TECHNICAL FIELD
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The present invention refers to a motorized electric lock wherein control electronic components are housed outside the lock.
STATE OF THE ART
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A felt need is to provide and sell a motorized lock ensuring safety also in case of tampering of the outside portion of the door leaf or of another shutter to which the lock is mounted.
SCOPES AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
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The purpose of the present invention is achieved by a lock comprising a first electrical device with an electrical wire, a rotating handle assembly for opening the lock and housing the electrical device, a hollow support for rotatingly housing the handle assembly and suitable for rigid attachment to a locking element such as a door or shutter. The electrical wire is surrounded by the support for connecting the first electrical device to an electrical power supply, such as a battery, located on the opposite side of the handle assembly from the locking element. The handle assembly has a through-hole for housing the electrical wire leading to the second electrical device.
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Via the through-hole, the electrical wire is protected inside the handle assembly, making it difficult for an intruder to tamper with it. The electrical wire reaches, for example, the batteries located in the closed space through the door or shutter, thus also protecting them. Furthermore, according to a first embodiment, the electrical wire is protected by both the handle assembly and the support, or, according to another embodiment, it is protected by the handle assembly alone. In both cases, the electrical wire is also surrounded by the support because it extends from the electrical device, such as a motor, into the enclosed space through the shutter or door. Specifically, in the first case, the electrical wire is surrounded by the support and exits from a hole in the support into the enclosed space through the shutter or door. In the second case, the electrical wire is housed within the handle assembly and exits into the enclosed space through the shutter or door from the handle assembly, and the support surrounds the handle assembly with the electrical wire inside it.
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According to a preferred embodiment, the first electrical device is a motor and comprises a switching mechanism having a slider axially movable by the motor between a first position in which a lock latch remains in an interference position such that the locking element remains in a closed position and a second position in which, following the rotation of the handle assembly, the latch moves from the interference position and allows the locking element to open. In particular, the motor and the switching mechanism establish a mechanical configuration in which the latch lever moves or does not move when a user applies a rotational force to the handle assembly. Furthermore, it is the user, if the slider of the switching mechanism is in the second position, who applies the force necessary to move the latch from the interference position and open the door or shutter. Preferably, when the slider is in the first position, the latch or lever 6 is in the protruding position and, therefore, interferes with a fixed element if the door or shutter is closed.
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According to a preferred embodiment, the switching mechanism comprises a pin carried by one of the handle assembly and the support and movable relative to a recess carried by the other between the handle assembly and the support, the slider being in a forward position in said first configuration so as to interfere along a radial direction with the relative motion between the pin and the recess so as to keep the pin engaged in the recess and thereby block rotation of the handle assembly; and wherein the slider is in a backward position in said second configuration so that, due to rotation of the handle assembly relative to the support, the pin and the recess move angularly relative to each other, increasing the relative distance in the radial direction and disengaging the pin from the recess.
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In this manner, the switching mechanism is a releasable lock for rotation of the handle assembly: the lock remains closed when the pin is engaged because the handle assembly cannot rotate in the support.
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According to a preferred embodiment, the lock further comprises a spring element configured to maintain the coupled pin within the recess.
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In this way, it is ensured that, once a predefined relative angular position between the handle assembly and the support has been reached, the pin R and the recess RE automatically approach each other thanks to the spring so as to free up the space in which the insert advances to block the handle assembly from rotation.
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According to a preferred embodiment, the lock also comprises a tooth carried by one of the support and the handle assembly and a circumferential groove carried by the other between the support and the handle assembly. The tooth is housed in the circumferential groove which has an angular extension delimited by two corresponding end-of-travel stops each of which, when contacting the tooth, defines the maximum angular travel of the handle assembly in the support.
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In this way, the angular travel of the handle assembly relative to the support is mechanically limited and the electrical wire is prevented from being twisted, e.g., due to excessive rotations in the same direction during use. In the embodiment in which the electrical wire exits from a hole in the support into the space enclosed by the door leaf or shutter, a limited angular travel, preferably less than 350°, prevents shearing or otherwise damaging the electrical wire in the transition area between the handle assembly and the support.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
- Figure 1: Exploded view of a first embodiment of the lock according to the present invention.
- Figure 2: Front view of a first embodiment of the lock according to the present invention, highlighting the groove housing the electrical contact cable and the 90-degree rotation.
