Electronic lock

Abstract

To provide an electronic lock capable of reducing the number of parts and improving the accuracy of position and rotation. [Solution] The electronic lock 1 of the embodiment comprises a knob 3 for manual operation, a gear 6 having a surface facing the knob 3 and arranged coaxially with the rotating shaft 4, a thumb turn connecting portion 9 fixed to the knob 3 via the rotating shaft 4, a top housing 5, and a bottom housing 7, and the top housing 5 and bottom housing 7 are combined with the gear 6 inside.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic lock. [Background technology]

[0002] An electric lock that uses an electric thumb turn to drive a deadbolt on a door is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1, etc.). Also known is an electronic lock that can be retrofitted to the thumb turn of an existing door (see, for example, Patent Document 2, etc.).

[0003] In electronic locks that are retrofitted to the thumbturn of an existing door, a thumbturn for manual operation is provided so that the lock can be unlocked and locked manually even if the electric operation cannot be performed due to a dead battery, etc. Note that if the manual operation is performed with the motor and gear engaged in the thumbturn for manual operation, excessive load is placed on the motor and gear, which may cause damage, so an idling mechanism that keeps the motor and gear from engaging during manual operation is often provided. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-30426 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2016-148208 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the number of parts increases due to the free rotation mechanism of the thumbturn, making the electronic lock larger, and there are problems with designing the mechanism for add-on electronic locks that have limited installation space. Also, while the drive mechanism of the thumbturn, including the free rotation mechanism of the thumbturn, requires high position and rotation accuracy, the drive mechanism of the thumbturn is subjected to a relatively large torque, making it difficult to improve the position and rotation accuracy, which also makes miniaturization difficult.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and has an object to provide an electronic lock that can reduce the number of parts and improve the accuracy of position and rotation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, an electronic lock according to one aspect of the present invention includes a knob for manual operation, a gear having a surface facing the knob and arranged coaxially with a rotation shaft, a thumb turn connecting part fixed to the knob via the rotation shaft, a first housing, and a second housing, and the first housing and the second housing are combined with the gear inside. The second housing has a cylindrical portion, an inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion constitutes a bearing for the rotating shaft, and an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion constitutes a bearing for the gear. do. In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, an electronic lock according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a knob for manual operation, a gear having a surface facing the knob and arranged coaxially with a rotating shaft, a thumb turn connecting portion fixed to the knob via the rotating shaft, a first housing, and a second housing, wherein the first housing and the second housing are combined with the gear therein, and the first housing and the second housing are further combined with a potentiometer gear therein that meshes with a gear fixed to the rotating shaft of a position detection potentiometer. Effect of the Invention

[0008] An electronic lock according to one aspect of the present invention can reduce the number of parts and improve the accuracy of position and rotation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic lock according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the electronic lock with the top cover removed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view (1) of the main components connected to the knob and the surrounding components. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view (2) of the main components connected to the knob and the main components around it. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing a gear configuration on the drive side from the motor. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration around the switch operation plate. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of a configuration for operating a microswitch. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart (1) showing an operation example of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart (2) showing an operation example of the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the structure of a knob in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the potentiometer, the microswitch, and the magnetic sensor in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a first modified example of an arrangement of the potentiometer, the microswitch, and the magnetic sensor. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an electronic lock is installed on a door with its longitudinal direction oriented vertically. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which an electronic lock is installed on a door with its longitudinal direction oriented in the left-right direction. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the arrangement of the potentiometer, the microswitch, and the magnetic sensor. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a switching structure of a microswitch in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the switching structure shown in FIG. 16 as viewed from the z negative direction side. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the switching structure shown in FIG. 16 as viewed from the z negative direction side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an electronic lock according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, the dimensional relationship of each element in the drawings, the ratio of each element, etc. may differ from reality. Even between the drawings, there may be parts in which the dimensional relationship and ratio differ. In addition, the contents described in one embodiment or modified example are, in principle, applicable to other embodiments or modified examples in the same manner.

[0011] [First embodiment] The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0012] In the following description, the x, y, and z directions are perpendicular to each other. The x direction is the longitudinal direction of the electronic lock 1, and is the direction in which the thumbturn connecting portion 9 and the motor 22 are arranged. The y direction is the transverse direction of the electronic lock 1, and is the direction along the main surface of the bottom housing 7, etc. The z direction is the extension direction of the rotation axis of the thumbturn connecting portion 9.

[0013] Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of an electronic lock 1 according to a first embodiment. The electronic lock 1 is attached to a thumb turn (not shown) of an existing door, and receives operation instructions wirelessly or via wire from a controller (not shown) such as a smartphone or a control panel to perform the corresponding operation (locking, unlocking, etc.). Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi, etc. are used as the wireless system.

