EP2762661A1

EP2762661A1 - A lock activator

Info

Publication number: EP2762661A1
Application number: EP13153455.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Torben Kristensen
Original assignee: Bekey AS
Current assignee: Bekey AS
Priority date: 2013-01-31
Filing date: 2013-01-31
Publication date: 2014-08-06

Abstract

A lock activator for motorized activation of a lock arranged in e.g. a door wing, comprising a torque axle (4) being rotatably mounted in a housing so that one end of the torque axle (4) is adapted for transferring torque to another element, such as an axle arranged in the lock in order to activate the lock, and where the housing further contains an electric motor (8) and a transmission comprising a first (9) and a second (10) cogwheel being adapted for transferring torque produced by the electric motor (8) to the torque axle, and thereby driving the torque axle (4) to rotate when the motor (8) is rotating, and wherein at least one of the cogwheels (10) is mounted on a disengagement means (16) adapted for being positioned in first position where the first (9) and second (10) cogwheels are engaging each other, and a second position where the first (9) and second (10) cogwheels are disengaged.

Description

The prior art:

The present invention relates to a lock activator for motorized activation of a lock arranged in e.g. a door wing, and where the lock activator comprises a housing with a base plate adapted for mounting the housing on a surface on e.g. the door wing, and where the housing contains a torque axle being rotatably mounted in the housing so that one end of the torque axle extends through or is accessible through an opening in the base plate, and being adapted for transferring torque to another axle arranged in the lock in order to activate the lock, and where the housing further contains an electric motor and a transmission comprising a first and a second cogwheel being adapted for transferring torque produced by the electric motor to the torque axle, and thereby driving the torque axle to rotate when the motor is rotating
Lock activators of this kind are used for locking and unlocking mechanical locks without necessarily using a mechanical key and thereby enabling remote control, activation of the lock from a distance, activation via short range wireless data communication or simply by using an electronic keypad.
A general problem with this kind of lock activators is however that it is inconvenient to manually turn the electronic motor and/or the gear train arranged for activating the door lock when the the lock from time to time be operated by using the mechanical key e.g. from the outside (or public side) side of the door or by turning the lock knob arranged e.g. on the inside (or safe side) of the door, and especially in situations where the electric motor or the gear train is unable to rotate due to some kind of malfunction, then it may be impossible to unlock the lock.

The object of the invention:

On this background it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a lock activator, where manual operation of the lock will feel very close to the feeling of operating the same mechanical lock without the electric lock activator.
This is obtained by the invention defined in the introduction and in that at least one of the cogwheels is mounted on a disengagement means adapted for being positioned in first position where the first and second cogwheels are engaging with each other, and a second position where the first and second cogwheels are disengaged.
In a preferred embodiment the first cogwheel is fixed on the torque axle and the second cogwheel is fixed on a second axle mounted on the disengagement means, and where the disengagement means comprises means adapted for moving the second axle in such a way that the second cogwheel is moved by the disengagement means between the first and the second position. Thereby the first cogwheel is the only cowheel that needs to be turned when operating the lock manually, and hence the electric motor or the gear train will not cause any resistance to manually turning the lock knob or the key.
The second cogwheel may in this relation be arranged so that it is in permanent engagement with a third cogwheel, said third cogwheel being driven directly or indirectly via other gears, by the electric motor.
Furthermore an especially simple embodiment is obtained where the third cogwheel is mounted on a third axle, and the torque axle as well as the second and the third axle being arranged parallel to each other, and where the disengagement means comprises a tilting mechanism having a first arm extending on one side of the third axle, and where the second axle with the second cogwheel is mounted on a first arm of the tilting mechanism, and the tilting mechanism is mounted so that it is able to rotate both ways around the third axle, and thereby be moved into its first and second position.
In a further preferred embodiment a fourth cogwheel is mounted on a fourth axle being parallel to the third axle, and arranged on a second arm on the tilting mechanism extending from the opposite side of the third axle as the first arm of the tilting mechanism, and the fourth cogwheel and the fourth axle is positioned such that the fourth cogwheel are in engagement with the first cogwheel when the second disengagement means is moved to its second position, and disengaged when the disengagement means is moved to its first position. Thereby the lock activator is able by simple means to turn the torque axle both ways, and thereby locking and unlocking the lock.
In an especially reliable and simple embodiment the lock activator comprises means for moving the disengagement means to an intermediary position between its first and second position, and being arranged such that neither the second nor the fourth cogwheel is engaging the first cogwheel, when the disengagement means is moved to the intermediate position.
The tilting mechanism may advantageously be adapted to frictionally engage with the third cogwheel and/or the third axle, so that when the third cogwheel rotates, then the tilting mechanism rotates with the third cogwheel only until the second or the fourth cogwheel engages with the first cogwheel. Thereby the operation of the tilting mechanism is done automatically when the electric motor rotates.
In this relation control means may be adapted for controlling the electric motor, so that it is able, upon appropriate activation, to rotate the third cogwheel in such a way that the second cogwheel is moved to its first or second position.
Furthermore the control means may advantageously be adapted to control the electric motor, so that it stops running when the disengagement means is positioned in the first or second position, and to shortly reverse the electric motor, so that the third cogwheel is moved to its intermediate position before the electric motor stop running.
In a preferred embodiment the electric motor is powered by one or more electric batteries, and the lock activator comprises a housing containing at least the electric motor, the cogwheels and the electric battery.

