Sealed locking fixture

Abstract

A locking fixture that has a housing (1) with a male thread, that can be installed in a hole in a door or a mounting plate (13), in the housing bore (34) of which, an actuator shaft (2) with limited rotation that has a locking tongue (9) on its exposed end is supported such that it can be rotated by means of an actuating section (12) formed on the actuator shaft (2), and has a screw sleeve (7) with a female thread, which secures the locking fixture to the door or mounting plate (13), wherein, in obtaining a hygienic design, the actuator shaft (2) is sealed at both ends where it passes through the housing (12) and the rotation limiter (5, 16, 23, 24) is located in the sealed housing bore (34).

Claims

1. A locking fixture, comprising: a housing including a bore and a male thread, the housing installable within an opening; an actuator shaft having first and second opposite ends, the actuator shaft rotatably received within the bore of the housing through a limited rotation extent, the second end of the actuator shaft exposed outwardly of the housing; a seal received between the first end of the actuator shaft and the housing; a locking tongue supported on the second end of the actuator shaft and including an actuating section extending from the actuator shaft; first and second gaskets received on opposite sides of the locking tongue, the first gasket sealing the locking tongue with respect to the housing and the second gasket sealing the locking tongue with respect to the second end of the actuator shaft; a screw sleeve including a female thread received on the male thread of the housing, the screw sleeve cooperating with the housing to secure the locking fixture with respect to the opening; a blind hole extending longitudinally defined in a region of an end surface housing section of the housing into which a cylindrical pin is pushed; a rotation limiter located in the bore and sealed between the seal and first gasket, the rotation limiter operable to limit the rotation extent of the actuator shaft; and the actuator shaft sealed at each of its opposite ends with respect to the housing bore by the seal and the first and second gaskets; wherein the rotation limiter comprises the cylindrical pin located within an interior of the housing, and engageable with at least two stop surfaces on the actuator shaft; wherein the at least two stop surfaces are disposed at respective ends of a recess in the actuator shaft; and wherein the actuator shaft comprises a first cylindrical section having a first cylindrical section diameter and a second cylindrical section having a second cylindrical section diameter, the first cylindrical section having a greater diameter different from the smaller second cylindrical section diameter, wherein the recess with a reduced diameter is located in an end region of the first cylindrical section, wherein the cylindrical pin extends into a transition region between the first and second cylindrical sections at a front exposed end, whereby the cylindrical pin is brought into contact with the recess in the actuator shaft.

2. The locking fixture of claim 1, wherein the cylindrical pin is connected to the actuator shaft for conjoint rotation therewith, the cylindrical pin projecting axially from the actuator shaft.

3. The locking fixture of claim 1, further comprising a rod seal disposed between the screw sleeve and the housing.

4. The locking fixture of claim 1, wherein the locking tongue includes a polygonal hole mounted on a receiving polygonal outer circumference of the actuator shaft.

5. The locking fixture of claim 1, wherein the actuator shaft includes a plurality of grooves forming a projecting contour engageable with at least two stop surfaces disposed within an interior of the housing.

6. The locking fixture of claim 1, wherein the at least two stop surfaces comprise a left stop surface and a right stop surface at respective ends of the recess, wherein the cylindrical pin engages in the recess in the actuator shaft at the front exposed end, and wherein the cylindrical pin is brought to contact either the left stop surface or the right stop surface, depending on a direction of rotation of the actuator shaft.

7. The locking fixture of claim 1, wherein the recess with a reduced diameter in the end region of the first cylindrical section extends over an angle of 90, whereby the recess allows the actuator shaft to rotate 90.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The disclosure shall be described in greater detail below based on drawings illustrating just one embodiment. Further features and advantages of the disclosure that are substantial to the disclosure can be derived from the drawings and the descriptions thereof.

(2) Therein:

(3) FIG. 1: shows a partial longitudinal section of a locking fixture according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

(4) FIG. 2: shows the end view of the locking fixture;

(5) FIG. 3: shows the construction of the locking fixture in an exploded view;

(6) FIG. 4: shows a longitudinal section of the locking fixture in the manner of the illustration in FIG. 1;

(7) FIG. 5: shows a perspective view of the actuator shaft;

(8) FIG. 6: shows a section through the housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(9) The sealed locking fixture is composed of a cylindrical housing 1, which has a center bore 15, in which an actuator shaft 2 that has sections of two different diameters engages and is supported therein such that it can rotate. The center bore 15 thus forms the housing bore 34.

(10) The actuator shaft 2 has a square end 12, on which an actuating tool can be placed for rotating the actuator shaft 2.

(11) Instead of a square end 12, it can be configured for other actuating tools, e.g. an actuating lever or the like can be used instead of a tool fitting a square end 12.

(12) The actuator shaft 2 is composed of two cylindrical sections 29, 30 of different diameters in the exemplary embodiment shown in the drawings, wherein the cylindrical section 30 with the smaller diameter adjoins the square end 12, and the cylindrical section 29 with the greater diameter is joined to the cylindrical section 30 in a materially integrated manner.

(13) There is a recess 16 in the exemplary embodiment in the transition region between the cylindrical section 29 and the smaller diameter cylindrical section 30, which forms the sealed rotation limiter in conjunction with a cylindrical pin 5.

(14) According to FIGS. 1 and 3, an O-ring is provided that seals the actuator shaft 2 in relation to the end of the housing 1 at the end of the actuator shaft.

(15) Instead of an O-ring, other sealing means can be used, e.g. a sealing washer or the like.

(16) The important thing is that a cylindrical pin 5 is located in the interior of the housing 1 in the exemplary embodiment, specifically in its center bore 15, and thus, a sealed rotation limiter is obtained in conjunction with the recess 16 on the actuator shaft.

