Latching device for locking and / or unlocking a movable closure mechanism in a lockable object

Abstract

A locking device is provided for locking and / or unlocking movable closing mechanisms, such as doors and covers, in lockable objects such as buildings, ships, vehicles, and trains. The locking device includes an electronic control unit and / or a drive unit for controlling and / or actuating the movement of the movable closing mechanism. The locking device should be applicable to applications requiring no manual operation of the handle and should continue to operate even when the normal power supply is disconnected. According to the invention, at least one supercapacitor is provided to store energy for operating the locking device in emergency situations.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] In automotive locking systems used for doors to lockable objects such as vehicles and buildings, authorized entry and operation methods using door transmitters and receivers are widely employed to allow keyless entry and operation. Motorized components are used for the necessary movement of the mechanical locking mechanism.

[0002] These systems improve comfort during normal operation of the lockable object. However, these systems must also function in emergency situations (i.e., when the power supply to the locking system is depleted due to an accident or power failure). Therefore, an emergency battery is disclosed in the vehicle locking system proposed in PCT application WO 2016 / 177767 A1.

[0003] Although locking and / or unlocking are automatic, the doors are moved manually by pulling a handle or other means. The power provided by this emergency battery cannot power the power-intensive opening system (such as the automatic opening actuator).

[0004] If the power source (such as a car battery) is disconnected from the car, the system will fail to function if the door is opened using a traditional mechanical handle combined with a key and cylinder, as the emergency battery cannot provide the power required for such closing mechanisms, such as automatic door opening. For safety, it is essential that upcoming electric vehicles disconnect their main power supply in the event of a collision. Traditional cars sometimes also experience battery discharge or 12V battery failure. During a collision, the car should remain closed, but if the power is cut off, the electronic locks cannot be released. Furthermore, due to functional or design reasons, it is possible to incorporate handle-less closing mechanisms into other objects such as buildings, trains, etc.

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a locking device that can be used in applications where manual movement of the handle is not required and continues to operate even when the normal power supply is disconnected. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, at least one supercapacitor is provided to store energy for operating the locking device in an emergency. One or more supercapacitors are capable of storing high energy to unlock, release, and / or move movable closing mechanisms, such as doors of locked objects like buildings, trains, ships, and automobiles, over a period of one hour. The advantage of supercapacitors is that they can store high energy without being limited by load cycles and can provide large currents. Therefore, in addition to the locking or releasing function, supercapacitors can also provide additional drive for the opening action of the closing mechanism.

[0007] Advantageously, in an emergency, at least one supercapacitor is connected as a power source to the electronic control unit and / or drive unit to allow for emergency operation of the control and drive of the interlocking device.

[0008] Preferably, the at least one supercapacitor is located on a printed circuit board and / or within the housing of the control unit and / or drive unit. This arrangement allows for short conductive connections between the supercapacitor and the corresponding control unit and / or drive unit. Therefore, the risk of damage to this connection (i.e., an accident) is minimized. Furthermore, the short wires reduce resistance and the corresponding power loss.

[0009] For the same reason, it is also beneficial if the supercapacitor, control unit and drive unit are located on the same printed circuit board and / or in the same housing.

[0010] The movement of the closing mechanism of a door for a lockable object such as a building, train, ship, or automobile allows the closing mechanism to be positioned in an operating position, for example, where an operator can grasp the side or back of the closing mechanism to pull it open. Even in emergency situations, it is useful to close a vehicle by automatically controlling and actuating the locking action for protective reasons. Therefore, preferably, the electronic control unit controls the locking operation, and / or unlocking operation, and / or opening action, and / or closing action of the closing mechanism, and the drive unit actuates the locking operation, and / or unlocking operation, and / or opening action, and / or closing action of the closing mechanism.

[0011] To ensure that the supercapacitor can be fully charged and operational under any conditions, the at least one supercapacitor is connected to the charging contacts of a DC / DC converter and / or an AC / DC converter, which are connected to a conventional power source for the lockable object, preferably to a conventional battery or wire for the normal operation of the vehicle or closure mechanism.

[0012] If a lockable object, such as a train, ship, or car, has an ignition battery that starts the engine, the ignition battery is advantageously used as a conventional battery that charges at least one supercapacitor, since the ignition battery is typically charged by the engine during its operation and can charge at least one supercapacitor of the lockable object.

[0013] To control the charging process, it is best to provide a voltmeter to measure the voltage at the charging contacts of the supercapacitor.

