GB2402424A - Rotary bolt comprising a cam - Google Patents

Abstract

A rotary bolt assembly 10, 12 comprising a bolt 40 mounted on a housing 14, wherein axial movement of an axially slidable member 30 is converted to rotational movement of the bolt 10 by a cam 48, 54. The cam may comprise a pin 54 and a slot 48. The cam slot 48 maybe provided in the bolt 40 and may comprise first and second straight portions that meet at an angle to each other. Alternatively, the slot 48 may be curved. The pin 54 may be provided on the actuating member. Movement of the bolt 40 from a locked to an unlocked position may include lost motion of the actuating member. A further pin may be provided on the actuating member 30, which acts as a stop, and prevents rotation of the bolt 40 beyond the unlocked position.

Description

Title: Rotary Bolt The present invention relates to a rotary bolt, and

more particularly to a rotary bolt for use in a multi-point locking mechanism, known as an espagnolette lock.

Espagnolettes typicallycomprise a rocking means, which is fitted, for example to an edge ofa door or window, and one or more links, for example rods or sliding bars, which extend away from the locking means for simultaneously actuating rotarybolts at well-separated positions on the door or window edge.

There maybe one ormore sliding tears, whichmaymove in the same axial direction or opposite directions when actuating the rotarybolts for locking or unlocking. The rotarybolts are typically provided with a hook shaped locking portion, which engages a pin of a keeper, attached, for example, to adoororwindow fraTne. Typicallyifthe sliding tears move in the same axial direction when actuating the rotary bolts to a locked position, the rotary bolts rotate in the same direction, and hence engage the pin of the keeper from the same side.

If the door or window is subsequently lined, the rotary bolts can become simultaneously disengaged from their respective keepers and the security of the multi-point locking mechanism is compromised.

It is an object ofthe invention to provide a rotarybolt, which when used in a multi-point locking mechanism, improves security.

According to the present invention there is provided a rotarybolt comprising ahousing, abort mounted for rotation between an unlocked position in which the bolt is located within the housing and a locked position in which part ofthe bolt extends from the housing, an axially slidable actuating member, and camming means which converts axial movement ofthe actuating member to rotational movement of the bolt.

When in use on a window or door, apairofrotarybolts arepreferablyprovided, in accordance with the invention, having opposite hands.

It is an advantage ofthe invention that apairofrotaryboltswithoppositehands canbe actuated with one or more actuating rods movable in the same axial direction dunug locking, therotarybolts engagingtheirrespectivekeepers byrotation to the lockedposition in different angulardirections, and Hereby preventing disengagement of the rotary bolts f rom their keepers by lid tiny of the rotary bolts offtheir keepers in the same direction.

Preferably the camming means includes a pin and a cam slot.

The cam slot ispreferablyprovided in the bolt. The cam slotmaybe curved, butpreferablythecam slot includes first and second straight portions which meet at an angle to one-another.

The pin is preferably provided on the actuating member.

Preferably, during movement ofthe bolt from the unlocked to locked position, there is lost motion of the actuating member.

Lost motion ofthe actuating member is advantageous because it has the effect of preventing unlocking ofthe bolt by force applied to the bolt itself.

The housing is preferablyrectangul, and includes a front wall having an aperture therein, through which the bolt extends, a rear wall, a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls.

The front and rearwalls maybe integral with one side wall, but the other side wall is preferably removable, enabling assembly of the rotary bolt.

Preferably a spindle extends from either side ofthe bolt and engages inbearingholes in the side walls on either side of the housing.

An axial slot may be provided in the actuating member, through which the spindle may extend, enabling axial movement of the actuating member past the spindle.

The bolt is preferably hook shaped.

A furtherpin maybe provided on the actuating member, which acts a stop, and prevents rotation ofthe bolt beyond the desired unlocked position, that is, when the bolt is contained within the housing.

