Vehicle locking device, vehicle and storage station
A simplified vehicle locking device with cams, cam followers, and latches, actuated by a single barrel and motor, addresses the complexity and reliability issues of existing systems, providing secure and efficient vehicle storage solutions.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2021011883
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-11-09
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-04
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-11-09
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle locking devices for storage terminals are complex and cumbersome, with numerous parts leading to operational inefficiencies and increased vulnerability to breakdowns, particularly in public and shared use scenarios.
A simplified vehicle locking device utilizing two cams, cam followers, and latches, actuated by a single barrel and driven by an electric motor, with a reduced part count and integrated Hall effect sensors for configuration detection, allowing smooth transitions between locked, intermediate, and unlocked states.
The device operates with enhanced robustness and simplicity, reducing breakdown risks and improving user experience by minimizing part count and weight, while ensuring secure vehicle engagement and disengagement from storage terminals.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Vehicle locking device, vehicle and storage station Field of the invention
[0001] The invention relates to a device for locking a vehicle to a storage terminal of a storage station, to a vehicle with the locking device and to a storage station. State of the art
[0002] There are cycle locking devices. For example, document EP3661836 relates to a locking device for locking a cycle to a storage terminal. The locking device can be engaged in and disengaged from the storage terminal. The locking device comprises a bolt actuated to different positions allowing the locking device to be put into different configurations. However, the bolt actuation system comprises a large number of parts and its operation is complex. Statement of the invention
[0003] The aim of the invention is to provide a vehicle locking device which is simpler to operate.
[0004] For this purpose, the invention proposes a device for locking a vehicle to a storage station terminal, the device comprising two cams movable in rotation, two cam followers movable in translation, and driven by a respective cam, two latches actuated by a respective cam follower, the locking device being configured to move between - A locked configuration in which the latches are locked in the locked position by the cams and cam followers, - An intermediate configuration in which the latches are held in the locking position by a respective return member, removably towards an unlocking position, - An unlocked configuration in which the latches are locked in the unlocked position by the cams and cam followers.
[0005] According to a variant, in the locking position, the latches protrude from the locking device, and in the unlocking position, the latches are in the locking device.
[0006] According to a variant, the latches have opposite directions of movement.
[0007] According to a variant, the cams have helical-shaped cam surfaces with an inverted helix for driving each cam follower.
[0008] According to a variant, the cams each comprise two driving surfaces of the respective cam follower, each surface driving the respective cam follower in one direction or another towards the locking and unlocking positions of the latch(s).
[0009] According to a variant, the cams are carried by a single barrel actuated in rotation by an electric motor.
[0010] According to a variant, the locking device further comprises - One or more magnets whose angular position depends on the angular position of the cam(s) and - One or more Hall effect sensors detecting the angular position of the magnet(s).
[0011] According to a variant, the magnet(s) are carried by the barrel.
[0012] According to a variant, the device comprises two magnets whose angular position is detected by three Hall effect sensors, the magnets occupying different radial positions around the barrel's rotation axis.
[0013] According to a variant, the device passes from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration and vice versa via the intermediate configuration.
[0014] The invention also relates to a vehicle of the bicycle, scooter, etc. type comprising the locking device as described above, the device being integrated into a part of the vehicle, preferably a frame or a front fork of the vehicle.
[0015] The invention also relates to a storage station comprising at least one vehicle as described previously, as well as at least one storage terminal in which the vehicle locking device is capable of being engaged and from which the locking device is capable of being disengaged.
[0016] According to a variant, the storage terminal comprises a retraction ramp capable of cooperating with the locking device in the intermediate configuration, the latch(s) passing from the locked position to the unlocked position against the return member.
