FR2710939A1 - Latch assembly for a door - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a latch assembly intended to latch a door (2) to a frame element (22), including a rotary latch element (24) and a latch bolt (46) connected to the rotary latch element (24). Rotation of the latch element (24) in one direction has the result of moving the latch bolt (46) towards a first side of the frame element (22) and rotation in the other direction has the result of moving the latch bolt (46) away from the first side of the frame element (22). The latch assembly also includes a pin (34) having a first end and a second end, the first end engaging the rotary latch element (24) in a selective manner in an engagement position so that the latch element (24) is prevented from turning. The latch assembly includes a pin actuation mechanism (32) intended to move the pin (34) from the engaged position to a disengaged position.

Description

 The present invention relates to a locking assembly for locking a door on a frame member. The locking assembly is capable of locking and unlocking a door automatically or manually.

 In many situations, it is desirable to control access to the contents of a chest, drawer or cart. For example, access to materials such as drugs and narcotics should only be possible for authorized personnel. Controlled access can be achieved electronically by allowing access only to people who enter a correct password or have a correct identification card or badge scanned electronically by an electronic device, such as a barcode reader . A disadvantage of some of the locking mechanisms mentioned above is that they are unable to allow an individual to access medical material in an emergency situation when that person does not have the correct identification.

 Another disadvantage of some of the locking mechanisms mentioned above is that they must be locked electronically by also repeating the process of entering a password or swiping an identification card.

 It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a locking assembly which can be locked and unlocked both manually and automatically. Another object of the present invention is to allow someone to close a door when the locking assembly is locked.

 With the above objects in mind, one aspect of the present invention relates to a locking assembly for locking a door on a frame member. The locking assembly includes a rotatable locking element and a locking bar connected to the rotating locking element. Rotating the locking member in one direction results in the locking bar moving to a first side of the frame member and rotating in the other direction results in the locking bar moving to away from the first side of the frame member.

The locking assembly also includes a shaft having a first end and a second end, the first end selectively engaging the rotatable locking member in an engaging position so that the locking member is prevented from rotating. The locking assembly includes an axis actuation mechanism for moving the axis from the engaged position to a disengaged position in which the axis does not engage the locking element. The locking assembly further comprises a rotary cam having a contact surface intended to come into contact with the second end of the axis when the axis is in the disengaged position, which brings the first end of the axis to come into contact and move along the surface of the rotary locking member as it rotates.

 Another aspect of the present invention relates to a locking assembly comprising a rotary locking element and a locking bar connected to the rotary locking element. The locking member and the locking bar are connected such that rotation of the locking member in one direction results in the locking bar moving to a first side of the frame member and the rotation in the opposite direction results in the locking bar moving away from the first side of the frame member. The locking assembly also includes a shaft having a first end and a second end, the first end selectively engaging the rotatable locking member in an engaging position so that the locking member is prevented from rotating. The locking assembly further includes a lifting mechanism having an engagement piece for engaging the second end of the axle, which causes the first end of the axle to move the axle from the engaged position to a disengaged position in which the axis does not engage the rotary locking element.

 The invention also relates to a method of locking or unlocking a door on a frame element which comprises the steps of providing a rotary locking element connected to a locking bar which is positioned in a first side of the element chassis; providing an axis which is engaged with the rotary locking member in an engagement position so that the rotary locking member is prevented from rotating; providing a cam connected to the locking bar so that the cam moves in response to movement of the locking bar; moving the axis from the engaged position to the disengaged position in which the axis does not engage the locking element; rotating the locking element in a first direction; moving the locking bar away from the first side of the frame member in response to the rotation of the locking member in the first direction so as to unlock the door relative to the frame member; moving the cam in response to movement of the locking bar; bringing the axis into contact with the cam during movement of the cam, which causes the axis to come into contact with and move along the surface of the locking member when it rotates.

