WO2020115687A1

WO2020115687A1 - Fire-safety lock

Info

Publication number: WO2020115687A1
Application number: PCT/IB2019/060461
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ya-Ching Chan
Original assignee: Lin, Chih-Hsueh
Priority date: 2018-12-07
Filing date: 2019-12-05
Publication date: 2020-06-11
Also published as: TW202024457A; TWI695110B

Abstract

A fire-safety lock includes a main body, a slide seat, a fusible control member, a latch unit, and first and second resilient members. The fusible control member is connected to the main body and the slide seat. The fusible control member has a low melting point. The latch unit connects the main body and the slide seat and is urged by the first resilient member to a locking position. The second spring member is pre-tensioned by the fusible control member which is unmelted. When the fusible control member is melted, a restoring force of the second resilient member drives the slide seat to move the latch unit to an unlocking position.

Description

FIRE -SAFETY LOCK

FIELD

The disclosure relates to a lock, and more particularly to a fire-safety lock.

BACKGROUND

An accidental fire is unpredictable and can severely endanger life and property. Therefore, when fire occurs, firefighting is comprehensively provided. Although prevention of fire is a good approach, suppressing of fire spread is one that has to be taken into account when fire occurs.

When smoldering occurs within a building, a flashover can be easily caused and make firefighting difficult. To reduce the risk of flashover, the building must be ventilated at a fire initiation state for preventing a sudden supply of oxygen after smoldering .

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, an electromagnetic lock 91, disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No. M384227, includes an activator member 911 and a push rod 912 driven by the activator member 911 to move linearly. The electromagnetic lock 91 can latch or unlatch a fixing member 92 to lock or unlock a first object 93 and a second object 94. The fixing member 92 is fixed to the first object 93. The electromagnetic lock 91 is fixed to the second object 94. The push rod 912 is movable relative to the fixing member 92 between a locking position and an unlocking position. As shown in Figure 2, at the locking position, the push rod 912 partially extends into the fixing member 92 to prevent detachment of the first object 93 from the second object 94. When the push rod 912 is removed from the fixing member 92 at the unlocking position, the first and second objects 93, 94 are detached from each other.

The electromagnetic lock 91 may be applied to a door or window. When an interior space of a building is closed by a door or window locked by the electromagnetic lock 91, if no electricity is available to operate the electromagnetic lock 91, there is a risk of smoldering when fire occurs in the non-ventilated interior space.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a fire-safety lock that provides a solution to a deficiency of the prior art.

According to the disclosure, a fire-safety lock includes a main body, a slide seat, a fusible control member, a latch unit, a first resilient member, and a second resilient member.

The slide seat is slidably mounted within the main body .

The fusible control member is made of a low melting point metal, is disposed within the main body, and is connected to the main body and the slide seat. The fusible control member is melted when an ambient temperature is higher than a melting temperature of the fusible control member.

The latch unit is slidably disposed inside the main body and connects the main body and the slide seat. The latch unit is movable between a locking position and an unlocking position.

The first resilient member is disposed within the main body and urges the latch unit to move to the locking position.

The second resilient member is disposed within the main body and is connected to the main body and the slide seat .

When the fusible control member is unmelted, the second resilient member is pre-loaded by the fusible control member to store a restoring force.

When the fusible control member is melted, the restoring force of the second resilient member drives the slide seat to move the latch unit to the unlocking position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an exiting electromagnetic lock ; Figure 2 is a sectional view of the existing electromagnetic lock;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a fire-safety lock of an embodiment according to the disclosure;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the embodiment illustrating a latch unit at a locking position;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but illustrating the latch unit manually moved to an unlocking position; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 4, but illustrating the latch unit 4 at the unlocking position when a fusible control member is melted.

DE TAI LED DE SCRI PT ION

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate a fire-safety lock according to an embodiment of the disclosure, which is connected between a frame 1 and a shutter plate 2. The frame 1 has a frame opening 101. The shutter plate 2 is pivoted to the frame 1 to open and close the frame opening 101. The shutter plate 2 has a locking plate 201 that has a locking hole 202. The fire-safety lock includes a main body 10, a slide seat 20, a fusible control member 30, a latch unit 40, a first resilient member 50, and a second resilient member 60.