[0014] If the voltage at the charging contacts is below a defined threshold, the low-power mode of the interlocking device, activated by the electronic control unit, ensures proper charging of at least one supercapacitor. This low-power mode extends runtime, during which an emergency function is activated in the event of a power outage. This runtime can be further extended if a separate emergency battery is provided for charging the supercapacitor.

[0015] Functional safety is further enhanced when the emergency battery is located on the printed circuit board and / or inside the housing of the control unit and / or drive unit. Short connection lines between the control unit and drive unit and the supercapacitor reduce the risk of failure and ensure the emergency function of the interlocking device.

[0016] Further improvements are achieved if the electronic control unit and / or drive unit and / or locking device are located above or inside the closing mechanism (preferably a door capable of locking objects). This location facilitates access to the locking device, i.e., for maintenance purposes.

[0017] Advantageously, a monitoring device for monitoring the status of the emergency battery and / or a manual operation for replacing the emergency battery are provided. Therefore, not only the charging status of at least one supercapacitor is monitored, but also the status of the emergency battery is monitored, and a warning can be issued if a potential malfunction is suspected.

[0018] The invention can be further enhanced by using an electronic control unit to automatically connect at least one supercapacitor to the emergency battery when the low-power mode is activated. Therefore, the emergency battery is not used during normal vehicle operation, but is activated when the power supply to the supercapacitor is interrupted.

[0019] Preferably, an electronic control unit (ECU) is used to control the charging mode of at least one supercapacitor. Therefore, the monitoring data from the ECU can be immediately used for charging control.

[0020] One method for controlling the charging of the at least one supercapacitor is to define two voltage thresholds for the charging mode in the electronic control unit, wherein the electronic control unit is used to initiate charging when the voltage at the supercapacitor is lower than the lower voltage threshold and to stop charging when the voltage at the supercapacitor exceeds the higher voltage threshold.

[0021] Brief description of the attached figures

[0022] Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the following figures.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the electrical arrangement according to the present invention is shown in particular.

[0024] Figure 2 It shows that according to Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an embodiment with an additional emergency battery.

[0025] Figure 3 A door where a locking device can be placed is shown; and

[0026] Figure 4 The image shows a car door where a locking device can be installed. Detailed Implementation

[0027] Figure 1 A locking device 1 is shown, comprising a motor 2, an electronic control unit 3 with a drive unit 4, and a supercapacitor bank 5. A conventional power source 7, i.e., a conventional battery 7a or a conventional power line 7b, is connected to the cylinder bank 5 of the supercapacitor bank 6 via a DC / DC converter or an AC / DC converter 8. Additional motors 2 may be provided as needed for releasing and / or actuating the door.

[0028] The control unit 3 is connected to input line 10 via input line 9. Input line 10 provides the DC / DC converter or AC / DC converter 8 with the power required for normal operation. The control unit 3 is connected to line 12, located between the DC / DC converter 8 and the supercapacitor bank 5, via input line 11.

[0029] The drive unit 4 is connected to the motor 2 via drive line 13, and the electronic control unit 3 is connected to the vehicle bus system (i.e., CAN bus) via bus 19. The electronic control unit 3 is connected to the DC / DC converter or AC / DC converter 8 via control line 14. In normal operation mode, the supercapacitor 6 is charged through the conventional power supply 7 and the DC / DC converter or AC / DC converter 8, which provides a suitable charging voltage.

[0030] The electronic control unit 3 can monitor the voltage of the conventional power supply 7 via input line 9. The electronic control unit 3 controls the DC / DC converter or AC / DC converter 8 via control line 14. The electronic control unit 3 monitors the charging voltage of the supercapacitor 6 via input line 11.

[0031] To optimize the use of the supercapacitor 6's capacity, the system proposed in this paper maintains a constant voltage across the capacitor bank 5. Even if the power supply to the conventional power source 7 is increased or decreased, the charge capacity of the supercapacitor 6 will remain unchanged. By cutting off the power supply, the control unit 3 enters an ultra-low power mode, allowing the supercapacitor 6 to retain most of its charge for extended periods.

[0032] The power is sufficient to support the operation of access control, authentication, unlocking, and driving motor 2 at least twice.

[0033] according to Figure 2 The embodiment shows an additional emergency battery 15, which is connected to a DC / DC converter or AC / DC converter 8 and monitored by the electronic control unit 3 via input line 16. This emergency battery 15 extends the operating time of the locking device 1 in the event of a collision with the conventional power supply 7 or prolonged periods of inactivity (e.g., one or several years). Furthermore, the emergency battery 15 can be replaced promptly because it is monitored, and the electronic control unit 3 can send messages to the vehicle operator / driver via bus 19.