[0017] All of the preferred embodiments as well as all of the advantages of the locking device according to the invention are transposed mutatis mutandis to the vehicle comprising such a locking device and to the storage station comprising the vehicle and a storage terminal of the vehicle (and vice versa). The different embodiments can be taken in combination or considered in isolation. Brief description of the figures
[0018] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear on reading the detailed description which follows for the understanding of which one refers will refer to the attached figures which show:
[0019] [Fig.l], [Fig.l] is a view of a storage station;
[0020] [Fig.2], [Fig.2] is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a locking device;
[0021] [Fig.3], [Fig.3] is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the locking device;
[0022] [Fig.4], [Fig.4] is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the device locking in a locked configuration;
[0023] [Fig.5], [Fig.5] is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the device locking in an intermediate configuration;
[0024] [Fig.6], [Fig.6] is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the device locking in an unlocked configuration;
[0025] [Fig.7] [Fig.7] is a side view of the locking device in confi locked and unlocked figures.
[0026] The drawings of the figures are not to scale. Similar elements are generally denoted by similar references in the figures. For the purposes of this document, identical or similar elements may bear the same references. Furthermore, the presence of reference numbers or letters in the drawings cannot be considered as limiting, including when these numbers or letters are indicated in the claims. Detailed description of embodiments of the invention
[0027] The invention provides a device for locking a vehicle to a storage terminal. The device comprises two cams movable in rotation, two cam followers movable in translation, and driven by a respective cam and two latches actuated by a respective cam follower. The locking device is configured to evolve between a locked configuration in which the latches are blocked in the locking position by the cams and the cam followers, an intermediate configuration in which the latches are held in the locking position by a respective return member, removably towards an unlocking position and an unlocked configuration in which the latches are blocked in the unlocking position by the cams and the cam followers. Thanks to the interaction between the cams and the cam followers, the number of parts implemented is reduced and the operation of the device is made simple.This makes the device more robust, which is advantageous when the locking device is implemented on vehicles for public and shared use.
[0028] [Fig.l] shows a station 10 for storing vehicles 12. By vehicle is meant personal transport devices, for one person or even two people. These are, for example, cycles, bicycles, unicycles and scooters. These devices may be with only physical propulsion, with physical propulsion and with assistance (electric for example), or with purely electric propulsion. The station 10 comprises storage terminals 14; the vehicles 12 can be engaged in the storage terminals 14 - to park them securely against theft - and be disengaged from the storage terminals 14 - to allow their use by authorized persons, for example by subscription. The vehicles are in particular intended to be parked on the public highway and to be used by any authorized person, according to shared use. The authorized persons are for example persons with a subscription. These vehicles are subject to severe tests, both by authorized persons and by unauthorized persons seeking to damage and / or steal the vehicles. Three vehicles 12 and six storage terminals 14 are shown as an example in [Fig. 1].
[0029] [Fig. 2] shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a locking device 16. The locking device 16 may be integrated into a part of the vehicle, preferably a frame or a fork of the vehicle. In the case of a bicycle, this may be the front fork (as seen in [Fig. 1]). In the case of a scooter, this may be the rod supporting the directional handles. In both cases, the vehicle 12 is preferably engaged from the front in the storage terminal 14, which facilitates maneuvering by the user.
[0030] The locking device 16 may comprise an upper housing 18 and a lower housing 19 enclosing the operating mechanism of the locking device 16. A cover 20 on the lower 18 and / or upper 19 housings enables the operation of the detection of the storage terminal 14, as will be described in more detail later. The locking device 16 is fixed to the vehicle from the inside of the upper 18 and lower 19 housings, so that it cannot be dismantled by a malicious person.
[0031] [Fig. 3] shows an exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the locking device 16. The cover 20 hides and protects an electronic card 22 carried by a support 24 within the locking device 16. The electronic card 22 comprises a member for detecting the storage terminal 14; the detection member makes it possible, for example, to identify the presence of the vehicle at a terminal, to identify the vehicle itself at the terminal and to identify the storage terminal 14. The electronic card 22 may comprise an antenna, for example radio-identification or RFID in English (for “radio frequency identification”).
