FR3081177A1 - KEY LOCK CONTROL ASSEMBLY - Google Patents

Abstract

A lock control assembly includes: an outlet flange (44) having an exit slot (50); a set of washers (46) defining a passageway (47); a set of keys (48) facing said exit slot (50); a key (10) comprising a bit (20) terminated by a free end (22), and adapted to be engaged inside the passageway (47) to cooperate with said washers (46) and with said keys (52); , 70, 84) to move them away from said exit slot (50). Said outlet flange (44) further comprises a movable flap (100) closing a portion (90) of said outlet slot (50). And said free end (22) has an eccentric stop (30) adapted to be engaged through another slot portion to be able to move said movable flap (100) away from said exit slot (50).

Description

Key lock control assembly

The present invention relates to a key locking control assembly suitable for authorizing the passage of a key so as to then activate a lock by driving the key in rotation.

Known locking control assemblies comprise a cylinder having on the one hand an inlet flange in which is formed an inlet slot and an opposite outlet flange in which is provided an outlet slot angularly offset by about 90 ° relative to the entrance slot. The cylinder contains a set of washers stacked between the inlet and outlet flanges to define a conditioned path for said key between said inlet slot and said outlet slot. The path of passage defined by the washers is conditioned in that it allows or not the rotation of the bit through the set of washers of an angle close to 90 °.

The washers have extended portions radially projecting towards the center of the passageway. Also, the key whose bit has radial notches to code it, is authorized to be driven in rotation through the set of washers if the notches of the bit and the protruding portions of the washers coincide respectively.

In addition, the cylinder has a set of three controllable keys closing the outlet slot. Each of the keys of the game comprises, a control axis extending axially towards said entry flange and a lever integral with said control axis. The lever extends radially towards the conditioned passageway in order to be able to cooperate with the key bit. Thus, if the rotation of the bit and of the key is authorized, the bit comes to sequentially drive the levers, and hence the control axes of the keys, which then release the outlet slot. Therefore, the bit can then be pushed through the outlet slot beyond the flange so as to be able to actuate a lock mechanism located behind the outlet flange.

Reference may in particular be made to document EP 1 681 411 B1, which describes such a type of key locking control assembly. Although they are relatively safe, the risks that they can be hooked remain.

Also, a problem which arises and which aims to solve the present invention is in particular to provide a key lock control assembly which is more difficult to hook.

For this purpose, there is provided a key locking control assembly comprising: an inlet flange having an inlet slot and an opposite outlet flange having an outlet slot; a set of coded washers stacked between said inlet and outlet flanges to define a passage path between said slots; a set of controllable keys extending opposite said outlet slot, the keys of said set respectively comprising a control axis extending axially along said passageway; a key comprising a coded bit terminated by a free end, said bit being adapted to be engaged inside said passageway to cooperate with said coded washers and with said control axes when said key is rotated so as to separate said keys of said outlet slot. Said outlet flange further comprises a movable flap for closing a portion of said outlet slot, while another portion of said outlet slot is free; and said free end has an eccentric stop capable of being engaged through said other portion in order to be able to move said movable flap out of said outlet slot when said key is rotated so as to be able to axially engage said bit through said outlet slot.

Thus, a characteristic of the invention lies in the implementation of the movable flap by which, the introduction of the coded bit through the outlet slot is impossible, even if the coded bit would correspond to the encoding of the stacked washers, if the free end of the bit is not provided with the eccentric stop. In this way, even if the encoding of the bit is known to a third party, its reproduction would not allow the third party to use the key thus produced so that it can be engaged through the exit slot to control the lock located beyond. Thanks to the movable flap and the associated key, the risk of break-in of the locking control assembly is further reduced. On the other hand, when the key associated with the locking control assembly is implemented, the eccentric stop engaged through the slot in said other portion can then come into abutment against the movable flap so that it retracts and thus completely frees the slot. Since the keys have already released this same exit slot, the bit can then be driven axially through the slot and beyond so that it can then act on the lock mechanism when the key is once again rotated.