 The invention finally relates to a method for locking or unlocking a door on a frame element comprising the steps consisting in providing a rotary locking element connected to a locking bar which is positioned in a first side of the element frame; providing a shaft which is engaged with the rotary locking member in an engagement position so that the locking member is prevented from rotating; providing a lock mechanism for receiving a key and having an engagement piece which can rotate upon rotation of the key in the lock mechanism; providing a lifting mechanism for moving in response to rotation of the engagement piece; rotate the key in the first direction, which causes the engagement piece to rotate in the first direction and causes the lifting mechanism to move so that the lifting mechanism engages and moves the axis so that the axis moves from the disengaged position to the engaged position in which the axis does not engage the locking element; rotating the locking element in a first direction; moving the latch bar away from the first side of the frame member in response to the latch rotation in the first direction so as to unlock the door relative to the frame member.

Figure 1 is an embodiment of a carriage using an embodiment of a locking assembly according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional view when looking from the outside to the inside of a closed door using an embodiment of a locking assembly in a locked position according to the present invention;
Figure 3 illustrates the embodiment of the locking assembly of Figure 2 when it is unlocked automatically;
Figure 4 illustrates the embodiment of the locking assembly of Figure 3 when the door is opened;
Figure 5 illustrates an open door using the embodiment of the locking assembly of Figures 4 and 7 in an engaged position according to the present invention;
Figure 6 illustrates an open door using the embodiment of the locking assembly of Figures 5 and 8 in a locked position according to the present invention;
Figure 7 illustrates the embodiment of the locking assembly of Figure 2 when looking from the inside of the door to the outside;
Figure 8 illustrates the embodiment of the locking assembly of Figure 7 when a manual unlocking is started;
Figure 9 illustrates the embodiment of the locking assembly of Figures 7 and 8 in a disengaged position; and
Figure 10 illustrates the embodiment of the locking assembly of Figure 3 when manual locking is started.

 The present invention will be better understood by observing a preferred embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 10. The locking assembly of the present invention can be used to open, close and lock a door 2 which can be fixed on several elements such as a trunk or a carriage 4 as shown in FIG. 1.

 As can be seen in FIG. 2, the locking assembly 6 is positioned inside the door 2. The door 2 can be made of an elastic material such as aluminum and have a size suitable for a carriage, for example approximately 17.8 x 6.35 x 86.4 cm. It is however obvious that the materials for the door and the size of the door 2 are simply limited by the intended use of the door 2. The door 2 has an upper opening 8 situated at the level of the upper surface 10 of the door 2 There is also a lower opening 12 situated at the level of the lower surface 14 of the door 2.

The lower opening 12 and the upper opening 8 are offset from each other. In one embodiment, each opening may be cylindrical with a diameter of approximately 1.42 cm. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the lower opening 12 is approximately 3.5 cm from the left side 16 of the door 2 and the upper opening 8 is approximately 8.3 cm from the left side 16. It is obvious that other locations for the openings are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The openings 8 and 12 are positioned such that each is aligned with a corresponding opening 18 and 20 respectively of a frame element 22 when the door 2 is closed as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

 When the door is closed, it should be possible to lock door 2 automatically or manually. Figure 2 shows the locking assembly 6 locking the door 2 when it is closed. The locking assembly 6 comprises a rotary locking element 24 intended to allow someone to manually lock the door 2.

The locking member 24 is rotatably connected to a locking button 26 in a well known manner. Thus, the fact that a person turns the locking button 26 clockwise results in a clockwise rotation of the locking member 24 as seen by looking from outside to inside. Similarly, the counterclockwise rotation of the locking button 26 causes the locking member 24 to rotate counterclockwise. The locking element 24 can be made of any rigid material such as stainless steel. The locking element 24 is in the form of a disc, the radius regularly decreasing from a maximum value of approximately 4.1 cm at a point A to a value of approximately 3.2 cm at a point B. Au point B is a notch 28 where the radius has a value of approximately 3 cm. From point B to point C the radius decreases to a value of approximately 1.2 cm. At point C and at a distance of approximately 2 cm from point B is a rectangular notch 30. The rectangular notch 30 has a length of approximately 0.84 cm and a depth of approximately 0.56 cm measured from a point D, which is approximately 1.27 cm from point A. It is obvious that other shapes and materials for the locking element 24 are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