[0032] The locking device 16 comprises two cams 241, 242. The cams 241, 242 are movable in rotation, for example relative to the lower housing 19. The cams 241, 242 drive two cam followers 261, 262. The cam followers 261, 262 are movable in translation, for example relative to the lower housing 19. The The locking device 16 may also comprise two latches 281, 282. The latches 281, 282 are actuated respectively by one of the cam followers 261, 262. A cam is a mechanical face or set of faces for controlling the movement of the cam follower. The cam is used to generate reciprocating movements of the cam follower. The cam is used to transform a rotational movement into a translational movement of the cam follower, by sliding without gears (subject to breakdown and seizure in the context of public vehicle use). The cam / cam follower assembly allows simple driving of the respective latch; the number of parts is limited to allow actuation of the latch(s), which makes the operation of the locking device simple.This also makes the device more robust, which is advantageous when implementing this device on vehicles parked on public roads intended for shared use. Also, the limited number of parts also makes this device less prone to breakdowns due to, for example, bad weather. The compactness of the device also makes it easier to implement the device on vehicles, or even to add the device to existing vehicles. In addition, the locking device has a reduced weight, penalizing the overall weight of the vehicle to a lesser extent.
[0033] The locking device 16 is configured to move between locked, intermediate and unlocked configurations, illustrated in Figures 4 to 6. In these figures, the lower housing 19 and the latch 282 are only partially shown. The locking device 16 operates, and does so in a simple manner, with two cam / cam follower / latch assemblies, operating simultaneously.
[0034] [Fig. 4] shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the locking device 16 in a locked configuration. In this configuration, the latches 281, 282 are locked in the locking position of the locking device 16 by the cams 241, 242 and the cam followers 261, 262. The latches 281, 282 are locked in the direction where their movement is prevented. In this configuration, the vehicle is already engaged in the storage terminal 14 and cannot be removed therefrom due to the immobilization of the latches 281, 282. The latches 281, 282 prevent the removal of the vehicle from the storage terminal 14.
[0035] For example, in the locking position, the latches 281, 282 protrude from the locking device 16. According to [Fig. 4], the latch 281 is shown as protruding from the locking device 16. The same is true of the other latch 282. The latches 281, 282 extend outside the vehicle. The latches 281, 282 cooperate with the storage terminal 14 to lock the vehicle to the storage terminal 14.
[0036] [Fig. 5] shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the locking device 16 in an intermediate configuration. In this configuration, the Latches 281, 282 are held in the locking position of the locking device 16 by a respective return member 30 (not visible in [Fig. 5] but in Figures 3 and 6), but removably towards an unlocking position. In this configuration, the latches 281, 282 can be actuated from the locking position towards the unlocking position during the engagement of the vehicle in the storage terminal 14; once the engagement of the vehicle in the terminal is complete, the latches 281, 282 return to their locking position thanks to the respective return member 30. The removal of the vehicle from the terminal is no longer possible other than by putting it into the unlocking configuration presented below.
[0037] For example, in the locking position, the latches 281, 282 protrude from the locking device 16. According to [Fig. 5], the latch 281 is shown as protruding from the locking device 16. The same applies to the other latch 282. The latches 281, 282 extend outside the vehicle. The latches 281, 282 are held protruding by the respective return member 30 - for example by a resilient member such as a spring. However, the latches 281, 282 are held removably in the locking position, since they can be actuated against the return member to retract them into the locking device 16 to an unlocking position. The cooperation of the latches 281, 282 with the storage terminal 14 actuates the latches 281, 282 towards the unlocking position, the time to engage the vehicle in the storage terminal 14.Once engaged, the respective return member 30 biases the projecting latches 281, 282 of the locking device 16 towards the locking position. The vehicle can no longer be removed from the storage terminal 14.
[0038] [Fig. 6] shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the locking device 16 in an unlocked configuration. In this configuration, the latches 281, 282 are locked in the unlocked position of the locking device 16 by the cams 241, 242 and the cam followers 261, 262. The latches 281, 282 are locked in the direction where their movement is prevented. In this configuration, the vehicle can be removed from the storage terminal 14. The latches 281, 282 allow the vehicle to be removed from the storage terminal 14.
