the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 blocks the second locking catch 4 of the bolt 1. The control lever 9 is held by the retaining pawl 11 thus only when the lock is closed.

Indeed, the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3, like the second locking notch 4 of the bolt 1, have a shape of V, the vertices of these two elements 4 and 2 being oriented towards one another. It is only when one of the faces of the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 is placed against one of the faces of the second locking latch 4, blocking the bolt 1, by rotation of the retention pawl 3, that the lug 10 of the retention pawl 3 pushes the retaining pawl 11, by its portion 17, releasing the control lever 9 which tilts. The tilting of the control lever 9 releases the plunger stud 18 of the switch 8, causing the change of state of said switch 8 which then indicates the open state of the lock.

• lors de la fermeture de la serrure, le commutateur 8 change d'état grâce au cliquet de rétention 3, via sa patte 10, qui vient pousser le cliquet de maintien 11, libérant le levier de commande 9 qui libère lui-même le téton-plongeur 18 du commutateur 8,
• tandis que, lors de l'ouverture de la serrure, le commutateur 8 change d'état grâce au pêne 1 qui entraîne le levier de commande 9 pour le faire basculer vers sa position de repos dans laquelle il appuie sur le téton-plongeur 18 du commutateur 8.

In the lock according to the invention, the switch 8 is not controlled, that is to say the actuation causing its change of state, by the same element when closing and when opening the lock :

• when the lock is closed, the switch 8 changes state by virtue of the retention pawl 3, via its lug 10, which pushes the holding pawl 11, releasing the control lever 9 which itself releases the nipple. diver 18 of switch 8,
• while, when the lock is opened, the switch 8 changes state by virtue of the bolt 1 which drives the control lever 9 to tilt it towards its rest position in which it bears on the plunger pin 18 of the switch 8.

The advantage of such a lock obviously lies in the use of a single switch 8 but especially in the detection of the true moment when the lock is closed, that is to say the moment when one of the faces of the tooth 2 of the retention pawl 3 is in contact with one of the faces of the second locking catch 4 to lock the bolt 1. Thus, when the switch 8 detects the "closed" state of the lock, it can stop, or send a stop signal to the closure assistance mechanism generally present on this type of lock. With the lock according to the invention, there is no risk, while minimizing the costs of manufacture and assembly, to stop the closing assistance mechanism too early and risk that the lock is not locked. really closed.

Claims (9)

1. Lock for an opening panel, comprising a locking bolt (1) that is able to rotate, having a first locking notch (7) and a second locking notch (4), a striker able to engage in said locking bolt (1) in order to hold the opening panel closed, a retaining pawl (3) having at least one tooth (2) collaborating with the locking notches (4, 7) of the locking bolt (1) in order to lock the first (7) or the second (4) locking notch, a switch (8) having two states, able to indicate a first state and a second state, operated by an operating lever (9), comprising a mechanical means (11) collaborating, upon closure, with the operating lever (9) and the retaining pawl (3) of the lock so that the switch (8) indicates the second state, corresponding to the lock being in the "closed" state, only at the moment when the tooth (2) of the retaining pawl (3) is collaborating with the second locking notch (4) of the locking bolt (1), characterized in that, to achieve that, the mechanical means comprises a holding pawl (11) for retaining the operating lever (9) able to hold said operating lever (9) in position, the fact of holding said operating lever (9) in position preventing the switch (8) from changing from the first state to the second state.
2. Lock according to Claim 1, characterized in that a lug (10) of the retaining pawl (3) comes into contact with the holding pawl (11) to force the latter to release the operating lever (9), this contact occurring more or less at the moment when the tooth (2) of the retaining pawl (3) passes the second locking notch (4) of the locking bolt (1).
3. Lock according to either one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating lever (9) can move between a rest position and an extreme position; the rest position being the one in which the operating lever (9) contacts the switch (8) to place it in its first state and the extreme position being the one in which the operating lever (9) does not contact the switch (8) to place it in its second state.
4. Lock according to Claim 3, characterized in that contact between the operating lever (9) and the switch (8) is achieved via a plunger (18), said plunger (18) being able to move between a position in which it protrudes from the switch (8) and a position in which it is retracted inside said switch (8).
5. Lock according to Claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the operating lever (9) is moved under the action of a return spring whose action is to bring said operating lever (9) into its extreme position.
6. Lock according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating lever (9) is able to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the plane in which the locking bolt (1) rotates.
7. Lock according to any one of Claims 3 to 5, characterized in that when the lock is being opened, the locking bolt (1) returns the operating lever (9) from its extreme position to its rest position.
8. Lock according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a closure-assist mechanism, said assist mechanism being stopped when the switch (8) detects that the lock is in the "closed" position.
9. Lock according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the operating lever (9) is held in position by the holding pawl (11) only when the lock is closed.

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