Electromechanical locking device

Abstract

The invention relates to an energy-independent electromechanical locking device powered by a battery of a key and an electronic method of encrypting an unlocking password. The electromechanical locking device includes: an electronic key including a lever portion having a protruding member, a positive locking contact, and a negative locking contact, and a main body in which a power source and an electronic circuit board for storing an electronic password are disposed; and a lock. The lock includes a housing, a coupling mechanism, and an unlocking mechanism. The electric energy consumed by unlocking and locking is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electromechanical non-volatile locking device powered by a key battery having an electronic encoding of an unlocking code. Background Art

[0002] The electromechanical locking device disclosed in RU2416013 is known in the prior art. The electromechanical locking device comprises a lock and a key, the lock comprising a sleeve, an electronic control unit located in the sleeve, a tail and a coupling device equipped with an electric drive, the electric drive being located in the sleeve, wherein the sleeve is rotatably mounted on a lockable first part, the tail comprising an adapter for preventing the lockable second part from moving toward the first part, the control unit receiving electrical energy from the key and for generating an enabling signal to actuate the coupling device, which, when actuated, releasably couples the sleeve and the tail so that they are rotatably coupled.

[0003] The electromechanical device disclosed above has the following disadvantages:

[0004] - Operation and anchoring require a lot of power;

[0005] - Requires a constant power source to hold it open until the key is turned in the keyhole, at which point the key is mechanically locked by a special lock.

[0006] Furthermore, from the prior art, a combination of an electromechanical cylindrical lock and a key is known, as disclosed in RU 2270309. The known combination comprises a key for a lock having a mechanical locking code and a device for storing an electronic code and transmitting the electronic code to the lock, a rotating sleeve of the lock, a locking device enclosed in the lock housing and preventing the lock sleeve from rotating relative to the lock housing and which can be turned to a release position by the key, at least one special locking disk (without a connection between the locking disk and the key for direct transmission of mechanical forces), an identification and adjustment device for receiving and identifying the electronic code transmitted from the key, and a matable electric actuator. When the correct electronic key code is matched, the identification and adjustment device activates the electric actuator to guide the mating device to its mating position. The mating device comprises a rotatable mating element, which is configured to interact with a guide groove in a special locking disk comprising a guide surface, wherein the mating element is configured to act on the guide surface in its mating position and promote the rotation of the special locking disk when the key is turned in the lock.

[0007] The above disclosed electromechanical cylindrical lock and key combination has the following disadvantages:

[0008] - It takes two times of electricity to switch the locking mechanism from one stable state to another;

[0009] - This is an expensive solution as it requires the use of ultra-small electric motors or special magnet combinations. Summary of the invention

[0010] The object of the present invention is to create an electromechanical locking device which has two stable states, consumes the lowest power at the lowest cost and can be used in the locking mechanism of an electromechanical lock.

[0011] The technical result of the invention is a reduction in energy costs when opening and closing the lock.

[0012] The technical achievement is achieved because the electromechanical locking device includes an electronic key and a lock:

[0013] For electronic keys, these include:

[0014] - a tail having a protrusion, a negative contact and a positive contact;

[0015] - A housing in which the power supply and the electronic board for storing the electronic code are located.

[0016] For locks, this includes:

[0017] - a lock housing comprising a front bushing and a fixed inner bushing in which a rotary lock bushing is positioned, the rotary lock bushing comprising an entry portion and an end portion, wherein the negative contact and the positive contact of the lock are located in the entry portion, and the end portion is connected to the locking mechanism of the lock via a tang;

[0018] - a coupling mechanism, the coupling mechanism including a slider having a return spring, which is configured to transmit a force from a protrusion of the tail of the key to compress a trigger spring pin when the tail of the electronic key is inserted into the shaft of the fixed inner bushing, and fix the trigger spring pin using a locking mechanism;

[0019] - a lock opening mechanism, the lock opening mechanism comprising an electronic control board, which is configured to identify the electronic password of the electronic key and transmit a control signal to the electromagnet, the electromagnet being configured to, after identifying the electronic password of the electronic key, transmit a force to the end of the rotating bushing of the lock through the tang when the electronic key is rotated in the entrance portion of the rotating bushing of the lock, thereby transmitting the force to the locking mechanism; after the electromagnet acts on the locking mechanism, the force is transmitted to the end of the rotating bushing of the lock connected to the tang by moving the pin into the hole at the end of the rotating bushing of the lock, which causes the release of the trigger spring pin, wherein the slider and the pin are configured to return to their initial positions due to the accumulated energy of the return spring when the tail of the electronic key is removed from the shaft of the fixed inner bushing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The present invention will become more apparent from the non-limiting description provided with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show the following:

[0021] Figure 1 It is a longitudinal section view of an electromechanical cylindrical lock mechanism.

