Locking system with button lock and its assembly method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a locking system with a push-button lock and an assembly method thereof. The locking system has a button installed in an insertion housing and axially movable therein, and a plunger button connected to the insertion housing, which is located in a locking mechanism in a lock housing. A slide bolt installed in the lock housing can be moved back and forth between open and closed positions by using the button. In order to install the push-button lock on a furniture part, for simplicity, the insertion housing, the button and the plunger installed therein are in a common first structural unit, and the lock housing, the locking mechanism installed therein and the slide bolt are arranged in a common second structural unit. Then, in a first assembly step, the common first structural unit and the common second structural unit are positioned within an opening in a furniture part so as to be pushed into each other, and then clamped together by clamping screws so as to install the locking system in its use position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of locking systems, in particular to a locking system with a button lock and an assembling method thereof. Background Art

[0002] DE 41 24 499 A1 discloses a locking system with a push-button lock. In this push-button lock, a sliding bolt is moved back and forth between an open and closed position by a locking mechanism. A special feature of this mechanism is actuated by a push-button, which is guided in an insert housing and operated from the outside by a plunger through an opening in the furniture component to be locked into the locking mechanism located inside the component. The axial movement of the push-button is transmitted to the locking mechanism via the plunger. The locking mechanism converts the lifting motion acting on it into an opening or closing motion of the sliding bolt, which is transverse to the axial direction of the push-button movement.

[0003] A modified version of such a locking system with a push-button lock is known from document DE 102 34 273 A1.

[0004] Push-button locks are difficult to assemble; the button is stored in an insert housing which has to be inserted from the outside into an opening in the furniture component in order to close it; the lock housing in which the locking mechanism and the sliding bolt are located is then screwed onto the button, the plunger and / or the insert housing and adjusted; the lock housing is then additionally screwed onto the furniture component to which the locking system is attached; the button and / or the plunger still have to be adjusted into their final position so that in their final position they are each in a position in which the sliding bolt is also in its open or closed position.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to simplify the assembly of a locking system with a push-button lock. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention proposes a locking system with a button lock and an assembling method thereof.

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention solves the technical problem by the following technical solution: The proposed design of the locking system enables the assembly to be greatly simplified. By pre-assembling only the components required for the locking system in two separate units, they can be grasped with both hands during an assembly process and at least approximately pushed into each other during an insertion movement to their use positions on the furniture parts; after that, the two structural units are already firmly fixed in their mounting positions so that they no longer need to be further held or positioned, and then only tightening is carried out; the two structural units are respectively pressed against the surfaces of the furniture parts facing them through clamping screws, and high holding forces can be established through one or more clamping screws. The locking system is firmly held and anti-slip fixed in its use position through these clamping screws without taking further structural precautions and further assembly steps on the structural units.

[0008] To assemble the locking system, it is sufficient to remove the first unit from the outside, insert the opening of the furniture part to be closed or the second one provides assembly inside the opening of the furniture part, and then the second one pushes the assembly onto the first one along the contact surface or the first one is pushed onto the second one along the contact surface, so that the two structural units at least approximately overlap at least partially in their use positions, and then the two structural units in their use positions on the furniture part are clamped to each other through clamping screws to finally fix their positions. In order to be able to support, attachment surfaces are constructed on the first and second structural units, and the first and second structural units are supported in their use positions on the surfaces of the furniture part facing them through these attachment surfaces; when the clamping screw is tightened, it pulls the contact surface formed on the first structural unit onto the outer surface of the furniture part, and then the first structural unit is supported in its use position on the furniture part through the contact surface on the furniture part surface. When the force exerted by the adjusting screw acts on the support surface, the contact surface on the second structural unit is pressed against the inner surface of the furniture part, where the second structural unit is supported on the inner surface of the furniture part formed on the contact surface thereon. The assembly is thus simplified to pushing the two structural units onto each other and then performing a threaded connection through the clamping screws.

[0009] Through the proximity surface, the dimensional tolerances existing in the opening of the furniture part can also be bridged.

[0010] The opening of the furniture part is usually made by drilling or milled into the material. There may be bumps, the surface of the processed material, the material in the opening edge area is torn or broken, the opening is too large or the opening is not completely perpendicular to the insertion axis of the button lock in the furniture part. If the connection surface extends further in the direction transverse to the insertion axis of the button lock than required to cover a perfectly executed opening, the connection surface can cover the above processing defects, so that rework of the opening can avoid the situation of processing defects or even scrapping of the furniture part, which makes the button lock fault-tolerant.

