Electronic Lock

Abstract

The invention relates to an electronic lock that defines an open position and a closed position and includes a mobile carriage moveable in a linear manner. The mobile carriage is coupled to a closure element and to an actuation mechanism. A first spring is provided between the mobile carriage and the closure element and is configured to move in relation to the mobile carriage. A lock sensor is provided for controlling the position of the closure element. An electronic control module is connected to the sensor for identifying non-authorised manipulations of the lock when it should be closed. The lock sensor detects when the closure element is in the open position or, if it should be open, the lock sensor does not detect when the closure element is in the open position.

Claims

1. An electronic lock comprising a closure element moveable by an actuation mechanism, the electronic lock defining at least an open position and a closed position and comprising: a mobile carriage defining an open position and a closed position, wherein the mobile carriage is coupled on one end to the closure element and to the actuation mechanism on an opposite end; a first elastic element located between the mobile carriage and the closure element, the first elastic element configured to move in relation to the mobile carriage and in the same direction the mobile carriage is moving; a lock sensor connected to an electronic control module for controlling the position of the closure element, and detecting when the closure element is at least partially in the open position, wherein the electronic control module controls the actuation mechanism and is configured to identify non-authorised manipulations of the lock when: after the closure element has been given an order to close the lock, the lock sensor detects that the closure element is in the open position, or after the closure element has been given an order to open the lock, the lock sensor does not detect that the closure element is in the open position.

2. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control module comprises a timer that is activated after the electronic control module sends the order to close or open the closure element in order to add a predetermined delay between a time the order is sent and a check that the lock sensor performs to detect whether the closure element is in the open position.

3. The electronic lock according to claim 1, further comprising a closure sensor connected to the electronic control module that detects when the mobile carriage is in the closed position, so that the electronic control module can identify non-authorised manipulations of the lock when simultaneously the closure sensor detects that the mobile carriage is in the closed position and the lock sensor detects that the closure element is in the open position.

4. The electronic lock according to claim 1, further comprising an opening sensor connected to the electronic control module that detects when the mobile carriage is in the open position, so that the electronic control module can identify non-authorised manipulations of the lock when simultaneously the opening sensor detects that the mobile carriage is in the open position and the lock sensor detects that the closure element is not in the open position.

5. The electronic lock according to claim 1, further comprising: a male element coupled to the mobile carriage by a second elastic element, the male element configured to move in relation to the mobile carriage and in the same direction as the mobile carriage; a locking latch that turns about an axis defining a locked position and an unlocked position; so that when the closure element is in the open position, the locking latch goes into the unlocked position, while when the closure element is in the closed position, the locking latch is located between the closure element and the male element, blocking the locking latch and the movement of the closure element, with the male element acting as a stop for the locking latch.

6. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the actuation mechanism is selected between: an engine with an axis fixed to a gear connected to a cog, such that as the gear turns it moves the mobile carriage in one direction or the other depending on the direction the gear is turning; an engine with an axis fixed to a cam making the mobile carriage move; and, a solenoid with an axis making the mobile carriage move.

7. The electronic lock according to claim 5, wherein the locking latch is spaced from the closure element when in the locked position, allowing the closure element to have a slight degree of movement in relation to the mobile carriage; wherein the movement of the closure element is detected by the lock sensor, allowing the control module to identify if there is non-authorised manipulation of the lock taking place.

8. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the electronic module automatically opens the lock when it detects a non-authorised manipulation of the electronic lock is taking place.

9. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control module triggers a local or remote alarm when it detects a non-authorised manipulation of the electronic lock is taking place.

10. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the lock is integrated inside a housing.

11. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control module comprises a memory that stores information about when the lock has been opened and closed.

12. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the mobile carriage defines the closed position and open position by a linear or turning movement.