- Figure 3: View from two perspective orientations of a first embodiment of the lock according to the present invention, completely disassembled.
- Figure 4a: Section along a first axial plane of the lock of Figure 3;
- Figure 4b: Enlargement of a section along a second axial plane of a portion of the lock of Figure 3;
- Figure 5: Exploded view of a second embodiment of the lock according to the present invention.
- Figure 6: View from two orientations of a second embodiment of the lock according to the present invention, completely assembled.
- Figure 7: a section in a longitudinal plane of the lock of figure 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVETION
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Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a first embodiment of the present invention in which an electric lock comprises a stator 1 fixed e.g. to a door leaf B and a knob assembly 2 rotating in the stator 1. Furthermore, the lock comprises an electrical connection cable 16, e.g. for power supply connected to a battery not shown, carried by the knob assembly 2 and passing through the stator 1 so that the cable 16 is not severed or otherwise damaged by a rotation of the knob assembly 2, making the toggle lock unusable in the long term. In particular, an internal groove 17 of the knob (see Figure 2) having an angular span about the rotation axis, within which the cable is housed. Correspondingly, the stator 1 has a through hole F which also houses the cable 16 and said angular span is such that, during the rotation of the knob assembly 2, the cable 16 is not severed even though it is held in a fixed position by the hole F. Furthermore, the through hole F is arranged with respect to the door B in such a way that the cable 16 exiting from the stator 1 is inside the volume or chamber or room closed by the door B when the lock is closed. In this way, the battery which powers the electric lock is inside the volume or chamber or room, preferably it is carried by the door itself. Alternatively, the groove is located on bushing 1 and the hole is located on the knob assembly 2. According to a further embodiment, both bushing 1 and knob 2 have corresponding grooves facing each other and angularly extended so that the relative angular travel between bushing 1 and knob assembly 2 does not damage the cable 16.
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According to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the knob assembly 2 has a maximum cross-section of a portion P proximal to bushing 1 larger than a flange FL of the bushing itself, the flange F acting as a stop for the striker B when a ring nut G is screwed onto a threaded cylindrical surface SF of the bushing 1. The threaded surface SF is coaxial with the rotation axis of the knob assembly 2 to define a rigid and releasable connection with the striker B, and the proximal portion P is preferably cylindrical. Furthermore, the proximal portion P features an annular recess to accommodate part of the flange FL (Fig. 4a). The annular recess is delimited by an annular wall PA that protects the flange FL and the cable 16 from tampering attempts, such as with a cutter, and thus defines a rigid casing comprising relative rotating parts within which the cable 16 is protected and at the same time not damaged during the rotation of the knob assembly 2.
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The latter advantageously comprises a rotary motor 3, a switching mechanism 4 actuated by the rotary motor in a first configuration in which the knob assembly 2 rotates in the bushing 1 to move the lever 6 and thus open the lock, or in a second configuration in which the lever 6 is fixed in an angular position such as to keep the lock closed. Preferably, the switching mechanism is a releasable lock comprising a coupling element 5 with a tooth D1 coupled via a nut screw to a threaded shaft driven in rotation by the rotary motor 3, preferably via a reduction gear. In this embodiment, the knob assembly 2 comprises a retractable pin R movable between a forward position, in which it interferes with a recess RE made in an internal surface of the stator 1 to block the angular rotation of the knob assembly 2 in a position in which the lever 6 defines the closed position of the lock, thus having the function of a deadbolt; and a backward position in which the knob assembly 2 rotates in the stator 1 moving the lever 6 to open the lock. In particular, at least one of the recess and a portion of the head of the pin is rounded (Fig. 4b) so that, when a user rotates the knob assembly 2 to open the lock, this rotation causes the pin R to retract so as to angularly decouple the stator 1 from the knob assembly 2. Preferably, an elastic element E is provided to keep the pin R radially extracted; therefore, when the knob assembly 2 rotates with respect to the stator 1, the pin R retracts against the action of the elastic element E. According to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the elastic element E comprises at least one sealing ring A mounted so as to have a radial interference with the pin itself so as to prevent humidity, e.g. atmospheric, from reaching the inside of the knob assembly 2 even by capillary action. At the same time, the sealing ring A keeps the pin R at rest in the extracted position and is compressed axially when the pin R retracts. Even more preferably, the elastic element E comprises two or more coaxial and overlapping elastic rings A as shown in figure 4b.