[0011] Sometimes, the first structural unit has only one threaded hole and a corresponding through hole. Sometimes, the first structural unit has multiple threaded holes and multiple through holes arranged to match the relevant support surfaces, on which two structural units are then clamped together by several clamping screws screwed thereon. The clamping force generated by the multiple clamping screws can be distributed better and more evenly on the contact surfaces of the structural units and on the corresponding facing surfaces where the furniture parts contact the structural units.

[0012] The contact surfaces of the two structural units, along which they can be moved to at least partially overlapping use positions during the assembly process, are designed and arranged such that they extend precisely parallel to the insertion direction in which the two structural units are inserted into each other, or at least approach each other during the insertion movement. In the area where the contact surfaces intersect during the insertion movement, the contact surfaces can have inclined surfaces or chamfers inclined to the insertion direction so that the structural units can be moved more easily together when the structural units are slightly held and laterally offset from each other. The contact surfaces can be designed and arranged such that, through the common contact and the resulting frictional force, they preferably but not necessarily establish a self-locking effect on each other. Through this self-locking effect, the two structural units are held in the pushed-in position relative to each other, at least to the extent that they are locked during further assembly and no longer have to be held to prevent unnecessary and uncontrolled separation between one or both structural units.

[0013] Therefore, the assembler can release the structural units after they are pushed into each other and focus on the subsequent threaded connection. The readjustment of the buttons and / or plungers can also be omitted because the first structural unit can be assembled in such a way that the buttons and / or plungers are already in the end position during the assembly.

[0014] Depending on the thickness of the furniture equipped with the button lock, if the second structural unit is long enough, the overlapping part of the first structural unit and the second structural unit can be pushed into the insertion channel to different extents. Therefore, the button lock can be installed in furniture parts of different thicknesses without structural changes to the button lock for this purpose. The possibility of inserting the first structural unit into the second structural unit to different depths also makes it possible to compensate for minor differences in the thickness of the furniture parts. Since the clamping screws always pull the two units together until the connecting surfaces are firmly fixed on the relevant surfaces of the furniture parts, the button lock can always be assembled on the inner and outer surfaces of the furniture with a gapless unit system for the furniture parts. In this way, the button lock can also compensate for tolerances.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the contact surface holds two structural units together without clearance at least in some regions in the use position. If the contact surfaces in the use position are in contact with each other without clearance, at least in some regions, these two structural units can no longer move relative to each other; then these two structural units form a locking system that is firmly installed on the furniture part without clearance. When the sliding bolt is in the closed position, the furniture part is intended to be held in the closed position by the locking system and is easy to open to the open position when the sliding bolt is in the closed position.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one locking slider operatively connected to the plunger is formed on the first structural unit, and a catch is formed in the locking mechanism located in the second structural unit, which transfers the movement of the locking slider to the sliding bolt. When the plunger is moved in its axial direction by the button, the locking slider also moves in the same direction; for this purpose, the locking slider can be directly or via a coupling element connected to the plunger and / or the button. The locking slider is positioned so that it is in the use position of the two units in the area of the locking mechanism and in this way transfers its movement to one or more actuators, which transfer the movement of the locking slider to the sliding bolt. There can also be multiple locking sliders in the first structural unit, for example, on opposite sides of the push rod.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a pushing mechanism is integrated into the first structural unit. The pushing mechanism has an energy storage device that builds up a restoring force when the functional component (such as a button or a plunger) connected to it is closed. This force reaches the functional component through the lock when it reaches the end position. The energy storage device can, for example, consist of a spring or a pneumatic energy storage device. If the functional component is activated again, the lock is unlocked, and the energy storage device releases the driving force stored in it to move the bolt, the button, and / or the furniture part equipped with the locking system to the open position.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the movement of the functional component that actuates the pushing mechanism and acts on the energy storage device and / or the coupling element connected to it is guided via a connecting rod installed in the first structural unit. The first structural unit can be installed by integrating the background into it so that the entire movement control is within it; then the closing mechanism is simplified to convert the lifting movement of the button into the movement of the sliding bolt. Regarding the mechanism, the button, the plunger, and / or the locking slider can be positioned in the first structural unit so that it is in the end position during assembly, which simplifies the assembly and reduces / omits the adjustment work.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the second structural unit has an insertion channel, the side walls of which at least partially form a contact surface. The insertion channel defines a receiving space that, in the use position, accommodates the portion of the first structural unit that overlaps with the second structural unit in the use position. At least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the first structural unit located within the receiving space is designed as a contact surface. The contact surface is formed such that when the structural units are in the use position, the structural units are in contact with each other at least partially in a form-fitting manner. The receiving space formed in the insertion channel forms a three-dimensional boundary for the portion of the first structural unit inserted therein. Since the first structural unit is three-dimensionally fixed after being inserted, the first structural unit is reliably and firmly positioned relative to the second structural unit in the use position after assembly.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one receiving groove is formed in the insertion channel. In the use position, a locking slider is present in the channel, and the driver projects a button, a plunger, and / or the locking slider into the receiving groove at at least one end position. The receiving groove of the locking slider creates a space in which the bolt can slide when the button lock is axially operated. Since the driver projects the button, the plunger, and / or the locking slider into the receiving groove at at least one end position, it can be easily driven during the axial movement of the locking slider. It can be easily brought into the receiving groove during the axial movement of the locking slider. The portion of the first structural unit that overlaps with the two structural units within it does not move in the receiving space. When the actuating button is moved in the axial direction, only the locking slider in the receiving groove must move in the actuating direction in order to transmit the movement of the button to the sliding bolt through the driver.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the insertion channel and the portion of the first structural unit that is received by the insertion channel in the use position each have a non-rotationally symmetric cross-sectional shape; due to their non-rotationally symmetric shapes, the first structural unit cannot be twisted in the insertion channel so that the two structural units remain in a fixed position relative to each other in their use positions.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the adapter element is inserted into the space between one or more attachment surfaces and the surface of the furniture component facing these attachment surfaces. Regarding the adapter element, if the maximum insertion depth is not sufficient to make the connection surface of the structural unit lie flat in the insertion channel of the second structural unit, the length difference between the thinner furniture component and the maximum insertion depth of the component of the first structural unit in the insertion channel of the second structural unit can be compensated. The surface of the furniture component is fixed by a clamping screw; the outer peripheral shape of the adapter element can be adapted to the outer periphery of the first and / or second structural unit such that they are visually unobtrusive in the use position. Description of the Drawings

