Joint lever lock

Abstract

The invention relates to a joint lever lock, in particular for a two-wheeled vehicle, comprising a lock body and a joint lever arrangement having a plurality of joint levers which are connected to one another in an articulated manner, the lock body and / or the joint levers being provided, in each case, at least in some regions with a hard coating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a joined bar lock, particularly for two-wheeled vehicles, comprising a lock body and a joining bar assembly having a plurality of joining bars that are hinged together. Background Technology

[0002] This type of interlocking lever lock (sometimes also called a folding lock) is well-known. It can fold together in a compact manner and already offers a high level of breakage resistance due to its rigid interlocking lever. Further improvements in breakage resistance can be achieved, for example, by configuring the interlocking lever with a larger cross-section. However, this inevitably leads to a larger design and increased weight for the interlocking lever lock, which is particularly undesirable for mobile applications, such as if the interlocking lever lock is configured as a two-wheeled interlocking lever lock that should be easily portable. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a locking lever that offers increased security while maintaining the lowest possible weight to prevent breakage.

[0004] This objective is achieved by an engagement rod lock having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention arise from the dependent claims, this specification, and the drawings.

[0005] The locking lever according to the invention includes a lock body and a locking lever assembly having a plurality of locking levers connected to each other in a hinged manner, wherein the lock body and / or locking levers are at least partially provided with a hard coating in various cases.

[0006] Hard coatings help to better prevent attacks on interlocking bar locks, especially those using cutting tools such as angle grinders. More precisely, hard coatings ensure that the time required to cut the interlocking bar or the lock body with an angle grinder is significantly increased, which in many cases makes breaking attempts unattractive from the outset, or at least prolongs them to the point where the risk of being caught during the attempt is significantly increased. Meanwhile, hard coatings add only a slight amount of weight to the interlocking bar lock, thus achieving, overall, greater breakage resistance at a nearly constant weight. Hard coatings further prove advantageous because a thinner protective coating can be used to protect the surface of objects secured by interlocking bar locks (such as two-wheeled vehicles) from damage (especially scratches) than, for example, by welding on armor.

[0007] A hard coating can cover the entire outer surface of the engagement bar lock. However, for effective protection, it is usually sufficient to apply the hard coating only locally, especially in those surface areas of the engagement bar lock that are preferentially attacked by cutting tools.

[0008] The engagement lever lock can be specifically configured for use on two-wheeled vehicles. Within the scope of this invention, a two-wheeled vehicle can be a muscle-driven two-wheeled vehicle, an electric two-wheeled vehicle, and / or a two-wheeled vehicle including an internal combustion engine drive. It should be understood that the use of the engagement lever lock according to the invention is not limited to two-wheeled vehicles.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the lock body includes a lock housing formed of hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, and a hard coating is applied to the lock housing. The hardened metal or hardened alloy can be a material that has both high chemical resistance (especially corrosion resistance) and high mechanical load-bearing capacity. This material can be, in particular, hardened steel.

[0010] According to another embodiment, the lock body includes at least one additional reinforcing element, which is specifically formed of hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, and a hard coating is applied to the at least one additional reinforcing element. The combination of the additional reinforcing element and the hard coating formed thereon further increases the security against breakage.

[0011] According to another embodiment, each engaging rod includes a core formed of hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, and the hard coating is applied to the core. This hardened metal or hardened metal alloy can be the same material used in the lock case, such as hardened steel. However, in principle, different materials are also conceivable.

[0012] According to another embodiment, a hard coating is applied to the entire outer surface of the connecting rod assembly, particularly including the hinge points between adjacent connecting rods.

[0013] In this respect, the end sections of the engagement rod assembly used to connect to the lock body can remain uncoated. These end sections are used to connect the engagement rod assembly to the lock body, and in the closed state of the engagement rod lock, these end sections are housed within the lock body and are therefore inaccessible from the outside. It should be understood that, for optimal protection, the area of ​​the uncoated end sections should be kept to a minimum, ideally so that no gaps that could be exploited in the hard coating are left.

[0014] In principle, providing a hard coating only in externally accessible areas of the lock housing and / or engagement rod is sufficient to achieve the optimal trade-off between cost-effectiveness in manufacturing engagement rod locks and security against breakage. The inner surface of the lock housing does not necessarily require an additional hard coating. However, in principle, hard coatings should be provided for both the outer and inner surfaces of the lock housing in all conceivable ways. A variation in which only the inner surface of the lock housing is hard-coated is also conceivable.