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In use, the user first verifies that the pin R is extracted from the recess RE, e.g., by feeling resistance to the rotation of the knob assembly 2 caused by the selective contact of the head portion with the sides of the recess RE, and then activates the electric motor. In this way, the tooth D1 can advance because it finds a suitable space on the bottom of the pin R.
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Alternatively, according to a not illustrated embodiment, the switching mechanism 4 comprises a releasable angular joint that can be configured, following the rotation of the rotary motor 3, in an open position in which the lever 6 is angularly disconnected from the knob assembly 2, e.g., in a closed position of the lock, and in a closed position in which the lever 6 is angularly rigidly connected to the knob assembly 2 so that, when a user rotates the latter, the lever 6 is released so as to be able to open the lock.
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The rotation of knob 2 in stator 1 is mechanically constrained to 90 degrees. This is achieved by a tooth 7 that enters stator 1 and extends inside the stator. This tooth is configured with the groove 8 on the outer surface of the knob. In this way, the rotation of the knob is limited based on the span of the groove, and in this example in particular, the rotation is fixed at a maximum of 90 degrees. It should be emphasized that the rotation allowed by the groove on the outer surface and the groove inside the knob housing the cable must be angularly equivalent, or the rotation allowed by the internal groove must be angularly greater than the external one, so that the cable is always protected during rotation.
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The mechanism is secured at one end by a nut 11, and at the other end by a cap 12, configured to fit into the through hole 13 of the knob 2.
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Figure 5 shows a schematic view of a second assembled embodiment of a lock according to the present invention. In this example, the lock is configured for a coin changer and comprises a casing IN1, which in turn comprises at least one deadbolt SC1, preferably two deadbolts SC2. In this case, the switching of deadbolts SC1 and SC2 is actuated by a pinion (not shown). Specifically, the direction of rotation of the pinion defines the forward or backward position of the deadbolts. The lock further comprises an eccentric stator BE1 and a knob assembly GP1, described in detail in the next paragraph.
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Figure 6 shows an exploded view of the second embodiment. The lock comprises a rotating knob assembly GP1 and an eccentric stator BE1 fixed to the casing. The GP1 knob assembly is housed and rotates in the eccentric stator BE1. Furthermore, the lock includes an electrical connection cable 16, e.g. a power supply connected to a battery (not illustrated), led by the knob assembly 2 and passing through the stator so that the cable 16 is not severed or otherwise damaged following rotation of the GP1 knob assembly, making the lock unusable in the long term. The internal circular surface of the GP1 knob assembly comprises a through hole FP1 having a longitudinal extension along the rotation axis of the GP1 knob assembly within which the cable 16 is housed, as shown in Figure 7. Furthermore, the GP1 knob assembly comprises a rotary motor 3 connected to the cable 16 and defining the same switching mechanism 4 described in the previous embodiment, i.e. a releasable block comprising a coupling element 5 with a tooth D1 coupled via a lead screw to a threaded shaft driven in rotation by the rotary motor 3, preferably via a reduction gear.
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When the lock is assembled (as shown in Figure 5), the eccentric stator 1 in which the knob assembly is rotatably housed engages with the casing, and at least a portion of the knob assembly passes longitudinally through the casing, as shown in Figure 5. Specifically, since the cable 16 is carried by the knob assembly 2 and runs along its entire length, the cable 16 also passes through the casing from one side to the other, thus allowing the battery pack to be housed in a separate volume from the volume inside the knob assembly.
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Advantageously, having the cable running inside the knob allows the batteries to be protected in the event of a breakin, as they are housed inside the door leaf, making them difficult to access.
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Advantageously, this configuration makes the conversion from a traditional lock to an electronic lock easier, as it is not necessary to modify the mechanisms of the original lock. In fact, a well-known problem is the lack of space for the electronic components in a traditional lock, while according to the present invention, this problem does not arise since the bulky components, i.e. the battery, are not present in the lock, which only houses the power cable.
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The limitation of the knob's angular travel, according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, is defined by the deadbolt mechanism.
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It should be noted that the distinctive features of the components in the various embodiments are maintained when the components retain the same function.
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It should also be noted that the lock, particularly in the lever embodiment, can operate a latchbolt.