Knob holding structure and smart lock

Abstract

To provide a holding structure capable of holding and positioning a knob with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A knob holding structure 14 of a smart lock 10 includes a holder 24, a pair of pressure holding members 26a and 26b opposed to each other in the holder 24, and elastic members 28a and 28b for supporting each of the pair of pressure holding members 26a and 26b so as to be displaced with respect to an inner wall of the holder 24 and biasing them in a direction approaching each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a knob holding structure and a smart lock. [Background technology]

[0002] A smart lock is a device that unlocks and locks doors by password entry, fingerprint authentication, or remote operation from an electronic device such as a smartphone. Smart locks are known to be equipped with a holding means for holding a doorknob such as a thumb turn, and a drive means for rotating the holding means.

[0003] A mechanism has been proposed that can absorb errors when there is an error in the installation position of a smart lock relative to a door. For example, a smart lock device is known that has a configuration in which a soft rubber sleeve is inserted inside the cover that fixes the thumb turn.

[0004] There is also known technology that uses rubber, sponge, robotic fingers, etc. as a coupling for rotating the thumb turn to correct misalignment or eccentricity between the door lock and the door installation mechanism. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-204164 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-028259 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] When attaching a smart lock to a door, etc., in order to reliably fix the doorknob holding means to the doorknob with their rotation centers aligned, both were positioned and then fixed using screws, etc. However, such positioning and fixing was a complicated and troublesome task for the worker.

[0007] Although several technologies have been proposed to absorb positioning errors as mentioned above, a knob holding structure and a smart lock that have a simpler configuration and a structure that can make positioning and fixing tasks more efficient are desired. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present disclosure is a knob holding structure for a smart lock having a holder, a pair of clamping members arranged opposite each other within the holder, and an elastic member that supports each of the pair of clamping members so that they can be displaced against an inner wall of the holder and urges the pair of clamping members in a direction toward each other.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a smart lock having the above-mentioned knob holding structure and a drive mechanism that rotates the holder by remote control. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, when attaching a smart lock to a door or the like, a pair of clamping members can automatically elastically displace according to the position and shape of the knob, thereby allowing the knob to be properly held while significantly reducing the effort required by the worker. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a smart lock according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the smart lock in FIG. 1 from a different angle. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an object to which the smart lock is attached. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a knob holding structure. [Diagram 5] 5 is a perspective view of the knob holding structure of FIG. 4, seen from a different angle. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a drive mechanism of the knob holding structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a smart lock 10 according to a preferred embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the smart lock 10 viewed from a different angle from FIG. 1. The smart lock 10 includes a housing 12, a knob holding structure 14 disposed in the housing 12, and a drive mechanism 50 (see FIG. 7) disposed in the housing 12 and rotatably driving the knob holding structure 14 relative to the housing 12. The smart lock 10 is configured to be able to rotate a thumb-turn type knob 22 provided on a door 20 as partially shown in FIG. 3 by remote control. For example, while the knob holding structure 14 holds the knob 22, the drive mechanism 50 can rotate the knob holding structure 14 by remote control from an electronic device (not shown) such as a smartphone, thereby rotating the knob 22. The knob 22 is not limited to a thumb turn, but includes levers, latches, and the like that open and close a door by rotating or moving.

[0013] The smart lock 10 can be attached to the door 20 by various means. For example, the mounting surface 18 of the smart lock 10 as shown in FIG. 2 can be attached to a suitable location on the door 20 using a double-sided adhesive tape or adhesive (not shown). As shown in FIG. 1, the smart lock 10 may also have an operating knob 16 connected to a knob holding structure 14, which allows the knob 22 to be rotated manually. The operating knob 16 is connected to a rotating shaft 44 as shown in FIG. 6, for example.

[0014] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the knob holding structure 14, as viewed from the side attached to the door 20 (hereinafter also referred to as the bottom side). The knob holding structure 14 has a holder 24, a pair of clamping members 26a and 26b, and elastic members 28a and 28b that support the clamping members 26a and 26b so that they can be elastically displaced against the inner wall of the holder 24, respectively, and urge the clamping members 26a and 26b in directions to approach each other. In the illustrated example, the clamping members 26a and 26b are plate-shaped members (hereinafter also referred to as clamping plates), and the elastic bodies 28a and 28b are a plurality of coil springs. There is no particular restriction on the number of coil springs.

[0015] The pair of sandwiching plates 26a and 26b are disposed at a predetermined distance from each other on the bottom surface side. In the illustrated example, the pair of sandwiching plates 26a and 26b are biased in a direction approaching each other by coil springs 28a and 28b, respectively, but are maintained at a constant distance apart by a support portion 30 configured as a part of the holder 24.

[0016] More specifically, the support portion 30 is formed as a substantially T-shaped portion by forming slits 32a and 32b in a part of the holder 24, the slits 32a and 32b extending in the direction in which the pair of clamping plates 26a and 26b move toward and away from each other, while the clamping plates 26a and 26b have protrusions 34a and 34b that are movable within the slits 32a and 32b, respectively. With this configuration, the clamping plates 26a and 26b can be elastically displaced in the direction in which they move toward and away from each other within a range corresponding to the length of the slits 32a and 32b. In addition, the slits 32a and 32b can substantially limit the movable direction of the clamping plates 26a and 26b to the direction in which they move toward and away from each other, so that the operation of the clamping plates 26a and 26b is stabilized and the knob 22 can be appropriately held. However, this is just one example, and even in a configuration without the support part 30, the pair of clamping plates 26a and 26b can be spaced apart from each other at an appropriate interval by appropriately selecting the number, dimensions, spring constant, etc. of the coil springs 28a and 28b.

