WO2009019727A1

WO2009019727A1 - Reversible electric lock

Info

Publication number: WO2009019727A1
Application number: PCT/IT2007/000573
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fausto Fustini; Luciano Darchini
Original assignee: CISA SpA
Current assignee: CISA SpA
Priority date: 2007-08-06
Filing date: 2007-08-06
Publication date: 2009-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2010-02-06
Also published as: EP2176478B1; EP2176478A1; ES2368799T3; ATE515616T1

Abstract

A reversible electric lock (1), comprising at least one pair of electromechanical actuators (2), which are connected to a respective power supply circuit (3) and are interposed between at least one element for locking the door (4) in the closed configuration and at least one handle passage (6) which can rotate by actuation of the handle, and at least one seat (8) for a cylinder (9) which is functionally associated with means for retracting the at least one element for locking the door (4) in the closed configuration. The lock (1) further comprises at least one sensor which is meant to detect, even indirectly, the presence of the cylinder (9) in at least one respective seat of the lock (1), the sensor being controlled by an electric switch for connecting alternatively to an external power source (13) one of the two power supply circuits (3) of the electromechanical actuators (2).

Description

REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC LOCK Technical field

The present invention relates to a reversible electric lock particularly of the type suitable for installation in fire doors. Background art

The manufacture of certain types of door is such that they can be installed in both directions simply by turning them upside down and arranging the hinges on one side or the other.

This constructive solution facilitates the work of manufacturers, which by providing a single model can adapt it to any type of installation, furthermore reducing inventory reserves.

In particular, this constructive solution becomes very important in so- called "fire doors".

This kind of door must comply with particular statutory provisions and requires very specific technical and structural characteristics.

A fire door which meets the requirements of the standard must be subjected to a series of tests, at the end of which it receives a type approval (homologation) which ensures its compliance with the prescribed requirements. Of course, any change made to the door (albeit minimal and potentially irrelevant in terms of its structure and compliance with the standards) entails loss of type approval.

For this kind of door, it is therefore very important to have an inherently reversible configuration, so that no treatment is needed for installation in one opening direction or the other.

Unfortunately, existing locks to not allow this inherent reversibility: therefore, fire doors have respective versions which correspond to either opening direction, each of which has its own type approval.

This need, linked to the locks, prevents the necessary versatility of installation by way of which it would be possible to minimize inventory reserves and thereby the associated costs. Disclosure of the invention

The aim of the present invention is to provide a reversible electric lock which allows complete reversibility of the door in which it is installed without any structural modification and without any external intervention for selection.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a reversible electric lock which has a low cost, is relatively simple to provide in practice and safe in application. This aim and this object, as well as others which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by the present reversible electric lock, of the type comprising at least one pair of electromechanical actuators, which are connected to a respective power supply circuit and are interposed between at least one element for locking the door in the closed configuration and at least one handle passage which can rotate by actuation of said handle, and at least one seat for a cylinder which is functionally associated with means for retracting the at least one element for locking the door in the closed configuration, characterized in that it comprises at least one sensor which is meant to detect, even indirectly, the presence of said cylinder in at least one respective seat of said lock, said sensor being controlled by an electric switch for connecting alternatively to an external power source one of the two power supply circuits of said electromechanical actuators. Brief description of the drawings Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a reversible electric lock, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a lock according to the invention in a possible fitting configuration; Figure 2 is a plan view of a lock according to the invention in a possible fitting configuration;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a lock according to the invention in a possible fitting configuration; Figure 4 is an enlarged-scale view of the detail IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a lock according to the invention in a possible fitting configuration;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a particular embodiment of a lock according to the invention; Figure 7 is a perspective view of a lock according to the invention in a possible fitting configuration;

Figure 8 is an enlarged-scale view of the detail VIII of Figure 7. Ways of carrying out the invention

With reference to the figures, a reversible electric lock is generally designated by the reference numeral 1.

The lock 1 comprises at least one pair of electromechanical actuators 2, which are connected to a respective power supply circuit 3.

In particular, the actuators 2 can be constituted by small electromagnets, in which the moving element is movable from a retracted configuration, in which it does not interfere with other parts of the lock 1, to an extracted configuration, in which it interferes to lock at least one element

4 which is meant to keep the door in the closed configuration.

According to the embodiments shown in the figures, the element 4 is the latch of the lock 1, which, by protruding with respect to the front surface 5 thereof, interferes with a corresponding selvage provided on the jamb, ensuring that the door is retained in the closed configuration.

It is possible to provide locks 1 in which the elements 4 comprise a plurality of latches and/or bolts in order to maximize the safety of said door against break-in attempts. The actuators 2 are interposed between the element 4 and at least one handle passage 6, which can rotate by way of the action of said handle (the shank of which is accommodated within a central slot 7 of the passage 6): in this manner, the handle is correctly coupled to the element 4 only when the respective actuator 2 releases said element 4, allowing its retraction. In all other cases, the rotation of the handle does not entail the retraction of the element 4, since said element is kept in the extracted configuration by way of the action of the actuator 2.