 An axis actuating mechanism 32 is provided to lock the locking member 24 so that the locking member 24 is unable to rotate. The axis actuation mechanism 32 achieves this by using a structure that allows an axis 34 to engage the notch 30 either automatically or manually. As shown in Figure 2, once the lower end 36 of the shaft 34 is inserted into the notch 30, further rotation of the locking member 24 is prevented. The locking member 24 can rotate when the pin 34 is removed from the notch 30. The mechanism for inserting and removing the pin 34 in and out of the notch 30 will be discussed later.

 In one embodiment, the shaft 34 is made of a rigid metallic material such as stainless steel, and has a lower cylindrical section 38 having a length of approximately 1.27 cm and a diameter of 0.635 cm. The lower cylindrical section 38 has an annular disc 40 having a diameter of approximately 1.35 cm. An upper cylindrical section 42 having a length of approximately 1.78 cm and a diameter of approximately 0.36 cm is connected to the lower cylindrical section 38. The end of the upper cylindrical section has an adjustable plate 44 having a thickness approximately 0.36 cm and a length of approximately 1.91 cm and a width of approximately 1.27 cm. It is obvious that other shapes and materials for the axis 34 are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

 A pair of locking bars 46, 48 is attached to the locking member 24. In one embodiment of the invention, the bars 46 and 48 are both cylindrical with a diameter of approximately 0.635 cm and made in a rigid material such as steel. The locking bars 46 and 48 have elbows 51 which are at one end and are rotatably inserted into holes in the locking element 24. At the other end of each bar 46 and 48 is fixed a male element , for example a spring loaded piston 50 and 52 respectively, which engages an opening 18 and 20 respectively of the frame member 22, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Furthermore, when the axis 34 is inserted in the notch 30, the rotation of the locking element 24 is prevented and the door 2 is thus locked in the closed position because the pistons 50 and 52 are prevented from disengaging from the openings 18 and 20 respectively.

 To unlock the locking element 24, the pin 34 must be removed from the notch 30. This can be done automatically or manually. For automatic withdrawal of the axis 34, the axis actuation mechanism 32 includes an electronically activated lifting mechanism, such as a locking type electromagnet 54.

The locking type electromagnet 54 includes a locking mechanism, such as a magnet (not shown), which holds the pin 34 in its withdrawn position when it is removed from the notch as shown in the figure 3. The electromagnet 54 surrounds the axis 34 and is connected to a control mechanism such as a variable voltage source 56. The voltage source 56 produces control signals in response to an external input such as a signal barcode. A control signal such as voltage pulses produced by a 12 volt battery is produced once a correct external input is received. The automatic withdrawal of the axis 34 is ensured by sending a pulse of a voltage V1 to the electromagnet 54 of FIG. 2. The pulse enters the electromagnet 54 and produces an induction force which results in that the axis 34 is removed from the notch 30 and moves a sufficient distance to be engaged by the magnets contained in the electromagnet 54. Once the axis 34 is removed, another pulse of a voltage V2 can be sent from the voltage source 56 to the electromagnet 54 resulting in a sufficient induction force to overcome the attraction force of the magnet and move the axis 34 downward out of the electromagnet 54. The voltage V2 can be produced in response to another external signal or in response to the expiration of a predetermined period, for example 15 seconds, during which there is no other action concerning the opening or locking of the door 2. A conical spring 57 can be positioned between the electromagnet 54 and the annular disc 40 to help overcome engagement with the magnet.

 In order to open the door 2 in the locked position of FIG. 2, the voltage V1 is first sent to the electromagnet 54 by means of the voltage source 56. As has been described previously, this has the result that the axis 34 is retracted and held in the electromagnet 54, as shown in FIG. 3. In the position of FIG. 3, a cam 58 comes just into contact with a corner of the plate 44.

