FR2715183A1 - Autonomous high-security electromechanical lock for smart card access control - Google Patents

Abstract

The autonomous lock has an electronic access control unit (1) in a box sealed against humidity. The box is housed in an upright metal post (2) set in concrete or fixed to a substantial structure. The post is at the end of travel of the moving barrier (3). An electromechanical lock (6) is fitted inside the metal post. The lock operates a bolt that engages a striker (4) fixed to the moving barrier. The bolt is formed of a square section rod of hardened steel, and is operated by a cam acting on a roller attached to the bolt. When the bolt is moved to the release position a lever holds it in that position. A second lever releases the bolt so it falls to the locked position. Either the bolt or the striker are mounted on a mobile support to absorb variations in the terrain.

Description

High security autonomous electromechanical lock with chip key reader for programmable access control and management system.

The invention is intended for closing heavy doors, rolling, sliding, swinging gates or gates and various external closings called means of access, controlled by means of a programmable access control and management system.

 Systems with an electric lock with an electromagnet operating outside are already known for locking access of the doors and barriers type. They have the major drawback of providing a very low maneuvering effort on take-off of the bolt with a very high point consumption, because the electromagnet takes its force when it has already significantly reduced its air gap.

 Also known are motorized lock systems operating by means of a screw-nut device which develops a significant force over the entire race but has the disadvantage of requiring three to four limit switches, position control output and re-entry and door open and door closed positions. These contactors greatly reduce the reliability of these locks because in automation it has been found that 80% of failures are due to the limit switch control switches.

 Also known are motorized lock systems whose bolt is moved by an eccentric cam and comprising a bolt locking means in the open position.

When used outside for closing a heavy and sliding gate, these locks can be very damaged during a sudden closing of the gate. Ground movements cause the keeper to jam in the lock. In case of force extraction of the strike, when the bolt is open, the strike which had been elastically deformed, returns to its position and makes it impossible to close the gate. This type of lock can also remain blocked in the event of frost due to the insufficient force of the bolt extraction mechanism.

In addition the arrangement of the keeper in the post carrying the lock, makes possible its forced extraction for example with a crowbar.

 These electromechanical lock devices and the access management means also have the following other significant drawbacks: - short duration of the autonomy of the systems, - uncertain reliability of operation in sometimes humid and very cold atmospheres considerably increasing the efforts especially in the event of frost.

 The lock according to the invention overcomes these various drawbacks and makes it possible to constitute long-term autonomous systems, for control and management of programmable access insensitive to variations in external conditions, using a very significant effort to unlock the bolt. It can be used mainly in areas not equipped with traditional electrical supply, by authorized persons, with or without communication with a central computer unit.

The system works in local mode, access authorization is a function of the codes carried by the key and its configuration.

 The system according to the invention authorizes or prohibits access to places or to actions for people according to their functions, their responsibilities, their time slots. It is intended for closing sliding or hinged barriers, gates or doors called means of access to: public places (parking lots, building halls, parks, performance halls), administrations, banks, dangerous areas (nuclear, chemicals ), sensitive areas (military, laboratories, research centers, motorways, etc.) I1 stores all the data concerning each operator crossing the access.

 The high security autonomous electromechanical lock with a chip key for a programmable access control and management system according to the invention comprises: - an electronic access control box fixed in a moisture-proof box, embedded in a post tubular metal support very solidly and deeply anchored in the ground or integrated into the adjoining structure, to the right of a closure means; - a gearmotor for extracting its bolt causing a cam to rotate, the curve of which is in a cycloid to increase the extraction force; the bolt consists of a square section bar of rectified hardened steel, reset to zero at the end of the opening stroke; a first lever locks the bolt in the open position; a second lever releases it by causing it to descend and the mechanical locking of the keeper of the access closure means; - a keeper secured to the access means locking by said bolt; - means for floating attachment of the lock or strike on their respective support to compensate for any geological variations in the terrain; - a means of damping the gate at the end of the closing stroke; - an automatic safety means lifting the bolt in the event of an attempt to close the gate, the bolt having already come down; - burglary protection means preventing forced extraction of the keeper; - Said lock and its electronic access box are fixed on a removable plate arranged in line with the access means, the fixing of which is protected by the amount of said access means in the closed position, - one or two readers locking chip key or memory card are located on either side of the structure; - a mechanical safety lock barrel for mechanical unlocking of the bolt in the event of failure of the electronic unit; - a key similar to the normal opening keys is provided for loading or unloading electronic and computer information from the terminal; it is autonomous or connected to a mobile memory block or to a compatible portable microcomputer to manage key configurations, access prohibitions and control the passage information contained in the memory of the electronic unit; Since the readability of the key is limited, a connecting cord is added to it; - a solar collector supplying separate means for supplying the electronic access unit and the electromechanical means for opening the bolt; means for signaling the presence of a chip key or a memory card forgotten in the reader of the access means closed or not; - a solar collector recharging the supply battery of the electronic access unit and of the motor for opening the bolt. The bolt is guided in a slide comprising a coating of "TEFLON" or similar, its lower end is in bevel in cooperation with the bevel of the keeper to cause its automatic lifting when the keeper passes when closing.