The lock 1 further comprises at least one seat 8 for a cylinder 9, which is functionally associated with means 10 for retracting the element 4. In particular, the cylinder acts on the retraction means 10 by means of a bit 11 of its own, moving said means from an inactive configuration (element 4 which protrudes with interference with the selvage of the door jamb) to an active configuration (by forcing suitable elastic means 12), in which the element 4 is retracted into the lock 1. The lock 1 comprises at least one sensor designed to detect the presence of the cylinder 9 in at least one respective seat 8.

The sensor is controlled by an electric switch for connecting alternatively to an external power source 13 one of the two power supply circuits 3 of the electromechanical actuators 2. In particular, according to one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying figures, the sensor is a microswitch 14, which has an actuation lamina 15 which faces and is proximate to a seat 8 for the insertion of the cylinder 9.

The lamina 15 is free and flexed outward when the seat 8 which it faces is empty (it accommodates no cylinder 9); the lamina 15 is instead compressed, resting against the surface of the outer body of the microswitch 14, when the reference seat accommodates the cylinder 9. This occurs due to the forcing of said lamina 15 into said configuration by the cylinder 9 or by apparatuses connected thereto or associated therewith. Of course, in this case, the microswitch 14 maintains the electrical connection between the source 13 and a second circuit 3b, which is associated with an actuator 2b when the cylinder is not inserted in the seat 8 which the microswitch 14 faces, and does not supply a first circuit 3 a; when instead the cylinder 9 is inserted in the seat 8, the microswitch 14 diverts the connection of the source 13 on the first circuit 3 a, interrupting the power supply of the second circuit 3b.

According to a constructive solution which is alternative to the one that has just been described, it is possible to provide a lock 1 which comprises two microswitches 14, each of which is installed proximate to a respective seat 8 for the insertion of the cylinder 9 to detect the presence of the respective cylinder in said seat. In this manner, both the first circuit 3 a and the second circuit 3 b are normally open (not connected to the source 13); the insertion of the cylinder 9 in either seat 8 ensures the closure of the respective circuit (3 a or 3b), consequently supplying power to the respective actuator (2a or 2b).

According to another possible embodiment, the sensor is a gravity contactor, which is constituted by an assembly provided with an internal cavity for accommodating a conducting body. The cavity is provided with a pair of circuits, an upper one at a lower one, each of which is associated with a respective actuator (2a and 2b, and therefore the circuits correspond to the circuits designated by the reference numerals 3a and 3b in the previously described embodiment), which are interrupted at said cavity.

The electrical continuity of either circuit, alternatively, is determined by the presence of the conducting body on one of the upper and lower faces of the cavity as a consequence of the fitting of the lock in one of the possible opening directions of the installation door.

In practice, the electric circuit which corresponds to a specific actuator 2a (or 2b) closes across the conducting body which, depending on the orientation of the lock, rests against the upper or lower face of the cavity. One possible embodiment uses a mercury switch, in which the conducting body is constituted by a preset quantity of mercury, which by being free to move within the cavity according to the force of gravity, constitutes an electrical bridge for the terminals of the circuit that it affects when it is on the upper face or on the lower face.

According to an alternative embodiment, the sensor comprises, at least one seat 8 for accommodating the cylinder 9, two electrical contact terminals of a power supply circuit 3a (or 3b) of an actuator 2a (or 2b), which face the edge and protrude toward the inside of said seat 8. The cylinder 9, when it is inserted in the seat 8, constitutes an electrical bridge between the two terminals, with consequent electrical continuity of the circuit 3 a (or 3b) associated therewith, consequently supplying power to the actuator 2a (or 2b).

The activation of the sensors (independently of the type of sensor to which reference is being made and therefore as allowed by all the described embodiments) is achieved by means of at least one of the elements for fixing the cylinder 9 in the lock 1 : in particular, it should be noted that the lock 1 comprises a front hole 16, which is aligned with the fixing hole provided in the cylinder 9; therefore, it is possible to insert within said hole 16 a screw 17 for fixing the cylinder 9, the tip of which can act on the sensor, causing its activation.

From a circuit-related point of view, if there is only one sensor and one electric switch, the sensor and the respective electric switch must be connected upstream to the external power source 13 and downstream to both circuits 3a and 3b for supplying power to the actuators 2a and 2b.

When the sensor detects the presence of the cylinder 9 in the respective seat 8, the switch provides electrical continuity between the power source 13 and the first circuit 3 a; when the sensor does not detect the presence of the cylinder 9 in the respective seat 8, the switch provides electrical continuity between the power source 13 and the second circuit 3b. If instead the sensors (and the respective switches) are at least two, each one at a respective seat 8a and/or 8b for a cylinder 9, the sensors must be provided with a respective electric switch and must be connected upstream to the external power source 13 and downstream to the respective power supply circuit 3 a of the actuator 2a.

When the first sensor detects the presence of the cylinder 9 in the first seat 8a, the first switch provides electrical continuity between the power source 13 and the first circuit 3 a.

When the second sensor detects the presence of the cylinder 9 in the second seat 8b, the second switch provides electrical continuity between the power source 13 and the second circuit 3b.