[0014] In FIG. 1, the electronic lock 1 has a generally rectangular appearance with about half of the back surface cut away, and the front surface is covered by a top cover 2. The cut-away portion of the back surface is provided with a thumb turn connector 9 that engages with a thumb turn of an existing door (not shown). A knob 3 that can be manually operated by a user is provided on the opposite side of the thumb turn connector 9 on the top cover 2. The knob 3 has a concave surface 3a that is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the knob 3, and a generally half-moon shaped knob portion 3b provided in the center of the concave surface 3a. The shape of the knob 3 is not limited to that shown in the figure.

[0015] 2 is a perspective view of the electronic lock 1 with the top cover 2 removed. In FIG. 2, a gear 6 and the like are connected to the knob 3, and continue to a thumb turn connecting portion 9.

[0016] Figures 3 and 4 are exploded perspective views of the main components and peripheral components connected to the knob 3, with Figure 3 showing the state as seen from diagonally above (the same perspective as Figures 1 and 2), and Figure 4 showing the state as seen from diagonally below. In Figures 3 and 4, arranged from the top of the figures are the knob 3, the rotating shaft 4, the top housing 5 (first housing), the gear 6, the bottom housing 7 (second housing), the switch operation plate 8, and the thumb turn connecting part 9. The thumb turn connecting part 9 is made up of a circular plate 10, a rectangular plate 11, a circular plate 12, and a thumb turn clamping part 13.

[0017] A switch operation plate 8 and a thumbturn connecting part 9 are fixed to the knob 3 via a rotating shaft 4, and the switch operation plate 8 and the thumbturn connecting part 9 rotate together with the knob 3. One end of the rotating shaft 4 is fixed to a hole 3f on the back side of the knob 3, and the other end of the rotating shaft 4 is fixed to a rectangular plate 11 of the thumbturn connecting part 9 through the switch operation plate 8.

[0018] A cylindrical portion 3c is connected to the periphery of the concave surface 3a on the front side of the knob 3, and a potentiometer gear 3d is integrally provided around the periphery of the lower end of the cylindrical portion 3c. Since the front surface of the knob 3 is exposed to the outer surface of the electronic lock 1 and the appearance should be taken into consideration, it is desirable to use a material appropriate for the appearance. Furthermore, the potentiometer gear 3d is desired to be made of a material appropriate for the mechanical strength and abrasion resistance required. Therefore, the potentiometer gear 3d may be configured separately from the knob 3. The relationship with the potentiometer (28) will be described later. Furthermore, a protrusion 3e is provided on the back side of the knob 3. The protrusion 3e may also be configured separately from the knob 3 from the viewpoint of material selection.

[0019] A cylindrical portion 7a is provided at approximately the center of the bottom of the bottom housing 7, and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 7a constitutes a bearing for the rotating shaft 4, and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 7a constitutes a bearing for the gear 6. The top housing 5 and the bottom housing 7 are assembled with the gear 6 inside. The rotating shaft 4 is rotatably supported by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 7a of the bottom housing 7 through one bearing, which reduces assembly errors and improves positional accuracy compared to when the rotating shaft 4 is supported by a pair (two) of bearings. In addition, the gear 6 is rotatably supported by the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 7a of the bottom housing 7, which improves the accuracy of the axial distance between the gear 6 and a spur gear (27) (described later) that meshes with the gear 6, without being affected by the rotating shaft 4.

[0020] A protrusion 6a capable of coming into contact with the protrusion 3e on the back surface of the knob 3 in the rotational direction of the gear 6 is provided on the surface of the gear 6 that faces the bottom surface of the knob 3. The protrusion 3e of the knob 3 and the protrusion 6a of the gear 6 constitute a so-called idling mechanism, in which the rotation of the driving gear 6 causes the protrusion 6a to come into contact with and push the protrusion 3e of the knob 3, thereby rotating the knob 3, and then the gear 6 is reversed by a predetermined angle, creating a space between the protrusion 6a and the protrusion 3e, making it possible to manually reverse the knob 3 without affecting the driving gear 6.

[0021] The switch operation plate 8 is substantially disk-shaped, and for example, eight protrusions 8a are provided at equal intervals on the outer periphery of the switch operation plate 8. The switch operation plate 8 is for detecting that the knob 3 has been rotated by a manual operation by the user, and is used for controlling a sleep state to reduce power consumption and extend battery life. Details will be described later.