13. The electronic lock according to claim 1, wherein the first elastic element and the second elastic element are springs or fluid shock absorbers or a combination thereof.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0042] FIG. 1.—Shows a front view of a first embodiment of the electronic lock that is the object of the invention. In this drawing, the electronic lock is in the closed position.

[0043] FIG. 2.—Shows a front view of the electronic lock in FIG. 1 in the open position.

[0044] FIG. 3.—Shows a front view of a second embodiment of the electronic lock that is the object of the invention. In this drawing, the electronic lock is in the closed position.

[0045] FIG. 4.—Shows a front view of the electronic lock in FIG. 3 in the open position.

[0046] FIG. 5.—Shows another front view of the electronic lock shown on FIGS. 3 and 4, in which an obstacle is preventing the closure element from moving forward.

DESCRIPTION OF A SAMPLE EMBODIMENT

[0047] Considering the numbering adopted in the figures, the closing and opening device of the electronic lock has the following nomenclature used in the description:

[0048] 1—Housing.

[0049] 2—Mobile carriage.

[0050] 3—Closure element.

[0051] 3a.—End portion.

[0052] 4—First spring.

[0053] 5—Male element.

[0054] 6—Second spring.

[0055] 7—Engine.

[0056] 8—Gear.

[0057] 9—Cog.

[0058] 10—Locking latch.

[0059] 11—Axis.

[0060] 12—Obstacle.

[0061] 13—Lock sensor.

[0062] 14—Closure sensor.

[0063] 15—Opening sensor.

[0064] 16—Electronic control module.

[0065] 17—Timer.

[0066] The elements comprising the electronic lock are fixed inside a housing (1). The lock, by means of the housing (1), is fixed to a door or a similar element.

[0067] As shown on FIG. 1, the lock comprises a mobile carriage (2) that can move in a linear manner in two directions, and is coupled to a closure element (3) that can move in relation to the mobile carriage (2) in the same direction said mobile carriage (2) is moving. This movement is relative thanks to a first spring (4) located between the mobile carriage (2) and the closure element (3).

[0068] The mobile carriage (2) is coupled to a male element (5) that can move in relation to the mobile carriage (2) in the same direction said mobile carriage (2) is moving. This movement is relative thanks to a second spring (6) located between the mobile carriage (2) and the male element (5).

[0069] The closure element (3) comprises an end portion (3a) shaped like a bolt, which is in charge of locking the door when said end portion (3a) protrudes from the housing (1) of the lock.

[0070] The linear movement of the assembly of the mobile carriage (2), the closure element (3), and the male element (5) is carried out by means of an actuation mechanism located inside the housing. Optionally, the mobile carriage (2) and the closure element (3) can move along a series of guides in the housing that are the same for both components. Additionally, the male element (5) could also have its own guides in the housing.

[0071] In one of the embodiments, the actuation mechanism comprises an engine (7) with an axis fixed to a gear (8) connected to a cog (9) that is integrated on the mobile carriage (2), so that when the gear (8) turns it pulls the assembly of the mobile carriage (2), the closure element (3) and the male element (5) to the closed position or the open position, depending on the direction the gear (8) is turning.

[0072] In other embodiments that are not shown in the figures, the actuation mechanism of the mobile carriage (2) is, for example, a cam mechanism, a linear engine, etc.

