GB2274306A

GB2274306A - Lock mechanism

Info

Publication number: GB2274306A
Application number: GB9400382A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Parys Remi Emiel Van
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-01-13
Filing date: 1994-01-11
Publication date: 1994-07-20
Anticipated expiration: 2014-01-11
Also published as: BE1008364A5; IT1271832B; ITRM940014A0; FR2704264A1; GB9400382D0; FR2704264B1; DE4400473C2; DE4400473A1; ITRM940014A1; GB2274306B

Description

2274306 Lock mechanism, and a lockinQ device incorporating such a lock

mechanism.

This invention concerns a lock mechanism comprising a housing, a tumbler bolt with a toothed part mounted therein so that it can tumble, a cylinder lock whose housing has a ring with a radial bit, an interrupted gearwheel that can rotate in the housing around the ring, where said gearwheel has an interruption in which said bit, which is greater than a tooth of the gearwheel, is situated, and a gear transmission between said interrupted gearwheel and the toothed part of the tumbler bolt.

Such lock mechanisms are frequently used as the main lock in a multiple locking device in which there are at least two auxiliary locks, one above the main lock and one under it, each have a tumbler bolt connected to the tumbler bolt of the main lock via a mechanical transmission. By using a gear transmission between the cylinder lock and the tumbler bolt, it is possible to turn the tumbler bolts of the auxiliary locks at the same time by means of the key of the cylinder lock of the main lock, without having to exert undue force.

In order to compensate for the missing gear teeth at the interruption in the gearwheel, the gear transmission of known lock mechanisms of this type has two smaller gearwheels mounted between the interrupted gearwheel and a second, large gearwheel. For each position of the interrupted gearwheel, the teeth of at least one of the smaller gearwheels mesh with the teeth of the interrupted 2 gearwheel. By using such smaller gearwheels, the total transmission between the interrupted gearwheel and the toothed part of the tumbler bolt is such that the key of the cylinder lock must be turned two full turns in order 5 to obtain full tumbling of the tumbler bolt through 901. This makes it not so easy to operate the lock mechanism.

The invention has as its aim to overcome this disadvantage and to provide a lock mechanism of the above-mentioned type in which one turn of the key is sufficient to make the tumbler bolt tumble through about 900, without excessive force being required.

To this end, the gear transmission comprises a gearwheel with a recess in its circumference to accommodate the end of the bit of the cylinder lock, where said gearwheel engages said interrupted gearwheel such that when the interrupted gearwheel is turned, the interruption in it comes opposite the recess in the gearwheel engaging with it, so that the end of the bit penetrates into the recess in the same way as a gear tooth, which recess has such shape and dimensions that, when the end of the bit is situated therein, this bit can function as a driving tooth and can further rotate the gearwheel provided with the recess.

Whenever the interruption in the interrupted gearwheel is situated opposite the recess in the other gearwheel, the bit takes over the function of the missing teeth, so that said other gearwheel is driven further.

Lock mechanisms having an interrupted gear wheel around the ring with a radial bit and comprising in the cooperating gearwheel a recess for this bit are known as' 3 such from EP-A-7.395 and EP-A-270.425. These lock mechanisms, however, comprise a sliding bolt instead of a tumbler bolt so that the above mentioned problem of a great rotation of the key for tumbling the tumbler bolt 5 does not exist.

Moreover, in the lock mechanism according to EP-A-7.395 the bit has the same shape as a tooth of the interrupted gearwheel or this bit itself is toothed in accordance with the toothing of the inteirupted gearwheel. As the useable cylinder lock mechanisms have a rather great bit, in this first case the number of teeth of the interrupted gearwheel would be limited if such useable cylinder lock mechanism is used. A great force would be necessary to operate the lock mechanism. In the second case the bit has a special shape so that the useable rings with bits may not be used.

In the lock mechanism according to EP-A-270.425 the interrupted gearwheel comprises on both sides of the interruption extra great teeth while the cooperating gearwheel comprises also on both sides of the recess special teeth. Both gearwheels are consequently of a special construction. The recess is bigger than the end of the bit and when the bit is situated in the recess, the rotation of the gearwheel is not caused by the bit but by the extra great teeth.

Said other gearwheel with the recess is preferably larger than the interrupted gearwheel.

in a particular embodiment of the invention, the gear transmission comprises an intermediate gear which meshes with the toothed part of the tumbler bolt, where said 4 intermediate gear is smaller than the interrupted gearwheel and fixed- mounted coaxially with it.