[0015] According to another embodiment, the hard coating is disposed in at least one reduced-thickness central region of the connecting rod, the central region extending specifically along the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod. If the arrangement of the hard coating is confined to the reduced-thickness central region, the security against breakage can be increased without increasing the maximum external dimensions of the connecting rod. In this way, despite the increased security against breakage, the compact design of the connecting rod lock can be maintained. According to one embodiment, the reduced-thickness central region (i.e., the recess) can be formed on the opposing surfaces of the connecting rod, such as the upper and lower sides, in various cases, and can be provided with the hard coating.

[0016] According to another embodiment, the hard coating is not provided on the end sections of the connecting rods, particularly not in the areas where disc-shaped or annular spacers are arranged between two adjacent connecting rods in various cases. This facilitates easy movement of the hinged joint and thus contributes to good overall control of the connecting rod lock, especially if the hard coating has a certain degree of roughness. It should be understood that, for optimal protection, the area of ​​the uncoated end sections is also kept to a minimum, ideally leaving no gaps in the hard coating that could be used for attack. Therefore, optimal protection is also provided in the areas of the connecting rods, for example, in the case of rivets, particularly rivet heads, where the connecting element that joins adjacent connecting rods to each other can have a hard coating.

[0017] To better prevent breakage, disc-shaped or annular spacers (particularly formed of hardened metal or hardened metal alloys and, in various cases, arranged between two adjacent connecting rods) may have side surfaces at least partially covered with a hard coating.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the hard coating comprises a plurality of grains of at least one hard material selected from the group consisting of diamond, diamond-like carbon, diamond-like carbon layer (DLC), carbon modifiers having crystalline and amorphous regions, hexagonal carbon, metal carbides, boron carbide (B4C), tantalum carbide (TaC), titanium carbide (TiC), vanadium carbide (VC), silicon carbide (SiC), metal oxides, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), metal nitrides, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), chromium carbonitride (CrCN), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and / or boron nitride, wherein the diamond is particularly synthetic diamond, the metal carbide is particularly tungsten carbide (WC), the metal oxide is particularly alumina, particularly preferably alumina in modified corundum, and the boron nitride is particularly cubic boron nitride.

[0019] In this respect, hard material grains can be embedded in a metal-containing matrix. The matrix may include a metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, tantalum, titanium, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, and silicon. Furthermore, hard material grains can be embedded in a matrix as an alloy and / or intermetallic phase. If the matrix includes an alloy and / or intermetallic phase, the components may be selected from the group consisting of nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, titanium, tantalum, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, boron, silicon, carbon, and magnesium.

[0020] Hard material grains can have grain sizes ranging from 20 mesh to 80 mesh (0.841 mm to 0.177 mm).

[0021] The hard coating can be applied to the lock housing and / or the connecting rod by means of sintering, welding (especially brazing), welding (especially laser welding), powder metallurgy, 3D printing, chemical or physical vapor deposition, or electroplating.

[0022] To protect the hard coating from, for example, corrosion and / or to improve adhesion of the hard coating to the base component, an electroplating coating may also be applied to the hard coating. The electroplating coating may be formed from a microcrystalline aggregated structure of a metal, metal alloy, or intermetallic phase, wherein the metal, metal alloy, or intermetallic phase is particularly selected from the group consisting of nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, titanium, tantalum, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, boron, silicon, carbon, and magnesium.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the hard coating is formed as a single layer. Alternatively or additionally, the hard coating may be formed at least partially as multiple layers. In this respect, at least two layers of a multilayer hard coating may have different properties.

[0024] The first property may include the material that forms the hard material grains. The second property may include the chemical composition of the matrix in which the hard material grains are embedded. The third property may relate to the grain size of the hard material grains embedded in the matrix.

[0025] When hard material grains of the same grain size are mentioned below, it means that the grain size of the hard material grains is uniform within the framework of commercially available particle size distributions. Hard material grains with uniform grain size can be used within a single layer of a hard coating.

[0026] Optionally, at least two different grain sizes of hard material can be used within a single layer of the hard coating, such that smaller grains occupy the free space between larger grains. Grains of different sizes can be arranged in multiple layers of the hard coating. For example, the grain size can increase from the bottom layer through one or more intermediate layers to the top layer. Optionally, the grain size can decrease from the bottom layer through one or more intermediate layers to the top layer. Furthermore, the grain size can vary in different layers and can have large and small grains alternating from the bottom layer through one or more intermediate layers to the top layer. Additionally, a gradient of increasing or decreasing grain size can exist within a single layer.