[0073] The lock also comprises a lock sensor (13) controlling the position of the closure element (3) at all times. When the electronic control module (16) sends the order to open or close the closure element (3), said module (16) only controls the position of said element (3) by means of the lock sensor (13), so that if the order given does not match the position of the closure element, the electronic control module (16) knows that a non-authorised manipulation of the lock is taking place. The electronic control module could also feature a programmable timer (17) that, once the order to open or close the closure element (3) is given, it triggers a predefined delay (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 seconds, for example) between the time the order is sent and the moment in which the electronic control module (16) checks if the lock sensor (13) detects or does not detect the closure element to determine its position and therefore if the lock has been closed or opened accordingly. Therefore, for example when the lock is open (FIG. 2), the lock sensor (13) is detecting the closure element, which means that it is located inside the housing (1) and therefore that the electronic lock is open. If the electronic control module (16) sends the order to close the lock (FIG. 1), the engine (7) activates and moves the mobile carriage (2), which in turn moves the closure element (3) to its closed position. Simultaneously the timer (17) is activated and once the predetermined delay time elapses, the module (16) checks if the lock sensor (13) is no longer detecting the closure element (3), as shown on FIG. 1, which means that the procedure of closing the lock has been completed successfully. If after the predetermined delay time, the sensor (13) still detects the closure element (3), or if an order to open the lock has not been given and the sensor (13) suddenly starts detecting the closure element (3), this would imply that a non-authorised manipulation of the lock is taking place.

[0074] This electronic control module (16) will be in charge of receiving the signals of the sensors, controlling the movement of the engine and managing and storing the information sent by the sensors.

[0075] The electronic lock also comprises a locking latch (10) that turns around an axis (11) defining a locked position and an unlocked position of said locking latch (10). When said locking latch (10) is its locked position, it prevents the closure element (3) from moving from the closed position to the open position, and later on we will explain how it operates.

[0076] When the electronic lock receives an order, whether because a code has been introduced in the lock or a card has been placed near it or from a distance, said lock is capable of interpreting whether it should open or close and when it should do so, that is, it analyses whether it should change its state so that it will open if it was closed and vice versa.

[0077] If the lock is operating correctly, when the electronic lock goes from the open position (FIG. 2) to the closed position (FIG. 1), the mobile carriage (2) moves by means of the engine (7) of the actuation mechanism, so that when said mobile carriage (2) reaches the locking latch (10), the male element (5) makes the locking latch (10) turn on its coupling axis (11) and adopt an intermediate position (locked position) between the male element (5) and the closure element (3). It should be highlighted that in the open position of the lock, the locking latch (10) is resting on the closure element (3).

[0078] FIGS. 3 to 5 show another embodiment of the lock that is the object of the invention in which said lock also comprises a closure sensor (14) and an opening sensor (15). The closing (14) and opening sensors (15) control the position of the mobile carriage (2). The mobile carriage (2) is facing said opening (15) and closing (14) sensors when it reaches said end positions, so that thanks to said sensors (14,15) it can know at all times if the mobile carriage (2) is or is not in said closed and open positions. In this example there could also be a programmable timer (not shown in the drawings) that adds a temporary delay that allows all the elements to move to their respective positions before the electronic control module (16) can check if there has been a non-authorised manipulation of the lock.

[0079] The electronic control module (16) can check that the lock is operating correctly in real time by means of the two sensors (14,15) and the lock sensor (13), so that the final correct position of the electronic lock that is the object of the invention is as follows: the closure sensor (14) detects the closed position of the mobile carriage (2) (FIG. 3), the opening sensor (15) does not detect the open position of the mobile carriage (2) and the lock sensor (13) detects that the closure element (3) has reached its correct position, that is, the closed position. It should be highlighted that when a sensor detects the position of an element it is because a part of said detected element is facing the respective sensor.

[0080] When the lock goes from the closed position (FIG. 3) to the open position (FIG. 4), the mobile carriage (2) moves by means of the engine (7), making the locking latch (10) turn on its axis (11) by means of the push generated by the closure element (3) on said locking latch (10) without there being any interaction with the male element (5) since this element would have moved already.

[0081] Equally, the open position can be checked by the two sensors (14,15) and the lock sensor (13), so that the final correct open position of the lock is as follows: the opening sensor (15) detects the open position of the mobile carriage (2), the lock sensor (13) does not detect the closed position of the closure element (3) in the open position and the closure sensor (14) does not detect the closed position of the mobile carriage (2).

[0082] Both the arrangement of the different elements as well as the sensors inside the housing (1) give versatility to the opening and closing device for all kinds of distances required for the open and/or closed positions.

