The present invention relates to a lock device comprising
A lock as mentioned above is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,411. In said solution the lock is equipped with a bolt moving between a blocked position and a released position, and with a coil-shaped wire made of a shape memory alloy, the two wire ends being connected to a first and a second electric supply terminal, respectively; the lock comprises at least a first and a second connection element for the wire, between which an intermediate portion of the latter is arranged in rectilinear direction, parallel to the direction of movement of the bolt. On said intermediate portion the shape memory wire is mechanically fastened to the bolt and is electrically connected to a third supply terminal.
Shape memory actuating elements have been known for a long time and used in various fields in which simple and cheap actuating means are required. They are made for instance of shape memory metal alloys that can deform above a given transition temperature. In general, heating can be achieved since the actuating element directly detects a variable temperature, or by supplying an electric current through the actuating element so as to heat it by Joule effect.
Going back to the lock described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,411, when an electric current is applied between the first and third terminal, the wire portion extending between them gets shorter, including a part of the aforesaid rectilinear portion, thus shifting the bolt towards the release position of the lock; such shift also results in the switching of a spring bistable mechanism; when the electric supply between the first and third terminal is interrupted, the shape memory wire taking again its extended structure, the bistable mechanism keeps the bolt in the position it has reached. On the other hand, by applying an electric voltage between the second and third terminal, the shape memory wire portion extending between said terminal shrinks, thus causing a bolt shift opposed to the previous one, i.e. towards the blocked position of the lock; here again, the bolt shift results in the switching of the bistable mechanism which, once the electric supply between the second and third terminal has been interrupted, keeps the bolt in the position it has reached, although the shape memory wire has taken again in the meanwhile its extended structure.
Basically, therefore, according to the solution described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,411, the shrinkage of the shape memory wire is used to generate a traction of the bolt developing alternatively towards the first or second connection element, between which the aforesaid rectilinear wire portion is defined. The bolt is thus pulled in one direction or the other and the bistable cinematic mechanism keeps the bolt in the position it has reached.
The presence of several terminals for supplying the shape memory wire with current, as well as the coil-shaped arrangement of said wire, with a rectilinear intermediate portion, makes lock production more complex and increases the size of said lock; the same can apply to the presence of the bistable system required for keeping the position reached by the bolt without electric supply. Moreover, the shape memory wire should have a considerable length, which affects lock manufacturing costs. The electric control system of the lock is further complicated in that the shape memory wire is operatively divided into two portions which should be supplied selectively with current.
The present invention aims at carrying out a lock as referred to above, which is simpler and cheaper with respect to the prior art mentioned above. Another aim of the invention is to indicate such a lock with an extremely small size. An additional aim of the invention is to indicate such a lock in which the return of the bolt from its non-operating to its operating position takes place rapidly, after the electric supply to wire made of shape memory material has ceased.
One or more of said aims are achieved according to the present invention by a lock device as referred to above, characterized in that the aforesaid constraint means are in such relative positions that the aforesaid first intermediate portion of the shape memory element takes a substantially V-shaped arrangement at least when the first controlled element is in its operating position.
Thus, when the shape memory element gets shorter after heating, the aforesaid intermediate portion tends to take a rectilinear or less prominent V-like arrangement; the shape memory element thus generates a transversal or basically perpendicular traction with respect to an ideal straight line joining two connection points between which extends the intermediate portion.
The aforesaid traction can thus be obtained by supplying the shape memory element, which is preferably wire-shaped, on its two ends with current, without the need for intermediate electric terminals; the wire can thus have a small length and a reduced size. Preferably, the return of the controlled element to its non-operating position is achieved through elastic means, when the electric supply of the shape memory element is interrupted. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same shape memory element is arranged so as to control also the shift of a second controlled element towards its non-operating position, with movement in opposite direction with respect to the first controlled element.
Further preferred characteristics of the invention are indicated in the appended claims, which are an integral and substantial part of the present invention.
The invention shall be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided as a mere non-limiting example, in which:
In
Between the two opposite bolts 7 an elastic element is mounted, here represented by a coil spring 12, whose elastic reaction pushes the bolts 7 in opposite directions, towards the outside of the body 2, through the passages defined between the respective pairs of guides 6. Each end of the spring 12 is inserted into a hollow seating having a circular section, extending towards the inside of the portion 9, starting from the edge of the latter opposite the head portion 8.