[0039] For example, in the unlocked position, the latches 281, 282 are in the locking device 16. According to [Fig. 5], the latch 281 is no longer visible projecting from the locking device 16. The same applies to the other latch 282. The latches are retracted towards the vehicle. The latches 281, 282 are shown as being in the locking device 16 in the sense that they no longer hinder the removal of the vehicle from the storage terminal 14. The latches 281, 282 are not necessarily completely in the locking device 16; it is sufficient for the latches 281, 282 to be at least partly in the locking device 16 to allow the release vehicle rental and removal outside storage terminal 14.
[0040] The use of the vehicle is carried out in the following manner. When using the vehicle, the locking device is in the intermediate position. The latches 281, 282 are held in the locking position (for example projecting from the device 16) by the respective return member 30, but the user can proceed to engage the vehicle in the storage terminal. Engagement of the vehicle into the storage terminal 14 biases the latches 281, 282 toward the unlocked position (e.g., at least partially into the locking device 16) until the vehicle is fully engaged into the storage terminal 14. Retraction ramps within the terminals allow actuation of the latches 281, 282 toward the unlocked position, against the return members 30. The return members 30 bias the latches 281, 282 toward the locked position—preventing withdrawal movement of the vehicle.The locking device 16 then moves into a locking configuration. The latches 281, 282 are locked in the locking position by the respective cam followers 261, 262 and cams 241, 242. The vehicle can no longer be removed from the storage terminal 14. Theft of the vehicle is prevented. If use is desired by an authorized person (by validation of their subscription to the terminal, for example), the locking device 16 is placed in the unlocking configuration. The latches 281, 282 are placed in the unlocking position (for example, at least partly in the locking device 16), allowing the vehicle to be removed from the terminal. Once the vehicle has been removed, the locking device 16 returns to the intermediate configuration - in order to allow it to be re-engaged in a storage terminal 14 as described above.
[0041] The implementation of two latches allows better securing of the vehicle at a terminal.
[0042] According to the exemplary embodiment of the figures, the latches 281, 282 may have opposite directions of movement to occupy the locking and unlocking positions. From the locking position to the unlocking position, the latches 281, 282 may for example move towards the inside of the locking device, on either side of the locking device 16. From the unlocking position to the locking position, the latches 281, 282 may for example move towards the outside of the locking device, on either side of the locking device 16. The retraction of the latches 281, 282 towards the inside of the locking device or the deployment of the latches 281, 2812 towards the outside of the locking device 16 allows balanced operation on either side of the vehicle, which ensures good securing of the vehicle at the storage terminal 14 and its release.
[0043] According to the embodiment of the figures, the cams 241, 242 are carried by a single barrel 36 rotatably mounted in the locking device 16 and more speci ically in the lower housing 19. Rotating the barrel 36 in either direction allows the locking device 16 to be placed in the configurations of FIGS. 4 to 6. Rotating the barrel 36 in either direction allows the cam followers and therefore the latches to be moved simultaneously. This allows for simple and robust operation of the locking device 16. Furthermore, the barrel 36 can be rotated by an electric motor 38. The electric motor 38 is positioned in the locking device 16 and more specifically in the lower housing 19, along the axis of rotation of the barrel 36. The barrel 36 and the motor 38 form a compact assembly, reducing the size of the locking device 16 as well as the weight.
[0044] The cams 241, 242 have surfaces for driving the cam followers 261, 262. A cam follower is, for example, a screw secured to a portion of the latch that extends inside the locking device 16, for example in the lower housing 19. The cam followers 261, 262 may be provided with a bearing to promote sliding of the cam follower against the cam surfaces. The cams 241, 242 may have helical surfaces with an inverted helix for each cam follower 261, 262. This allows the latches 281, 282 to have opposite directions of movement. Rotation of the cams 241, 242 causes the helical cam surfaces to rotate in opposite directions, and thus the latches to move in opposite directions. This allows the latches to be deployed or retracted easily and simultaneously on either side of the vehicle.
