ES2868081T3 - Lock set with safety device for manual unlocking of door panels or drawers - Google Patents

Abstract

Lock assembly (100) for furniture (10), composed of: - a bolt (2) used to lock drawers (11) or the doors of a piece of furniture (10) in the closed position; the latch (2) is suitable to be slidably mounted on one side (T1) of a frame (T) of the furniture (10); - an actuating arm (3) capable of engaging against a striking element (21) of the bolt (2) in order to actuate the bolt (2), in such a way that the bolt (2) is placed in a locking position wherein it locks the drawers (11) or door panels in a closed position, and in an unlock position where it allows free movement of the drawers (11) or door panels; - a support (153) from which the actuating arm (3) protrudes, which forms an integral part of the support (153); - an electric motor (M) comprising a shaft (M1) to which the support (153) is fixed, in such a way that the support (153) is an integral part with the shaft (M1) of the electric motor (M); - a management and control unit (G) for managing and controlling the electric motor (M); - a box (7) that houses the electric motor (M), in such a way that the electric motor (M) is an integral part of the box (7); the box (7) is suitable for slidingly mounted inside the side (T1) of the frame (T) of the furniture; - a manual safety device (8) connected to the box (7) to make the box (7) slide; characterized in that: the actuating arm (3) protrudes from the box (7) towards the bolt (2); The manual safety device (8) is configured in such a way that it causes the case (7) to slide from a position proximal with respect to the bolt (2) to a position distal with respect to the bolt (2).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Lock set with safety device for manual unlocking of door panels or drawers

The present application for an industrial invention patent is about a lock assembly with a safety device for the manual unlocking of door panels or drawers. These closure [lock] assemblies are known, for example, from patent documents US 4633688, FR 2879643, EP 0021 670 and KR 100 987 524.

Although in the following description reference is made to a piece of furniture comprising a set of drawers that are mounted in a sliding manner with respect to the frame of the piece of furniture, it is understood that the lock assembly according to the invention can also be used for furniture items [ furniture] with overhead or sliding doors. For the sake of clarity, the description of the furniture according to the state of the art continues with reference to the following figures, in which:

Figure 1 is an axonometric view of a piece of furniture according to the prior art, in which a part of the piece of furniture is omitted to show its interior.

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views of a detail of the lock assembly of the furniture according to the prior art, in the locked position and the unlocked position respectively.

With reference to Figures 1 to 3, a piece of furniture according to the prior art is described, which is generally indicated by the reference number (10).

The furniture (10) comprises a frame (T) and drawers (11) that are mounted in a sliding manner with respect to the frame (T), so that it is arranged in an open position and in a closed position.

More precisely, the drawer (11) is provided with carriages (not shown in the figures) that are slidably mounted on guides fixed to the side walls of the frame (T).

The furniture (10) is provided with a lock assembly (1) to automatically and simultaneously lock and unlock the drawers (11).

Referring to Figure 1, the lock assembly (1) comprises a bolt (2) that is slidably mounted relative to the frame (T) to move along a sliding axis (Y) from a locking position. , as shown in figure 2, where the bolt (2) locks the drawers (11) in the locked position, towards an unlocking position, as shown in figure 3, and where the bolt (2) allows free movement of the drawers (11).

The latch (2) comprises teeth (2a) capable of being inserted into housings that are conveniently obtained in the drawers (11) to lock the drawers (11) in the closed position.

The lock assembly (1) comprises an actuating arm (3) with a longitudinal axis (X) orthogonal to the sliding axis (Y) of the bolt. The actuating arm (3) cooperates with the bolt (2) and moves the bolt (2) between its two locking and unlocking positions. The bolt (2) comprises a striking element (21) against which the actuating arm (3) engages.

The lock assembly (1) advantageously comprises two position sensors (not shown in the figures) suitable for detecting the locking and unlocking position of the bolt (2).

The lock assembly (1) comprises an electric motor (M) that is powered by power means (B), such as a battery, or directly from the electrical network.