In a noteworthy embodiment of the invention, the tumbler bolt comprises two separate elements which are adjustable with respect to each other and can be locked in at least two positions with respect to each other, namely one element bearing the toothed part and another element forming the actual tumbler bolt.

In cylinder locks it is usual for the bit to be oriented in a direction making an angle of 300 with the plane of the key. Symmetrical cylinder locks, i.e. in which the cylinder on the inside is as large as the cylinder on the outside, can always be mounted so that the bit runs ahead of the key. In asymmetrical cylinder locks, the direction of the bit can vary according to whether the door in which the lock mechanism is mounted turns clockwise or anticlockwise. By adjusting the element with the toothed part it is possible to allow for this.

The lock mechanism described above can form the main lock of the locking device which in addition to this main lock also has two auxiliary locks. The invention also concerns such a locking device which comprises a main lock with a tumbler bolt and at least two auxiliary locks with a tumbler bolt, and a mechanical transmission between the tumbler bolt of the main lock and the bolts of the auxiliary locks, characterised in that the main lock is a lock mechanism according to one of the above embodiments, and in that the tumbler bolts of the auxiliary locks enlarge towards the axis of rotation, at least along their leading edge when tumbling into the closed position.

This results in the door automatically being pulled shut at the location of the auxiliary locks when the tumbler bolts of the latter are turned into the closed position.

Said tumbler bolts of the auxiliary locks preferably also narrow slightly from their leading edge when tumbling into the closed position, towards their opposite edge.

In this way, the friction of the bolts against the lock plate is minimal when turning into the closed position, Other particular advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a lock mechanism and a locking device equipped with such a lock mechanism according to the invention. This description is given by way of example only and is not limitative of the invention in any way. The reference figures relate to the attached drawings, where:

figure 1 is a front view of a locking device with a main lock mechanism according to the invention; figure 2 is a side view of the main lock mechanism in figure 1, drawn to a larger scale, with the side 25 wall of the housing removed; figure 3 is a side view analogous to that in figure 2, but with the tumbler bolt in the closed position; figure 4 is a side view of an auxiliary lock in the locking device shown in figure 1, to the same scale as figure 2 and also with a side wall of the housing removed; 6 f igure 5 shows a detail of the inside of the main lock mechanism in figures 1 to 3, to a larger scale.

The locking device according to f igure 1 is a multiple locking device with a main lock 1 and two auxiliary locks 2, one above and one below the main lock 1. The main lock 1 comprises a day bolt 3 and a tumbler bolt 4. The auxiliary locks 2 each comprise only a tumbler bolt 5 which is connected by a mechanical transmission 6 to the tumbler bolt 4 of the main lock, so that all tumbler bolts 4 and 5 turn together in the open or closed position.

As shown in detail in f igures 2 and 3, the main lock comprises a housing 7 consisting of a front plate 8 and a flat box connected to said front plate, consisting of two side plates 9 together with edges 10 standing on one of the side plates 9, to which the other side plate 9 is attached by means of screws. In f igures 2 and 3 the latter side plate has been omitted.

On this housing 7 is mounted a cylinder lock 11. This cylinder lock 11 is of known construction and comprises a long body 12 which passes transversely through openings in the two side plates 9 and is held in place by a screw 13 at right angles to it passing through the front plate 8. In said body 12 there are two cylinders 14 mounted coaxially, with between the cylinders a ring 15 with a radial bit 16. Said ring 15 with bit 16 is shown in detail in figure 5. When a key 17 is inserted into one of the cylinders 14 from outside, the end of the key engages in the ring 15 so that if the key f its and the cylinder can therefore be turned, the ring 15 is turned with it. In the clockwise direction, i.e. the direction 7 in which the key is turned when closing, the bit 16 is temporarily on the key 17, making an angle of approximately 30 degrees with the plane of the key.

As shown in detail in figure 5, the ring 15 located between the side plates 9 is surrounded by an interrupted gearwheel 18 in which there is an interruption 19 in which the bit 16 is located. The teeth of the gearwheel 18 are remarkably smaller than the bit 16 which not only takes the place of more than one tooth, but moreover projects radially outside the gearwheel 18. The interruption 19 serves not only to accommodate the bit but also enables the body 12 of the cylinder lock 11 to be f itted through the openings in the side plates 9 in the actual main lock mechanism. Said cylinder lock 11 in any case forms a separate assembly which is fitted after the rest of the main lock 1 has been f itted, and which can even be exchanged afterwards. Said cylinder lock 11 differs from one main lock to another, and fits a particular profile of the key 17. The main lock can also be marketed separately, without the cylinder lock 11.

