Latch lock device for sliding door

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide a latch lock device for a sliding door that automatically locks the door when the door is closed again after being unlocked and opened. In a latch lock device

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a latching device for sliding doors of buildings or large commercial cold storage facilities, truck cargo boxes, etc. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Various designs have been proposed for latching devices for sliding doors equipped with locking units (e.g., Patent Document 1). These devices are configured such that a lever handle for releasing the lock protrudes from the front of the sliding door. This lever handle disengages the auxiliary lock from the latch of the fixed frame. After releasing the locking unit, the lever handle can be moved laterally to release the lock and simultaneously open the sliding door. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-114955 [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The conventional latching device for sliding doors described above does not re-lock after the door is opened and then returned to the closed position. To re-lock, the key must be inserted again and the locking operation performed. Therefore, the locking operation is cumbersome and prone to being forgotten. Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a latching device for sliding doors that automatically re-locks the door once it is opened and then closed, even without re-locking with a key. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] The symbols in the accompanying drawings will be used in the following description, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The sliding door latching device 1 of the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, comprises: a front plate 2, which has an operating opening 21 at the bottom and is fixed to the front periphery of the mounting opening 101a of the front panel 101 of the sliding door 100 in the peripheral portion; a rear plate 3, which is fixed to the back side of the front plate 2 at a distance; a locking unit 4, which is fixed through the upper part of the front plate 2; an automatic locking cam 5, which is coupled to the rotor 41 of the locking unit 4 in the rotational direction with a predetermined clearance, and can rotate freely between the locked position and the unlocked position together with the rotor; and a switching spring 6, which pushes the automatic locking cam 5 toward the locked position, and at the middle position of the automatic locking cam 5 rotating to the unlocked position, passes the dead point in the direction of action and unlocks. Position spring push; shaft 7, which is pivotally supported between the front panel 2 and the rear panel 3, and has a round shaft portion 71 and an angle shaft portion 72; lever handle 8, which is configured to be rotatably fitted into the round shaft portion 71 of shaft 7 at the upper base end, and can swing freely between the locked and unlocked positions around shaft 7, and the lower part is exposed so as to be able to swing from the operating opening 21 toward the front side of the sliding door 100, and the sliding door 100 can be opened by continuously swinging toward the unlocked position; link plate (link The lever plate 9 overlaps the back side of the lever handle 8 and is fitted into the corner shaft portion 72 of the shaft 7 in a non-rotatable manner. It rotates freely between the locked and unlocked positions together with the shaft 7 and has a connecting rod arm 91 that extends laterally and connects to the auxiliary lock 12. The return springs 10 and 14 rotate and push the lever handle 8 and the connecting rod plate 9 towards the locked position. The rotation control cam 13 overlaps the back side of the connecting rod plate 9 and is fitted into the corner shaft portion 72 of the shaft 7 in a non-rotatable manner. The lever handle 8 has a locking protrusion 81 and a driving protrusion 82 at symmetrical positions on the upper edge of the arc concentric with the shaft 7. The connecting arm 91 of the connecting rod plate 9 is configured such that when the connecting rod plate 9 is in the locked position, the auxiliary lock 12 engages with the latch 112 of the fixed frame 110, and when it is in the unlocked position, the auxiliary lock 12 disengages from the latch 112. It has a driven abutment surface 91a at the upper edge of its base end. This driven abutment surface 91a abuts against the drive protrusion 82 when the lever handle 8 is rotated to the unlocked position, causing the connecting rod plate 9 to rotate towards the unlocked position. The rotary control cam 13 has a cam drive protrusion 131 that protrudes radially upwards from the arc-shaped upper edge overlapping with the upper edge of the connecting rod plate 9.The automatic locking cam 5 comprises: a locking cam portion 51, which abuts against the locking protrusion 81 of the lever handle 8 in the locked position to prevent the lever handle 8 from rotating to the unlocked position; and a driven cam portion 52, which abuts against the cam drive protrusion 131 when the rotation control cam 13 rotates together with the lever handle 8 and the connecting rod plate 9 to the unlocked position, causing the automatic locking cam 5 to rotate to the locked position by passing the dead point of the switching spring 6. With the above configuration, the automatic locking cam 5 automatically returns to the locked position when the lever handle 8 returns from the unlocked position to the locked position. [Effect of the Invention].