The lock assembly (1) comprises a support (53) connected to the electric motor (M) on one side and to the actuating arm (3) on the other side. The drive arm (3) is eccentrically fixed on the support (53), while the electric motor shaft (M) is fixed in the center of the support (53).

The support (53) rotates in such a way that the actuating arm (3) can rotate, starting from a raised position (as shown in figure 2), where the actuating arm (3) holds the bolt (2) locked, to a lowered position (as shown in figure 3), where the actuating arm (3) allows the free fall by gravity of the bolt (2) to the unlock position.

With reference to figure 1, the lock assembly (1) comprises a management and control unit (G) used to manage and control the electric motor.

The lock assembly (1) advantageously comprises a receiver (R) connected to the management and control unit (G), as well as a remote control coupled to the receiver (R) to send a control signal to the receiver in wireless mode and thus drive the electric motor. Advantageously, the proximity between the remote control and the receiver (R) can be detected without the need for the user to activate the remote control manually.

When the management and control unit (G) receives an opening signal, the management and control unit (G) enables the power supply to the electric motor (M), which transmits the movement to the support (53) to actuate the control arm. drive (3), such that the drive arm (3) is brought into a lowered position. Consequently, the bolt (2) falls by gravity to its unlocking position and opens the locks of the drawers (11).

The closure assemblies of the prior art suffer from a first drawback, which consists in the fact that the drawers or the door panels cannot be opened in the event of a power failure or if the battery is discharged.

Furthermore, prior art locking assemblies suffer from a second drawback, which is the fact that, due to its disk shape, the support has a large volume in the transverse direction (i.e. along a direction orthogonal to the axis of the drive arm).

Such a large volume of the bracket creates problems during the installation of the lock assembly, especially when the lock assembly is to be installed in existing drawers where the lock assembly is housed in a very small space.

Document US4633688 discloses a locking device comprising an electrically operated locking unit and having an electrical lock. The locking unit is movably disposed within a surrounding housing, together with a manually and key-operated locking mechanism. The electrically operable locking unit can be moved between two positions relative to the housing: in a first position, the locking unit allows the locking bolts to move electrically relative to a strike plate and in a second position the unit Lockout prevents the locking bolts from engaging the strike plate.

The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art by disclosing a lock assembly that can also be unlocked in the event of a power outage.

Another purpose is to provide a lock assembly with a reduced volume in the transverse direction, which is inexpensive, reliable, and easy to manufacture and use.

A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a piece of furniture comprising said lock assembly and comprising drawers or door panels, which can also be opened in the event of a power outage.

These objectives are achieved according to the invention with the features of the attached independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments appear from the dependent claims.

The lock assembly of the invention is defined by independent claim 1.

The advantages of the lock assembly according to the invention are manifested in that the box is mounted in a sliding manner with respect to the frame and in that the manual safety device is provided which allows the bolt to be unlocked when the electric motor cannot be operated due to a cut-out. of energy.

For the sake of clarity, the description of the lock assembly and the furniture provided with a lock assembly according to the invention continues with reference to the attached drawings, which are merely illustrative, not limiting, in which:

Figure 1 is an axonometric view of a cabinet according to the prior art, in which a part of the cabinet is omitted to show the interior of the cabinet.

Figures 2 and 3 are sectional views of a detail of the lock assembly of the furniture according to the prior art, in the locked position and the unlocked position respectively;

Figure 4 is an axonometric view of the lock assembly according to the invention;

Figure 5 is an axonometric view of a part of the lock assembly of Figure 4 seen from a different angle.

In the following description the parts that are identical or correspond to the parts described above are identified with the same numbers, omitting their detailed description.

With reference to Figures 4 and 5, the lock assembly according to the invention is described, which is generally indicated by the reference numeral (100).

The lock assembly (100) comprises a box (7) in the shape of a parallelepiped, which houses the electric motor (M) used to operate the actuating arm (3). The box (7) is mounted in a sliding way on the same side (T1) of the box (T) of the furniture where the bolt (2) is mounted. A support (153) is connected to the shaft (M1) of the electric motor (M). The bracket (153) and the actuating arm (3) that are connected to the bracket (153) protrude from the box (7) towards the bolt (2).