the cam with a cycloid curve is rotated over one revolution by said gearmotor with very large force at start-up; the first part of the cam is cylindrical to allow the engine to start empty, its lifting profile is then modulated so as to produce a powerful effort to take off the bolt via a cam roller integral with the bolt, its profile also has a circular part and is then lifted to allow resetting to zero pending a new lift. The upper position of the bolt is maintained by a first lever articulated on the body of the slide, it switches under the action of a torsion spring to hold the bolt in a retaining notch; it is unlocked by the action of the strike tilting a second lever pushing itself the first lever releasing the bolt which, under the action of an elastic return descends and locks in a hole in the strike.

 According to a variant of the invention, the keeper is made floating by welding it to a movable plate parallel to itself in the vertical direction, in tared support by compression springs by means of a coefficient sliding means controlled friction; said floating keeper is refocused in the opening of the lock, by means of at least one strong pin, also integral with the movable plate, engaging in a guide gun fitted in the fixing plate of the lock.

 According to another variant of the lock according to the invention, it is said lock which is mounted floating by fixing it on a plate made vertically movable between the wall of the support post in which it is integrated in tared support by compression springs and a counterplate holding it laterally, by means of a sliding means with controlled coefficient of friction; it is refocused in the post, by means of at least one strong pin, secured to the front section of the access means, cooperating with a barrel fitted into the fixing plate of the lock, or else by the keeper itself even which in this case is specifically profiled in relation to a corresponding refocusing gun.

 The electronic key reader is in the form of a tunnel, it comprises a means of indexing and locking the electronic key prior to the test of the chip, consisting of one or two pins displaced in line with the corresponding locations of the key, simultaneously with eight spring-loaded pistons for testing the key, testing is prohibited and the key is blocked if the spindles do not descend to their end-of-travel position.

 The loading or unloading of information from the terminal is carried out directly using a key similar to normal chip keys, it is connected by an electrical cord to a mobile memory block or to a compatible portable microcomputer to manage the configurations. of keys, access prohibitions and control the passage information contained in the memory of the electronic unit.

 The autonomous programmable access control lock according to the invention has the following various advantages: - motorization system of the cam bolt of the cycloid type makes it possible to optimize the management of the extraction forces at each degree of lifting progression in developing a very significant effort when it is necessary to, if necessary, loosen the bolt; - very reduced consumption for a very significant effort; - high reliability due to the elimination of the causes of jamming of the bolt, even in the event of ground movements, by floating amount either the strike or the lock; - use of a mechanical memory for locking the bolt out; - automatic safety device lifting the bolt in the event of the gate closing when it is lowered for any reason, preventing destruction of the lock; - use of a commercial chip key with variable capacity according to the needs associated with a key reader provided with presence security; - mechanical blocking of the key in the lock as long as the barrier is not closed to prevent it from being left open and the key forgotten in the lock being able to be used later by another unauthorized person; - blocking of the forgotten key in the door closed lock after a waiting time; - burglar-proof security by the addition of cheeks preventing the forced extraction of the keeper; - damping of heavy doors or gates at the end of the closing stroke; - samples of information or modifications to the programming of the electronic card of the box made from a key similar to the opening keys, connected by a cord to a mobile memory or to a laptop, which avoids an additional connection ; - operation between minus 200 and + 600; - access control electronics with sequential operation, supplied only when the key is inserted into the lock, - battery supply by a solar collector lasting approximately 4 years for applications in outside outside electrified areas; - the system is autonomous, but depending on the applications, it can be networked to allow permanent access monitoring.

 The invention will be better understood on reading the following description made with reference to the appended drawings given by way of nonlimiting examples, in which we have shown: - fig.l, a layout diagram of the control system access on a sliding barrier; - fig.2, a cross section of the post receiving the lock; - fig.3, a side view of the closed lock; - fig.4, a front view of the closed lock; - Fig.5, a sectional elevation view of an example of floating strike; - Fig.6, a front view of the floating part according to Fig.5; - Fig.7, a sectional elevational view of an example of mounting a floating lock; - Fig.8, a schematic view of a barrier closing damper; - Fig.9, a schematic sectional elevation view of the locking of the electronic key; - fig.10, a plan view of the electronic key.