[0006] According to the latching device for sliding doors of the present invention, once the sliding door is opened after the lock is released, if the sliding door is closed again, the lock will automatically re-lock, thus eliminating the need for locking with a key again. Therefore, the cumbersome locking operation is eliminated, and the situation of forgetting to lock is less likely to occur.

Implementation Method

[0007] The embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In Figures 2 and 3, the sliding door 100, equipped with a latching device 1, is fitted within a fixed frame 110 surrounding an opening 111 of a housing such as a vehicle-mounted refrigerated warehouse, and slides to the left from the closed state shown in Figure 2, thereby opening the opening 111. When closed, the sliding door 100 is in a locked state where the auxiliary lock 12 is engaged with the latch 112 of the fixed frame 110, and is locked by the lock unit 4. Therefore, when opening the sliding door 100, the operation involves first unlocking the lock unit 4 with a spare key, then pulling the lever handle 8 to release the lock of the auxiliary lock 12, and simultaneously pushing the sliding door 100 open.

[0008] The latching device 1 includes: a front panel 2, which is fixed to the front periphery of the mounting opening 101a formed in the front panel 101 of the sliding door 100; and a rear panel 3, which is fixed to the back side of the front panel 2 with a gap.

[0009] The front panel 2 has an operating opening 21 at the bottom and a stop protrusion 22 protruding towards the rear side at the center of the upper part. The lock unit 4 is fixed through the upper part of the front panel 2. The auto-locking cam 5 is engaged with a predetermined clearance relative to the rotor 41 of the lock unit 4 in the rotational direction. The auto-locking cam 5 rotates freely between the locked position and the unlocked position together with the rotor 41. In the locked position shown in FIG6A, the rotor 41 is rotated in the unlocking direction (clockwise) by inserting a spare key into the lock unit 4, thereby causing the auto-locking cam 5 to rotate to the unlocked position shown in FIG6C.

[0010] The switching spring 6, which pushes the auto-locking cam 5 counterclockwise in the locked position, is located in the middle position (Figure 6B) of the auto-locking cam 5 as it rotates from the locked position to the unlocked position. The spring 6 passes the dead point of the action direction (the point where the central axis of the switching spring 6 reaches the rotation center of the auto-locking cam 5), switching the pushing direction towards the unlocked position (clockwise). Therefore, as shown in Figure 6D, even if the rotor 41 is returned to its original position and the key is removed, the auto-locking cam 5 will remain in the unlocked position.

[0011] The automatic locking cam 5 is provided with a locking cam part 51, a driven cam part 52, a first stop cam part 53 and a second stop cam part 54 on its outer periphery.

[0012] The shaft 7, which has a round shaft portion 71 and an angular shaft portion 72, is supported between the front panel 2 and the rear panel 3.

[0013] The lever handle 8 is fitted into the round shaft portion 71 of the shaft 7 at its upper base end in a manner that allows for relative rotation. It swings freely between the locked position shown in FIG. 6A and the unlocked position shown in FIG. 6F, centered on the shaft 7, and is pushed towards the locked position by the return spring 10. The lower part of the lever handle 8 is exposed in a manner that allows it to swing from the operating opening 21 towards the front of the sliding door 100. By continuously swinging the lever handle 8 towards the unlocked position, the sliding door 100 can be pulled to the right as shown in FIG. 2 to open the opening 111.

[0014] The lever handle 8 has a locking protrusion 81 and a driving protrusion 82 that protrude toward the rear side at a position symmetrical to the left and right of the upper edge of the arc-shaped shaft 7.

[0015] The connecting plate 9 overlaps the back side of the lever handle 8 and is fitted into the corner shaft portion 72 of the shaft 7 in a non-rotatable manner. The connecting plate 9 has a connecting arm 91, which rotates freely with the shaft 7 between the locked position shown in FIG. 6A and the unlocked position shown in FIG. 6F, and extends laterally. The front end of the connecting arm 91 is connected to the auxiliary lock 12 via the rod 11. The connecting plate 9 is rotated and pushed into the locked position by the return spring 14.

[0016] When the connecting rod plate 9 is in the locked position, as shown in FIG2, the connecting rod arm 91 of the connecting rod plate 9 engages the auxiliary lock 12 with the locking buckle 112 of the fixed frame 110, and when it is in the unlocked position, the auxiliary lock 12 disengages from the locking buckle 112. The upper edge of the base end of the connecting rod arm 91 has a driven abutment surface 91a, which abuts against the drive protrusion 82 when the lever handle 8 is rotated to the unlocked position, thereby causing the connecting rod plate 9 to rotate to the unlocked position side.