The invention will now tee describedbywayofoxampleonlywithreferenceto the accompanying drawings in which; Fig 1 shows a schematic side view oftwo rotarybolts of opposite hands in the open position, with a side of the housing removed; Fig 2 shows a schematic side view ofthe rotarybolts of Fig 1 with the bolts in a pertly closed position; Fig 3 shows a schematic side view ofthe rotarybolts of Figs 1 and 2 with the bolts in a closed position; Fig4 shows aschematicsideviewofanactuatingmemberoftherotaryboltsofFigs 1 and 2; Fig 5 shows schematic side view of a bolt; and Fig 6 shows a schematic front view oftherotarybolt in a closed position, withthebolt extending out of the housing.

Referring firstlyto Fig 1, a rotarybolt of one hand is indicated at 10, and a rotarybolt ofthe other hand is indicated at 12. The rotarybolts 10, 12 are intended to be connected to one ormore rods or sliding tears (not shown),bywhichtherotarybolts are remotely actuated. Common reference numerals will be used to designate parts in common between the different hands of rotarybolt, and the construction oftherotaryboltswill be described withreferenceparticularlyto the rotarybolt of one hand, referenced 10.

The rotarybolt to has a rectangular housing 14 including afrontwall 16, arearwall 18, apairof end walls20,22 andapairofsidewalls24,26, showninFig6. Thefrontandrearwalls 16,18 are integral with the side wall 24, and the other side wall 26 is removable, enabling assembly of the rotary bolt. The removable side wall 26 is attached to the end walls 20, 22 by means of threaded screws, which engage in correspondinglythreaded apertures 28. An aperture 25 is provided in the front wall 16, through which apart of a bolt 40, described belong, is able to move in and out ofthe housing.

An axiallyslidingactuatingmember30, having substantially/he form of aflatarplate 31, rests against the inside ofthe side wall 24, best seen in Fig 6. The width ofthe flat plate is a loose fit between the frontandrearwalls 16,18, but the length ofthe flat plate is shorterthanthedistance between the end walls 20,22, thus allowing for axial sliding ofthe actuating member 30 between the endwalls. Connectingportions of reducedwidth32,34 are integral with and extend from either end ofthe actuatingmember30, through respective slots 36,38 in the end walls 20,22, indicated in dotted outline in Fig 4. At least one ofthe connecting portions connects with an actuating rod or sliding bar (not shown).

The bolt 40, also shown in Fig 5, has a substantiallycircularbody42 with an integral hook 44 of reduced thickness extending radially therefrom. The hook 44 is reduced in thickness so that the central axis ofthe hook is centrally aligned in the width ofthe housing, as can be seen from Fig 6.

A spindle 46 extends from either side ofthe bolt and engages in bearing holes in the sides 24,26 ofthe housing 14. A cam slot 48 is provided in the bolt 40, and is formed by first and second straight portions 50,52 which meet at an angle to one-another. In an alternative arrangement, not shown, the cam slot is curved. A pin 54 provided on the actuating member 30 engages the cam slot 48 of the bolt. The pin 54 acts as a cam, and the cam slot 48 acts as a cam follower of a camming means.

An axial slot 56 is provided in the actuating member 30, through which the spindle 46 extends, enabling axial movement ofthe actuatingmemberpast, oraround, the spindle. A furtherpin 58 is provided on the actuating member 30, which acts a stop, and prevents rotation ofthe bolt 40 beyond the desired open position, that is, when the bolt is contained within the housing 14, as shown in Fig 1.

The operation ofthe rotarybolt 10 will nowbe described, with reference in particular to Figs 1 to 3. In Fig 1, the rosary bolt is shown in the unlocked or open position, with the bolt 40 located entirelywithin the housing 14, and the hook 44 resting against the stop pin 58. One end ofthe rectangular plate 31 ofthe actuating member 30 is restrained by the lower end wall 20, as viewed, and there is a space 60 between the other end ofthe rectangularplate 31 and the upper end wall 22. The pin 54 is located at the end ofthe first straight portion 50 ofthe cam slot 48. As the actuating member 30 is moved upwards in the direction of arrow A, the bolt 40 is forced towards the locked position bymeans ofthe pin 54 acting against the cam slot 48. In Fig 2, the rotarybolt is shown substantially mid-way between the open and locked positions.

