Articulated bar lock

Abstract

The present invention relates to a hinged rod lock, in particular for a two-wheeler, comprising a lock body and a hinged rod arrangement having several hinged rods connected to each other by pivots, wherein the lock body and / or the hinged rods are each provided with a hard coating at least in certain areas.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a hinged rod lock, in particular for a two-wheeler, comprising a lock body and a hinged rod arrangement which has several hinged rods connected to each other by pivots.

[0002] Such a folding bar lock, sometimes also called a folding lock, is a well-known design. It can be folded compactly and, due to its rigid folding bars, already offers a high level of break-in resistance. Further improvements in break-in resistance could be achieved, for example, by using folding bars with a larger cross-section. However, this would inevitably result in a larger design and increased weight for the folding bar lock, which is particularly undesirable for mobile applications, such as when the folding bar lock is designed as a bicycle lock that needs to be easily carried.

[0003] It is an object of the invention to provide a hinged rod lock that offers increased break-in resistance while having the lowest possible weight.

[0004] The problem is solved by a hinged rod lock with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are shown in the dependent claims, the present description and the figures.

[0005] The hinged rod lock according to the invention comprises a lock body and a hinged rod arrangement which has several hinged rods connected to each other, wherein the lock body and / or the hinged rods are each provided with a hard coating at least in certain areas.

[0006] The hard coating helps to better defend against attacks on the hinged bar lock, especially those carried out with a cutting tool such as an angle grinder. More precisely, the hard coating significantly increases the time required to cut through a hinged bar or to open the lock body with an angle grinder. In many cases, this renders a break-in attempt uninteresting from the outset, or at least prolongs it to such an extent that the risk of being caught during an attempt is considerably increased. At the same time, the hard coating adds only a minimal amount of weight to the hinged bar lock, resulting in significantly greater break-in resistance with virtually no change in weight.Furthermore, the hard coating proves advantageous in that the use of a thinner protective covering to protect the surface of an object to be secured by the joint rod lock, e.g. a two-wheeler, from damage, especially scratches, can be thinner than, for example, in the case of welded-on armor.

[0007] The hard coating can cover the entire outer surface of the hinge rod lock. However, for effective protection, it is generally sufficient if the hard coating is only applied to specific areas, particularly those surface areas of the hinge rod lock that would be most susceptible to attack by a cutting tool.

[0008] The articulated rod lock can be designed, in particular, as an articulated rod lock for a two-wheeled vehicle. A two-wheeled vehicle within the meaning of the invention can be a muscle-powered two-wheeler, an electric two-wheeler, and / or a two-wheeler with an internal combustion engine. It is understood that the use of the articulated rod lock according to the invention is not limited to two-wheeled vehicles.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the lock body comprises a lock housing made of a hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, onto which the hard coating is applied. The hardened metal or alloy can be a material that exhibits both high chemical resistance, in particular corrosion resistance, and high mechanical strength. In particular, the material can be hardened steel.

[0010] According to a further embodiment, the lock body comprises at least one additional reinforcing element, in particular made of a hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, onto which the hard coating is applied. The combination of the additional reinforcing element and the hard coating applied to it further increases the resistance to forced entry.

[0011] According to another embodiment, each joint rod comprises a core made of hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, onto which the hard coating is applied. This hardened metal or hardened metal alloy can be the same material used in the lock housing, e.g., hardened steel. However, different materials are also conceivable.

[0012] According to another embodiment, the hard coating is applied to the entire outer surface of the joint rod arrangement, in particular including the joint points between adjacent joint rods.

[0013] The end sections of the hinged bar assembly, intended for coupling to the lock body, can remain free of hard coating. These end sections serve to couple the hinged bar assembly to the lock body and, when the hinged bar lock is closed, are enclosed within the lock body and therefore not accessible from the outside. It is understood that the surface area of ​​the uncoated end sections is kept to a minimum for optimal protection, ideally such that no gaps remain in the hard coating that could be exploited for attack.

[0014] Generally, for an optimal compromise between cost-effectiveness in manufacturing the hinged rod lock and burglary resistance, it is sufficient if the hard coating is applied only to externally accessible areas of the lock housing and / or the hinge rods. An inner surface of the lock housing does not necessarily need to be additionally coated with a hard coating. However, it is certainly conceivable to apply a hard coating to both the outer and inner surfaces of the lock housing. A further possibility is a variant in which only the inner surface of the lock housing is coated with a hard coating.