[0045] The operation of the cams, cam followers and latches may be as follows.
[0046] In [Fig.4], cam 241 has driven cam follower 261 to the left of the figure, to place the latch 281 in the locking position. The cam 242 has driven the cam follower 262 to the right of the figure, to place the latch 282 (not completely visible in [Fig. 4]) in the locking position. The cam followers 261, 262 are moved apart from each other. The latches 281, 282 project from the locking device 16. For this, the barrel 36 has rotated clockwise (seen from the right of the figure). A central pointed portion 32 of the cams has rotated towards the front of [Fig. 4], clockwise, between the two cam followers 261, 262. The inverted helix-shaped cam surfaces have moved the two cam followers 261, 262 apart to the left and to the right of the figure. The cam followers 261, 262 are locked in their position by the cams 241, 242, thereby locking the latches 281, 282 in the locked configuration of the locking device 16.
[0047] In [Fig. 5], the cams 241, 242 have released the cam followers 261, 262 and the latches 281, 282 are held in the locking position by the respective return members 30 (not visible). The cam followers 261, 262 are not locked in translation to the right for the follower 261 and to the left for the follower 262, which allows the retraction of the latches 281, 282, for example by cooperation with the storage terminal 14. For this, the barrel 36 has rotated counterclockwise (seen from the right of the figure). The central pointed part 32 of the cams has rotated towards the bottom of the [Fig.4] to stop on the rear of the [Fig.5]. The central pointed portion 32 and the cam surfaces 241, 242 are no longer between the two cam followers 261, 262. The cam followers 261, 262 are removably held in their position by the return members 30, thus holding the latches 281, 282 in the intermediate configuration of the locking device 16 in the locked position, but removably towards an unlocked position.
[0048] In [Fig. 6], cam 241 has driven cam follower 261 to the right of the figure, to place latch 281 in the unlocking position. Cam 242 has driven cam follower 262 to the left of the figure, to place latch 282 (not completely visible in [Fig. 6]) in the unlocking position. Latches 281, 282 are retracted into locking device 16. For this, barrel 36 has rotated counterclockwise (seen from the right of the figure). The central pointed portion 32 of the cams has rotated toward the front of [Fig. 5]. The inverted helix-shaped cam surfaces bring the two cam followers 261, 262 closer to the center of the locking device 16. The cam followers 261, 262 are locked in their position by a shoe 34 formed by the cams (visible in [Fig. 5]), thus locking the latches 281, 282 in the unlocked configuration of the locking device 16 in the unlocked position.
[0049] Thus, from [Fig.4] to [Fig.6], the barrel 36 has rotated one turn (or slightly more) counterclockwise, seen from the right of the figures.
[0050] To leave the unlocked configuration of [Fig.6], the barrel 36 rotates clockwise (seen from the right of the figure). The central pointed portion 32 rotates towards the rear of [Fig.6] (clockwise as seen from the right of [Fig.6]), to release the cam followers 261, 262 outside the shoe 34. The latches 281, 282 are urged by the return members 30 towards a removable locking position, corresponding to the intermediate configuration of [Fig.5]. From [Fig.5], the barrel 36 rotates clockwise (seen from the right of [Fig.5]). The central pointed portion 32 continues the rotation in the clockwise direction from [Fig.5], and is found between the cam followers 261, 262 which are thus separated from each other. The latches 281, 282 are locked in the locked position in the locked configuration of the locking device 16 of [Fig.4].
[0051] Thus, from [Fig.6] to [Fig.4], the barrel 36 has rotated one turn (or slightly more) clockwise, seen from the right of the figures.
[0052] The locking device 16 changes from the unlocked configuration to the confi- locked configuration and vice versa by the intermediate configuration.