[0027] The fourth property may relate to the average distance between two adjacent hard material grains arranged relative to each other. The distance between two adjacent hard material grains is defined as the shortest possible straight line between a surface point of one hard material grain and a surface point of another hard material grain. The average distance is generated by the arithmetic mean of the distances between at least 10 different hard material grains and their adjacent hard material grains. The average distance between two adjacent hard material grains can be in the range of 0 to 1 mm, preferably in the range of 0 to 0.5 mm, and particularly preferably in the range of 0 to 0.250 mm.

[0028] A fifth property may include the thickness of the hard coating layer. Herein, the layer thickness is defined as the average thickness of the matrix forming the layer. The layer thickness can range from 10 μm to 1 mm, preferably from 50 μm to 800 μm, and particularly preferably from 75 μm to 500 μm. The grain size of the hard material grains can be smaller than the layer thickness of the matrix surrounding the hard material grains. However, the grain size of at least some of the hard material grains present in the layer may also be larger than the layer thickness of the matrix surrounding the hard material grains.

[0029] The sixth property can relate to the structural arrangement of the hard coating layers. For example, the hard coating layers do not need to cover a continuous surface, but can be formed in the form of spaced-apart lines or strips or spaced-apart polygons (e.g., triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, or hexagons).

[0030] According to one embodiment, the hard coating can be applied to the lock housing and / or the connecting rod by means of sintering, welding (especially brazing), welding (especially laser welding), powder metallurgy, 3D printing, chemical or physical vapor deposition, or electroplating processes.

[0031] According to another embodiment, the lock body and / or the engaging rod may be additionally provided with a protective coating made of a polymer (e.g., an elastomer, and particularly rubber), which protects the surface of the object to be secured by the engaging rod lock (e.g., a two-wheeled vehicle) from damage, particularly scratches. The protective coating may have a maximum thickness of 3 mm and / or may be formed with different thicknesses in different areas of the engaging rod lock. For example, the thickness of the protective coating on the flat side of the engaging rod may not exceed 1 mm, while on the narrow side of the engaging rod, the thickness of the protective coating may reach 2 mm. Attached Figure Description

[0032] The invention will now be explained by way of example only, with reference to possible implementation methods and accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of a connecting rod lock with a connecting rod device; Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of the connecting rod device; Figure 3 yes Figure 1 and Figure 2 An exploded view of the two connecting rods of the connecting rod device and the hinge assembly that connects them. Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of a joint bar with a single-layer hard coating; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 An enlarged cross-sectional view of a single-layer hard coating; Figure 6 It is a cross-sectional view of a double-layer hard coating; and Figure 7 It is a cross-sectional view of a double-layer hard coating with an additional electroplated coating.

[0034] List of reference numerals

[0035] 11 Connecting rod device

[0036] 13 Connecting rod lock

[0037] 15 Lock body

[0038] 17 Lock Housing

[0039] 19 Locking mechanisms

[0040] 21 keys

[0041] 23 Connecting rod

[0042] 25 Hinged joint

[0043] 27 First end section

[0044] 29 Second end section

[0045] 31 First connecting rod

[0046] 33 Last connecting rod

[0047] 35 Vertical edge

[0048] 37 Central Region

[0049] 41 Rivet Components

[0050] 43 disk components

[0051] 45 opening

[0052] 47 flat sections

[0053] 49 Flange Section

[0054] 51 locking recess

[0055] 59 latch recess

[0056] 60 cores

[0057] 61 Hard Coating

[0058] 63 substrate

[0059] 65 Hard Material Grain

[0060] 67 Electroplating Coating

[0061] L Longitudinal range

[0062] Q Horizontal range

[0063] G joint axis Detailed Implementation

[0064] exist Figure 1 The image shows a lever lock 13 according to the present invention, which includes a lever assembly 11 and a lock body 15. The lock body 15 includes a lock housing 17 and a locking mechanism 19, which is housed in the lock housing 17 and is capable of unlocking and locking the lever lock 13 by means of a key 21.

[0065] Figure 2A connecting rod assembly 11 without the lock body 15 is shown. The connecting rod assembly 11 includes a plurality of connecting rods 23 articulated together by hinge joints 25, each extending longitudinally from a first end section 27 to a second end section 29. Specifically, the connecting rod assembly 11 includes a first connecting rod 31, a final connecting rod 33, and four connecting rods 23 connected in series therebetween. The first connecting rod 31 is permanently anchored in the lock body 15 via its first end section 27. At its second end section 29, the final connecting rod 33 has a latching recess 59 and a locking recess 51, the latching recess 59 being latchable into the lock body 15, and the latch of the locking mechanism 19 engaging with the locking recess 51 for locking the connecting rod lock 13.