[0015] According to a further embodiment, the hard coating is provided in at least one reduced-thickness central region of a hinge bar, in particular one extending along a longitudinal direction of the hinge bar. If the arrangement of the hard coating is limited to the reduced-thickness central region, the tamper resistance can be increased without simultaneously increasing the maximum external dimensions of the hinge bar. Despite the increased tamper resistance, a compact design of the hinge bar lock can thus be maintained. According to one embodiment, a reduced-thickness central region, i.e., a recess, can be formed on opposite surfaces, e.g., a top and a bottom, of a hinge bar and provided with a hard coating.

[0016] According to a further embodiment, the hard coating is not applied to the end sections of the hinge rods, particularly not to areas where a disc- or ring-shaped spacer is arranged between two adjacent hinge rods. This contributes to smooth operation of the hinge connections and thus to good overall handling of the hinge rod lock, especially if the hard coating has a certain degree of roughness. It is understood that, for optimal protection, the area of ​​the uncoated end sections is also kept to a minimum here, ideally such that no gaps remain in the hard coating that could be exploited for attack.To ensure optimal protection even in the area of ​​joint connections, joining elements that connect adjacent joint rods, in the case of rivets especially the rivet heads, can be provided with the hard coating.

[0017] For even better break-in resistance, a disc- or ring-shaped spacer, in particular made of a hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, arranged between two adjacent joint rods, can have a surface that is at least partially coated 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 a group comprising diamond, in particular synthetic diamond, diamond-like carbon, diamond-like carbon (DLC), a carbon modification with crystalline and amorphous regions, lonsdaleite, metal carbides, boron carbide (B₄C), tantalum carbide (TaC), titanium carbide (TiC), vanadium carbide (VC), in particular tungsten carbide (WC), silicon carbide (SiC), metal oxides, zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), in particular aluminum oxide, particularly preferably aluminum oxide in the modification corundum, metal nitride, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAIN), chromium carbonitride (CrCN), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) and / or boron nitride, in particular cubic boron nitride.

[0019] The hard particles can be embedded in a metal-containing matrix. This matrix can contain a metal selected from a group including nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, tantalum, titanium, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, and silicon. Alternatively, the hard particles can be embedded in a matrix consisting of an alloy and / or intermetallic phase. If the matrix includes an alloy and / or intermetallic phases, the constituents can be selected from a group including nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, titanium, tantalum, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, boron, silicon, carbon, and magnesium.

[0020] The hard particles can have a grain size of 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 hinge rods by means of sintering, soldering, in particular brazing, welding, in particular laser welding, powder metallurgy, 3D printing, chemical or physical vapor deposition, or an electroplating process.

[0022] To protect the hard coating from, for example, corrosion and / or to improve the adhesion of the hard coating to the base component, an electroplated coating can also be applied to the hard coating. The electroplated coating can consist of a metallurgically bonded structure of crystallites of a metal, a metal alloy, or an intermetallic phase, the components of which are selected, in particular, from a group that includes 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 in a single layer. Alternatively or additionally, the hard coating can be formed in multiple layers, at least in certain areas. At least two layers of a multi-layered hard coating can have different properties.

[0024] A first property can encompass the material from which the hard particles are formed. A second property can encompass the chemical composition of the matrix in which the hard particles are embedded. A third property can relate to the grain size of the hard particles embedded in the matrix.

[0025] When hard aggregate particles of the same grain size are mentioned below, this means that the grain size of the hard aggregate particles is uniform within the range of a commercially available particle size distribution. Hard aggregate particles of a uniform grain size can be used within a single layer of the hard coating.

[0026] Alternatively, within a single layer of the hard coating, hard aggregate particles of at least two different grain sizes can be used, so that smaller grains fill the spaces between larger grains. In multiple layers of the hard coating, grains of different sizes can be arranged. For example, the grain size can increase from a bottom layer through one or more middle layers to a top layer. Alternatively, the grain size can decrease from a bottom layer through one or more middle layers to a top layer. Furthermore, the grain sizes can vary in different layers, alternating between large and small particles from a bottom layer through one or more middle layers to a top layer. Finally, a gradient of increasing or decreasing grain sizes can exist within a single layer.