 As shown in fig.l, the proposed system allows the opening and closing of access barriers or swing or sliding gates, located for example at the entrance to protected sites, or along motorways, by authorized persons (motorway personnel: maintenance agents, area managers and head office which has access to all the portals. The gendarmerie, firefighters, doctors, SAMU, health services and convenience stores, who only have access to to a certain number of portals of their department and of the bordering departments This access is carried out without communication with a central unit, by using a chip key or an electronic memory card.

 It includes: an access control box 1 fixed in a moisture-proof box, embedded in a metal post 2 very firmly anchored in the ground in line with a rolling barrier 3 shown in the closed position, including the keeper 4 and the recentering pin 5 are engaged in an electromechanical lock 6 closed by a bolt 7; an electronic connection key is engaged at 8 to connect a memory or a compatible portable microcomputer to manage the key configurations and control the passage information contained in the memory of the electronic unit 1.

The lock and the electronic access unit are fixed on a removable plate placed in line with the barrier. In the example presented, the keeper 4 is integral with a floating support 9 intended to compensate for geological variations causing the movement of the barrier relative to the post and therefore the movement of the keeper relative to the lock. One can, similarly, mount the floating lock relative to a fixed strike. A damper 10 is mounted at the bottom of the barrier to cushion the end of travel of the barrier which can be very heavy.

 The opening of the barrier is controlled by two memory key readers located on either side of the post. The memory stick is made of a very resistant plastic support, in which a chip is inserted. There are several families of fleas on the market. The choice of this varies according to the destinations.

 In fig.2, there is shown a cross section of the post 2 receiving the lock 6 and the end of the barrier 3 of fig.1, with its floating keeper and its recentering pin 5 in the closed position. Profile 2 is closed at the front by a U-shaped profile 11, the ends 12 of which are bent at right angles inwards to form burglar-resistant cheeks, or alternatively, according to a more efficient variant, by extending the arms 13, 14 U to cover, over its entire height, the front section of the access means (3).

 The electro-mechanical lock 6 is shown diagrammatically in fig. 3 in the locked position. Its bolt 15 consists of a square section bar of hardened and rectified steel on its active faces. It is shown in the closed low position, its lower end is beveled in cooperation with the bevel of the keeper so that the keeper can raise it if it has come down, for any reason before the barrier closes, thus avoiding destruction of the lock at the time of closing.

The bolt 15 is guided in a slide 16 comprising a coating of '<EFLON "or the like to improve the sliding coefficient, in particular in the event of frost. The bolt 15 is moved by means of a cam with a cycloid curve driven in rotation on a revolution by a geared motor 19 with very large force at start-up and reset at the end of the stroke. The first part 18 of the cam 20 is cylindrical to allow the motor to start empty, the lift profile is modulated so to produce a powerful effort to take off the bolt by means of a cam roller 21 made integral with the bolt. The profile of the cam is then unhooked to allow resetting to zero awaiting a new lift. arrives in the high position, held by a circular part of the cam, a lever 22, articulated at 23 on the slide 16, switches under the action of a torsion spring 24, to maintain the bolt in the high position by retaining a v is 25, secured to the bolt, in a notch 26 of the lever 22.

At the time of closing, the bolt, which is locked in the open position, is unlocked by the action of the keeper tilting a lever 27 freely articulated on a screw 28 screwed on the slide 16 and pushing the lever 22 which is released of its notch 26 and releases the bolt which, under the action of return springs not shown, descends and slides in a groove 29 of the keeper 4 until it falls into the hole 30 for locking the keeper.

The slide and the annexes of the lock on fixed on a support plate 32 which is fixed on the edges of an embedding hole of the support post 2. A slot 33 for passage of the keeper 4, integral with the barrier 3, is formed in the lower part of the plate 32.

 The keeper, 4 consists of a flat metal bar welded to the front profile of the barrier 3 (fig.1) or mounted on a floating support which will be described in fig.5 and 7.

It has a rectangular hole 30 and a groove 29. It is provided on the side with a screw 35 intended to push the lever 27 itself pushing the lever 22 releasing the bolt which descends locking the strike at the end of the closing stroke of barrier 3.

 All sensitive parts of the lock are made of stainless steel to prevent corrosion.

 There is also provided a conventional security key allowing manual unlocking of the lock in the event of damage to the electronic circuit for controlling the lock. The lock can receive any standard commercial barrel.