The drawing:

In the following one or more embodiments of the invention will be described in more detail and with reference to the drawing, where:

Fig. 1: Is a perspective view of the lock activator according to the present invention.
Fig. 2: Is a front view of the interior of the lock activator shown in fig. 1.
Fig. 3: Is a perspective view of the lock activator shown in fig. 2.
Fig. 4: Is a side view of the lock activator shown in fig. 2 and 3.
Fig. 5: Is a rear view of the lock activator shown in fig. 1.
Fig. 6: Is a second perspective view of the lock activator shown in fig. 1.

Description of exemplary embodiments:

Fig. 1, 5 and 6 shows different views of one embodiment of a lock activator 1 according to the invention. The lock activator has a housing 2 with a base plate 3, having mounting means 20 being adapted for mounting the lock activator in or on e.g. a lockable door wing, gate, port, window or the like in such a way that the torque axle 4 can be connected to e.g. a latching mechanism in a lock in the door wing, such as a lock axle arranged in the lock.
In the following the term door wing is therefore meant to cover all types of lockable wings as mentioned above.
This lock activator further comprises a front cover 5 and a lock knob 6 extending in front of the front cover 5 and being connected to the torque axle 4, so that it is possible to manually operate the lock in the door wing simply by turning the lock knob.
Lock activators are known in different embodiments in the prior art, and they can be designed for different uses even though they all are adapted for the same purpose of activating a lock in a door wing. As mentioned above the lock activator shown on these figures has a lock knob, and it is thereby of the kind that may preferably be mounted on the inside (the safe or private side) of the door wing, but lock activators may be made in other embodiments without departing from the inventive idea according to the present invention. As an example an alternative embodiment of a lock activator according to the present invention may be designed without the lock knob, but having a key cylinder or e.g. a keyboard arranged on the front cover 5 that enables electric or mechanical operation of the lock activator in order to turn the torque axle 4 and thereby allowing locking or unlocking the lock in the door wing from the outside (the unsafe or public side) of the door wing.
Fig. 2, 3 and 4 now shows the lock activator according to fig. 1, 5 and 6, but without the front cover 5, so that the interior of the lock activator is visible. In this embodiment the lock activator has a set of 4 batteries adapted for providing the necessary electric power to the electric motor. The electric motor 8 comprises control means adapted for receiving a wireless signal from an external transmitter, such as a mobile phone, and to control the direction of rotation, torque and/or rotation speed of the electric motor 8.
A first cogwheel 9 is mounted on the torque axle 4, so that the torque axle 4 can be rotated around its axis by rotating the first cogwheel and a set of gears are arranged for transferring the torque provided by the electric motor 8 to the first cogwheel 4.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention the set of gears comprises a second cogwheel 10 being mounted on a second axle 13 being parallel to the torque axle 4. The second cogwheel is in permanent engagement with a third cogwheel 12 being mounted on a third axle 14 which is fixed with respect to the first axle 4.
The second axle 13, and thereby the second cogwheel 10 is mounted on a tilting mechanism 16 being formed as a yoke, and mounted so that it can rotate around the third axle 14 in order to move the second axle 13 and thereby the second cogwheel 10 to a first, a second or the intermediate position shown in the figures. In the intermediate position shown in the figures, and in the second position where the second cogwheel 10 is moved further away from the first cogwheel 9, the second cogwheel 10 do not engage with the first cogwheel 9. However in the first position (not shown in the figures) the second cogwheel 10 is moved closer to the first cogwheel 9 and into engagement with it.
On the other side of the third axle 14 and the third cogwheel 12 a fourth axle 15 with a fourth cogwheel 11 is arranged on the tilting mechanism 16, so that the fourth axle 15 is parallel to the torque axle 4, and such that it moves simultaneously with the movement of the second axle 13 and the second cogwheel 10, and so that it moves into engagement with the first cogwheel 9, when the third cogwheel 10 is moved to its second position (not shown), and so that it does not engage with the first cogwheel 9, when the third cogwheel 10is moved to its intermediate (shown) or first (not shown) position.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the tilting mechanism 16 is in frictional contact with the third cogwheel 12, so that when the third cogwheel 12 rotates, then the tilting mechanism 16 will rotate in the same direction until the second or the fourth cogwheel 10, 11 is moved into engagement with the first cogwheel 9 (the first and second position of the second cogwheel 10). In these positions the tilting mechanism 16 stops rotating, but the third cogwheel 12 is allowed to keep rotating due to its loose frictional contact with the tilting mechanism 16.
The frictional contact between the third cogwheel 11 and the tilting mechanism 16 also allows that the tilting mechanism can be moved even if the electric motor is not rotating, and so that the second cogwheels can moved from its first or second position and to its intermediate position shown in the figures, just by turning the lock knob and thereby pressing the second or the fourth cogwheel 10, 11 out of engagement with the first cogwheel 9.
The preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in the figures, further comprises a bevel gear set 17, 18, that connects the drive axle of electric motor 8 with the third cogwheel 11, but any combination of gears may be used for this purpose, and be selected in order to obtain the necessary torque for rotating the torque axle 4.