The main body 10 can be mounted to one of the frame 1 and the shutter plate 2, and extends along a lengthwise lien (X) . In this embodiment, the main body 10 is mounted to the frame 1 proximately of the frame opening 101. The main body 10 has a first side wall 12, a second side wall 13 opposite to the first side wall 12, and an intermediate plate 11 interconnecting the first and second side walls 12, 13. The intermediate plate 11 has an elongate slot 111 proximate to the first side wall 12. The first side wall 12 has a tongue hole 121.

The slide seat 20 has a U-shaped cross section along the lengthwise line (X) , is slidably mounted within the man body 10, and is disposed between the first and second side walls 12, 13. The slide seat 20 has a first seat lateral plate 22 facing the first side wall 12, a second seat lateral plate 23 opposite to the first seat lateral plate 22 and proximate to the second side wall 13, and a seat base plate 21 interconnecting the first and second seat lateral plates 22, 23 in parallel with the intermediate plate 11. The first seat lateral plate 22 has a mounting hole 221 aligned with the tongue hole 121 along the lengthwise line (X) .

The fusible control member 30 is made of a low melting point metal and is in a solid form when ubmelted . It is disposed within the main body 10, and connects the second side wall 13 and the second seat lateral plate 23. The fusible control member 30 is melted when an ambient temperature is higher than a melting temperature of the fusible control member 30. The melting temperature of the fusible control member 30 ranges between 70°C and 150°C. In an example, the fusible control member 30 is made of a low melting point alloy containing 50 wt% of Bi, 26.7 wt% of Pb, 13.3 wt% of Sn, and 10 wt% of Cd, and the melting temperature of the fusible control member (30) is 70°C. In another example, the fusible control member 30 is made of a low melting point alloy containing 52.5 wt% of Bi, 32 wt% of Pb, and 15.5 wt% of Sn, and the melting temperature of the fusible control member 30 is 95°C.

The latch unit 40 is slidably disposed inside the main body 10 and connects the main body 10 and the slide seat 20. The latch unit 40 is movable between a locking position, where the latch unit 40 locks the shuttle plate 2 against the frame 1, and an unlocking position, where the latch unit 40 unlocks the shuttle plate 2.

The latch unit 40 includes a latch rod 41 elongated along the lengthwise line (X) and slidably extending through the mounting hole 221, a latch tongue 42 connected to one end of the latch rod 41 and slidably extending through the latch tongue hole 121, a latch head 43 connected to the other end of the latch rod 41 oppositely of the latch tongue 42, and a manually operated push rod 44 connected to the latch rod 41 and extending outwardly of the main body 10 through the elongate slot 111. The latch head 43 is greater in size than the mounting hole 221 and is disposed limitedly between the first and second seat lateral plates 22, 23. The first resilient member 50 is disposed within the main body 10 and urges the latch unit 40 to move to the locking position. In this embodiment, the first resilient member 50 is a compression spring that is sleeved on the latch rod 41 and that has two opposite ends respectively abutting the latch tongue 42 and the first seat lateral plate 22.

The second resilient member 60 is disposed within the main body 10 and is connected to the main body 10 and the slide seat 20. The slide seat 20 is disposed between the latch unit 40 and the fusible control member 30 and between the latch unit 40 and the second resilient member 60. In this embodiment, the second resilient member 60 is an extension spring and connects the second seat lateral plate 23 and the second side wall 13 in a pre-tensioned manner . When the fusible control member 30 is unmelted, the second resilient member 60 is preloaded or pre-tensioned by the fusible control member 30 to store a restoring force. When the latch control member 30 is melted, the restoring force of the second resilient member 60 drives the slide seat 20 to move the latch unit 40 to the unlocking position.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, when the fusible control member 30 is unmelted, the first resilient member 50 urges the latch unit 40 to the locking position. The latch tongue 42 extends into the locking hole 202 of the shutter plate 2 so that the shutter plate 2 closes the frame opening 101.

Referring to Figure 5, when the ambient temperature is not higher than the melting temperature of the fusible control member 30, the fusible control member 30 is solid and the position of the slide seat 20 is fixed in the main body 1. Therefore, the manually operated push rod 44 may be manually pushed backward (see the arrow) to release the latch tongue 42 from the locking hole 202 so that the shutter plate 2 opens the frame opening 101.