In addition, and according to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, said outlet slot has two opposite median enlargements in a circular segment, one of said enlargements forming said one portion of said slot. Thus, the movable flap is adapted to extend into at least one of the two enlargements of the outlet slot to block the passage of the bit.

Preferably, said outlet flange has a radial housing opening into said a portion of said slot to receive said movable flap. The movable flap is then movable in translation inside the radial housing between a position where it comes to extend in said a slot portion and a position where it is retracted inside the radial housing. After the eccentric stop to cause the movable flap to move apart and to retract inside the radial housing, the bit is then driven in translation through the outlet slot, while the movable flap is in sliding contact against this same bit as will be explained later in the description. In this way, it remains in the radial housing.

Also, said radial housing advantageously has a shoulder for retaining said movable flap in a closed position of said one portion of the outlet slot. In this way, the movable flap remains trapped in the radial housing which guides it in translation. Also, its travel is limited between a position where it completely closes said portion of a slot and a position where it is completely separated from it.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, said outlet flange comprises an elastic member for maintaining said movable flap in a position for closing off said one portion of outlet slot. Thus, the elastic member recalls the movable flap to a position where it abuts against the shoulder of the radial housing.

In other words, as soon as the bit is removed from the outlet slot, the movable flap resumes its position where it closes the slot portion.

According to a preferred embodiment, said movable flap and said elastic member are molded together in one piece from polymer material. In this way, the elastic member and the movable flap are produced at an advantageous cost. Furthermore, said elastic member advantageously comprises at least two tangible deformable rings. Thus, when the polymeric material is for example polyethylene or polyamide, both a relatively rigid movable flap and elastically deformable rings are obtained.

According to a particularly advantageous variant of the invention, said free end of said bit is of cylindrical symmetry with a circular base and said eccentric stop is formed of a diametrical tongue. Thus, by providing two opposite median enlargements in a circular segment making it possible to form with the complement of the outlet slot a circular shape, the end of the bit coincides perfectly with the functional clearance close to the outlet slot. Also, it is easy to form a diametrical tongue at the end of the bit. In this way, and as will be explained in more detail in the following description, the diametrical tongue has a peripheral end which will be able to push back the movable flap when the key is driven in rotation.

Preferably, said key comprises a rod having an operating end provided with a ring and a drive end equipped with two notched parts, symmetrical with one another relative to said rod, to form said bit. The notches of the two notched parts, and in particular their depth, determine the encoding of the bit. Thanks to the symmetry of the two notched parts, the key can be inserted through the entry slot in two angular positions spaced 180 ° from each other.

Also, said rod drive end ends with a free end forming said free end of said bit. Preferably, the key shank is therefore of cylindrical symmetry the circular director. However, provision is made to use a key shank having a cross section.

Other particularities and advantages of the invention will emerge on reading the description given below of a particular embodiment of the invention, given by way of indication but not limitation, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a key for a locking control assembly according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of three quarters before a locking control assembly according to the invention;

- Figure 3 is a partial schematic view from above and in detail of the locking control assembly illustrated in Figure 2;

- Figure 4 is a schematic three-quarter rear view of the control assembly according to the invention in a first position;

- Figure 5 is a schematic view of the object of Figure 4 in a second position;

- Figure 6 a schematic rear perspective view from below of the object of Figure 3;

- Figure 7 is a schematic rear perspective view from above of the object of Figure 3 in a first position;

- Figure 8 is a schematic front view of a detail of Figure 7;

- Figure 9 is a schematic rear view of the elements shown in Figure 7 in a second position; and,

- Figure 10 is a schematic rear view of an element shown in Figure 5.