[0023] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and be readily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0024] Figure 1 For the assembly of the locking system as viewed from the outside of the furniture component;

[0025] Figure 2 For from Figure 1 The interior of the furniture component in the assembled condition shown.

[0026] Reference numerals:

[0027] 2-button lock; 4 first structural unit; 6 second structural unit; 8 furniture component; 10 opening; 12 insertion housing; 14 button; 16 plunger; 18 control slider; 20 lock housing; 22 sliding bolt; 24 contact surface; 26 insertion channel; 28 receiving space; 29 attachment surface; 30 first part; 32 receiving groove; 34 threaded hole; 36 through hole; 38 support surface; 40 clamping screw; 42 driver. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0028] This section will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. The role of the drawings is to supplement the description in the text part of the specification, enabling people to intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of the present invention, but it cannot be understood as a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality of" is more than two. Understandings such as "greater than", "less than", and "exceeding" do not include the present number, and understandings such as "above", "below", and "within" include the present number. If there is a description of "first" and "second", it is only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the sequence relationship of the indicated technical features.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that for orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., the orientation or position relationship indicated is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0031] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as "arranged", "installed", "connected", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; they can be fixedly connected, or detachably connected, and can also be integrally formed; they can be mechanically connected; they can be the communication inside two components or the interaction relationship between two components. Those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0032] Figure 1 shows the assembly of the locking system composed of the button lock 2 as seen from the outside of the furniture part 8; in this embodiment, the button lock 2 is composed of a first structural unit 4 and a second structural unit 6. The furniture part 8 can be, for example, a flap of a cabinet compartment, a cabinet door, etc. The furniture part 8 has an opening 10, and the button lock 2 passes through the opening 10 during assembly.