 When one begins to turn the locking button 26 clockwise as seen when looking from the outside inwards, the locking member 24 also turns in the direction clockwise, as shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, the initial rotation of the locking element 24 results in the contact surface 60 of the rotary cam 58 coming into contact with the end. upper 44 of the axis 34 with a downward force sufficient to overcome the magnetic attraction force, thus allowing the axis 34 to be withdrawn from the electromagnet 54 and to engage the circumferential surface of the element of locking 24 near the notch 30. As shown in FIG. 5, an additional rotation in a clockwise direction of the locking element 24 results in that the axis 34 moves at away from the notch 30 and the along the circumferential surface of the locking member. In addition, the locking bar 46 moves away from the upper surface 10 of the door 2, as shown in Figure 5. This results in the piston 50 being withdrawn from the opening 18 of the frame element 22. In a similar way, a rotation in a clockwise direction of the locking element 24 allows the piston 52 to be withdrawn from the opening 20. Thus, the door 2 when the pistons are removed from the chassis openings.

 The cam 58 is connected to the locking bar 46 by a coupling device, such as a pair of teeth 62 fixed on the cam 58 and which define a channel 64 in which is inserted a connecting device such as an axis coupling 66.

The cam 58 can have several forms. In one embodiment, for example, the cam 58 can be pear-shaped, the contact surface 60 being at the level of the narrow part of the cam 58. The cam 58 can also have an axis of symmetry cutting the cam on its length and perpendicular to an axis aligned with the channel 64. The cam 58 is pivotally connected to a barrel at a distance of approximately 2.24 cm from the contact surface 60. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the contact surface 60 abuts on the plate 44 when the door 2 is locked and closed. If it is desired to modify the place where the contact surface 60 is positioned relative to the plate 44, the vertical position of the axis 66 is modified by means of an adjustable sleeve 67. The sleeve 67 is preferably made made of plastic and is cylindrical in shape with a diameter of approximately 1.27 cm and a length of approximately 4.1 cm. The sleeve 67 has a cylindrical opening extending along the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 67. The opening has a diameter of approximately 0.635 cm and is in communication with a pair of oppositely directed slots disposed on the side of the sleeve 67. The operation of the sleeve 67 can be understood by observing FIGS. 2 and 3, where an upper part of the bar 46 is slidably inserted into the sleeve opening. A screw 69 is then inserted through a slot and is fixed on an opening of the bar 46 (not shown). The slot has a rectangular shape with a length of approximately 1.9 cm and a width of approximately 0.48 cm. The screw is tightened along the slot, whereby the desired position of the cam 58 is obtained. The bottom of the sleeve 67 has a bar inserted into the sleeve opening and which is fixed to it by well known means such as the insertion of screws.

The bar is preferably made of metal and is fixed to a lower part of the bar 46 in a well-known manner, for example a pin inserted between the metal bar and the lower part of the bar 46. Once fixed like this has been described, it is possible to modify the place where the cam 58 comes into contact with the end 44 by modifying the place where the screw 69 is tightened along the channel. It should be noted that the bar 48 may or may not use a similar sleeve. Furthermore, it is considered that the bars 46 and 48 can be continuous, that is to say used without sleeves, if they provide the desired orientation of the cam 58.

 The coupling pin 66 can also have different shapes, for example being cylindrical with a diameter of approximately 0.43 cm and a length of approximately 0.51 cm. The coupling pin 66 can be fixed to the locking bar 46 by means of an annular collar. Thus, when the locking bar 46 moves downwards due to the clockwise rotation of the locking element 24, the coupling pin 66 also moves downwards bringing the cam 58 to rotate clockwise and the contact surface 60 to engage the upper end 44 of the axis 34 as seen in FIG. 5.