[0034] When the entire locking device 1 or at least the battery holder is in a manually operable position, it is easy to replace the battery or obtain other service or repair operations. For example, as Figure 3 As shown, the locking device 1 is placed as follows: Figure 3 The placement of the door 17 shown, particularly within the housing 18 on the narrow side of the car door, is useful.

[0035] exist Figure 4 The same situation is shown in the building. The outline of a house wall 20 with a door 21 and a window 22 is shown, which has a housing for a locking device or at least a manually operable battery holder.

[0036] 1. Locking device

[0037] 2. Engine

[0038] 3. Electrical Control Unit

[0039] 4. Drive Unit

[0040] Group 5

[0041] 6. Supercapacitor

[0042] 7. Power supply

[0043] 7a. Conventional batteries

[0044] 7b. Power cord

[0045] 8. DC / DC converter or AC / DC converter

[0046] 9. Input line

[0047] 10. Input line

[0048] 11. Input line

[0049] 12. Line

[0050] 13. Drive line

[0051] 14. Control Line

[0052] 15. Emergency Battery

[0053] 16. Monitoring Line

[0054] 17. Door

[0055] 18. Shell

[0056] 19. Bus

[0057] 20. House walls

[0058] 21. Door

[0059] 22. Window

[0060] 23. Houses

Claims

1. A locking device (1) for locking and / or unlocking a movable closure mechanism in a lockable object, wherein the locking device (1) has an electronic control unit (3) and / or a drive unit (4) for controlling and / or driving the movable closure mechanism to move, characterized in that At least one supercapacitor (6) is provided for storing energy for operating the locking device (1) in an emergency; The electronic control unit (3) monitors the voltage of the conventional power supply (7) via the input line (9); The electronic control unit (3) enters an ultra-low power mode by cutting off the power supply; The at least one supercapacitor (6) is connected to a charging contact of a DC / DC converter and / or an AC / DC converter (8), the charging contact being connected to the conventional power supply (7) of the lockable object, the conventional power supply (7) being used to ensure the normal operation of the movable closing mechanism and / or the lockable object; When the voltage at the charging contact is lower than a preset threshold, the electronic control unit (3) is used to activate the low power mode of the locking device (1); A separate emergency battery (15) is provided for charging connection with the at least one supercapacitor (6), and the electronic control unit (3) is also used to automatically connect the at least one supercapacitor (6) to the emergency battery (15) when the low power mode is activated.

2. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one supercapacitor (6) serves as a power source connected to the electronic control unit (3) and / or the drive unit (4) in emergency situations.

3. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one supercapacitor (6) is located on a printed circuit board and / or inside the housing (18) of the electronic control unit (3) and / or the drive unit (4).

4. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The supercapacitor (6), the electronic control unit (3), and the drive unit (4) are located on the same printed circuit board and / or in the same housing (18).

5. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic control unit (3) controls the locking operation, and / or unlocking operation, and / or opening action, and / or closing action of the movable closing mechanism, and the drive unit (4) drives the locking operation, and / or unlocking operation, and / or opening action, and / or closing action of the movable closing mechanism.

6. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conventional power source (7) is the ignition battery of the engine of the lockable object.

7. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, A voltmeter is provided to measure the voltage at the charging contacts of the at least one supercapacitor (6).

8. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The emergency battery (15) is located on the printed circuit board and / or inside the housing (18) of the electronic control unit (3) and / or the drive unit (4).

9. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic control unit (3) and / or the drive unit (4) and / or the locking device (1) are located above or inside the closing mechanism.

10. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, Provide a monitoring device for monitoring the status of the emergency battery (15) and / or provide a manual operation for replacing the emergency battery (15).

11. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the low-power mode is activated, the electronic control unit (3) automatically connects the at least one supercapacitor (6) to the emergency battery (15).

12. The locking device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The charging mode of the at least one supercapacitor (6) is controlled by the electronic control unit (3).

13. The locking device (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that, The lower voltage threshold and the higher voltage threshold of the charging mode are defined in the electronic control unit (3), wherein the electronic control unit (3) is used to start charging when the voltage at the at least one supercapacitor (6) is lower than the lower voltage threshold, and to stop charging when the voltage at the at least one supercapacitor (6) is higher than the higher voltage threshold.

14. A movable closing mechanism, characterized in that, The movable closing mechanism includes a locking device (1) according to any one of claims 1-13.

15. A lockable object, characterized in that, The lockable object has a movable closing mechanism as described in claim 14.

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