 The opening of the lock is controlled by an electronic chip key or by an electronic memory card. The lock unlocks and remains in the open position. The user opens the gate or barrier, enters the protected site and then closes the barrier. As soon as it is closed, the lock is mechanically locked automatically and an electrical sensor confirms the correct locking by delivering a signal to a parking meter. The user can then recover his key. As long as the door remains open, the chip key or the electronic card remains mechanically locked in the reader.

The chip key or the memory card is inserted into a corresponding reader of the electronic access box. If it is identified and accepted,
The opening is recorded in the memory of the access control system and the electric gear motor lifts the bolt which releases the strike. The gate opening and closing times are saved in memory with the key identification code.

If the key is not recognized, the opening command is not issued and the barrier cannot be opened
The power supply to the electronic reading and opening control unit as well as the power supply to the electric gearmotor are ensured either by battery, or by sector when possible depending on the distance of access, or by a solar collector.

 When a control officer comes to make a statement of the operations recorded in the memory of the system, he connects a simple mobile memory or a portable computer on the electronic unit by means of an electronic key, similar to the opening keys, provided with a connection cord to the mobile memory or to the microcomputer, through an auxiliary power supply.

A chip key alone, without additive memory, can already detect small traffic.

 As shown in Fig.5, the floating keeper 4 is welded to a steel plate 40 disposed in a housing 41 of a plate 42 welded into an opening of the front vertical section 43 of the barrier 3. The plate 40 rests and slides on 4 pins 44 in "NYLON" or similar, arranged with clearance in holes 45 of the plate 42. The pins 44 are at least lmm longer than the thickness of the wall 46 of the plate 42, and are held in abutment on a plywood 47 also floating by 2 compression springs 48 threaded on two adjusting screws 49 connecting the floating plate 40 to the plywood 47 and passing through it in two holes 50. The two springs 48 are supported on a 4th plate 51. The two screws 49 are engaged in slots 52 of the wall 46, allowing a great dispersion of the height position of the keeper relative to the lock.

The height positioning of the keeper is ensured by the keeper itself or by at least one strong pin 5 welded or screwed on the floating plate 40 below the keeper and penetrating, with a large clearance, in a refocusing barrel 55 comprising a conical entry cooperating with the end 56 of the pin 5 also conical, facilitating its entry into the barrel fixed in the plate 32 carrying the lock.

Fig.6 shows in front view the floating plate 40 of Fig.5. The plate 40 has been shown in phantom in the housing of the plate 42. We see the location of the pins 44 and the screws 49 for calibrating the springs 48 for supporting the clamping as well as the lights 41 giving the height adjustment
Fig.7 shows an example of a floating lock fixed on a floating plate 60 replacing the plate 32. The plate 60 has 4 pins 61, in "TEFLON" or similar, arranged with play in holes 62, in support of a part on the internal wall 63 of the post 2, and on the wall of a counter plate 64 in which the location of the lower part of the plate 60 has been arranged with a lateral clearance. Four springs 65 define, in cooperation with two pairs of screws 66, 67, the bearing force on the four pins 61.

 Fig.8 schematically shows an access means, rolling barrier 3, sliding or other provided in the lower part, with a damper (10) for closing the travel limit of the access means 3.

It comprises a block 70 sliding in a housing formed in the front section of the barrier. It is itself drilled with a hole in which a piece of polyurethane 71 has been driven in to muffle the noise of the impact on the post. In the open barrier position, the block is pushed into abutment against a rear stop 22 by the spring 73 of the damper 74 fixed on a support 75 made integral with the protective cover 76.

 Figs. 9 and 10 schematically show an example of means of indexing and locking the electronic key 80 during the test of the chip 81. It consists of a movable plate 82 moving one or two pins 83 in line with the locations key 80. If the pins do not descend to their end-of-travel position in the second part 85 of the guide barrel 86, the test cannot be carried out and the key then remains blocked in the reader. The reading is carried out by eight spring pistons shown diagrammatically at 87, 88. The plate is moved in a known manner, electromechanically or electrically.