 Once the door 2 is open, the locking assembly 6 can be locked. Once the axis 34 is released and engages the surface of the locking element 24, the locking element 24 is rotated counterclockwise so that the axis 34 moves along the surface of the locking member until it is inserted into the notch 30 as shown in Figure 6. The counterclockwise rotation of the member locking 24 can be done manually or by a spring mechanism such as the spring loaded pistons 50 and 52. Once the axis 34 has been inserted in the notch 30, the door is opened but the locking assembly 6 is locked. However, there is no need to unlock the locking assembly 6 to close the door. We just need to close the door to lock it, since the pistons 50 and 52 are spring loaded, which allows them to slide beyond the frame and enter the openings 18 and 20 respectively, like this is shown in Figure 2. To unlock the door 2, is sent from the voltage source 56 a pulse having a voltage V2, as described above.

 In certain emergency situations, it is not always possible to automatically open the locked door. In order to allow the opening of the door 2 in such a situation, the present invention provides for a manual movement of the axis 34 in order to selectively disengage the rotary locking element 24. The manual movement of the axis 34 is provided by a lock mechanism 68. The lock mechanism 68 has an external keyhole 70 which is located outside of the door 2 and which is an integral part of a rotary engagement part 72 and is shaped to so as to be able to insert a key 74 therein. The rotary engagement part 72 is contained in an annular element which is always fixed. Furthermore, the cam 58 has a collar which fits perfectly around the fixed annular element so that the cam 58 rotates around the annular element.

 The insertion and rotation of the key 74 allows the engagement piece 72 to rotate. In one embodiment, a second cam 73 is fixed to one end of the engagement piece 72 by well known means such as a screw and a nut. The cam 73 and the engagement part 72 both rotate in the same direction as the key 74.

 The cam 73 comprises a contact element, such as a cylindrical axis 76, which comes into contact with a manually actuated lifting mechanism, such as a sliding plate 78. The sliding plate 78 has one or more vertically aligned slots 80. The slots 80 have screws 82 inserted therein so that the sliding plate 78 can move vertically along the slots 80. When the key 74 and the engagement piece are not rotated as shown in Figure 7 , the axis 76 is located at the lower left corner of the rectangular opening 81 and the plate 78 is in its lowest vertical position. Furthermore, a contact part of the cam 73 is not aligned with the end 44 of the axis 34.

 However, looking from the inside to the outside, when one begins to turn anti-clockwise the key 74 and the engagement part 72, the axis 76 comes into contact with the sliding plate 78, which causes the plate 78 to move upward. As shown in FIG. 8, when the cam 73 points downward, the plate 78 has moved vertically over a distance equal to half the length of the slot 80. It should be noted that, at this stage , axis 34 has not been lifted from its engaged position.

 The plate 78 also includes one or more lower sections 84 arranged under the end 44 of the axis 34. When the sliding plate 78 moves upwards from the position halfway in FIG. 8, the lower sections 84 engage the plate 44 with the result that the plate 44 and the axis 34 move upward and are disengaged from the locking member 24 and that the locking bar assembly is unlocked, as shown in Figure 9 However, the axis 34 does not move upward a sufficient distance for the magnetic lock in the electromagnet 54 to engage the axis 34.

To manually lock the locking bar assembly 6 of Figure 9, the key 74 is rotated clockwise resulting in a downward movement by gravity of the plate 78 and the axis 34 which again enters the notch 30 and locks the locking element 24, as shown in FIG. 2.

 Once the axis 34 is lifted by the sliding plate 78, as shown in FIG. 9, the door can be opened by repeating the same steps as those of the automatic locking mode.

For example, after opening the door, the locking element 24 is made to rotate clockwise by means of the locking button 26, with the result that the pistons 50 and 52 are withdrawn from the openings 18 and 20 respectively of the chassis element 22. I1 results in a configuration similar to that shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, except that the axis 34 has been lifted manually and that the door 2 can thus be opened manually.