Number 13 globally indicates a shape memory actuating element. Said actuating element 13 is shaped like a flexible cable, comprising a core consisting of a wire 14 made at least partially with a shape memory material. Onto the wire 14 a layer of elastic coating 15 is molded, which adheres to said wire and is chosen in an elastomer/silicone or synthetic material; as shall be evident from the following, the coating 15 helps both the wire 14 to cool down after current has ceased to pass through the latter, and the wire 14 to go back to a rest condition, as a consequence of the elastic recovery of the coating 15. The coating 15 is preferably molded onto the wire 14 by simultaneously extruding the material which the wire 14 is made of and the material which the coating 15 is made of. In other words, during the manufacturing process, the wire 14 and its coating 15 are obtained simultaneously by a co-extrusion process, which is advantageous in that it enables to obtain the desired structure with one operation, without any additional assembling operation. The coating 15 adhering to the wire 14 acts like a longitudinally distributed spring, which undergoes compression when the wire 14 gets shorter after activation and, therefore, helps said wire to go back to its rest position thanks to its elastic recovery.
The cable actuator 13 basically has the configuration of an upside-down U, so that the two ends of the wire 14, referred to with 14′ in
From the rear wall 3 of the body 2 at least a stationary transmission element P for the cable actuator 13 protrudes, which operates basically between the upper rectilinear section of said actuator and its two V-like side sections; the two ends of the coating 15 are inserted each into a corresponding bushing 16, from which the ends 14′ of the wire made of shape memory material protrude, said ends being electrically and mechanically connected to a printed circuit board 17. The cable actuator 13 thus has a global development like a hexagon opened on its base. Onto the board 17, to which the two ends 14′ of the wire 14 are electrically and mechanically connected, a micro-switch 18 is mounted, said switch being of NC type (normally closed), from whose shell a sensing head 18′ protrudes upwards; the micro-switch 18 is substantially placed between the two bolts 7, slightly below the latter, so that the step 11 of the bolt 7 shown on the left in
The operation of the lock 1 shall now be described assuming that said lock is mounted onto a glove compartment door within the instrument panel of a motor vehicle.
In
When the door equipped with the lock 1 has to be opened, and thus said lock has to be led to its non-operating position, the connector 20 is supplied with electric current by means of suitable conductors, not shown; supply can be actuated for instance by acting upon a pushbutton. Thus, the MOSFET 19 checks that a suitable electric voltage is applied to the ends 14′ of the wire 14, which is thus progressively heated by Joule effect; above a given transition temperature the wire starts getting shorter; the shrinkage of the wire 14 also results in the compression of the coating 15, so that the whole cable actuator 13 tends to take a shortened configuration.
As a consequence of said shrinkage, the two opposite V-shaped sections of the wire 14 tend to take a rectilinear development, without however necessarily achieving the latter (see
As previously mentioned, the coating 15 adhering to the wire 14 acts like a longitudinally distributed spring. Indeed, the elastomer/silicone material of the coating 15 on the wire 14 is chosen so as to obtain a double advantage. On one hand, said material, which is no electric conductor, does not heat up, as conversely happens for the wire 14 when an electric current gets through it during the activation of the cable actuator 13; as a consequence, the material which the coating 15 is made of helps and accelerates the cooling of the wire 14 at the end of the electric supply stage. On the other hand, the coating 15, being made of elastic material, acts like a distributed spring which is compressed when the wire 14 gets shorter as a result of its activation; as a consequence, the coating 15 helps a swift return of the cable actuator 13 to its rest condition, at the end of an electric supply stage, not only since it accelerates cooling but also because it pushes the cable actuator 13 towards its rest condition thanks to its elastic recovery, when the electric supply to the wire 14 ceases.
The door equipped with the lock 1 can then be led manually to its closing position. In this way, the inclined planes of the head portions 8 of the bolts 7 get in contact with the edge of the aforesaid seatings of the instrument panel body; a light closing pressure on the door, such as to overcome the strength of the spring 12, then makes the bolts 7 get back into the body 2; when the ends of the portions 8 get beyond the edge of said seatings, the recovery of the spring 12 makes the bolts 7 get back and engage into said seatings. It should be pointed out that the aforesaid mechanical return of the bolts 7 is enabled also thanks to the shape of the grooves 10, which have an enlargement on the opposite side with respect to their surfaces 10′, and thanks to the presence of the transmission element P; this allows the cable actuator 13, which is in any case flexible, to change its shape temporarily, even when it is in its extended condition, and then take it again at the end of the mechanical stress.
From the above it is possible to infer how the control carried out onto the cable actuator 13 is continuous and how each bolt 7, after the electric supply to the wire 14 has ceased, can automatically go back to its operating position, however enabling to close manually the door to which the lock 1 is associated.
In the case described above, the lock 1 is led to its non-operating or opened position by electric supply. In a possible execution variant, however, the lock 1 can be equipped with means enabling also a manual opening. Such a case is shown by way of example in
In the case of
The actuating element 30 can take a non-operating position, as shown by the hatched line of
In accordance with said variant, the lock 1 comprises a body 2 defining an embedded seating 6′ for one bolt 7; at the bottom of said seating 6′ a micro-switch 18 is located; between the bottom of the seating 6′ and the end portion of the bolt 7 operate two coil springs 12 basically parallel to one another.