(17) There is a thread 27 on the outer circumference of the housing 1 in the form of a male thread, onto which the female thread of a dedicated screw sleeve 7 is screwed.

(18) The front end surface of the screw sleeve 7 thus forms a clamping gap 14 in conjunction with the end section 31 with an enlarged diameter, that can be tightened down in a dedicated hole in a mounting plate 13.

(19) In a preferred embodiment, this receiving, or clamp hole is sealed in the region of the clamping gap 14 using two opposing gaskets 4, which are located on both sides of the mounting plate 13, shown only in part, in a sealed manner.

(20) There is a rod seal 6 embedded in the screw sleeve 7 at the rear end of the screw sleeve 7, which bears in a sealed manner on the outer circumference of the section 32 of the housing 1, such that the screw sleeve 7 can be screwed onto the thread 27 on the housing 1 in a sealed manner.

(21) As a matter of course, other sealing means can be used instead of a rod seal, e.g. an O-ring, or gasket.

(22) A plate-shaped locking tongue 9 is provided for mounting the fixture on a furniture surface or other stop surface, which has a square hole 18, which is fastened to the square end 17 of the actuator shaft 2 with a hexagon-headed screw 10, such that rotates conjointly therewith.

(23) The hexagon-headed screw 10 has a threaded section 19, which passes through the square hole 18 and is threaded into a threaded hole 28 in the actuator shaft 2, and secured therein.

(24) It is also preferred here that the locking tongue 9 is sealed on both sides on the actuator shaft 2, specifically by the rear gasket 11 on the actuator shaft and by the front gasket 8 with respect to the housing 1.

(25) It is ensured in this manner that no liquids or dust can get into the interior of the housing at the end where the locking tongue 9 is located.

(26) FIG. 3 also shows that the screw sleeve 7 can have one or more tool surfaces 33 for an appropriate tool.

(27) It is preferred that there is a rotation limiter between the actuator shaft 2 and the housing 1 that is integrated and sealed in the interior of the housing 1.

(28) For this, a blind hole 21 is formed in the region of an end surface housing section of the housing 1, as shown in FIG. 6, into which a cylindrical pin 5 is pushed. This extends in FIG. 1 into the transition region between the two cylindrical sections 29, 30 at its front exposed end, and can thus be brought into contact with the respective recess 16 in the actuator shaft 2. This results in a sealed rotation limiter for the actuator shaft 2 in the housing 1.

(29) Further details of the rotation limiter can be derived from FIG. 5, showing that there is a recess 16 with a reduced diameter in the end region of the cylindrical section 29, that extends over an angle of 90, for example.

(30) The cylindrical pin 5 engages in this recess 16 at its front exposed end, and can thus be brought to either the left-hand stop surface 23 or the right-hand stop surface 24, depending on the rotation of the actuator shaft.

(31) The recess 16 allows the actuator shaft 2 to rotate 90 in the exemplary embodiment.

(32) As a matter of course, the recess 16 can be such that other angles of rotation are allowed for, e.g. 30, 60, 90, or 120, etc.

(33) It may also be the case that there is not just one cylindrical pin 5, but numerous cylindrical pins, evenly distributed over the circumference of the housing, which interact with dedicated recesses 16 on the actuator shaft 2.

(34) It has already been noted in the general description portion of this application that a kinematic reversal is also claimed in the scope of the present disclosure, specifically such that a cylindrical pin is located on the actuator shaft 2 in the region of section 29, that projects axially, and interacts with dedicated internal stop surfaces in the interior of the housing 1 in the center bore 15.

(35) The aforementioned means of obtaining a rotation limiter are also to be comprised herein in the illustrated exemplary embodiment.

(36) FIG. 6 shows a seal seat 26 on the end surface of the housing 1 in the section 31 with the larger diameter, which accommodates the O-ring 3.

(37) FIG. 6 also shows that there is a stepped bore in the interior of the housing, specifically, the center bore 15 with the larger diameter transitions into a bore 25 with a smaller diameter, such that the section 29 of the actuator shaft 2 with the larger diameter engages in the bore 15, and the cylindrical section 30 with the smaller diameter engages in the bore 25 in the housing 1 with the smaller diameter.

(38) Accordingly, it is an aspect of the disclosure that there is a sealed rotation limiter in the housing 1 facing the actuator shaft 2, and the entire locking fixture is protected as a whole with internal and external seals against moisture and dirt.

(39) It is ensured in this manner, that the rotation limiter in particular can no longer be affected by external dirt and dust.

(40) As a result of the cylindrical pin 5, the assembly is also particularly simple.

(41) To disassemble the locking fixture, the hexagon-headed screw 10 is simply loosened. The locking tongue 9 can then be removed from the actuator shaft 2, and the actuator shaft 2 can then be pulled out of the center bore 15 in the housing 1 in the axial direction.

REFERENCE SYMBOLS

(42) 1 housing 2 actuator shaft 3 O-ring 4 gasket 5 cylindrical pin 6 rod seal 7 screw sleeve 8 gasket 9 locking tongue 10 hexagon-headed screw 11 gasket 12 square end (on 2) 13 mounting plate 14 clamping gap 15 center bore (in 1) 16 recess (on 2) 17 square end (on 2) 18 square hole (in 9) 19 threaded section 20 direction of arrow 21 blind hole 22 23 stop surface 24 stop surface 25 bore 26 seal seat 27 thread 28 threaded hole (in 2) 29 cylindrical section (of 2) 30 cylindrical section (of 2) 31 section (of 1) 32 section (of 1) 33 tool surface 34 housing bore