 The locking assembly 6 is then locked by rotating the locking element 24 anti-clockwise so that the axis 34 moves along the surface of the locking element until so that it is above the notch 30. The key 74 is then turned anti-clockwise with the result that the sliding plate 78 moves downwards and that the axis 34 again enters the notch 30 and locks the locking element 24, as described above. At this point, the door is open but the locking assembly 6 is locked. As described above, simply close the door to lock it. Once the door is closed and the pistons engage the openings, the key 74 is removed in order to prevent unauthorized persons from opening the closed and locked door.

 It should be noted that FIGS. 7 to 9 show a function of the second cam 73. Another function of the second cam 73 is to allow manual locking of the locking assembly of FIG. 3 if the automatic locking system is returned inoperative. As can be seen in FIG. 10, the key 74 is inserted in such a situation and it is rotated anticlockwise, when

 Although the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, it is obvious that modifications remain possible within the scope of the invention.

Claims (9)

1. Locking assembly intended to lock or unlock a door (2) on a frame element (22), characterized in that it comprises  a rotary locking element (24);  a locking bar (46) connected to said rotary locking member (24), rotation of said locking member (24) in a first direction resulting in said locking bar (46) moving to a first side of said locking member frame (22) and rotating in the opposite direction resulting in said locking bar (46) moving away from said first side of said frame member (22);  a shaft (34) having a first end (38) and a second end (44), said first end (38) selectively engaging said rotary locking member (24) in an engagement position so that said locking member lock (24) is prevented from turning; and  a lifting mechanism having an engagement piece (84) for engaging said second end (44) of said axis (34), which causes said first end (38) of said axis (34) to move said axis (34) from said position engaged towards a disengaged position in which said axis (34) does not engage said rotary locking element (24). 2. Locking assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a second locking bar (48) connected to said rotary locking element (24), the rotation of said locking element (24) in said first direction having for result that said second locking bar (48) moves to a second side of said frame member (22) and rotation in said other direction results in said second locking bar (48) moving away from said second side of said frame member (22). 3. Lock assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that said lifting mechanism is connected to a lock mechanism (68) having a rotary engagement part (72), so that when a key (74 ) is inserted into said lock mechanism (72) and is turned, said engagement piece (72) rotates causing said lifting mechanism to engage said second end (44) of said axis (34). 4. Locking assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that said lifting mechanism comprises a sliding plate (78) intended to engage said second end (44) of said axis (34). 5. Locking assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that said lifting mechanism comprises a sliding plate (78) intended to engage said second end (44) of said axis (34). 6. Locking assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a second axis (76) intended to move in response to the rotation of said engagement piece (72) and engage said sliding plate (78) of so as to cause said sliding plate (78) to move and engage said second end (44) of said axis (34). 7. Locking assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that said sliding plate (78) has an opening (81) that said second axis (76) engages so as to cause said plate (78) to move and engage said second end (44) of said axis (34). 8. Method for locking or unlocking a door (2) on a frame element (22), characterized in that it comprises the steps consisting in:  providing a rotatable locking member (24) connected to a locking bar (46) which is positioned in a first side of said frame member (22);  providing an axle (34) which is engaged with said rotary locking member (24) in an engagement position so that said locking member (24) is prevented from rotating;  providing a lock mechanism (68) for receiving a key (74) and having an engagement piece (72) which can rotate upon rotation of said key (74) in said lock mechanism (68);  providing a lifting mechanism for moving in response to the rotation of said engagement piece (72);  rotating said key (74) in a first direction, which causes said engagement piece (72) to rotate in said first direction and causing said lifting mechanism to move so that said lifting mechanism engages and moves said axis (34) such that said axis (34) moves from said engaged position to said disengaged position in which said axis (34) does not engage said locking member (24);  rotating said locking member (24) in a first direction;  moving said locking bar (46) away from said first side of said frame member (22) in response to said rotation of said locking member (24) in said first direction so as to unlock said door (2) relative to said chassis element (22). 9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises the step of rotating said locking element (24) in a second direction, which causes said locking bar (46) to move towards said first side of said frame member (22) such that said locking bar (46) is positioned in said first side of said frame member (22) so that said door (2) is locked relative to said frame member (22) .