The body 2 is associated in a stationary way to a board 17, to which the micro-switch 18 is electrically connected and which has its supply connector, referred to with 20 in
Number 40 refers to a connection plate, having substantially a triangular shape and with respective passages into which the pegs P′ are inserted; the plate 40, shown only in
The lock as in
The springs 12 constantly push the bolt 7, so that its portion 8 protrudes outside the body 2. Under these circumstances, the wire 14 is not supplied with electric current and therefore has an extended configuration; under these circumstances, the transmission pegs P′ are in a first position within their guides P″; said condition is shown with a full line in
When said lock 1 has to be led to its non-operating position, the connector 20 is supplied with electric current. Thus an electric voltage is applied to the ends of the shape memory wire 14, which then progressively heats up by Joule effect; above its transition temperature, said wire 14 starts getting shorter and thus takes a shortened configuration.
The shrinkage of the portions of the wire 14 extending between the board 17 and a corresponding peg P′ results in a traction on the latter, such as to overcome the elastic reaction of the springs 12; the pegs P′, connected to one another through the plate 40, shift towards the board 17 on the stroke referred to with “c” in
At the same time, the shrinkage of the portions of the wire 14 extending between the pegs P′ and the peg 10″ results in a further traction on the bolt 7, and thus in a shift of the latter added to the previous “c” stroke; the total stroke of the bolt 7 is thus basically of “2C”, as schematically shown in
Thus, the operating condition shown with a hatched line in
Practical tests have shown that the lock according to the invention enables to obtain the intended aims. Indeed, said lock is simple and cheap and has an easy control, both in case of electric and manual actuation. The particular arrangement enables to minimize the size of the lock 1; by the way, the outer size of the body 2 can be of 4×4 0.5 cm.
Obviously, though the basic idea of the invention remains the same, construction details and embodiments can widely vary with respect to what has been described and shown by mere way of example, however without leaving the framework of the present invention.
In accordance with a first variant, the lock could be equipped with one bolt 7, with one or more springs 12 mounted between said bolt and a stationary surface of the body 2, which would have in this case a smaller size than the case shown in the figures. In case of one bolt, the cable actuating element could have a development resembling the one shown in the previous figures, with suitable guides, or be V-shaped, i.e. be shaped like one of the side sections of the actuator previously referred to with 13; in the latter case, a first end of the wire 14 can be connected directly and mechanically to the board 17, as in the accompanying figures, whereas the second end can be mechanically fastened to the body 2 on the side longitudinally opposed to the one in which the board is present; through an electric conductor said second end can then be electrically connected to the board 17.
A second variant, applying in particular to the case in which the lock 1 is equipped with one bolt 7, consists in making the cable actuator 13 with a U-like shape memory wire, having a going and return portion immersed in a common coating made of elastomer/silicone material, as referred to above; thus, the two ends of the wire, close to one another, protrude from a longitudinal end of the common coating, for the electrical and mechanical connection to the same base of the supply circuit; conversely, the arc-shaped portion of the shape memory wire protruding from the other longitudinal end of the coating builds a sort of ring, which is fitted onto a peg protruding from the bottom wall 3 of the body 2; said peg thus builds a mechanical connection for an end of the cable actuator, the opposite end of the latter being mechanically and electrically connected to the base. Such an arrangement, in which the actuator has a general V-shape, is advantageous because both ends of the shape memory wire are close to one another and can thus be connected directly to the same board, without the need for the electric conductor as in the previous variant.
The invention also applies to the case in which the bolt or bolts are shaped like rocking arm hooks instead of moving linearly.
In some applications of the lock device according to the invention, the shape memory element 14 could directly detect the temperature to which it is subject, for instance the temperature of a gas or a liquid, so as to be actuated by said temperature at a transition value that can be adjusted when preparing the shape memory material used; in said light, for instance, the device 1 could be designed to keep a partition closed, against the action of elastic means, and be directly subject to a fluid to be controlled. When said fluid shifts from a first to a second given temperature, the wire 14, here without the coating 15, shifts from its extended to its shortened structure, so as to switch automatically the lock to its opened position.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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TO2003A0262 | Apr 2003 | IT | national |
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/515,915 filed Nov. 29, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,843 which is a National Stage Application of PCT Application No. PCT/IB2004/000760 filed Mar. 12, 2004. The entire disclosures of the prior applications, application Ser. Nos. 10/515,915 and PCT/IB2004/000760 are considered part of the disclosure of the accompanying continuation application and are hereby incorporated by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20080272606 A1 | Nov 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10515915 | US | |
Child | 12108596 | US |