Claims

A lock activator for motorized activation of a lock arranged in e.g. a door wing, and where the lock activator comprises a housing with a base plate adapted for mounting the housing on a surface on e.g. the door wing, and where the housing contains a torque axle being rotatably mounted in the housing so that one end of the torque axle extends through or is accessible through an opening in the base plate, and being adapted for transferring torque to another element, such as an axle arranged in the lock in order to activate the lock, and where the housing further contains an electric motor and a transmission comprising a first and a second cogwheel being adapted for transferring torque produced by the electric motor to the torque axle, and thereby driving the torque axle to rotate when the motor is rotating, and wherein at least one of the cogwheels is mounted on a disengagement means adapted for being positioned in first position where the first and second cogwheels are engaging each other, and a second position where the first and second cogwheels are disengaged.
A lock activator according to claim 1, wherein the first cogwheel is fixed on the torque axle and the second cogwheel is fixed on a second axle mounted on the disengagement means, and where the disengagement means comprises means adapted for moving the second axle in such a way that the second cogwheel is moved by the disengagement means between the first and the second position.
A lock activator according to claim 2, wherein the second cogwheel is arranged so that it is in permanent engagement with a third cogwheel, said third cogwheel being driven directly, or indirectly via other gears, by the electric motor.
A lock activator according to claim 3, wherein the third cogwheel is mounted on a third axle, and the torque axle as well as the second and the third axle are arranged parallel to each other, and where the disengagement means comprises a tilting mechanism having a first arm extending on one side of the third axle, and where the second axle with the second cogwheel is mounted on a first arm of the tilting mechanism, and the tilting mechanism is mounted so that it is able to rotate both ways around the third axle, and thereby be moved into its first and second position.
A lock activator according to claim 4, wherein a fourth cogwheel is mounted on a fourth axle being parallel to the third axle, and arranged on a second arm on the tilting mechanism extending from the opposite side of the third axle as the first arm of the tilting mechanism, and where the fourth cogwheel and the fourth axle is positioned such that the fourth cogwheel are in engagement with the first cogwheel when the second disengagement means is moved to its second position, and disengaged when the disengagement means is moved to its first position.
A lock activator according to claim 5, comprising means for moving the disengagement means to an intermediary position between its first and second position, and being arranged such that neither the second or the fourth cogwheel is engaging the first cogwheel, when the disengagement means is moved to said intermediate position.
A lock activator according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the tilting mechanism is adapted to frictionally engage with the third cogwheel and/or the third axle, so that when the third cogwheel rotates, then the tilting mechanism rotates with the third cogwheel only until the second or the fourth cogwheel engages with the first cogwheel.
A lock activator according to claim 7, further comprising control means adapted for controlling the electric motor, so that it is able, upon appropriate activation, to rotate the third cogwheel in such a way that the second cogwheel is moved to its first or second position.
A lock activator according to claim 8, wherein the control means are adapted to control the electric motor, so that it stops running when the disengagement means is positioned in its first or second position, and to the third cogwheel is moved to its intermediate position before the electric motor stop running.
A lock activator according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the electric motor is powered by one or more electric batteries and in that the lock activator comprises a housing containing at least the electric motor, the cogwheels and the electric battery.