[0017] The rotary control cam 13 overlaps the back side of the connecting rod plate 9 and is fitted into the corner shaft portion 72 of the shaft 7 in a manner that prevents relative rotation. The rotary control cam 13 has a cam drive protrusion 131, which protrudes upward in a radial direction from the arc-shaped upper edge that overlaps with the upper edge of the connecting rod plate 9.

[0018] The automatic locking cam 5 is in the locked position shown in Figure 6A, so that the locking cam part 51 abuts against the locking protrusion 81 of the lever handle 8, thereby preventing the lever handle 8 from rotating to the unlocked position.

[0019] When the rotary control cam 13 rotates together with the lever handle 8 and the connecting rod plate 9 to the unlocked position, as shown in Figures 6E and 6F, the cam drive protrusion 131 pushes the driven cam part 52, and causes the automatic locking cam 5 to rotate to the locked position in a way that passes the dead point of the switching spring 6.

[0020] Therefore, if the hand is removed from the lever handle 8, as shown in Figure 6A, the lever handle 8 will return from the unlocked position to the locked position by the return spring 10, and the automatic locking cam 5 will automatically return to the locked position.

[0021] Next, the operation of the latching device 1 will be described with reference to FIG6. The arrows in the figure indicate the pushing direction of the switching spring 6.

[0022] The sliding door 100 is in the closed position as shown in Figure 2, and the latching device 1 is in the locked state as shown in Figure 6A. At this time, the lever handle 8 is locked by the locking cam portion 51 of the automatic locking cam 5 and cannot be rotated to the unlocked position.

[0023] If the spare key is inserted into the lock unit 4 and rotated in the unlocking direction, as shown in Figure 6B, the rotor 41 rotates clockwise, causing the automatic locking cam 5 to rotate in the same direction. The automatic locking cam 5 rotates simultaneously by compressing the switching spring 6, and the switching spring 6 reaches its dead point at the position shown in Figure 6B. Then, the switching spring 6 pushes the automatic locking cam 5 in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 6C. The automatic locking cam 5 is held in the unlocked position by causing the first stop cam part 53 to abut against the stop protrusion 22.

[0024] Next, if the rotor 41 is returned to its original position and the key is removed from the locking unit 4, it becomes the unlocked state shown in FIG. 6D, and the lever handle 8 can be rotated to the unlocked position. As shown in FIG. 6E, if the lever handle 8 is rotated clockwise, the drive protrusion 82 pushes the driven contact surface 91a of the connecting rod arm 91, causing the connecting rod plate 9 and the rotation control cam 13 to rotate clockwise. The cam drive protrusion 131 pushes the driven cam part 52, compressing the switching spring 6 and simultaneously causing the automatic locking cam 5 to rotate counterclockwise.

[0025] On the other hand, due to the rotation of the linkage plate 9, the auxiliary lock 12 is pulled into the sliding door 100 and disengages from the latch 112, resulting in the state shown in Figure 6F. In this state, if the lever handle 8 is continuously pushed in the same direction, the sliding door 100 slides in the opening direction. Since the switching spring 6 has passed the dead point, the automatic locking cam 5 is pushed counterclockwise.

[0026] If the hand is removed from the lever handle 8, the lever handle 8 will return to the state shown in FIG. 6A by means of the return spring 10, and the second stop cam 54 will abut against the stop protrusion 22 to keep the automatic locking cam 5 in the locked position.

[0027] Once the loading and unloading of goods in the open position is completed, if the lever handle 8 is pushed to return the sliding door 100 to the closed position, the auxiliary lock 12 will drop slightly and automatically engage with the latch 112. Therefore, even without operating the lock unit 4 with a key, the sliding door 100 will be automatically locked in the closed position. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0028] Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the sliding door latch device of the present invention. Figure 2 is a front view of the sliding door equipped with the sliding door latch device of Figure 1 and the fixing frame on which the housing of the sliding door is installed, viewed from the front side. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line III-III of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a rear view of the door equipped with the sliding door latch device of Figure 1 with the rear panel removed. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along line IV-IV of Figure 4. Figure 6A is a rear view illustrating the operation of the sliding door latch device of Figure 1. Figure 6B is a rear view illustrating the operation of the sliding door latch device of Figure 1. Figure 6C is a rear view illustrating the operation of the sliding door latch device of Figure 1. Figure 6D is a rear view illustrating the operation of the sliding door latch device of Figure 1. Figure 6E is a rear view illustrating the operation of the sliding door latch device of Figure 1. Figure 6F is a rear view illustrating the operation of the sliding door latch device of Figure 1.

