FR2686918A1 - Catch for metal manhole cover in the ground with automatic locking and control of opening using key or secret code, with unlocking from inside - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a catch which automatically locks when closed again, with operation which can be made secure by a key or secret code, and which can permanently be unlocked from inside, produced from rustproof (stainless) materials, specially designed for the purposes of making metal manhole covers placed in the ground secure.

Description

The present invention relates to the production of an automatic locking lock specially designed for the purpose of securing metal buffers which provide service to technical undergrounds which are used by public services for the distribution of urban networks.

These structures are currently closed by simple removable slabs made of reinforced concrete or cast iron and their design does not allow the adaptation of lifting assistance, nor a posteriori securing thus offering complete freedom to acts of vandalism on the installations. more and more sophisticated that they are supposed to protect.

This lock therefore meets the requirements imposed by its use for securing pads on the ground which can be completely removable or articulated with generally in this case a lifting compensation.

To be easily integrated into these new buffers with beam box design which will replace the old models on the sites, specific dimensional and conceptual conditions prevailed over the technical choices, namely: - be of limited height to fit into the buffer epalizer which must be for reasons of freedom of access or ease of maneuver, minimal.

- have a protected access control device to prevent any intrusion of foreign bodies or runoff into the locking mechanism - be automatically locked when the buffer is closed to avoid any risk of forgetting to secure it after intervention.

- therefore be unlockable from the inside by a simple operation for safety reasons in the event of accidental reclosure on a worker.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. Figure 1 shows a front view of the lock, missing cover plate. Figures 2 and 3 show cross sections through the hinge pins of the keeper and the rocking lever on the one hand and the axis of the operating device on the other hand.

With reference to these drawings, the lock is composed of a case 1, notched in the lower part to allow passage for the hanging finger 2 fixed on the frame. This case carries on its inner face the axes of shoulder articulations, and the stops 6a-6b of the various moving parts that make up the lock, namely: a pivoting keeper 3 permanently urged to open by a pin spring 5 but remaining locked due to the hooking of a lug 3a located on its upper surface, in a notch 4a located on the lower surface of a rocker control lever & itself permanently forced into the activating position of locking by the spring .

- The case is made of stainless steel sheet; it has at the 4 corners through-holes for fixing screws of the lock on a support plate 10 itself fixed by welding on a rib of the pad. After mounting the movement parts, the case is closed by a stainless steel plate 7 fixed by screws on the 3 support points which represent the axes of articulation; - This plate also serves as a support for fixing a sheath ring, housing the security cylinder of the lock control.

The unlocking maneuver is obtained by a vertical stress on the flail of the rocking lever which, countering the effect of the pin spring, causes the latching pin to escape, which is then free under the effect of the spring to continue a movement of release rotation of the latching finger 2 provided that simultaneously exists on the lug at the time of the unlocking operation, a lifting request, either manual or systematic, (due to the presence of compensating springs for example).

- From the inside of the structure, this stress is obtained by manual traction on a screw which extends the rocker lever on its rear part, This screw which is supported in a threaded plate welded to the end of the lever also serves to adjustable stop for tilting unlocking movement.

- From the outside, from a box formed in the thickness of the buffer and into which the sheath ring opens out of the opening securing barrel. The operation of the key causes the rotation of an eccentric finger fixed at the end of the barrel and the raising of this finger in permanent contact with the lower surface of the front of the operating lever causes the retaining lug to escape. the waste which becomes opening.

- The locking operation is carried out automatically when the buffer is closed on its frame.

As soon as the fastening finger 2 secured to the frame comes into contact with the underside of the notch of the pivoting keeper, the latter leaves its support in career abutment and rises to a high position counteracting the effect of the pin spring until that the lug 3a sliding on the notch side of the rocking lever 4a replaces itself in the hooking position thus ensuring the locking of the keeper on its hooking finger.

Claims (4)

RtEXEDlC 1) Closed locking device forming a lock studied for the purpose of securing articulated buffers, characterized in that fixed 'on the underside of the articulated pad it is protected from the inside, that it is by design with automatic locking on reclosing and unlocking controlled either freely from the inside or by a safety device from the outside. 2) Device according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises a housing 1 notched in the lower part to allow free passage to the latching finger 2 in which are housed a pivoting panel 3, a rocking lever 4 and a pin spring 5> these three parts constituting the moving parts of the lock. A plate 7 ensures the closure of the case. 3) Automatic relocking device according to claim 1 characterized in that the reclosing of the buffer on the attachment finger causes the tilting flap 3 to rise up to perfect the attachment of a lug 3a placed on its upper surface, in a notch 4a of the rocking lever 4 and that this action which increases the tension of the spring pins 5 has the consequence of increasing the locking pressure of the rocking lever 4. 4) Controlled unlocking device according to claim t characterized in that a vertical action performed on one of the ends of the rocking lever in contrast to the action of the pin spring 5 releases the lug 3 from its notch and releases the rocking flap 3. This action can be executed from the inside, to this end the lever is extended by an operating screw 4b which passes through the housing 1 in an opening provided for this purpose, or from the outside notably by the effect falling under an eccentric finger secured to a key barrel mounted in a scaffold placed as a surface on the closure plate 7 of the case and opening into a box formed in the body of the tampon.