[0066] Each joint bar has a reinforced longitudinal edge 35 that extends continuously over the entire longitudinal range L of the joint bar, thereby defining a central region 37 with reduced thickness on the upper and lower sides of the joint bar.

[0067] Figure 3 The structure of a hinge joint 25 between two adjacent connecting rods 23 is shown. Specifically, the hinge joint 25 is used to connect a first end section 27 of one connecting rod 23 to a second end section 29 of another connecting rod 23. The hinge joint 25 includes a rivet element 41 guided through an opening concentrically arranged vertically about the joint axis G, and includes a first opening 39 of one connecting rod 23, an opening 45 of a disc element 43, and a second opening 39 of the other connecting rod 23, thus creating a pivotable connection between the connecting rods 23. The disc element 43, disposed between the connecting rods 23, extends radially outward near its opening 45, first having a flange section 49 thickened on both sides, and nearby a flat section 47 with decreasing thickness. The flange section 49, in its diameter and its total thickness as viewed from both sides, is adapted to the free space formed by the central region 37 of the connecting rod with decreasing thickness. The flat surfaces of the flat section 47 rest against the thickened longitudinal edge 35 of the connecting rod 23. The rivet element 41 has a basic cylindrical shape, with its ends configured as rivet buttons, and has an extended diameter relative to the middle part of the rivet element.

[0068] Figure 4 A cross-section of the connecting rod 23 is shown. As described above, the reinforced longitudinal edges 35 extend beyond the height of the reduced-thickness central region 37 on both sides, so that the core 60 of the connecting rod 23 has an H-shaped or bone-shaped cross-section over substantially the entire length of the connecting rod 23 in this embodiment.

[0069] In addition, the hard coating 61 is applied to the bonding rod 23 by means of material bonding (e.g., by sintering, soldering (especially brazing), welding (especially laser welding), powder metallurgy, 3D printing, chemical or physical vapor deposition or electroplating processes).

[0070] In the illustrated embodiment, the hard coating 61 is applied only to the surface of the reduced-thickness central region 37 of each connecting rod 23. Alternatively, in cross-section, the hard coating 61 may also completely cover the connecting rod 23, and therefore may be applied not only in the reduced-thickness central region 37, but also on the reinforced longitudinal edge 35.

[0071] Hard coating 61 extends almost the entire length of the connecting rod 23; only the end sections 27 and 29 lack hard coating 61. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The outer surface of the lock housing 17 is also provided with such a hard coating 61. Figure 1 The same applies to the head of the rivet element 41 and the radial outer surface of the disc element 43.

[0072] The hard coating 61 comprises a plurality of grains 65 embedded in a metal matrix 63 of one or more hard materials selected from the group consisting of diamond, diamond-like carbon, diamond-like carbon layer (DLC), carbon modifiers having crystalline and amorphous regions, hexagonal carbon, metal carbides, boron carbide (B4C), tantalum carbide (TaC), titanium carbide (TiC), vanadium carbide (VC), silicon carbide (SiC), metal oxides, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), metal nitrides, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), chromium carbonitride (CrCN), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and / or boron nitride, wherein the diamond is particularly synthetic diamond, the metal carbide is particularly tungsten carbide (WC), the metal oxide is particularly alumina, particularly preferably alumina in modified corundum, and the boron nitride is particularly cubic boron nitride. The hard material grain 65 can, for example, have a grain size of 20 mesh to 80 mesh (0.841 mm to 0.177 mm).

[0073] The matrix 63 itself may contain a metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, tantalum, titanium, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, and silicon. Furthermore, the matrix 63 may exist in the form of an alloy and / or intermetallic phase. If the matrix includes an alloy and / or intermetallic phase, the components may be selected from the group consisting of nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, titanium, tantalum, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, boron, silicon, carbon, and magnesium.

[0074] The hard coating 61 used in the aforementioned connecting rod lock 13 can be formed as one or more layers. For example, the hard coating 61 can be formed from a layer of matrix 63, wherein only one type of hard material grains 65 are embedded, namely hard material grains 65 of the same material and at least substantially the same size.

[0075] In contrast, Figure 5 The diagram shows a single-layer hard coating 61, which is a mixture of hard material grains 65 of different sizes. In this respect, a first number of hard material grains 65 are completely embedded in the matrix 63, while a second number of hard material grains 65 are only partially embedded in the matrix 63 of the hard coating and partially protrude from the matrix 63, thereby giving the hard coating 61 a certain surface roughness.

[0076] In addition, Figure 6 The diagram illustrates a double-layer hard coating 61, comprising a lower layer of a first substrate 63 in which smaller hard material grains 65, completely surrounded by the first substrate 63, are disposed. Furthermore, the hard coating 61 comprises an upper layer of a second substrate 63 in which larger hard material grains 65 are disposed, some of which are completely surrounded by the second substrate 63, and some of which protrude from the substrate 63.