[0022] 2, a motor 22 is disposed on the base housing 21, and a driving force is transmitted from the output shaft of the motor 22 to the gear 6 via a worm 23, a worm gear 24, ..., and spur gears 26 and 27 disposed in the bottom housing 7. In addition, a potentiometer gear 29 on the bottom housing 7 meshes with a potentiometer gear 3d of the knob 3.

[0023] Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view showing the gear configuration on the drive side from the motor 22. In Fig. 5, the drive side includes a worm 23, which is a first drive side gear fixed to the output shaft 22a of the motor 22, and a worm gear 24, which is a second drive side gear meshing with the worm 23. The drive side also includes a spur gear 25, which is a third drive side gear formed integrally with the worm gear 24, a spur gear 26, which is a fourth drive side gear meshing with the spur gear 25, and a spur gear 27, which is a fifth drive side gear formed integrally with the spur gear 26 and meshing with gear 6 (Fig. 2, etc.).

[0024] A potentiometer gear 29 is fixed to the central input shaft of a thin, substantially rectangular parallelepiped potentiometer 28. The potentiometer 28 is a component that outputs an analog value (resistance value) according to the angular position of the input shaft.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration around the switch operation plate 8. In FIG. 6, a microswitch 16 is provided on the bottom side of a board 14 disposed inside the bottom surface of the bottom housing 7 (FIG. 3). An arm 15 is rotatably supported by a shaft 15a on the bottom housing 7, and the tip of the arm 15 is biased toward the switch operation plate 8. Therefore, when the knob 3 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by a manual operation by a user and the switch operation plate 8 rotates in conjunction with the rotation, a protrusion 8a provided on the outer periphery of the switch operation plate 8 pushes the tip of the arm 15 outward. As a result, the outer surface of the arm 15 presses an actuator 16a of the microswitch 16, turning the microswitch 16 on (or off).

[0026] In addition, a circuit section (electronic circuit) that realizes functions such as communication with a controller such as a smartphone or a control panel and control of the motor 22 is mounted on the substrate 14.

[0027] Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of a configuration for operating the microswitch 16. In Fig. 7, a plurality of (eight, for example) protrusions 3e are integrally provided on the outer periphery of the knob 3, and the microswitch 16 is provided on the substrate 17. Here, when the knob 3 is manually rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by the user, the protrusions 3e press the actuator 16a of the microswitch 16, turning the microswitch 16 on (or off).

[0028] Also, in Fig. 7, a magnetic sensor 18 is shown on the board 17. This magnetic sensor 18 is for determining whether the door is open or closed by detecting the proximity to a magnet provided on the side of an existing door (not shown). A similar magnetic sensor is also provided on the board 14 shown in Fig. 6, but is not shown. Also, in Fig. 7, in addition to the board 17, a board 19 is provided, and a circuit section (electronic circuit) is mounted on this board 19 to realize functions such as a communication function with a controller such as a smartphone or a control panel and a control function for controlling the motor 22.

[0029] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the first embodiment, which is an example of processing by the circuit section when an operation signal is received from a controller such as a smartphone or an operation panel.

[0030] In Fig. 8, when the circuit unit of the electronic lock 1 receives an operation signal from the controller and starts processing, the circuit unit cancels the sleep state (step S101). In the sleep state, only functions that respond to limited state changes such as the presence or absence of an operation signal from the controller and the on-state of the microswitch 16 are active, and other functions are stopped, suppressing power consumption. When the sleep state is cancelled, the functions that were restricted in the sleep state are enabled.

[0031] When the sleep state is released, the circuit unit reads the value of the potentiometer 28 (the value corresponding to the rotation angle of the knob 3), obtains the current state (locked state, unlocked state, etc.), and records it in a non-volatile memory or the like within the circuit unit (step S102).

[0032] Next, the circuit unit receives the operation contents from the controller (step S103), and branches the process according to the operation contents (step S104).

[0033] If the operation contents are related to the settings (setting in step S104), the circuit unit judges whether the setting contents are appropriate (step S105), and if it judges them to be inappropriate (No in step S105), the process returns to the operation contents reception (step S103). The setting contents being appropriate means, for example, that there are no contradictions in the setting contents.

[0034] When the circuit unit judges that the setting contents are appropriate (Yes in step S105), it performs the corresponding setting process (step S106). The setting process includes, for example, setting the angle position and direction of locking and unlocking, which is performed for the first time after the installation of the electronic lock 1. More specifically, the angle position (whether the knob part faces vertically or horizontally) in each of the locked and unlocked states of the thumb turn of the existing door and the direction of rotation (clockwise or counterclockwise) to transition to each of the locked and unlocked states are set, and the setting contents are recorded in a non-volatile memory or the like in the circuit unit. The setting process also includes setting processes for the second and subsequent electronic locks 1 and setting processes for duplicate keys.