[0027] A fourth characteristic can relate to the average distance between any two adjacent hard particles. The distance between two adjacent hard particles is defined as the shortest possible straight line between a surface point of one hard particle and a surface point of the other hard particle. The average distance is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the distances of at least 10 different hard particles to their adjacent hard particles. The average distance between two adjacent hard particles 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 characteristic can include the thickness of a layer of the hard coating. In this context, the thickness of a layer is defined as the average thickness of the matrix forming it. The thickness of a layer can be in the range of 10 µm to 1 mm, preferably in the range of 50 µm to 800 µm, and particularly preferably in the range of 75 µm to 500 µm. The grain size of the hard particles can be smaller than the layer thickness of the surrounding matrix. However, it is also possible that the grain size of at least some of the hard particles present in the layer is larger than the layer thickness of the surrounding matrix.

[0029] A sixth characteristic can relate to the structure with which a layer of the hard coating is applied. For example, a layer of the hard coating does not need to cover a continuous surface, but can be formed in the form of spaced-apart lines or stripes, or spaced-apart polygons, such as triangles, squares, pentagons, or hexagons.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the hard coating can be applied to the lock housing and / or the hinge rods by means of sintering, brazing, in particular brazing, welding, in particular laser welding, powder metallurgy, 3D printing, chemical or physical vapor deposition, or an electroplating process.

[0031] According to yet another embodiment, the lock body and / or the hinge rods can additionally be provided with a protective coating made of a polymer, for example, an elastomer and, in particular, rubber, which protects the surface of an object to be secured by the hinge rod lock, e.g., a bicycle, from damage, especially scratches. The protective coating can have a maximum thickness of 3 mm and / or vary in thickness in different areas of the hinge rod lock. For example, the thickness of the protective coating on the flat sides of a hinge rod may not exceed 1 mm, while it may be up to 2 mm on the narrow sides of a hinge rod.

[0032] The invention is explained in more detail below by way of example with reference to possible embodiments and the accompanying drawing. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hinged rod lock with a hinged rod assembly. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the hinged rod assembly of Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is an exploded view of two joint rods of the joint rod assembly of Fig. 1 and 2 and of these connecting joint components. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a joint rod of Fig. 3 with a single-layer hard coating. Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the single-layer hard coating of Fig. 4 Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a two-layer hard coating. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a two-layer hard coating with an additional electroplated coating.

[0033] In Fig. 1Figure 13 shows a hinged rod lock 13 according to the invention, comprising a hinged rod arrangement 11 and a lock body 15. The lock body 15 includes a lock housing 17 and a locking mechanism 19 housed therein, which enables the hinged rod lock 13 to be unlocked and locked by means of a key 21.

[0034] Fig. 2Figure 11 shows the articulated rod assembly 11 without the lock body 15. The articulated rod assembly 11 comprises several articulated rods 23 connected to one another by means of articulated joints 25, each extending along a longitudinal dimension L from a first end section 27 to a second end section 29. Specifically, the articulated rod assembly 11 comprises a first articulated rod 31, a last articulated rod 33, and four articulated rods 23 connected in series between them. The first articulated rod 31 is permanently anchored in the lock body 15 via its first end section 27. The last articulated rod 33 has a detent recess 59 at its second end section 29, which allows it to engage in the lock body 15, and a locking recess 51 into which a bolt of the locking mechanism 19 can engage to lock the articulated rod lock 13.

[0035] Each joint rod has reinforced longitudinal edges 35 that extend continuously over the entire longitudinal extent L of the joint rod, thus defining a thinner central area 37 on a top and a bottom of the joint rod.

[0036] Fig. 3Figure 1 shows the structure of a joint connection 25 between two adjacent joint rods 23. Specifically, the joint connection 25 serves to connect the first end section 27 of one joint rod 23 with the second end section 29 of the other joint rod 23. The joint connection 25 comprises a rivet element 41, which is guided through openings arranged concentrically one above the other with a joint axis G: a first opening 39 of one joint rod 23, an opening 45 of a disc element 43, and a second opening 39 of the other joint rod 23, thus creating a pivotable connection between the joint rods 23. The disc element 43, located between the joint rods 23, has, adjacent to its opening 45, a thickened bead section 49 extending radially outwards, followed by a thinner flat section 47.The bead section 49 fits within the free space formed by the reduced-thickness central sections 37 of the hinge rods, both in terms of its diameter and its total thickness when viewed across both sides. The flat section 47 rests with opposing flat surfaces on the thickened longitudinal edges 35 of the hinge rods 23. The rivet element 41 has a cylindrical basic shape, the ends of which are designed as rivet heads and have a larger diameter than the central part of the rivet element.