[0077] In comparison, Figure 7 The diagram shows a double-layer hard coating 61, which includes a lower layer of a first substrate 63 and an upper layer of a second substrate 63, with larger hard material grains 65 disposed in the lower layer of the first substrate 63 and smaller hard material grains 65 disposed in the upper layer of the second substrate 63.

[0078] In addition, the hard coating 61 is covered with an electroplated coating 67, which is formed by the structure of interconnected microcrystals of metal or metal alloy that has been hardened, and provides corrosion protection for the underlying material.

[0079] Finally, the engagement rod lock 13 may be at least partially covered with a protective coating (not shown) made of a polymer (e.g., an elastomer, particularly rubber) to protect the object to be secured by the engagement rod lock 13 (e.g., a two-wheeled vehicle) from surface damage, particularly scratches.

Claims

1. A linkage lock (13), specifically for a two-wheeled vehicle, the linkage lock comprising a lock body and a linkage assembly (11), the linkage assembly (11) having a plurality of linkages (23) hinged to each other, wherein, The lock body (15) and / or the engagement rod are, in various cases, at least partially, provided with a hard coating (61).

2. The connecting rod lock (13) according to claim 1. in, The lock body (15) includes a lock housing (17) formed of hardened metal or hardened metal alloy, and the hard coating (61) is applied to the lock housing (17).

3. The connecting rod lock (13) according to claim 1 or 2. in, The lock body (15) includes at least one additional reinforcing element, which is specifically formed of hardened metal or hardened metal alloy, and the hard coating (61) is applied to the at least one additional reinforcing element.

4. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, Each connecting rod (23) includes a core (60) formed of hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, and the hard coating (61) is applied to the core (60).

5. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, The hard coating (61) is applied to the entire outer surface of the connecting rod device (11).

6. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, The hard coating (61) is applied only to the externally accessible areas of the lock housing (17) and / or the engagement rod (23).

7. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, The hard coating (61) is disposed in at least one reduced thickness central region (37) of the connecting rod (23), the central region (37) extending particularly along the longitudinal direction of the connecting rod (23).

8. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, The hard coating (61) is not applied to the end section of the connecting rod (23), and in particular, is not applied to the following areas: The connecting rod (23) has an area where, in various cases, a disc-shaped or annular spacer (43) is provided between two adjacent connecting rods; and / or The engagement rod (23) engages with the area in the lock body (15).

9. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, In particular, disc-shaped or annular spacers (43) formed of hardened metal or hardened metal alloys are arranged between two adjacent connecting rods (23) in various cases, and have side surfaces at least partially provided with a hard coating (61).

10. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, The hard coating (61) is formed in a single layer; and / or Wherein, the hard coating (61) is formed at least locally in multiple layers; and / or Among them, at least two layers of the multilayer hard coating (61) have different properties.

11. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, The hard coating (61) comprises a plurality of grains (65) of at least one hard material selected from the group consisting of diamond, diamond-like carbon, diamond-like carbon layer (DLC-diamond-like carbon), carbon modifiers having crystalline and amorphous regions, hexagonal carbon, metal carbides, boron carbide (B4C), tantalum carbide (TaC), titanium carbide (TiC), vanadium carbide (VC), silicon carbide (SiC), metal oxides, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), metal nitrides, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), chromium carbonitride (CrCN), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and / or boron nitride, wherein the diamond is particularly synthetic diamond, the metal carbide is particularly tungsten carbide (WC), the metal oxide is particularly alumina, particularly preferably alumina in modified corundum, and the boron nitride is particularly cubic boron nitride.

12. The connecting rod lock (13) according to claim 11. in, The hard material grains (65) are embedded in a metal-containing matrix.

13. The connecting rod lock (13) according to claim 11 or 12. in, The hard material grains (65) have a grain size of 20 to 80 mesh (0.841 mm to 0.177 mm).

14. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, The hard coating (61) is applied to the lock housing (17) and / or the connecting rod (23) by means of sintering, welding, soldering, powder metallurgy, 3D printing, chemical or physical vapor deposition, or electroplating processes, wherein the welding is particularly brazing, and the soldering is particularly laser welding.

15. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, An electroplated coating is applied to the hard coating (61).

16. The connecting rod lock (13) according to any one of the preceding claims. in, The lock body (15) and / or the engagement rod (23) are further provided with a protective coating composed of a polymer, such as an elastomer, and in particular rubber.

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