[0017] When attaching the smart lock 10 to the door 20 as shown in FIG. 1, an operator manipulates the housing 12 so that the knob 22 is inserted into the gap 36 between the pair of clamping plates 26a and 26b. It is desirable that the gap 36 before attachment has a width somewhat smaller than the thickness of the knob 22, but since the clamping plates 26a and 26b are supported by the coil springs 28a and 28b, respectively, as described above, at least one of the clamping plates 26a and 26b is elastically displaced in a direction toward or away from each other when pressed against the knob 22. Therefore, even if an operator does not accurately position the housing 12 relative to the knob 22, the knob 22 is suitably inserted into the gap 36.

[0018] In order to facilitate the insertion of the knob 22, it is preferable that the clamping plates 26a and 26b have tapered surfaces 38a and 38b, respectively, on the portions (end surfaces) facing the bottom side, as shown in Fig. 4. Depending on the shape of the tapered surfaces 38a and 38b, the pair of clamping plates 26a and 26b may be in contact with each other before attachment, but from the viewpoint of ease of insertion of the knob 22, it is preferable that they are separated by a predetermined distance by the above-mentioned support portion 30. It is also possible to provide a tapered surface on only one of the clamping plates.

[0019] When the knob 22 is inserted into the gap 36, the gap between the clamping plates 26a and 26b widens against the spring pressure of the coil springs 28a and 28b, and the knob 22 is clamped between the clamping plates 26a and 26b. At this time, the position of the holder 24 relative to the knob 22 is automatically adjusted by the balance of the spring pressure of the coil springs 28a and 28b so that the center of rotation of the knob 22 and the center of rotation of the holder 24 coincide with each other. Thus, the worker can attach the smart lock 10 to the door 20 with sufficient accuracy for practical use by a simple operation that does not require time-consuming positioning or adjustment.

[0020] In a state where the knob 22 is held by the holder 24, more specifically, in a state where the knob 22 is clamped between the clamping plates 26a and 26b, the knob 22 can be rotated together with the holder 24 by a drive mechanism 50, which will be described later. Furthermore, when the rotation angle of the holder 24 becomes larger than the maximum rotation angle based on the specifications of the knob 22, at least one of the coil springs 28a and 28b is elastically displaced, thereby absorbing the excess rotational movement of the holder 24, thereby preventing the application of excessive force to the knob 22.

[0021] Fig. 5 is a view of the knob holding structure 14 as seen from the top side opposite to the bottom side, and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 5. The holder 24 is configured to support the clamping plates 26a and 26b so that they can swing toward and away from each other. In the illustrated example, holes or recesses 40a and 40b are formed on the top surface of the holder 24, and protrusions 42a and 42b formed on the top surfaces of the clamping plates 26a and 26b engage with the holes 40a and 40b, respectively. With this configuration, the clamping plates 26a and 26b can swing about the holes 40a and 40b, respectively, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the knob 22 can be more stably clamped and held when attached.

[0022] Although there are no particular restrictions on the materials of the members constituting the knob holding structure 14, the holder 24 and the clamping plates 26a and 26b are preferably made of resin from the viewpoints of ease of manufacture and weight, and the coil springs 28a and 28b are preferably made of metal. Also, elastic bodies other than coil springs can be used, such as leaf springs, rubber, and sponge.

[0023] Fig. 7 shows one configuration example of a drive mechanism 50 for rotationally driving the knob holding structure 14. The drive mechanism 50 has a drive motor 52 and a gear unit 54 that transmits the rotational torque of the drive motor 52 to the holder 24, and the entire mechanism can be housed within the housing 12. However, for the sake of explanation, Fig. 7 shows only a bottom portion 62 of the housing 12 that has the mounting surface 18 (Fig. 2).

[0024] The housing 12 can also accommodate a control board 58 equipped with a processor 56 and the like, and the processor 56 is configured to control the drive motor 52 based on remote operation from an electronic device such as a smartphone.

[0025] The gear unit 54 has at least one gear, and in the illustrated example, has three gears 54a, 54b, and 54c engaged in series. When the motor 52 rotates due to the gear 54c engaging with the rotating shaft portion 44 (see FIG. 5) of the holder 24, the knob 22 held by the holder 24 rotates. However, this is just one example, and the number of gears and the number of teeth constituting the gear unit 54 can be appropriately selected based on the specifications of the drive motor 52, the desired rotation speed of the knob 22, etc.

[0026] It is preferable that the knob holding structure 14 can also be rotated manually. For example, by connecting the rotating shaft 60 of the operation knob 16 to the rotating shaft 44 (see FIG. 5) of the holder 24, an operator can rotate the operation knob 16 to manually rotate the knob 22 held by the holder 24. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 10 smart lock, 12 housing, 14 knob holding structure, 16 operation knob, 18 Mounting surface, 20 Door, 22 Doorknob, 24 Holder, 26a, 26b: clamping member; 28a, 28b: coil spring; 30: support portion; 32a, 32b slits, 34a, 34b protrusions, 38a, 38b tapered surfaces, 40a, 40b holes, 42a, 42b protrusions, 50 drive mechanism, 52 motor, 54 gear unit, 56 processor, 58 control board

Claims

1. A holder and a pair of clamping members disposed opposite each other within the holder; an elastic member that supports each of the pair of clamping members so that they can be displaced relative to an inner wall of the holder and that biases the pair of clamping members in directions in which they approach each other; A knob holding structure for a smart lock.

2. The knob holding structure according to claim 1 , wherein the holder has a slit extending in a direction in which the pair of clamping members move toward and away from each other.

3. The knob holding structure according to claim 1 , wherein the pair of clamping members are configured to be swingable about a part of the holder as a fulcrum.

4. The knob holding structure according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pair of clamping members has a tapered surface.

5. A smart lock comprising the knob holding structure according to claim 1 and a drive mechanism that rotationally drives the holder.

Images