[0022] Figure 2 It is an image of a single-end electronic key.

[0023] 1 – fixed inner bushing; 2 – inlet section; 3 – front bushing; 4 – slide; 5 – trigger spring; 6 – locking mechanism; 7 – rotating bushing; 8 – pin; 9 – ball; 10 – separator; 11 – end; 12 – tang; 13 – electromagnet; 14 – housing; 15 – electronic control board; 16 – positive contact; 17 – stop pin. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The electromechanical locking device comprises an electronic key and a lock. The electronic key comprises a tail with a protrusion, a negative contact and a positive contact, and a housing where a power source and an electronic board for storing an electronic code are located.

[0025] The lock comprises a housing (14), a coupling mechanism and a lock-opening mechanism. The lock housing (14) comprises a front bushing (3) and a fixed inner bushing (1), wherein a rotary lock bushing (7) is positioned, the rotary lock bushing (7) comprising an entrance portion (2) and an end portion (11), wherein the negative and positive contacts (16) of the lock are located in the entrance portion (2), and the end portion (11) is connected to the locking mechanism of the lock via a tang (12).

[0026] The coupling mechanism includes a slider (4) having a return spring, which is configured to transmit the force from the protrusion of the tail of the key to compress the trigger spring (5) pin (8) when the tail of the electronic key is inserted into the shaft (cavity) of the fixed inner bushing (1), and fix the trigger spring (5) pin (8) using a locking mechanism (6).

[0027] The lock opening mechanism includes an electronic control board (15), which is configured to identify the electronic password of the electronic key and transmit a control signal to the electromagnet (13), and the electromagnet (13) is configured to transmit force to the end (11) of the lock's rotating bushing (7) through the tang (12) when the electronic key is rotated in the entrance part (2) of the lock's rotating bushing (7) after identifying the electronic password of the electronic key, and transmit the force to the locking mechanism; after the electromagnet (13) acts on the locking mechanism (6), the force is transmitted to the end (11) of the lock's rotating bushing (7) connected to the tang (12) by moving the pin (8) into the hole of the end (11) of the lock's rotating bushing (7), which causes the release of the trigger spring (5) pin (8), wherein the slider (4) and the pin (8) are configured to return to their original positions due to the accumulated energy of the return spring when the tail of the electronic key is removed from the shaft of the fixed inner bushing (1).

[0028] The operation of the claimed electromechanical locking device is as follows.

[0029] The tail of the electronic key is inserted into the shaft of the fixed inner bushing (1), wherein the protruding part of the tail of the electronic key is located in the entrance part (2) of the rotating bushing (7) of the lock, and the main body of the electronic key includes a main body with a size close to that of a standard car key and a special tail. After the electronic key is inserted into the shaft, the negative contact and the positive contact in the tail of the electronic key are closed with the positive power contact and the negative power contact (16) through the metal of the entrance part (2) of the rotating bushing (7) of the lock, for transmitting power and exchanging data between the electronic control board (15) and the electronic key board containing the electronic password.

[0030] When the electronic key is inserted into the shaft, the protrusion of the handle is coupled with the slider (4), resulting in the movement of the slider (4) with the return spring, which in turn compresses the trigger spring (5), transferring the force to the pin (8). The trigger spring (5) pin (8) is held by the locking mechanism (6), so that the locking mechanism (6) is tilted by the force of the inserted electronic key.

[0031] After the opposite polarity contacts of the key are closed with the opposite polarity contacts of the lock, the electronic key provides electrical energy to the electronic board (15) controlled by the lock to open the lock. The electronic board (15) controlled by the lock verifies the authenticity of the instruction. If the password solidified in the key electronic board matches, the control pulse signal is transmitted to the electromagnet (13), and the electromagnet (13) acts on the locking mechanism (6) to release the lock pin (8). Next, using the energy of the compressed trigger spring (5), the pin moves and enters the hole in the end (11) to transfer the force from the rotation of the lock bushing (7) to the end (11). The end (11) of the rotating bushing (7) of the lock is connected to the tang (12), thereby transferring the force from the rotation of the electronic key to the locking mechanism. In order to optimize the start-up time of the electromagnet (13) and control the operation of the locking mechanism (6), a position sensor of the locking mechanism (6) can be installed. The position of the end (11) of the lock's rotating bushing (7) relative to the pin (8) is synchronized due to the operation of the separator (10) equipped with the ball (9), when the ball (9) falls into a special groove in the end (11), thereby fixing its ideal position relative to the lock's rotating bushing (7).