Figure 1 shows in rear perspective a key 10 having a rod 12 of cylindrical symmetry about an axis of revolution A and extending between a first end 14 provided with an operating member 16, and a second end 18 equipped with '' a bit and more specifically in the case of a double bit 20. Beyond the double bit 20, the rod 12 extends to a free end 22 having a diametrical tongue 24. The double bit 20 has two diametrically opposite plates 26, 28 and notched symmetrically and according to determined depths for encoding. It will be observed that the two plates 26, 28 extend along a mean plane Pm, and that the tongue 24 extends substantially perpendicular to the mean plane Pm defined by these plates 26, 28. Also, the tongue 24 defines eccentric peripheral stops 30 whose function will be explained in the following description. It also defines two axial support shoulders 32, 34.

Figure 2 shows a locking control assembly comprising a cylinder 36 inside which is inserted the key 10 shown in Figure 1. The cylinder 36 has an inlet slot 38 formed in an inlet flange 40 and at through which the double bit 20 has been introduced. The cylinder 36 has a cylindrical protective casing 42 which it does not have in FIG. 3.

We find in this Figure 3 the cylinder 36 and the rod 12 of the key engaged through the inlet flange 40. The cylinder 36 comprises, opposite the inlet flange 40, an outlet flange 44. Also, the cylinder 36 comprises, between the two flanges, a set of coded washers 46, which washers define a conditioned passageway 47 of the double bit 20. This set of coded washers 46 authorizes, or not, the axial engagement of the double bit 20 of the key 10 after rotation beyond the outlet flange 44 by allowing the movement of a set of keys 48 located opposite a rear face 49 of the outlet flange 44 as will be explained below with regard to of FIG. 5. The cylinder 36 also includes a slotted rear plate 45, situated behind the set of keys 48.

We find in this Figure 5 the set of coded washers 46 engaged between the inlet flange 40 and the outlet flange 44. It will be observed that the outlet flange 44 has an outlet slot 50 which is here released to allow passage double bit 20 as will be explained below. Also found in this Figure 5, the set of keys 48 spaced from the outlet slot 50 by the action of the key.

Thus, the key set 48 comprises a main key 52 in a position spaced from this outlet slot 50. The key 52 is mounted to slide against the rear face 49 of the outlet flange 44 and it extends substantially diametrically between a enlarged free end 54 of a thicker plate 56 and an opposite end in return 58. The outlet flange 44 has a main peripheral notch 60 inside which comes to extend, in an axial direction of the cylinder 36, a main control axis 62. The latter is secured at one of its ends, to the opposite back end 58 of the key 52 and it extends opposite to a position located approximately halfway between the two flanges 40, 44.

The main control axis 62 comprises a main lever 64 having a first portion 66 which extends substantially perpendicular to the main control axis 62 and a second free portion 68, which extends back relative to the first portion 66, and towards the conditioned passage way 47.

As shown in Figure 5, the main lever 64 is retained in a position spaced from the passageway 47 by means of the double bit 20 of the key 10 which has been rotated 90 ° relative to its angular position during its introduction through the entry slot 38 of the entry flange 40.

In addition, the cylinder 36 comprises a second secondary key 70 having a free end forming a hook 72 and an opposite end 74 secured to a secondary axis 76 extending axially. The outlet flange 44 has a secondary peripheral notch 78 receiving the secondary axis 76. The latter also includes a secondary lever 80. The secondary key 70 is in sliding contact against the opposite back end 58 of the main key 52 and its free end forming a hook 72 is in abutment against an edge 82 of the extra thickness plate 56 of the main key 52. Thus, the secondary key 70 is kept apart from the outlet slot 50 of the outlet flange 44 which it releases .

Opposite the secondary key 70, a crutch key 84 is also kept apart from the outlet slot 50 by the main key 52. The crutch key 84 has a control pin 86 resting in a third notch 88 and which s 'extends axially. It is also equipped with a lever not shown in the Figure.

The keys 52, 70 and 84 are in this position illustrated in FIG. 5, separated from the outlet slot 50 when the bit 20 has been inserted inside the passageway 47 and that it has been driven in rotation by 90 °. Such a position of the keys 52, 70 and 84 remains when the bit has then been driven in translation through the outlet slot 50 beyond the set of keys 48 to actuate a lock mechanism not shown.