[0035] Next, the circuit unit judges whether the setting is completed (step S107), and if it is judged that the setting is not completed (No in step S107), the process returns to the operation content reception (step S103). If the circuit unit judges that the setting is completed (Yes in step S107), the process goes to a sleep state (step S114) and ends the process.

[0036] On the other hand, if the operation command is to lock (lock in step S104), the circuit unit judges whether the operation command matches the state (step S108). For example, if the door is currently locked and a command to lock is issued, the circuit unit judges that the operation command does not match the state. If the door is opened and a command to lock is issued, the circuit unit also judges that the operation command does not match the state.

[0037] If the circuit unit determines that the operation content and the state do not match (No in step S108), the process returns to the step of accepting the operation content (step S103).

[0038] When the circuit unit determines that the operation content and the state match (Yes in step S108), it drives the motor 22 in the set locking direction to rotate the thumb turn connecting part 9 (which also links the knob 3) by a predetermined angle to lock (step S109), and records the latest state in a non-volatile memory or the like in the circuit unit. If, for example, the clockwise direction is set as the locking direction, power is applied to the motor 22 with a polarity corresponding to the clockwise rotation of the knob 3, and the motor is driven until the value of the potentiometer 28 changes by a predetermined angle (for example, 90°).

[0039] Next, the circuit unit rotates the motor 22 a predetermined angle to set the knob 3 in an idling state where the gear is not engaged with the knob 3 (step S110). For example, if the knob 3 has been rotated 90° clockwise to lock the door, the motor 22 is rotated counterclockwise by an angle equivalent to 90°. Next, the circuit unit transitions to a sleep state (step S114) and ends the process.

[0040] On the other hand, if the operation command is to unlock the door (unlock in step S104), the circuit unit judges whether the operation command matches the state (step S111). For example, if the door is currently unlocked and an unlock command is issued, the circuit unit judges that the operation command does not match the state. If the door is open and an unlock command is issued, the circuit unit also judges that the operation command does not match the state.

[0041] If the circuit unit determines that the operation content and the state do not match (No in step S111), the process returns to the step of accepting the operation content (step S103).

[0042] When the circuit unit determines that the operation content and the state match (Yes in step S111), it drives the motor 22 in the set unlocking direction to rotate the thumbturn coupling part 9 (which also links the knob 3) by a predetermined angle to unlock (step S112), and records the latest state in a non-volatile memory or the like in the circuit unit. When the unlocking direction is set to, for example, counterclockwise, power is applied to the motor 22 with a polarity corresponding to the counterclockwise rotation of the knob 3, and the motor is driven until the value of the potentiometer 28 changes by a predetermined angle (for example, 90°).

[0043] Next, the circuit unit rotates the motor 22 by a predetermined angle to set the knob 3 in an idling state where the gear is not engaged with the knob 3 (step S113). For example, if the knob 3 is rotated 90° counterclockwise to unlock the door, the motor 22 is rotated clockwise by an angle equivalent to 90°. Next, the circuit unit transitions to a sleep state (step S114) and ends the process.

[0044] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the first embodiment, and is an example of processing of the circuit section when a manual operation is performed to turn the knob 3 of the electronic lock 1 and the microswitch 16 (Figures 6 and 7) is turned on (or off).

[0045] In FIG. 9, when the knob 3 of the electronic lock 1 is manually turned and the microswitch 16 is turned on (or off) to start processing, the circuit unit releases the sleep state (step S201).

[0046] Next, when the sleep state is released, the circuit unit reads the value of the potentiometer 28, obtains the current state (locked state, unlocked state, etc.), and records it in a non-volatile memory or the like within the circuit unit (step S202).

[0047] Next, the circuit unit determines whether or not the state of the microswitch 16 without any change has continued for a predetermined time (step S203), and if it determines that the state of no change has not continued for the predetermined time (there has been a state change within the predetermined time) (No in step S203), it returns to obtaining the state (step S202).

[0048] When the circuit unit determines that the state of the microswitch 16 has not changed for a predetermined period of time (Yes in step S203), the circuit unit transitions to a sleep state (step S204) and ends the process.

[0049] Although the first embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0050] As described above, the electronic lock according to the first embodiment includes a knob for manual operation, a thumbturn coupling part fixed to the knob via a rotating shaft, a gear having a surface facing the bottom surface of the knob and arranged coaxially with the rotating shaft, a first protrusion provided on the bottom surface of the knob, and a second protrusion provided on the surface of the gear facing the bottom surface of the knob and capable of abutting against the first protrusion in the rotational direction. This makes it possible to reduce the number of parts and increase the accuracy of positioning and rotation.