The interrupted gearwheel 18 is held in its place in the housing 7 because it is caught between an edge 20 underneath which stands on a side plate 9, and a second gearwheel 21 above, which meshes with the gearwheel 18.

The gearwheel 21 is larger than the gearwheel 18 and thus has a greater number of teeth. The gearwheel 21 rotates about a shaft 22 mounted between the side plates 9. The teeth of the gearwheel 21 mesh with the teeth of the interrupted gearwheel 18, except where there is the interruption 19. The gearwheel 21 accordingly has a recess 23 which, on turning of the two gearwheels 18 and 8 21, comes to lie opposite the interruption 19 in the gearwheel 18, as shown in figure 5. Since the bit 16 is located in this interruption, this means that during said turning, the bit 16 enters said recess 23 at a certain moment, thus assuming the function of the teeth of the gearwheel 18. In this way, the gearwheels 18 and 21 are always connected actively with each other. Furthermore, the shape and size of the recess 23 exactly correspond to the shape and size of the end of the bit 16.

The interrupted gearwheel 18 forms a single assembly with a cam 24 through which the interruption 19 also passes.

Said cam 24 operates on a sliding part 25 mounted so that it slides parallel to the front plate 8. When the cylinder lock 11 is brought into the closed position, and the tumbler bolt 4 is turned downwards into the closed position, said sliding part 25 is depressed by a spring 26, into a recess in the cam 24. As a result, said sliding part 25 prevents the tumbler bolt 4 being turned back, unless the cam 24 is turned back with the help of the cylinder lock 11.

The gearwheel 21 forms a single assembly with a much smaller. coaxial intermediate gearwheel 27. Said gearwheel 27 meshes with a toothed part 28 of the tumbler bolt 4. Said part 28 forms a toothed circular arch concentric with the shaft 29 round which the tumbler bolt 4 turns.

The tumbler bolt 4 consists of two separate elements 30 and 31. Element 30 forms the actual bolt, and has a recess on the side of the shaft 29, in which element 31 is located. Element 31 bears the toothed part 28 and rotates in the recess in the element 30 round the shaft 9 29, and can be locked in two positions by means of a screw 32 which is screwed through the element 30. Whenever the bit 16 runs ahead of the plane of the key 17 as shown in figures 2 and 3, the element 31 is located in an extreme position as shown in these figures. This element 31 can be locked in the other extreme position by undoing the screw 32, turning element 31 anti-clockwise and screwing the screw 32 back in. This is necessary if a cylinder lock 11 is fitted in which the bit 16 does not run ahead of the key 17 but runs after it over the same angle.

The numbers of teeth on the gearwheels 18, 21 and 27 and on the toothed part 28 are chosen so that the tumbler bolt 4 turns through about 901 whenever the key is turned one full turn and so whenever the ring 15 and the interrupted gearwheel 18 make one turn. In figure 2 the tumbler bolt 4 is shown in the open position, i.e. a position in which it is pointing upright and does not project outside the housing 7. In figure 3 the tumbler bolt 4 is shown in the closed position, i.e. turned downwards through about 900 and projecting outside through an opening in the front plate 8.

The day bolt 3 is operated in the usual manner by means of a crank mechanism, but is also brought into the open position by the cylinder lock 11 at the end of the turn when opening. In this case the bit 16 comes in contact with a cam 33 on a sliding element 34 which extends along the side plate 9 and slides along it, where said sliding element 34 is connected to the lever which is operated by the crank.

The element 31 of the tumbler bolt 4 has, in addition to the above-mentioned toothed part 28, a smaller, curved, toothed part 35 that meshes with the inner gearing 36 of a recess 37 in a lath mounted so that it slides along the front plate 8. Said lath 38 is connected by means of bars 39 to the tumbler bolts 5 of the auxiliary locks 2.

The lath 38 and the bars 39 together form the above mentioned transmission 6 between the tumbler bolts 4 and 5.

As can be seen from figure 4, each auxiliary lock 2 has a housing 40, the front side of which is formed by the extension of the above-mentioned front plate 8 of the main lock 1. The tumbler bolt 5 rotates about a shaft 41 located near the edge of said tumbler bolt 5 in the housing 40, and turns through an opening in the front plate 8. The bolt 5 is mounted eccentrically with respect to said shaft 41, with an opening 42 over a pin 43 standing over a lever 44. Said lever 44 is itself attached, in a rotating manner, at a distance from the pin, by the shaft 45, to a hook-shaped element 46 mounted in the housing 4 such that said hook-shaped element 46 slides parallel to the front plate 8. In the bottom auxiliary lock 2, said hook-shaped element 46 engages above in the bottom end of the bottom bar 39, while in the top auxiliary lock 2 said element 46 engages underneath in the top end of the top bar 39.