The operation of a lock 1 according to the invention is as follows.

The insertion of the cylinder 9 in one of the seats 8 provided in the lock 1 and its fixing (for example by means of the screw 17) entail the activation of only one of the two actuators 2a and 2b, the one that corresponds to the seat 8a or 8b in which the cylinder 9 is located.

In the case of a single sensor, it detects the presence or absence of the cylinder 9 in the respective seat 8 a (or 8b), with consequent electrical connection of the circuit 3 a (or 3b) to the source 13 when the cylinder 9 is present and electrical connection of the other circuit 3b (or 3a) when the cylinder 9 is absent.

If instead there are two sensors, one mounted at each seat 8 of the lock 1, each sensor is preset for the electrical connection of the corresponding circuit 3 a (or 3b) to the source 13. The constructive choice which provides for the presence of a gravity contactor does not require direct detection of the presence of the cylinder 9 in the seat 8a or in the other seat 8b; this information is derived directly from the fact that a particular fitting configuration of the lock 1 is necessarily associated with the insertion of the cylinder 8 in only one of the seats 8a or 8b. It has thus been shown that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.

All the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

In the exemplary embodiments shown, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.

Moreover, it is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the shapes and dimensions, may be any according to the requirements without thereby abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A reversible electric lock, of the type comprising at least one pair of electromechanical actuators (2), which are connected to a respective power supply circuit (3) and are interposed between at least one element for locking the door (4) in the closed configuration and at least one handle passage (6) which can rotate by actuation of said handle, and at least one seat (8) for a cylinder (9) which is functionally associated with means for retracting the at least one element for locking the door (4) in the closed configuration, characterized in that it comprises at least one sensor which is meant to detect, even indirectly, the presence of said cylinder (9) in at least one respective seat of said lock (1), said sensor being controlled by an electric switch for connecting alternatively to an external power source (13) one of the two power supply circuits (3) of said electromechanical actuators (2).

2. The lock according to claim 1, characterized in that said sensor is a microswitch (14) in which the control lamina (15) faces and is proximate to a seat (8) for the insertion of the cylinder (9), said lamina (15) being free and flexed outward when said seat (8) is empty, said lamina (15) being pressed against the surface of the outer body of said microswitch (14) when said seat (8) accommodates inside it said cylinder (9) by forcing said lamina (15) into said configuration on the part of the cylinder (9), even indirectly.

3. The lock according to claim 2, characterized in that said microswitches (14) are two, each installed proximate to a respective seat (8) for the insertion of the cylinder (9) to detect the presence of the respective cylinder (9) therein.

4. The lock according to claim 1, characterized in that said sensor comprises, at least one of said seats (8) for accommodating said cylinder (9), two electrical contact terminals of a said circuit (3a,3b) for the supply of power to an actuator (2a, 2b), which face the edge and protrude toward the inside of said seat (8), said cylinder (9), when it is inserted in said seat (8), constituting an electrical bridge between said two terminals, with consequent electrical continuity of the circuit (3a, 3b) associated therewith and supply of power to the corresponding actuator (2a, 2b).

5. The lock according to claim 1, characterized in that said element for locking the door (4) in the closed configuration is a latch, the actuator (2a, 2b) associated therewith maintaining said latch in the extracted configuration when it is not powered, whereas when it is supplied with power it releases said latch for the optional retraction thereof by means of a rotation of said handle in the respective passage (6).

6. The lock according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the activation of said sensors is provided by means of at least one of the elements (17) for fixing said cylinder (9) in said lock (1).

7. The lock according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said sensor and the respective electric switch are connected upstream to an external power source (13) and downstream of both circuits (3a, 3b) for supplying power to said actuators (2a, 2b); when the sensor detects the presence of said cylinder (9) in the respective seat (8), said switch provides electrical continuity between said power .source (13) and a first circuit (3 a), and when the sensor does not detect the presence of said cylinder (9) in the respective seat (8) said switch provides electrical continuity between said power source (13) and a second circuit (3b).

8. The lock according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said sensors are at least two, each at a respective seat (8) for said cylinder (9), said sensors being provided with a respective electric switch and being connected upstream to an external power source (13) and downstream to a respective power supply circuit (3a, 3b) of an actuator (2a, 2b); when the first sensor detects the presence of said cylinder (9) in the first seat (8a), the first switch provides electrical continuity between said power source (13) and the first circuit (3a); when the second sensor detects the presence of said cylinder in the second seat (8b), the second switch provides electrical continuity between said power source (13) and the second circuit (3b).

9. The lock according to claim 1, characterized in that said sensor is a gravity contactor, which is constituted by an assembly provided with an internal cavity for accommodating a conducting body, said cavity being provided with two circuits, an upper one and a lower one, each of which is associated with a respective actuator (2), said circuits being interrupted at said cavity, the electrical continuity of either circuit alternatively being provided by the presence of said conducting body on one of the upper and lower faces of said cavity as a consequence of the fitting of said lock (1) according to one of the possible opening orientation of the installation door, said fitting configuration being associated with the arrangement of the cylinder (9) within a respective seat (8).