[0051] The bottom housing has a cylindrical portion whose inner circumferential surface constitutes a bearing for the rotating shaft and whose outer circumferential surface constitutes a bearing for the gear, thereby making it possible to improve the accuracy of the arrangement of the rotating shaft and the gear.

[0052] In addition, a potentiometer gear is provided, either integrally with the outer periphery of the knob or separately, and meshes with a gear fixed to the rotation shaft of a position-detecting potentiometer, allowing the rotation angle of the knob to be directly and accurately detected.

[0053] The drive system further includes a first drive gear fixed to the output shaft of the motor, a second drive gear meshing with the first drive gear, a third drive gear formed integrally with the second drive gear, a fourth drive gear meshing with the third drive gear, and a fifth drive gear formed integrally with the fourth drive gear and meshing with the gear. This makes it easy to configure the drive system.

[0054] The switch operation plate is fixed to the rotating shaft and has a protrusion that presses the operation portion of the switch for detecting manual operation, making it possible to easily detect the rotation of the knob by manual operation by the user.

[0055] The knob also includes a protrusion that is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the knob and presses the operation portion of the switch for detecting manual operation, thereby making it possible to easily detect rotation of the knob through manual operation by the user.

[0056] [Second embodiment] The second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 18. In the following, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0057] <Knob 3 Configuration> The electronic lock 1 of the second embodiment is characterized by the configuration of the knob 3. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the structure of the knob 3 in the second embodiment. The knob 3 according to the second embodiment can also be expressed as a modified example of the knob 3 according to the first embodiment described with reference to Figs. 3, 4, etc.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 10, the knob 3 of the second embodiment has a first member 31 and a second member 32. The first member 31 is a part of the knob 3 that is exposed to the outside and has a knob portion 3b used for manual operation. The knob portion 3b is formed to protrude from the first member 31 in the z positive direction. The second member 32 is a part of the knob 3 that is disposed inside the housing and has a potentiometer gear 3d (gear portion) that transmits the rotation angle of the knob 3 to the potentiometer 28 (first detection portion). The potentiometer gear 3d is formed concentrically with a hole 3f in the center of the main surface on the z negative direction side of the second member 32.

[0059] The first member 31 and the second member 32 are formed of different materials. That is, the knob portion 3b of the first member 31 and the potentiometer gear 3d of the second member 32 are formed as separate bodies.

[0060] Since the knob portion 3b of the first member 31 is an exterior part exposed on the outer surface of the electronic lock 1, it is preferable to use a material suitable from the standpoint of appearance (for example, a material that can be formed into an attractive surface texture or a material that is easy to paint, etc.) for the first member 31. On the other hand, it is preferable to use a material suitable for the power transmission function (for example, a material that is not easily slippery or abrasive) for the potentiometer gear 3d of the second member 32. In the second embodiment, by forming the knob 3 into separate members, the first member 31 and the second member 32, there is an advantage that materials suitable for the function of each part can be used individually, and a knob 3 that is easier to use can be formed.

[0061] A protrusion 33 that can be placed in a recess 61 of the gear 6 is provided on a main surface of the first member 31 opposite to the knob portion 3b (the z negative side). For ease of explanation, in Fig. 10, the first member 31 and the second member 32 of the knob 3 are illustrated in a perspective view seen from the z negative side, and the gear 6 is illustrated in a perspective view seen from the z positive side.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 10, the protrusion 33 is formed to protrude toward the z negative side of the first member 31. The second member 32 is provided with a hole 34 through which the protrusion 33 is inserted, penetrating in the z direction. When the first member 31 and the second member 32 are integrally connected to form the knob 3, the protrusion 33 protrudes toward the z negative side of the knob 3 through the hole 34. When the knob 3 and the gear 6 are assembled inside the electronic lock 1, the protrusion 33 of the knob 3 enters the recess 61 of the gear 6. The recess 61 is formed in a region between the hole 63 at the center of the gear 6 and the gear 64 at the outer edge, recessed toward the z negative side, and extends along the circumferential direction of the gear 6.

[0063] The recess 61 is divided into two regions by a wall portion 62 extending along the radial direction of the gear 6, and one protrusion 33 of the knob 3 is disposed in each of the two regions. The protrusion 33 of the knob 3 and the wall portion 62 of the gear 6 constitute an idling mechanism, similar to the protrusion 3e of the knob 3 and the protrusion 6a of the gear 6 in the first embodiment. That is, the rotation of the driving gear 6 causes the wall portion 62 to come into contact with and push the protrusion 33 of the knob 3, thereby rotating the knob 3, and then the gear 6 is reversed by a predetermined angle, creating a space between the wall portion 62 and the protrusion 33, making it possible to manually reverse the knob 3 without affecting the driving gear 6.