[0033] The components of the first structural unit 4 are at least an insertion housing 12, a button 14, a plunger 16, and a locking slider 18. With the insertion housing 12, the first structural unit 4 is inserted into the opening 10. The shape of the insertion housing 12 corresponds to the shape of the opening 10, so that the first structural unit 4 is precisely and fittingly held in the furniture part 8.

[0034] The button 14, the plunger 16, and the control slider 18 are axially movably held in the insertion housing 12, which is indicated by a double arrow. To lock the furniture part 8, the button 14 is pressed to move the slide bolt 22, as shown in the figure. Figure 1 The lock body 20 in Figure 1 is pulled into the lock housing 20 in its open position to move from the open position to the closed position. In this closed position, the slide bolt 22 at least partially protrudes from the lock housing 20 in a direction. The slide bolt 22 moves in a plane extending in a direction transverse to the axial movement of the button 14; the lock housing 20 contains a locking mechanism (not shown) and the slide bolt 22. The movement plane of the slide bolt 22 is also indicated by a double arrow.

[0035] If the button lock 2 is provided with a push-open function, the button 14 is pressed against the force of an energy storage device (not shown in detail in the figure) during the locking of the button lock 2 until the slide bolt 22 is in its closed position, and is held in its depressed position by a connecting rod (not shown in detail in the figure) when the slide bolt 22 is in its closed position. If the furniture part 8 is opened again, for this purpose, the slide bolt 22 will move to its open position, first pressing the button 14 again into an overtravel distance until the energy accumulator, and then pressing the plunger 16 outwards with the button 14 while the slide bolt 22 moves from the closed position to the open position.

[0036] In the second structural unit 6, there is an insertion channel 26 with a receiving space 28. For assembling the button lock 2, the component 30 of the first structural unit 4 will be inserted into the insertion channel. The first structural unit 4, in the region of the first part 30, faces the receiving space 28 through the contact surface 24 on its outer circumferential surface and the upper surface of the insertion channel 26. The first and second structural units 4, 6 are in contact on the contact surface 24; in this embodiment, when the first and second structural units 4, 6 overlap in the region of the first part 30, the first and second structural units 4, 6 are in their use positions; depending on the thickness of the furniture component 8 in the region of the button lock 2, if the insertion channel is long enough, the first structural unit 4 with the first part 30 can be pushed into the insertion channel 26 at different depths. Thus, if the first and second structural units 4, 6 have the first part 30, the first and second structural units 4, 6 can be used in furniture components 8 with different thicknesses, such as 12 mm, 14.5 mm, 16 mm, or 20 mm, without any structural adjustment, and the insertion channel 26 is suitable for this size.

[0037] To adapt to the specific thickness dimension of the furniture component 8, adapter elements such as annular washers (not shown in the figure) can also be inserted into the space between the connection surface 29 and the furniture component 8. The surface of the furniture component 8 facing the first and second structural units 4, 6 and its attachment surface 29. If the first structural unit 4 has been pushed into the insertion channel 26 with the receiving space 28, the first and second structural units 4, 6 are held together without gaps through the contact surface 24; then, in the exemplary embodiment, a circumferential flange with an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the opening 10 is formed on the shoulder surface 29a of the first structural unit 4 and is also located on the outer surface of the furniture component 8 surrounding the opening 10, while in the exemplary embodiment, the attachment surface 29b formed as the bottom surface of the lock housing 20 on the second structural unit 6 rests on the inner surface of the furniture component 8 surrounding the opening 10.

[0038] In the insertion channel 26, receiving grooves 32 are also formed on opposite sides. When the button lock 2 is assembled, the control slider 18 enters the receiving grooves 32. At at least one end position of the button 14, the plunger 16, and / or the locking slider 18, the driver 42 extends into the receiving grooves 32. The final position can be the open position or the closed position where the button 14, the plunger 16, and / or the locking slider 18 are located. If the button 14, the plunger 16, and / or the bolt slider 18 move in one direction, they drive the driver 42 to move the sliding bolt 22 through it.

[0039] Figure 2 Shown in the view from the interior of the furniture component 8 Figure 1The assembled situation shown in [figure reference] (not provided in the original text, assumed to be a specific figure). In this view, two threaded holes 34 in the first structural unit 4 can be seen. There are also two through holes 36 in the second structural unit 6 that are aligned with the threaded holes 34. A support surface 38 is formed in the mouth region of the through holes 36. The screw head of the clamping screw 40 is located on the support surface 38, which can support the clamping screw 40. When the clamping screw 40 is screwed into the threaded hole 34, the first and second structural units 4 and 6 are clamped together and held in their use positions.