On the other hand, when the double bit 20 is removed from the passageway 47 after a reverse rotation of 90 °, the main lever 64 pivots and is driven towards the conditioned passageway 47. Consequently, the main key 52 also pivots around the main axis 62 and closes the outlet slot 50 of the outlet flange 44. The free end forming a hook 72 of the secondary key 70 then escapes the edge 82 of the plate in excess thickness 56 and it in turn pivots towards the outlet slot 50 as illustrated in FIG. 4, by hooking the extra thickness plate 56. It thus blocks the main key 52 in rotation. In turn, the stand key 84 pivots towards the outlet slot 50 and forms a stand against the main key 52 to also block it in pivoting.

We will first refer to Figure 10 to describe the rear face 49 of the outlet flange 44. There is the outlet slot 50 which extends diametrically. It will be observed that it has a section identical, apart from the functional clearance, to the section of the double bit 20 and of the rod 12 of the key 10. It has a substantially rectangular longitudinal shape having two opposite median enlargements 90, 92, in segment circular. The upper median enlargement 90 is opposite to the lower median enlargement 92 and, a radial housing 94 formed in the thickness of the outlet flange 44 opens out substantially perpendicular to the outlet slot 50, in the upper enlargement 90 and, at the opposite, in the periphery of the outlet flange 44. This radial housing 94 has two opposite shoulders 96, 98 of which the function will be explained below.

The radial housing 94 is adapted to receive a movable flap 100 as shown in FIG. 8. The movable flap 100 has a front part 102 and on the opposite side, a rear part 104. The rear part 104 is then connected to two rings tangent ellipticals 106, 108 and the last 108, is provided with a tail 110. The movable flap 100, the two elliptical rings 106, 108 and the tail 110 are molded together in one piece 111 in a polymer material, for example polyethylene. Consequently, the two elliptical rings 106, 108 are elastically deformable along the axis of symmetry D of said single piece. It will also be observed that the front part 102 and the rear part 104 of the movable flap 100 are separated from each other by two opposite bearing shoulders 112, 114.

Thus, the part 111 shown in FIG. 8 is adapted to be inserted in the radial housing 94, the front part 102 towards the outlet slot 50 and the tail 110 towards the periphery of the outlet flange 44.

In this way, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, through the split rear plate 45, the front part 102 of the flap 100 comes to extend in a portion of the outlet slot 50 and more precisely, in the portion corresponding to the upper median enlargement 90. Consequently, thanks to the movable flap 100, the double bit 20 of the key 10 cannot be driven through the outlet slot 58, even if it would have passed the filter of the set of coded washers 46 because , the free end 22 of the rod 12 of cylindrical section with circular base, would come into abutment against it, if however this free end 22 was not provided with the diametrical tongue 24.

In fact, as will be explained with reference to FIGS. 7 and 9, while keeping an eye on FIGS. 8 and 10, the diametrical tongue 24 makes it possible to retract the movable flap 100.

First of all, as illustrated in FIG. 7, showing a section through the thickness of the outlet flange 44, there is the radial housing 94 inside which the part 111 is inserted, the front part 102 extended in the upper median enlargement 90, while the two opposite support shoulders 112, 114, not referenced so as not to make the design heavier, rest on the shoulders 98, 96 of the axial housing 94, not shown either. It will be observed that the tail 110 of the part 111 is in radial abutment against the interior of the cylindrical protective casing 42 which in the Figure has been removed for the purposes of the detailed description.

Thus, the double bit 20 of the key 10 has been inserted in translation inside the conditioned passageway 47 along the axis of the cylinder C which is then coincident with the axis of revolution A of the key, and this, until the diametrical tongue 24 engages under the front part 102 of the movable flap 100. The diametral tongue 24 thus extends in a direction parallel to the mean plane defined by the outlet slot 50.