[0064] 10 illustrates a configuration in which the knob 3 has two protrusions 33, but the number of protrusions 33 may be other than two. The number of recesses 61 of the gear 6 is changed according to the number of protrusions 33.

[0065] <Sensor placement> The electronic lock 1 of the second embodiment is characterized by the arrangement of the potentiometer 28 (first detection unit), the microswitch 16 (second detection unit), and the magnetic sensor 18 (third detection unit). FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the potentiometer 28, the microswitch 16, and the magnetic sensor 18 in the second embodiment. In FIG. 11, the parts arranged on the z positive side of the board 20, such as the knob 3 and the gear 6, are removed from the external perspective view of the electronic lock 1 with the top housing 5 removed as shown in FIG. 2, etc., and the vicinity of the rotating shaft 4 is further enlarged. The arrangement of the potentiometer 28, the microswitch 16, and the magnetic sensor 18 according to the second embodiment can also be expressed as a modified example of the arrangement of the potentiometer 28, the microswitch 16, and the magnetic sensor 18 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 6, FIG. 7, etc.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 11, in the second embodiment, a potentiometer 28, a microswitch 16, and a magnetic sensor 18 are mounted on the same board 20 disposed inside the electronic lock 1.

[0067] This configuration allows the board installed inside the housing of the electronic lock 1 to be made smaller, which in turn allows the entire electronic lock 1 to be made smaller. In addition, since the processing of multiple sensors can be performed collectively on a single board 20, costs can be reduced.

[0068] Moreover, the magnetic sensor 18 is preferably disposed near the rotation shaft 4 of the thumb turn connecting portion 9. In the example of Fig. 11, the magnetic sensor 18 is disposed on the y negative side from the rotation shaft 4 (the short side of the electronic lock 1).

[0069] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the arrangement of the potentiometer 28, the microswitch 16, and the magnetic sensor 18. The outline of Fig. 12 is similar to that of Fig. 11. As shown in Fig. 12, the magnetic sensor 18 only needs to be arranged near the rotating shaft 4 of the thumb turn connecting portion 9, and may be arranged in a position different from that shown in Fig. 11. In the example of Fig. 12, the magnetic sensor 18 is arranged on the negative x-direction side from the rotating shaft 4 (the motor 22 side, the longitudinal direction side of the electronic lock 1).

[0070] The effect of arranging the magnetic sensor 18 near the rotation shaft 4 will be described with reference to Fig. 13 and Fig. 14. Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the electronic lock 1 installed on the door with its longitudinal direction oriented in the up-down direction. Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the electronic lock 1 installed on the door with its longitudinal direction oriented in the left-right direction.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 13, the electronic lock 1 of this embodiment engages with a thumb turn 41 of an existing door 40 to operate the thumb turn 41. The magnetic sensor 18 can detect the open / closed state of the door 40 by detecting the proximity of the magnetic sensor 18 to a magnet 43 provided on the building side (e.g., the door frame 42 to which the door 40 is attached) on which the door 40 on which the electronic lock 1 is installed is installed.

[0072] For example, as shown in Fig. 13, consider a magnetic sensor 18 disposed near the rotating shaft 4 as an embodiment, and a magnetic sensor 18a disposed away from the rotating shaft 4 as a comparative example. In the example of Fig. 13, the magnetic sensor 18 of the embodiment and the magnetic sensor 18a of the comparative example are both disposed on the center line C of the electronic lock 1 in the longitudinal direction (the up-down direction in Fig. 13).

[0073] In this example, when the electronic lock 1 is installed on the door 40 with its longitudinal direction facing up and down as shown in Figure 13, the distance D1 between the magnetic sensor 18 and the magnet 43 in the embodiment is approximately the same as the distance D1a between the magnetic sensor 18a and the magnet 43 in the comparative example.

[0074] On the other hand, when the electronic lock 1 is installed on the door 40 with its longitudinal direction oriented left-right as shown in Figure 14, the distance D2 between the magnetic sensor 18 and the magnet 43 in the embodiment is significantly different from the distance D2a between the magnetic sensor 18a and the magnet 43 in the comparative example.

[0075] Since the difference between distance D1 of the embodiment in Fig. 13 and distance D2 of the embodiment in Fig. 14 is relatively small, a difference in detection accuracy of magnetic sensor 18 of the embodiment is unlikely to occur. On the other hand, since the difference between distance D1a of the comparative example in Fig. 13 and distance D2a of the comparative example in Fig. 14 is relatively large, a difference in detection accuracy of magnetic sensor 18a of the comparative example is likely to occur.