[0083] Following, we will describe an abnormal operation of the electronic lock shown on FIGS. 3 and 4 due to three different situations.

[0084] In the first example, a situation is described in which when the lock is in the process of opening (FIG. 5), the closure element (3) meets an obstacle (12), the second example describes a situation in which a non-authorised manipulation of the lock takes place by trying to forcefully introduce the closure element (3) inside the housing (1), and the third example describes a situation in which the closure element (3) is held outside the housing (1) when the electronic control module (16) has sent the order to open the lock.

[0085] If an obstacle (12) stands in the way of the closure element (3) (see FIG. 5), when the order to close the lock is given and therefore it goes from the open position to the closed position, the mobile carriage (2) moves to the closed position, sending information about its new state to the electronic control module (16) by means of the closing (14) and opening sensors (15). In this situation, the lock sensor (13) detects that the closure element (3) is not in the closed position, the closure sensor (14) detects that the mobile carriage (2) is in the closed position and the opening sensor (15) detects that the mobile carriage (2) is not in the open position. Additionally, since the closure element (3) cannot move forward due to the blockage caused by the obstacle (12), it compresses the first spring (4). Similarly, the locking latch (10) cannot turn on its axis (11) since the closure element (3) prevents it from doing so. When this happens, the male element (5) that touches the locking latch (10) compresses the second spring (6).

[0086] This system of springs ensures that no other element of the electronic lock is damaged due to stresses.

[0087] With the obstacle still blocking the mechanism, the system can check in real time thanks to its various sensors that the electronic lock is electronically closed but not mechanically closed since the lock sensor (13) has not sent the information about the closure of the lock, that is, said lock sensor (13) is detecting that the closure element (3) is not in the correct closed position.

[0088] Once the obstacle (12) disappears, the closure element (3) moves to the closed position pushed by the first spring (4); simultaneously the male element (5) moves the locking latch (10) to its locked position with the aid of the second spring (6), since the closure element (3) is no longer touching it and preventing it from moving. When this happens, the system recognises in real time that the obstacle (12) is no longer present since the lock sensor (13) detects that the closure element (3) is in the correct position, without needing any other external means to the lock nor the intervention of the user.

[0089] In the second example related to the manipulation attempt of the lock, when the closure element (3) is in the closed position (FIGS. 1 and 3), the locking latch (10) ends up located between the closure element (3) and the male element (5). This means that if a non-authorised forced opening of the lock takes place by pushing the closure element (3) inside the housing (1), the locking latch (10) together with the male element (5) stop the closure element (3), preventing it from opening.

[0090] In an attempt to manipulate the closure element (3), it would move until it stops against the locking latch (10), which prevents it from opening, moving enough so that this movement can be detected by the lock sensor (13), which is registered by the electronic control module (16). The electronic control module (16) will be able to trigger a local or remote alarm.

[0091] The third anomalous situation that could take place is when the closure element (3) is held from the outside when the order is sent to the lock to switch from the closed position to the open position. When this happens, the mobile carriage (2) moves to the open position activating the opening sensor (15), but the lock sensor (13) does not detect the closure element (3) since the closure element (3) is being held, and therefore remains inactive. Then the electronic control module (16) interprets that the closure element (3) is being held, registering the event in its internal memory and triggering a local or remote alarm.

[0092] When said closure element (3) is freed, the tension of the first spring (4) pulls said closure element (3) moving it to the correct open position, activating the lock sensor (13) and notifying the control module (16).

[0093] Therefore, the electronic lock that is the object of the invention, in addition to protecting itself from manipulations, is able to retrieve information in real time about its status so that if it detects that the lock is being forced, it can trigger an alarm or notify headquarters about the attempt to force open the lock.

[0094] Similarly, the sensors can retrieve information about the electronic lock such as the number of times it has been opened and closed, the attempts to force it open, the times of the day when it has been opened and closed, etc.