 This arrangement has the advantage of locking the key during and after the test if the key is not valid, or if the door has remained open. The reader is of the tunnel type, very robust, made of hardened steel, the keys or other object that one would try to introduce into it, crosses it without encountering any obstacle. The reading pins are moved far inside and cannot be damaged by vandalism.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS: 1 - High security autonomous electromechanical lock with electronic key for programmable access control and management system, intended for locking sliding, rolling or swinging barriers, doors or gates called means of access, comprising an electromechanical lock and sound electronic opening control means with electronic memory card or chip key, characterized in that it comprises: - an electronic control box (1) for access control fixed in a moisture-proof box, embedded in a tubular metal support (2) very firmly and deeply anchored in the ground or in the adjoining structure, in line with a closing means, gate or barrier (3), - an electromechanical lock (6) for extracting a bolt (15), by means of a cam (18) whose curve is in a cycloid to increase the extraction force of the bolt (15) consisting of a square section bar of rectified hardened steel and at reset at the end of the opening stroke, a lever (22) for locking the bolt in the open position, a lever (27) for releasing the bolt causing it to descend and the mechanical locking of the keeper of the means of access closure; - a keeper secured to the portal, engaging in the electromechanical lock and locking by said bolt; - Means (40, 60) for floating attachment of the lock or strike on their respective support to compensate for any geological variations in the terrain; - a means (10) for damping the gate at the end of the closing stroke; - an automatic security means raising the bolt in the event of an attempt to close the gate, the bolt already being lowered; - means (11, 12) of burglary protection preventing forced extraction of the keeper (4); - Said lock and its electronic access box are fixed on a removable plate arranged in line with the access means, the fixing of which is protected by the amount of said access means in the closed position, - two key readers with locking chip or memory card are located on either side of the structure; - a mechanical safety lock barrel for mechanical unlocking of the bolt in the event of failure of the electronic unit; - a key similar to the normal opening keys is provided for loading or unloading electronic and computer information from the terminal, - a solar collector recharging the supply battery of the electronic access unit and of the gear motor opening of the bolt. 2 - Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a bolt (15) consisting of a square section bar of hardened steel and rectified on its active faces, it is guided in a slide (16) comprising a coating of "TEFLON" or similar, its lower end is beveled in cooperation with the bevel of the keeper (4) to cause its automatic lifting when the keeper passes at the time of closing. 3 - Lock according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the bolt (15) is moved by means of a cam (18) with a cycloid curve driven in rotation over a revolution by a very high geared motor (19) at start-up, in that the first part of the cam (18) is cylindrical, its lifting profile is then modulated so as to produce a powerful effort to take off the bolt by means of a cam roller (21) integral of the bolt, its profile also includes a circular part then is unhooked to allow the reset to zero pending a new lift. 4 - Lock according to claims 1, 2 and 3, characterized in that the upper position of the bolt is maintained by a lever (22) articulated at (23) on the body of the slide (16), it rocks under the action a torsion spring (24), to hold the bolt by a screw (25) engaging in a notch (26) of said lever (22); in that the bolt is unlocked by the action of the keeper (4) rocking a lever (27) pushing itself the lever (22) releasing the bolt which, under the action of an elastic return descends and locks in a hole (30) in the keeper. 5 - Lock according to claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that the floating strike is welded perpendicularly to a plate (40) made movable parallel to itself in the vertical direction, in tared support by compression springs (48 ), by means of means (44) of sliding with controlled coefficient of friction, in a housing (41) of a plate (42) made integral with the front profile (43) of the access means (3) , in that said floating keeper is centered in the opening (33) of the lock, by means of at least one strong pin (5), integral with the plate (40), ending in a cone, cooperating with a barrel (55), provided with a conical entry fitted in the plate (32) for fixing the lock. 6 - Lock according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is fixed to a plate (60) of stainless steel, made vertically movable between the wall (63) of the support post (2) in which it is integrated in tared support by compression springs (65), and a counterplate (64) holding it laterally, by means of means (61) of sliding with low coefficient of friction, in that said floating lock is centered in the post either by its keeper, or by at least one strong pin (5), integral with the front profile (43) of the access means, the pin (5) ending in a cone cooperating with a barrel (55), provided with a conical entry, fitted in the plate (60) for fixing the lock. 7 - Lock according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the post (2), in which said lock is integrated, includes burglar-proof cheeks either (11, 12) framing the strike, or (13, 14) covering, over its entire height, the front section of the access means (3). 8 - Lock according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the access means, rolling barrier (3), sliding or other is provided at the bottom, with a shock absorber (10) of end of stroke closing the access means (3). 9 - Lock according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the electronic key reader is tunnel-shaped, it comprises an indexing and locking means of the electronic key (80) prior to testing the chip (81), consisting of one or two pins (83) displaced to the right of the corresponding locations of the key (80), by a mobile plate (82) also acting on eight spring pistons (87, 88) ensuring the test of the key, said plate comprising a test ban and blocking of the key if the pins (83) do not descend to their end-of-travel position in the second part (85) of the guide barrel (86). 10 - Lock according to one of claims 1 to 4 and 9, characterized in that the loading or unloading of information from the terminal is carried out directly by means of a key similar to normal opening chip keys, it is connected by an electric cord to a mobile memory block or to a compatible portable microcomputer to manage key configurations, access prohibitions and control the passage information contained in the memory of the electronic unit.