[0037] Fig. 4 Figure 1 shows a cross-section of a joint rod 23. As already mentioned, the reinforced longitudinal edges 35 extend on both sides beyond the height of the reduced-thickness central region 37, so that a core 60 of the joint rod 23, in this embodiment, has an H- or bone-shaped cross-section over substantially its entire length.

[0038] Furthermore, a hard coating 61 is applied to the joint rods 23 in a materially bonded manner, for example by means of sintering, soldering, in particular brazing, welding, in particular laser welding, powder metallurgy, 3D printing, chemical or physical vapor deposition, or an electroplating process.

[0039] In the illustrated embodiment, the hard coating 61 is provided only on the surfaces of the reduced-thickness central areas 37 of each joint rod 23. Alternatively, the hard coating 61 can also completely cover the joint rods 23 in cross-section and thus be provided not only in the reduced-thickness central areas 37, but also on the reinforced longitudinal edges 35.

[0040] The hard coating 61 extends over almost the entire length of the joint rod 23; only the end sections 27, 29 are without hard coating 61 ( Figs. 2 and 3). The outer surface of the lock housing 17 is also provided with such a hard coating 61 ( Fig. 1 ), as well as the heads of the rivet elements 41 and radially outer lateral surfaces of the disc elements 43.

[0041] The hard coating 61 comprises a plurality of grains 65 of one or more hard materials, selected from a group including diamond, in particular synthetic diamond, diamond-like carbon, diamond-like carbon (DLC), a carbon modification with crystalline and amorphous regions, lonsdaleite, metal carbides, boron carbide (B₄C), tantalum carbide (TaC), titanium carbide (TiC), vanadium carbide (VC), in particular tungsten carbide (WC), silicon carbide (SiC), metal oxides, zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂), in particular aluminum oxide, especially preferably aluminum oxide in the corundum modification, metal nitrides, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN), chromium carbonitride (CrCN), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) and / or boron nitride, in particular cubic boron nitride. The hard aggregate grains 65, for example, can have a grain size of 20 mesh to 80 mesh (0.841 mm to 0.177 mm).

[0042] Matrix 63 itself may contain a metal selected from a group including nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, tantalum, titanium, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, and silicon. Furthermore, Matrix 63 may be in the form of an alloy and / or intermetallic phase. If the matrix contains an alloy and / or intermetallic phases, the constituents may be selected from a group including nickel, iron, cobalt, chromium, titanium, tantalum, manganese, zirconium, zinc, molybdenum, tungsten, aluminum, boron, silicon, carbon, and magnesium.

[0043] The hard coating 61 used in the joint rod lock 13 described above can be formed in one or more layers. For example, the hard coating 61 can be formed by a layer of a matrix 63 in which only one type of hard aggregate grains 65 is embedded, i.e., hard aggregate grains 65 of the same material and at least substantially the same size.

[0044] In contrast, in Fig. 5 A single-layer hard coating 61 is shown, which has a mixture of hard grains 65 of different sizes. A first quantity of hard grains 65 is completely embedded in the matrix 63, while a second quantity of hard grains 65 is only partially embedded in the matrix 63 of the hard coating and partially protrudes from the matrix 63, giving the hard coating 61 a certain surface roughness.

[0045] Furthermore, in Fig. 6A two-layer hard coating 61 is shown, comprising a lower layer of a first matrix 63 in which smaller hard grains 65 are arranged and completely enclosed by the first matrix 63. The hard coating 61 also comprises an upper layer of a second matrix 63 in which larger hard grains 65 are arranged, some of which are completely enclosed by the second matrix 63 and some of which protrude from the matrix 63.

[0046] In contrast, in Fig. 7 a two-layer hard coating 61 is shown, comprising a lower layer of a first matrix 63 in which larger-sized hard particles 65 are arranged, and an upper layer of a second matrix 63 in which smaller-sized hard particles 65 are arranged.