[0032] Due to the position of the groove in the shaft, the fixed inner sleeve (1) of the lock and the protrusion at the tail of the electronic key in the entrance part (2) of the rotating sleeve (7) of the lock, and due to the presence of the locking mechanism (6), the electronic key can only be pulled out at one position of the rotating sleeve (7) of the lock, which ensures that the position of the hole in the end (11) of the rotating sleeve (7) of the lock is synchronized with the pin (8).

[0033] When the tail of the electronic key is removed from the input part (2) of the rotating bushing (7) of the lock, after the electronic key is turned to a position where it can be pulled out of the shaft of the fixed inner bushing (1) of the lock, the slider (4) moves to its initial position under the action of the return spring, and then the pin (8) returns to its initial position due to the action of its stop pin (17), the protruding part of the stop pin (17) cooperates with the groove of the slider (4), and at the same time the locking mechanism (6) is embedded in the groove of the pin (8) under the spring action of the electromagnet (13), which ensures that the pin (8) is fixed in the initial position. Fixing the pin (8) in its original position allows the locking mechanism to return to its original state.

[0034] The energy from the power source (battery) of the future electronic key is only used to transmit the force from the miniature low-power electromagnet controlled by the electronic board to the locking mechanism to decompress the trigger spring, thereby reducing the energy consumption when unlocking and locking. The energy consumed to activate the locking mechanism is very small. About 140 milliwatts, lasting 4-10 milliseconds.

[0035] After the locking mechanism is activated, the lock can remain unlocked for any period of time without consuming energy from the electronic key battery.

[0036] When the electronic key is removed from the shaft of the fixed inner bushing (1) of the lock, the locking mechanism returns to its original position due to the accumulated energy of the return spring, wherein the protrusion of the tail of the electronic key comes out of the inlet portion (2) of the rotating bushing (7) of the lock. Restoring the locking mechanism to its initial position does not consume battery power.

[0037] The design of the lever locking mechanism ensures that the tail of the electronic key cannot have a direct impact on the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism is only activated by the electromechanical automatic trigger mechanism.

[0038] The present invention has been disclosed above with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention. Other embodiments of the present invention that do not change its essence may be obvious to those skilled in the art, as disclosed in this specification. Therefore, the present invention should be regarded as limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electromechanical locking device, characterized in that: include: An electronic key, the electronic key comprising: - a tail having a protrusion, a negative contact and a positive contact; - a housing in which is located a power supply and an electronic board for storing an electronic code, and a lock, the lock comprising: - a lock housing comprising a front bushing and a fixed inner bushing in which a rotary lock bushing is positioned, the rotary lock bushing comprising an entry portion and an end portion, wherein the negative contact and the positive contact of the lock are located in the entry portion, and the end portion is connected to the locking mechanism of the lock via a tang; - a coupling mechanism including a slider having a return spring, which is configured to transmit a force from the protrusion of the tail of the key to compress a trigger spring pin when the tail of the electronic key is inserted into the shaft of the fixed inner bushing, and to fix the trigger spring pin using a locking mechanism; - a lock opening mechanism, the lock opening mechanism comprising an electronic control board, which is configured to identify the electronic password of the electronic key and transmit a control signal to the electromagnet, the electromagnet being configured to, after identifying the electronic password of the electronic key, transmit a force to the end of the rotating bushing of the lock through the tang when the electronic key is rotated in the entrance portion of the rotating bushing of the lock, thereby transmitting the force to the locking mechanism; after the electromagnet acts on the locking mechanism, the force is transmitted to the end of the rotating bushing of the lock connected to the tang by moving the pin into the hole at the end of the rotating bushing of the lock, which causes the release of the trigger spring pin, wherein the slider and the pin are configured to return to their initial positions due to the accumulated energy of the return spring when the tail of the electronic key is removed from the shaft of the fixed inner bushing.

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