The electric motor (M) is fixed to the box (7). Furthermore, the bracket (153) is an integral part with the shaft (M1) of the electric motor (M) and the drive arm (3) is an integral part with the bracket (153). In view of the above, the assembly formed by the electric motor (M), by the support (153) and by the actuating arm (3) moves integrally with the box (7).

More precisely, the box (7) comprises one or more grooves (70) with a longitudinal axis parallel to the axis (X) of the actuating arm (3). The box (7) is connected to the side (T1) of the frame (T) by means of screws (V) arranged inside the slots (70).

In view of the above, the box (7) can be moved along an axis that is parallel to the axis of the actuating arm (3), going from a position close to the bolt (2), where the locking arm The actuator (3) can cooperate with the bolt (2) and move the bolt (2), to a distal position, in which the actuating arm (3) cannot cooperate with the bolt (2).

Under normal operating conditions, the box (7) is firmly held in the proximal position, such that the actuating arm (3) can interact with the striking element (21) of the bolt (2) and move the bolt ( 2) to allow or prohibit the opening of drawers or doors.

The lock assembly (100) comprises a manual safety device (8) connected to the box (7), which causes the box (7) to move from the proximal position to the distal position.

The manual safety device (8) comprises a lock (80) of known type, which can be operated by means of a key (81). The lock (80) is fixed on the same side (T1) where the box (7) is connected. More precisely, the lock (80) is mounted inside the side (T1), where a through hole is provided, in such a way that the hole for the key of the lock (80), which is suitable to receive the key ( 81), is oriented towards the outside of the side (T1) of the frame (T).

The lock (80) comprises a bolt (82) that slides along an axis parallel to the axis (X) of the actuating arm (3).

The safety device (8) comprises a connection coupling (83) between the bolt (82) and the box (7). Preferably, the connection coupling (83) consists of an "L" shaped bracket, having a first side fixed to the latch (82) of the lock (80), and a second side fixed to the wall of the box ( 7).

Advantageously, the connection coupling (83) is fixed to the box (7) and to the bolt (82) of the lock (80) by means of screws (V1). Taking the above into account, when operating the lock (80) with the key (81), the bolt (82) of the lock (80) slides and causes the box (7) to slide from the proximal position to the position distal.

When the actuating arm (3) is brought to the distal position with respect to the bolt (2), the bolt (2) tends to move to the unlocked position by gravity, thus allowing free opening of the door panels or of the drawers (11).

It should be noted that the box (7) is firmly held in its two end-of-travel positions by the bolt ^{(82) of the lock (} 80 ^{), which is ejected or retracted by means of the retention means contained in the} lock (80) , which interact with the key (81) of the lock (80).

Due to the fact that the box (7) is slidably mounted with respect to the frame (T) and because the manual safety device is provided, the bolt (2) can also be unlocked even when the electric motor (M ) cannot be operated due to a power failure.

Advantageously, with reference to Figure 4, the lock assembly (100) comprises an additional box (9) fixed to the side (T1) of the frame (T), which houses the supply means (B), the management unit and control (G) and receiver (R).

Finally, it should be noted that according to the improved lock assembly (100) of the invention, the support (153) is an elliptical plate, where the actuating arm (3) is arranged in a projecting position. The elliptical plate-shaped support (153) is mounted on the end of the shaft (M1) of the electric motor (M). More precisely, the actuating arm (3) is mounted on one focus (F1) of the elliptical support (153), while the elliptical support (153) is coupled with the shaft (M1) in the other focus (F2).

The adoption of such a constructive solution makes it possible to reduce the volume in the transverse direction (along a direction orthogonal to the axis of the actuating arm (Y)) of the lock assembly formed by the support (153) and the actuating arm (3) . Such volume reduction is extremely useful when the lock assembly (100) is to be installed in existing furniture, where the lock assembly (100) is to be housed in a small space.