[0047] In addition, the upper layer of the hard coating 61 is covered with an electroplated coating 67, which is formed by a structure of connected crystallites of metal or a metal alloy that has been hardened and provides corrosion protection for the underlying material.

[0048] Finally, the articulated rod lock 13 can be covered, at least in part, with a protective coating (not shown) made of a polymer, for example an elastomer and in particular rubber, to protect an object to be secured by the articulated rod lock 13, e.g. a two-wheeler, from surface damage, in particular scratches. Reference symbol list

[0049] 11 Joint rod assembly 13 Joint rod lock 15 Lock body 17 Lock housing 19 Locking mechanism 21 Key 23 Joint rod 25 Joint connection 27 First end section 29 Second end section 31 First joint rod 33 Last joint rod 35 Longitudinal edge 37 Center section 41 Rivet element 43 Disc element 45 Opening 47 Flat section 49 Bead section 51 Locking recess 59 Detent recess 60 Core 61 Hard coating 63 Matrix 65 Hard aggregate grain 67 Electroplated coating L Longitudinal extent Q Transverse extent G Joint axis

Claims

1. Joint rod lock (13), in particular for a two-wheeler, comprising a lock body and a joint rod arrangement (11) which has several joint rods (23) articulated to one another, wherein the lock body (15) and / or the joint rods are each provided at least partially with a hard coating (61).

2. Joint rod lock (13) according to claim 1, wherein the lock body (15) comprises a lock housing (17) formed from a hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, onto which the hard coating (61) is applied.

3. Joint rod lock (13) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lock body (15) comprises at least one additional reinforcing element, in particular formed from a hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, onto which the hard coating (61) is applied.

4. Joint rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims wherein each joint rod (23) comprises a core (60) formed from a hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, onto which the hard coating (61) is applied.

5. Joint rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hard coating (61) is applied to the entire outer surface of the joint rod arrangement (11).

6. Hinged rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hard coating (61) is provided only in externally accessible areas of the lock housing (17) and / or the hinge rods (23).

7. Joint rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hard coating (61) is provided in at least one thickness-reduced central region (37) of a joint rod (23), in particular which extends along a longitudinal direction of the joint rod (23).

8. Hinge rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hard coating (61) is not provided in end sections of the hinge rods (23), in particular not in areas of the hinge rods (23) in which a disc- or ring-shaped spacer (43) provided between two adjacent hinge rods is arranged, and / or in areas of the hinge rods (23) that engage in the lock body (15).

9. Joint rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a disc- or ring-shaped spacer (43), in particular made of a hardened metal or a hardened metal alloy, is arranged between two adjacent joint rods (23), which has a lateral surface which is provided at least partially with a hard coating (61).

10. Joint rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hard coating (61) is formed in a single layer; and / or wherein the hard coating (61) is formed in multiple layers at least in certain areas; and / or wherein at least two layers of a multi-layer hard coating (61) have different properties.

11. Joint rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hard coating (61) comprises a plurality of grains (65) of at least one hard material selected from a group comprising diamond, in particular synthetic diamond, diamond-like carbon, diamond-like carbon (DLC), a carbon modification with crystalline and amorphous regions, lonsdaleite, metal carbides, boron carbide (B4C), tantalum carbide (TaC), titanium carbide (TiC), vanadium carbide (VC), in particular tungsten carbide (WC), silicon carbide (SiC), metal oxides, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), in particular aluminum oxide, particularly preferably aluminum oxide in the corundum modification, metal nitrides, titanium nitride (TiN), titanium aluminum nitride (TiAIN), chromium carbonitride (CrCN), silicon nitride (Si3N4) and / or boron nitride, in particular cubic boron nitride.

12. Joint rod lock (13) according to claim 11, wherein the hard grains (65) are embedded in a metal-containing matrix and / or wherein the hard grains (65) have a grain size of 20 mesh to 80 mesh (0.841 mm to 0.177 mm).

13. Hinged rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the hard coating (61) is applied to the lock housing (17) and / or the hinge rods (23) by means of sintering, brazing, in particular brazing, welding, in particular laser welding, powder metallurgy, 3D printing, chemical or physical vapor deposition, or an electroplating process.

14. Joint rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a galvanic coating is applied to the hard coating (61).

15. Hinged rod lock (13) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the lock body (15) and / or the hinge rods (23) are additionally provided with a protective covering made of a polymer, for example elastomer and in particular rubber.

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