[0053] To enable the latches 281, 282 to be moved to the locking and unlocking positions, the cams 241, 242 each have two driving surfaces for the respective cam follower 261, 262. Each surface drives the respective cam follower 261, 262 in one direction or the other to the locking and unlocking positions of the latches 281, 282. Each cam has a pair of helical-shaped driving surfaces, with one reverse helix for each surface of the pair of the same cam (to drive a cam follower in one direction or the other to the locked and unlocked positions, respectively); a driving surface of one cam forms a pair with a surface of the other cam, with one reverse helix for each surface of the pair (to drive a cam follower in the opposite direction, respectively).Two latches are thus operated in one direction or the other, with opposite directions - which allows secure locking and unlocking with a limited number of parts.
[0054] The motor 38 allows the rotation of the barrel 36 in one direction or the other and therefore of the cams 241, 242, in a precise manner. Once a certain position is reached, the cams 241, 242 are prevented from rotating further, which allows the components to be locked in their position. Furthermore, in the intermediate configuration of the locking device, the latches 281, 282 can retract into the device without actuation of the motor 38. This allows the vehicle to be engaged in a storage terminal 14 without waiting for the actuation of the motor to put the device in the unlocked configuration with the latches 281, 282 in the unlocked position - and without a signal controlling the locking device to the unlocked configuration. Once the vehicle is engaged in the terminal with the device 16 in the intermediate configuration, the motor 38 actuates the barrel 36 in order to place the locking device in the locked configuration of [Fig.4] - for a period of time, but the user is no longer affected. The user experience is thus improved.
[0055] The locking device 16 may further comprise members for detecting its status, namely the configuration in which it is located. For this, the angular position of the cams (and therefore of the barrel) is detected. The locking device 16 may comprise one or more magnets 421, 422 whose angular position depends on the angular position of the cams 241, 242 and one or more Hall effect sensors 401, 402, 403 detecting the angular position of the magnet(s) 421, 422. This makes it possible to detect the configuration of the device 16 in a safe and space-saving manner and to control the change of configuration depending on the use made of the vehicle. Each position of the barrel 36 is detected by the sensors, corresponding information being recorded.
[0056] Preferably, the locking device 16 comprises several magnets, two for example; similarly, the device 16 preferably comprises several Hall effect sensors, preferably three. This makes it possible to detect the different configurations of the locking device 16.
[0057] The magnets 421, 422 are for example carried by the barrel 36 and the sensors 401, 402, 403 are carried by an electronic card 44 visible in [Fig.3]. Only the sensors 401, 402, 403 are shown in Figures 4-6 (the electronic card 44 is not visible in Figures 4-6 for greater readability). The electronic card 44 is placed as close as possible to the magnets 421, 422, without hindering the rotation of the barrel 36.
[0058] The magnets 421, 422 may occupy different radial positions around the axis of rotation of the barrel 36. This is particularly visible in [Fig. 7] which is a side view of the locking device in locked (left part) and unlocked (right part) configurations. The magnet 422 is for example closer to the axis of rotation of the barrel 36 than the magnet 421. The same applies to the sensors 401, 402, 403. The sensor 401 is positioned on the electronic card 44 closer to the axis of rotation of the barrel 36 than the other two sensors 403, 402.
[0059] According to the left locked configuration of [Fig.7], the magnet 422 is opposite the sensor 401 (the magnet 422 is masked by the sensor 401) and the magnet 421 is not opposite a sensor, making it possible to identify the locked configuration of the locking device 16. To move to the right unlocked configuration of [Fig.7], the barrel 36 rotates counterclockwise. The sensor 421 passes opposite the sensor 402, then the sensor 403, thus making it possible to identify the intermediate configuration of the locking device 16. By continuing the counterclockwise rotation of the barrel 16, the magnet 422 passes the sensor 401 and the magnet 421 is opposite the sensor 402, thus making it possible to identify the unlocked configuration of the locking device 16. The barrel 16 has rotated through an angle slightly greater than 360° to suitably identify the locked and unlocked configurations of the locking device 16.A chaining logic of the detection of the magnets by the sensors makes it possible to identify the different configurations of the locking device 16. Rotation in the opposite direction makes it possible to pass from the unlocked configuration on the right in [Fig.7] to the locked position on the left in [Fig.7] (via the intermediate configuration) - with the corresponding chaining logic of the detection of the magnets by the sensors.