[0076] In this way, by positioning the magnetic sensor 18 near the rotation axis 4 as in this embodiment, the difference in positional relationship with the magnet 43 can be reduced regardless of whether the electronic lock 1 is installed on the door 40 in the left-right or up-down direction, making it less likely that there will be differences in detection accuracy depending on the installation direction.

[0077] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the arrangement of the potentiometer 28, the microswitch 16, and the magnetic sensor 18. In the second embodiment, it is sufficient that at least the potentiometer 28, the microswitch 16, and the magnetic sensor 18 are mounted on the same substrate 20, and the magnetic sensor 18 does not necessarily have to be arranged near the rotating shaft 4. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the magnetic sensor 18 may be arranged near the side wall of the peripheral portion of the case (bottom housing 7). For example, the magnetic sensor 18 shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 is arranged at a position closer to the rotating shaft 4 than the side wall of the peripheral portion of the bottom housing 7, whereas the magnetic sensor 18 shown in FIG. 15 is arranged at a position closer to the side wall of the peripheral portion of the bottom housing 7 than the rotating shaft 4.

[0078] <Switching structure of microswitch 16> In the electronic lock 1 of the second embodiment, the switching structure of the microswitch 16 for detecting manual operation is also characteristic. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the switching structure of the microswitch 16 in the second embodiment. The overview of FIG. 16 is similar to that of FIG. 11, and the vicinity of the microswitch 16 in FIG. 11 is enlarged. FIGS. 17 and 18 are perspective views of the switching structure shown in FIG. 16 as viewed from the z negative direction. For convenience of explanation, the bottom housing 7 is omitted from FIG. 17. The switching structure of the microswitch 16 according to the second embodiment can also be expressed as a modified example of the switching structure of the microswitch 16 according to the first embodiment described with reference to FIG. 6 and the like.

[0079] As shown in Fig. 16, the electronic lock 1 of the second embodiment includes a cam 50 that rotates in response to rotation of the knob 3. As described above with reference to Fig. 6, the microswitch 16 detects that the actuator 16a (operation unit) is pressed and switches to the ON state (or OFF state).

[0080] Cam 50 is rotatably attached to a rotating shaft 54 ​​that stands on the z positive side from the bottom surface of bottom housing 7. Cam 50 has a cylindrical rotating part 51 that fits around rotating shaft 54, and a first arm part 52 and a second arm part 53 that extend in different directions from rotating part 51. A pressing part 55 is provided at the tip of first arm part 52 that presses actuator 16a of microswitch 16 when first arm part 52 rotates in response to rotation of knob 3.

[0081] The electronic lock 1 also includes a biasing unit 56 that biases the cam 50 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction that brings the pressing unit 55 closer to the actuator 16a of the microswitch 16. The biasing unit 56 is, for example, a torsion spring, and one end of the torsion spring is connected to the tip of the second arm unit 53 of the cam 50, and the other end is fixed to the bottom housing 7 or the like. The cam 50 can rotate against the biasing force of the biasing unit 56 in response to the rotation of the knob 3.

[0082] As shown in Fig. 17, a protrusion 57 protruding in the z negative direction is formed at the tip of first arm portion 52. In an actual structure, this protrusion 57 passes through a slit 58 formed penetrating the bottom surface of bottom housing 7, and is exposed in the z negative direction from bottom housing 7, as shown in Fig. 18. Protrusion 57 protruding outward from bottom housing 7 is disposed at a position where it can come into contact with protrusion 8a provided on the outer circumferential surface of switch operation plate 8 so as to protrude outward in the circumferential direction, and is slidable along slit 58 in response to pressure from protrusion 8a.

[0083] When the knob 3 is rotated clockwise or counterclockwise by a manual operation by the user, and the switch operation plate 8 rotates in conjunction with the rotation as shown by the arrow A in Fig. 17 and Fig. 18, the protrusion 8a provided on the outer periphery of the switch operation plate 8 presses the protrusion 57 of the first arm portion 52 of the cam 50 radially outward. The cam 50 rotates around the rotation shaft 54 ​​due to the pressing force from the switch operation plate 8 that the protrusion 57 receives. As a result, the first arm portion 52 moves in a rotation direction that brings the cam 50 closer to the actuator 16a of the microswitch 16 as shown by the arrow B in Figs. 16 to 18, and the second arm portion 53 moves in a rotation direction that brings the cam 50 closer to the actuator 16a of the microswitch 16 as shown by the arrow C in Figs. 16 and 17.