Claims

1. A latching device for a sliding door, comprising: a front panel having an operating opening at its lower part and fixed to the front periphery of the mounting opening of the front panel of the sliding door in its peripheral part; a rear panel fixed to the back side of the aforementioned front panel at a distance; a locking unit fixed through the upper part of the aforementioned front panel; an automatic locking cam engaged with the rotor of the aforementioned locking unit in a predetermined movement clearance in the rotational direction, and freely rotatable together with the rotor between a locked position and an unlocked position; a switching spring that pushes the aforementioned automatic locking cam toward the aforementioned locked position, and pushes it toward the aforementioned unlocked position past the dead point in the direction of action when the automatic locking cam is rotated to the middle position of the aforementioned unlocked position; and a shaft supported between the aforementioned front panel and the aforementioned rear panel, having a round shaft portion and an angular shaft portion; The lever handle is configured to be rotatably fitted into the circular shaft portion of the aforementioned shaft at its upper base end, and can swing freely between the locked and unlocked positions around the aforementioned shaft. The lower part is exposed so as to be able to swing from the aforementioned operating opening toward the front of the aforementioned sliding door, and the sliding door can be opened by continuously swinging toward the aforementioned unlocked position. The connecting rod plate is overlapped on the back side of the aforementioned lever handle and is fitted into the corner shaft portion of the aforementioned shaft in a non-rotatable manner, and can rotate freely together with the shaft between the aforementioned locked and unlocked positions, and has a connecting rod arm that extends laterally and connects to the auxiliary lock. The return spring is used to rotate and push the aforementioned lever handle and the aforementioned connecting rod plate toward the aforementioned locked position. The rotation control cam is overlapped on the back side of the aforementioned connecting rod plate and is fitted into the corner shaft portion of the aforementioned shaft in a non-rotatable manner. The aforementioned lever handle has locking and driving protrusions at symmetrical positions on the upper edge of the arc-shaped structure concentric with the aforementioned shaft; the connecting arm of the aforementioned connecting rod plate is configured such that when the connecting rod plate is in the aforementioned locked position, the aforementioned auxiliary lock engages with the locking buckle of the fixed frame, and when it is in the aforementioned unlocked position, the auxiliary lock disengages from the locking buckle, and has a driven abutment surface at the upper edge of the aforementioned base end, which abuts against the aforementioned driving protrusion when the aforementioned lever handle rotates to the aforementioned unlocked position, thereby causing the connecting rod plate to rotate to the aforementioned unlocked position side; the aforementioned rotary control cam has a cam drive protrusion that protrudes upward in a radial direction from the arc-shaped upper edge overlapping with the upper edge of the aforementioned connecting rod plate; The aforementioned automatic locking cam system comprises: a locking cam portion that abuts against the locking protrusion of the aforementioned lever handle in the aforementioned locked position to prevent the lever handle from rotating to the aforementioned unlocked position; and a driven cam portion that abuts against the aforementioned cam drive protrusion when the aforementioned rotation control cam, the lever handle, and the aforementioned connecting rod plate rotate together to the aforementioned unlocked position, causing the automatic locking cam to rotate to the aforementioned locked position in a manner that passes the dead point of the aforementioned switching spring;With the above configuration, the automatic locking cam automatically returns to the locked position when the lever handle returns from the unlocked position to the locked position.

2. The latching device for the sliding door as described in claim 1 further includes a stop protrusion that protrudes from the back of the aforementioned front panel; the aforementioned automatic locking cam further includes: a first stop cam portion that abuts against one side of the aforementioned stop protrusion in the aforementioned locked position; and a second stop cam portion that abuts against the other side of the aforementioned stop protrusion in the aforementioned unlocked position; thereby, by the above configuration, the rotation angle of the automatic locking cam is limited between the aforementioned locked position and the aforementioned unlocked position.

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