[0060] Communication takes place between the vehicle and the storage station, via the electronic card 22 and the detection member (RFID type for example). For example, when the vehicle has been engaged in a storage terminal 14, information is sent to the card 22 to change the locking device 16 of the configuration intermediate to the locking configuration. The motor 38 is activated to rotate the barrel 36 until the Hall effect sensors detect the appropriate angular position of the barrel 36. When a user validates his subscription to take a vehicle, information is sent to the card 22 to change the locking device 16 from the locked configuration to the unlocked configuration. The motor 38 is activated to rotate the barrel 36 until the Hall effect sensors detect the appropriate angular position of the barrel 36. During use of the vehicle, the motor 38 can then be activated to rotate the barrel 36 and place the locking device 16 in the intermediate position - the position of the barrel 36 being detected to stop the engine.
[0061] The present invention has been described in relation to specific embodiments, which are of purely illustrative value and should not be considered as limiting. Generally speaking, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the examples illustrated and / or described above.
Claims
Claims
1. A locking device (16) for locking a vehicle to a storage station terminal, the device comprising • Two cams (241, 242) movable in rotation, • Two cam followers (261, 262) movable in translation, and driven by a respective cam, • Two latches (281, 282) actuated by a respective cam follower (261, 262), The locking device being configured to move between • A locked configuration in which the latches (281, 282) are blocked in the locking position by the cams (241, 242) and the cam followers (261, 262), • An intermediate configuration in which the latches (281, 282) are held in the locking position by a respective return member (30), removably towards an unlocking position, • An unlocked configuration in which the latches (281, 282) are locked in the unlocked position by the cams (241,242) and the cam followers (261, 262).,
2. The locking device (16) according to claim 1, wherein, - In the locking position, the latches (281, 282) project from the locking device, - In the unlocking position, the latches (281, 282) are in the locking device.
3. The locking device (16) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the latches (281, 282) have opposite directions of movement.
4. The locking device (16) according to the preceding claim, wherein the cams (241, 242) have helical-shaped cam surfaces with an inverted helix for driving each cam follower (261, 262).
5. The locking device (16) according to one of the preceding claims preceding, wherein the cams (241, 242) each comprise two driving surfaces of the respective cam follower (261, 262), each surface driving the respective cam follower (261, 262) in one direction or another towards the locking and unlocking positions of the one or more latches (281, 282).
6. The locking device (16) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the cams (241, 242) are carried by a single barrel (36) actuated in rotation by an electric motor (38).
7. The locking device (16) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising - One or more magnets (421, 422) whose angular position depends on the angular position of the cam(s) (241, 242) and - One or more Hall effect sensors (401, 402, 403) detecting the angular position of the magnet(s).
8. The locking device (16) according to the preceding claim when dependent on claim 6, in which the magnet(s) (421, 422) are carried by the barrel (36).
9. The locking device (16) according to the preceding claim, comprising two magnets (421, 422) whose angular position is detected by three Hall effect sensors (401, 402, 403), the magnets (421, 422) occupying different radial positions around the axis of rotation of the barrel (36).
10. The locking device (16) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device passes from the unlocked configuration to the locked configuration and vice versa through the intermediate configuration.
11. Vehicle (12) of the bicycle or scooter type, comprising the locking device (16) according to one of the preceding claims, the device (16) being integrated into a part of the vehicle (12), preferably a frame or a front fork of the vehicle.
12. Storage station (10) comprising at least one vehicle (12) according to the preceding claim as well as at least one storage terminal (14) in which the locking device (16) of the vehicle (12) is capable of being engaged and from which the locking device (16) is capable of being disengaged.
13. Station (10) according to the preceding claim, in which the storage terminal (14) comprises a retraction ramp capable of cooperating with the locking device (16) in the intermediate configuration, the latch(s) (281, 282) passing from the locked position to the unlocked position against the return member (30).