When the shutter plate 2 closes the frame opening 101, by virtue of the first resilient member 50 urging the latch unit 40, the latch tongue 42 automatically extends into the locking hole 202, and the latch unit 40 is placed at the locking position (see Figures 3 and

4) .

When a fire occurs, and when the shutter plate 2 closes the frame opening 101, due to smoldering inside the building, the ambient temperature rises and becomes higher than the melting temperature of the fusible control member 30. The fusible control member 30 is thus melted as shown in Figure 6. The second resilient member 60, which is preloaded or pre-tensioned by the unmelted fusible control member 30, releases its restoring force when the fusible control member 30 melts and drives the slide seat 20 to move the latch unit 40 to the unlocking position. As the latch tongue 42 automatically moves out from the locking hole 202, the shutter plate 2 is automatically unlocked. In this situation, the frame opening 101 may be opened automatically if the shutter plate 2 is equipped with pushing means, for example, spring-loaded telescopic rods for automatically pushing the shutter plate 2 to an opening position.

Therefore, by virtue of the fire-safety lock of the disclosure, when the fusible control member 30 is unmelted, the first resilient member 50 urges the latch unit 40 to move to the locking position, and the shutter plate 2 closes the frame opening 101. When the fire occurs, the ambient temperature is higher than the melting temperature of the fusible control member 30, the fusible control member 30 is melted, and the restoring force of the second resilient member 60 drives the slide seat 20 to move the latch unit 40 to the unlocking position for automatically unlocking the shutter plate 2.

In summary, the fire-safety lock of the disclosure has a simple overall structure, is easily assembled and manufactured, and meets fire-safety requirements.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements .

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A fire-safety lock comprising:

a main body;

a slide seat slidably mounted within said main body;

a fusible control member made of a low melting point metal, disposed within said main body, and connected to said main body and said slide seat, said fusible control member being melted when an ambient temperature is higher than a melting temperature of said fusible control member;

a latch unit slidably disposed inside said main body and connecting said main body and said slide seat, said latch unit being movable between a locking position and an unlocking position;

a first resilient member disposed within said main body and urging said latch unit to move to the locking position; and

a second resilient member disposed within said main body and connected to said main body and said slide seat;

wherein, when said fusible control member is unmelted, said second resilient member is pre-loaded by said fusible control member to store a restoring force, and

wherein, when said fusible control member is melted, the restoring force of said second resilient member drives said slide seat to move said latch unit to the unlocking position.

2. The fire-safety lock as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said main body has a first side wall and a second side wall opposite to said first side wall, said slide seat being disposed between said first and second side walls, said fusible control member connecting said second side wall and said slide seat .

3. The fire-safety lock as claimed in Claim 2, wherein:

said first side wall has a tongue hole; said slide seat has a first seat lateral plate facing said first side wall, a second seat lateral plate opposite to said first seat lateral plate and disposed proximate to said second side wall, and a seat base plate interconnecting said first and second seat lateral plates, said first seat lateral plate having a mounting hole; and

said latch unit includes a latch rod slidably extending through said mounting hole, a latch tongue connected to one end of said latch rod and slidably extending through said tongue hole, and a latch head connected to the other end of said latch rod oppositely of said latch tongue and disposed between said first and second seat lateral plates.

4. The fire-safety lock as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said first resilient member is a compression spring that is sleeved on said latch rod and that has two opposite ends respectively abutting said latch tongue and said first seat lateral plate.

5. The fire-safety lock as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said second resilient member is an extension spring that connects said second seat lateral plate and said second side wall in a pre-tensioned manner.

6. The fire-safety lock as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said main body has an elongate slot, said latch unit further including a manually operated push rod connected to said latch rod and extending outwardly of said main body through said elongate slot.

7. The fire-safety lock as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said melting temperature of said fusible control member ranges between 70°C and 150°C.

8. The fire-safety lock as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said fusible control member is made of a low melting point alloy containing 50 wt% of Bi, 26.7 wt% of Pb, 13.3 wt% of Sn, and 10 wt% of Cd, said melting temperature of said fusible control member being 70 ° C .

9. The fire-safety lock as claimed in Claim 7, wherein said fusible control member is made of a low melting point alloy containing 52.5 wt% of Bi, 32 wt% of Pb, and 15.5 wt% of Sn, said melting temperature of said fusible control member being 95°C.