In this position the actuating member 30 is substantially mid-way between the end walls 20,22 of the housing 14, and consequently the pin 54 has been displaced axiallyofthehousing. The pin 54 acts against the sides ofthe cam slot 48 during the axial movement, causing the bolt 40 to rotate clockwise, as viewed, about the spindle 46 in the direction of arrow B and the hook 44 ofthe bolt 40 to move through the aperture 25 in the front wall 16 ofthe housing. As canbest be seen from Fig 4, the axial slot 56 ofthe actuating member 30 allows axial movement ofthe actuating member around the spindle 46. During the movement, the pin 54 is located for a small angular displacement ofthe bolt 40 in the second straight portion 52 ofthe cam slot 48, dependent on the geometry of the cam slot 48.

On further movement ofthe actuatingmember30totheposition showninFig3, the bolt40 is forced to move to the locked position, ie through a rotation of substantially 90 from the unlocked 1 6 position shown in Fig 1, by the further action ofthe pin 54 on the cam slot 48. The bolt 40 is prevented from moving beyond the desired locked position, bythe edge ofthe aperture 25 in the front wall 16 engaging the inside ofthe hook 44. The rectangularplate 31 ofthe actuating member is restrained by the upper end wall 22, as viewed, and there is now a space 62 between the lower end of the rectangular plate and the lower end wall 20.

In the locked position, the pin 54 is again located at the end ofthe first straight portion 50 ofthe cam slot 48, and force applied to the hook ofthe bolt 40, indicated by arrow C, does not cause the actuatingmember30 to slide in the direction ofarrowD, ie for unlocking oftherotarybolt.

This is because the rotation of the bolt 40 from the unlocked to locked positions is already complete before the actuating member reaches the end of its axial travel. Consequentlythere is lost motion" ofthe actuating member30 duringwhich the pin 54 simplyslides axiallyin the first straight portion 50 ofthe cam slot 48. This axial sliding cannot tee reversed byrotaryforce applied I to the bolt 40, and consequently it is necessary to apply axial movement to the actuating member in the direction of arrow D, to be able to move the bolt 40 from the locked to unlocked position.

| 15 This is advantageous, because therotaryboltcannotbe forced to the unlocked position by external action on the bolt 40 alone.

The rotary bolt 12 operates in exactly the same manner, but because the rotary bolt 12 is of opposite hand, the bolt 40 rotates anticlockwise between the unlocked and locked position, ie. in the opposite direction to that of rosary bolt 10. If the rosary bolts 10,12 are both actuated by a single rod moving in the same direction, then their respective bolts move in opposite directions and the hooks engage respective keepers (not shown) from opposite ends. This gives the advantage of not being able to disengage the hooks from their keepers by movement of both rotary bolts 10,12 contemporaneously in the same direction.

Claims (7)

1. A rotary bolt comprising a housing, a bolt mounted for rotation between an unlocked position in which the bolt is located within the housing and a locked position in which part ofthe bolt extends from the housing, an axially slidable actuating member, and Damming means which converts axial movement ofthe actuingmemberto rotational movement of the bolt.

2. A rotary bolt as claimed in claim 1 in which the camming means includes a pin and a cam slot.

3. A rotary bolt as claimed in claim 2 in which the cam slot is provided in the bolt.

4. A rosary bolt as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 in which the cam slot includes first and second straight portions which meet at an angle to oneanother.

5. A rosary bolt as claimed in anyone of claims 2 to 5 in which the pin is provided on the actuating member.

6. A rotary bolt as claimed in any preceding claim in which during movement ofthe bolt from the unlocked to locked position, there is lost motion of the actuating member.

7. A rotary bolt as claimed in anypreceding claim in which a further pin is provided on the actuating member, which acts a stop, and prevents rotation ofthe bolt beyond the unlocked position.