From this situation as shown in Figure 7, and the relative position of the elements involved, the rotation R of the key clockwise by an amplitude close to 90 °, not only caused the filtering the double bit 20 through the set of coded washers 46, and therefore the spacing of the keys not shown in this FIG. 7, but also the retraction of the movable flap 100 inside the radial housing 94 thanks to one of the eccentric peripheral stops 30 of the diametrical tongue 24. The diametrical tongue 24 then extends substantially perpendicular to the mean plane of the outlet slot 50 as illustrated in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 9, the front part 102 of the movable flap 100 has therefore been retracted inside the radial housing 94, while the two elliptical rings 106, 108 have compressed and elastically deformed, the tail 110 pressing against inside the cylindrical protective casing 42. In this position, the diametrical tongue 24 thus maintains the movable flap 100 in the retracted position, while the double bit 20 extends opposite the outlet slot 50. Consequently, the key 10 can be pressed even more so as to carry the double bit 20 through the outlet slot 50 then outside at the rear of the outlet flange 44 and the set of keys 48. During the insertion of the key 10, the rod 12 is driven in friction against the front part 102 of the movable flap 100 which remains retracted in the radial housing 94.

Conversely, when the double bit 20 is removed from the cylinder 36, the front part 102 of the movable flap 100 comes to escape the reach of the rod 12 and of its free end 22, and it is then driven through the 'upper median enlargement 90 thanks to the relaxation of the elliptical rings 106, 108 which return to their original shape.

Thus, it is understood that it is impossible to insert a key whose encoded double bit would correspond to the set of coded washers, but which would be devoid of diametral tongue.

Claims (10)

1. Key lock control assembly comprising: - an inlet flange (40) having an inlet slot (38) and an opposite outlet flange (44) having an outlet slot (50); - a set of coded washers (46) stacked between said inlet (40) and outlet (44) flanges to define a passage path (47) between said slots (38, 50); - a set of controllable keys (48) extending opposite said outlet slot (50), the keys (52, 70, 84) of said set respectively comprising a control axis (62, 76, 86) extending axially along said passageway (47); - a key (10) comprising a coded bit (20) terminated by a free end (22), said bit (20) being adapted to be engaged inside said passageway (47) to cooperate with said coded washers ( 46) and with said control pins (62, 76, 86) when said key (10) is rotated so as to move said keys (52, 70, 84) away from said outlet slot (50); characterized in that said outlet flange (44) further comprises a movable flap (100) for closing off a portion (90) of said outlet slot (50), while another portion of said outlet slot is free; and in that said free end (22) has an eccentric stop (30) capable of being engaged through said other portion so as to be able to move said movable flap (100) from said outlet slot (50) when said key (10) is rotated to be able to axially engage said bit (20) through said outlet slot (50). 2. Locking control assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that said outlet slot (50) has two opposite median enlargements (90, 92) in circular segment, one (90) of said enlargements (90, 92) forming said a portion of said slot (50). 3. Lock control assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said outlet flange (44) has a radial housing (94) opening into said one portion (90) of said slot (50) to receive said flap mobile (100). 4. Lock control assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that said radial housing (94) has a shoulder (96, 98) for retaining said movable flap (100) in a closed position of said one portion (90 ) exit slot (50). 5. Locking control assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said outlet flange (44) comprises an elastic member (106, 108) for holding said movable flap (100) in a position d closing said one portion (90) of outlet slot (50). 6. Locking control assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that said movable flap (100) and said elastic member (106, 108) are molded together in one piece from polymer material. 7. Lock control assembly according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that said elastic member comprises at least two tangible deformable rings (106, 108). 8. Lock control assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said free end (22) of said bit (20) is of cylindrical symmetry with a circular base and in that said eccentric stop (30) is formed by a diametrical tongue (24). 9. Locking control assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said key (10) comprises a rod (12) having an operating end (16) provided with a ring and an end d drive (18) equipped with two parts (26, 28) notched symmetrical to each other with respect to said rod (12) to form said bit (20). 10. Locking control assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that said drive end (18) of the rod (12) ends in a free end (22) forming said free end of said bit.