[0084] Such rotation of the first arm portion 52 causes the pressing portion 55 to press the actuator 16a of the microswitch 16, thereby turning the microswitch 16 on (or off).

[0085] 16 and 17, as second arm portion 53 rotates, biasing portion 56 applies a biasing force to second arm portion 53 in the direction opposite to the rotation direction indicated by arrow C. While protrusion 57 of first arm portion 52 is receiving a pressing force from protrusion 8a of switch operation plate 8, cam 50 can rotate against biasing force D applied by biasing portion 56 in response to rotation of knob 3.

[0086] On the other hand, when the protrusion 57 of the first arm portion 52 passes the protrusion 8a of the switch operation plate 8 and the pressing force that the protrusion 57 received from the protrusion 8a is released, the cam 50 rotates in a direction that moves the pressing portion 55 away from the actuator 16a of the microswitch 16, that is, in the opposite direction to the pressing direction (the direction of the arrow D) due to the biasing force D that the second arm portion 53 receives from the biasing portion 56. This switches the microswitch 16 off (or on).

[0087] Thus, in the second embodiment, the start-up switch (microswitch 16) is not directly pressed by a plate (a rotating element such as switch operation plate 8) but is pressed via cam 50. With this configuration, by appropriately adjusting the shape of cam 50 (for example, the length of first arm portion 52 and second arm portion 53, the position of protrusion 57 relative to protrusion 8a of switch operation plate 8, etc.), the degree of freedom in the placement location of microswitch 16 is improved, making it easier to place microswitch 16 on the same board 20 together with other sensors.

[0088] Furthermore, by improving the degree of freedom in arranging the microswitch 16 in this way, it is also easy to arrange the microswitch 16 near the magnetic sensor 18 near the rotation shaft 4, for example, as shown by the dotted line in Fig. 16. With such an arrangement, it is also possible to reduce the area of ​​the board 20 by eliminating the portion of the board 20 on the positive x-direction side (the portion shown by diagonal lines in Fig. 16), for example, as shown in Fig. 16, and therefore the electronic lock 1 can be made even lighter and more compact.

[0089] Similarly, by adjusting the shape of the cam 50, the pressing force and timing applied from the pressing portion 55 of the cam 50 to the actuator 16a of the microswitch 16 can be freely adjusted, thereby reducing the load that the microswitch 16 receives from the pressing force and also reducing the operating noise.

[0090] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. The present invention also includes a configuration in which the above-mentioned components are appropriately combined. Further effects and modifications can be easily derived by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the broader aspects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and various modifications are possible.

[0091] This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-217448 filed on November 29, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1 Electronic lock 2 Top cover 3 Knob 31 First member 32 Second member 3b Knob section 3c Cylinder part 3d Potentiometer gear (gear part) 3e protrusion 4 Rotation Axis 5 Top housing (first housing) 6 Gear 6a protrusion 7 Bottom housing (second housing) 7a Cylinder part 8 Switch operation plate 8a protrusion 9 Thumb turn connection 16 Microswitch (second detection part) 16a Actuator (operating part) 18 Magnetic sensor (third detection unit) 21 Base housing 22 Motor 22a Output shaft 23 Warm 24 Worm Gear 25~27 Spur Gear 28 Potentiometer (first detection part) 29 Potentiometer gear 20 Substrate 40 Door 41 Thumb turn 42 Door Frame 43 Magnet 50 Cam 55 Pressing part 56 Pressurizing part

Claims

1. A knob for manual operation; a gear having a surface facing the knob and arranged coaxially with a rotation shaft; a thumb turn connection portion fixed to the knob via the rotation shaft; A first housing; A second housing, the first housing and the second housing are combined with each other with the gear therein, The second housing has a cylindrical portion. The inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion constitutes a bearing for the rotating shaft, and the outer peripheral surface constitutes a bearing for the gear. Electronic lock.

2. An electronic lock as described in claim 1, wherein the first housing and the second housing are combined with a potentiometer gear therein that meshes with a gear fixed to a rotating shaft of a position detection potentiometer.

3. A knob for manual operation; a gear having a surface facing the knob and arranged coaxially with a rotation shaft; a thumb turn connection portion fixed to the knob via the rotation shaft; A first housing; A second housing, the first housing and the second housing are combined with each other with the gear therein, The first housing and the second housing are combined with each other in a state in which a potentiometer gear is disposed therein and meshes with a gear fixed to a rotation shaft of a position detection potentiometer. Electronic lock.

4. Further comprising a base housing that accommodates the second housing, A motor is disposed on the base housing; A driving force is transmitted from an output shaft of the motor to the gear via a plurality of driving side gears arranged in the second housing. The electronic lock according to claim 3.

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