In this way, the tumbler bolts 5 of the two auxiliary locks 2 turn in the same direction, over the same angle and at the same time as the tumbler bolt 4 of the auxiliary lock 1.

In order f or the door in which the locking device is mounted to be pulled tightly shut at the locations of the 11 auxiliary locks 2, the tumbler bolts 5 of said auxiliary locks 2 thicken from their free end towards the shaft 41. As the bolt approaches the closed position, i.e. as it turns downwards, a thicker and thicker part projects beyond the front plate 8. In order to limit the friction of said tumbler bolts 5 against the lock plate, said thickening is only on the leading edge as the bolt turns downwards, and said tumbler bolts 5 narrow slightly from said leading edge towards the opposite trailing edge.

Although the construction of the main lock described above is relatively simple, it is very east to operate. One turn of the key 17 is sufficient to obtain a full turn of the tumbler bolt 4.

The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above; many modifications may be made to the embodiment described while still remaining within the scope of the invention, including as regards the shape, the composition, the arrangement and the number of the parts used to comprise it.

12

Claims

Claims.

1. Lock mechanism comprising a housing (7); a tumbler bolt (4) mounted so that it tumbles within said housing and having a toothed part (28); a cylinder lock (11) with a ring (15) in the housing (7), where said ring carries a radial bit (16); an interrupted gearwheel (18) mounted in the housing (7) so that it rotates around said ring (15), where said interrupted gearwheel (18) has an interruption (19) in which said bit (16), which is greater than a tooth of the gearwheel (18), is located; and a gear transmission (21, 27) between said interrupted gearwheel (18) and the toothed part (28) of the tumbler bolt (4), characterised in that said gear transmission (21, 27) has a gearwheel (21) with a recess (23) on its circumference to accommodate the end of the bit (16) of the cylinder lock (11), where said gearwheel (21) operates with said interrupted gearwheel (18) such that when the interrupted gearwheel (18) turns, the interruption (19) in said interrupted gearwheel (18) comes to be situated at a certain moment opposite the recess (23) in the gearwheel (21) with which it operates, so that the end of the bit (16) penetrates into the recess (23) in the same way as a gear tooth, which recess (23) has such shape and dimensions that, when the end of the bit (16) is situated therein, this bit (16) can function as a driving tooth and can further rotate the gearwheel (21) provided with the recess (23).

2. Lock mechanism according to the previous claim, characterised in that said other gearwheel (21) with a 13 recess is as large as, or larger than, the interrupted gearwheel (18).

3. Lock mechanism according to the previous claim, characterized in that the bit (16) projects radially outside the interrupted gearwheel (18).

4. Lock mechanism according to either of the previous claims, characterised in that the gear transmission (21, 27) has an intermediate gearwheel (27) that engages the toothed part (28) of the tumbler bolt (4) and is smaller than, coaxial with and fixed with respect to the gearwheel (21) that operates with the interrupted gearwheel (18).

5. Lock mechanism according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the gear transmission (21, 27) between the interrupted gearwheel (18) and the toothed part (28) of the tumbler bolt is such that for one turn of the interrupted gearwheel (18), the tumbler bolt (4) turns through approximately 901.

6. Lock mechanism according to any of the above claims, characterised in that the tumbler bolt (4) has two separate elements (30 and 31) which can be adjusted with respect to each other and can be locked with respect to each other in at least two positions, namely one element (31) that carries the toothed part (28) and one element (30) that forms the actual bolt.

7. Lock mechanism according the previous claim, characterised in that the element (30) which forms the actual bolt has a hollow in which the other element (31) rotates around the axis of rotation of the bolt (4) 14 between two positions, and said other element (31) can be locked in one of these positions by a screw (32) screwed through said first element (31).

8. Lock mechanism which in addition to a main lock with a tumbler bolt (4) has at least two auxiliary locks (2) with a tumbler bolt (5), as well as a mechanical transmission (6) between the tumbler bolt (4) of the main lock (1) and the tumbler bolts (5) of the auxiliary locks (2), characterised in that the main lock (1) has a lock mechanism according to any of the above claims, and in that the tumbler bolts (5) of the auxiliary locks (2) broaden towards the axis of rotation, at least at the leading edge when tumbling into the closed position.

is

9. Locking device according to the previous claim, characterised in that said tumbler bolts (5) of the auxiliary locks (2) narrow slightly from their leading edge when tumbling into the closed position, towards the opposite edge.