Although not shown in the figures, the lock assembly 100 may advantageously comprise signaling devices to indicate the status of the lock assembly. For example, the signaling devices can be LEDs that indicate the locking or unlocking position of the bolt or the level of charge of the power supply means (B).

As an alternative to the key, the lock can be operated with other manual actuation means that are not electrical, such as a push button.

Numerous variations and modifications can be made to the present embodiment of the invention, which are within the scope of a person skilled in the art, but which in any case remain within the scope of the invention as described below in the appended claims .

Claims (10)

1. Lock set (100) for furniture (10), consisting of: - a bolt (2) used to lock drawers (11) or the doors of a piece of furniture (10) in the closed position; the latch (2) is suitable for slidingly mounted on one side (T1) of a frame (T) of the furniture (10); - an actuating arm (3) capable of engaging against a striking element (21) of the bolt (2) in order to actuate the bolt (2), in such a way that the bolt (2) is placed in a locking position wherein it locks the drawers (11) or door panels in a closed position, and in an unlock position where it allows free movement of the drawers (11) or door panels; - a support (153) from which the actuating arm (3) protrudes, which forms an integral part of the support (153); - an electric motor (M) comprising a shaft (M1) to which the support (153) is fixed, in such a way that the support (153) is an integral part with the shaft (M1) of the electric motor (M); - a management and control unit (G) for managing and controlling the electric motor (M); - a box (7) that houses the electric motor (M), in such a way that the electric motor (M) is an integral part of the box (7); the box (7) is suitable for slidingly mounted inside the side (T1) of the frame (T) of the furniture; - a manual safety device (8) connected to the box (7) to make the box (7) slide; characterized by that: the actuating arm (3) protrudes from the box (7) towards the bolt (2); The manual safety device (8) is configured in such a way that it causes the case (7) to slide from a position proximal with respect to the bolt (2) to a position distal with respect to the bolt (2). 2. The lock assembly (100) of claim 1, wherein the security device (8) comprises a lock (80) comprising a latch (82) connected to the case (7) and sliding along along an axis parallel to the axis (X) of the actuating arm (3). The lock assembly (100) of claim 2, wherein the security device (8) comprises a connecting coupling (83) between the bolt (82) of the lock (80) and the case (7) . The lock assembly (100) of claim 3, wherein the connecting coupling (83) consists of an "L" shaped bracket, having a first side attached to the latch (82) of the lock ( 80) and a second side fixed to the wall of the box (7). The lock assembly (100) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the connecting coupling (83) is secured to the case (7) and to the bolt (82) of the lock (80) by screws (V1 ). The lock assembly (100) of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the lock (80) comprises a hole for the lock key directed outward from the side (T1) of the frame (T), which is suitable for receiving a key (81). The lock assembly (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the case (7) comprises one or more slots (70) having a longitudinal axis that is parallel to the axis (X) of the actuating arm ( 3); the box (7) is suitable to be connected to the side (T1) of the frame (T) by means of screws (V) arranged inside the slots (70). 8. The lock assembly (100) of any preceding claim, wherein the bracket (153) is an elliptical plate; the actuating arm (3) is mounted on a focus (F1) of the elliptical support (153); the shaft (M1) of the electric motor (M) is coupled to the support (153) in the other focus (F2). 9. Furniture (10) composed of: - a frame (T) comprising a side (T1); - door panels or drawers (11) connected to the frame (T1); - a lock assembly (100) according to any of the preceding claims for automatically and simultaneously locking or unlocking the door panels or drawers (11); The bolt (2) is mounted in a sliding way inside the side (T1) of the frame (T) of the furniture (10) and comprises teeth (2a) suitable to be inserted into the housings that are conveniently obtained in the drawers (11) to lock the drawers (11) in their closed position; the box (7) is slidably mounted on the side (T1) of the frame (T). Furniture (10) according to claim 9, in which the security device (8) is provided with a lock (80) that can be operated by means of a key (81); The lock (80) is mounted inside the side (T1), in which a through hole is provided, in such a way that the hole for the key of the lock (80), which is suitable to receive the key (81 ) is oriented towards the outside of the side (T1) of the frame (T).