[0040] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make equivalent deformations or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these equivalent deformations and substitutions are all included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A locking system with a button lock, having a button (14) mounted in and axially movable within an insertion housing (12) and a plunger (16) connected to the button (14) acting on a locking mechanism provided in a lock housing (20), a slide bolt (22) mounted in the lock housing (20) being movable back and forth between an open and a closed position by means of the locking mechanism, characterized in that: The insertion housing (12), the button (14) and the plunger (16) installed therein form a common first structural unit (4), and the lock housing (20) with a locking mechanism and a sliding bolt (22) forms a common second structural unit (6). Attachment surfaces (29a, 29b) are formed on the first and second structural units (4, 6). The first and second structural units (4, 6) are supported on the surfaces (8a, 8b) of the furniture part (8) facing them through the attachment surfaces (29a, 29b). Complementary contact surfaces (24) are formed on the first and second structural units (4, 6). During the assembly process, the first and second structural units (4, 6) can move along the contact surfaces (24) to a use position where they at least partially overlap. At least one threaded hole (34) is provided on the first structural unit (4), and at least one through hole (36) is provided on the second structural unit (6), which is positioned to match the threaded hole (34). A support surface (38) is formed on the side away from the first structural unit (4). The first and second structural units (4, 6) are held clamped together in the use position by at least one threaded hole (34) and at least one support surface (38) through a clamping screw (40). The clamping screw (40) is screwed into the threaded hole (34) and supported on the support surface (38). The second structural unit (6) has an insertion channel (26), the side walls of which form the contact surface (24) at least in a region. The insertion channel (26) defines a receiving space (28), which accommodates a first part (30) of the first structural unit (4) in the use position. The first and second structural units (4, 6) overlap with the first part (30) in their use position. The peripheral surface of the first part (30) is located in the receiving space (28). The first structural unit (4) is at least partially designed as the contact surface (24), and the contact surface (24) is formed on the first structural unit (4). When the first and second structural units (4, 6) are in the use position, the first and second structural units (4, 6) are in contact with each other at least partially in a form - fit manner.

2. The locking system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The contact surface (24) holds the first and second structural units (4, 6) together in the use position, with no play at least in some regions.

3. The locking system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, At least one locking slider (18) operatively connected to the plunger (16) is formed on the first structural unit (4), and a driver (42) is formed in the second structural unit (6) in the locking mechanism, which transfers the movement of the locking slider (18) to the sliding bolt (22).

4. The locking system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A pushing - away mechanism is integrated into the first structural unit (4).

5. The locking system according to claim 4, wherein The movement of the functional part that actuates the pushing - away mechanism and acts on the accumulator and / or the coupling element connected thereto is guided in the first structural unit (4) via the installed connecting rod.

6. The locking system according to claim 1, characterized in that At least one receiving groove (32) is formed in the insertion channel (26), and when the first and second structural units (4, 6) are locked, the locking slider (18) is located in the receiving groove (32) in the use position, and the driver (42) extends into the receiving groove (32) at at least one end position of the button (14), the plunger (16) and / or the locking slider (18).

7. The locking system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The insertion channel (26) and the first part (30) of the first structural unit (4) are received by the insertion channel (26) in the use position of the structure, and the first and second structural units (4, 6) each have a non-rotationally symmetric cross-sectional shape.

8. The locking system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The adapter element is inserted into the space between one or more attachment surfaces (29) and the surfaces (8a, 8b) of the furniture part (8) facing these attachment surfaces.

9. A method for assembling a locking system with a button lock, characterized in that, In this method, a locking system having the features of any one of claims 1 to 8 is installed, wherein in a first assembly step, a common first structural unit (4) has an insertion housing (12), a button (14) and a plunger (16) mounted therein, and a common second structural unit (6) having a lock housing (20), a locking mechanism and a sliding bolt (22) mounted therein. The combination of the furniture parts (8) is pushed into each other through the opening (10) and then fixed together by a clamping screw (40) to install the locking system in its use position.

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