Patent Application
20200149317
The present disclosure generally relates to electromechanical locksets, and more particularly but not exclusively relates to interconnected tubular locksets.
Certain existing electronic locksets are configured to permit retraction of a latchbolt and/or a deadbolt in response to presentation of an authorized credential. Many existing locksets suffer from a variety of drawbacks and limitations. For example, certain existing locksets require that the user manually retract the latchbolt and/or the deadbolt even after presenting an authorized credential. This process can be inconvenient, particularly when the user is carrying one or more objects that occupy the use of his or her hands. For these reasons among others, there remains a need for further improvements in this technological field.
An exemplary lockset includes a first bolt, a second bolt, and a drive assembly operable to retract the first bolt and the second bolt. The drive assembly includes a first gear train including a first input gear and a first output gear operably connected with the first bolt, a second gear train including a second input gear and a second output gear operably connected with the second bolt, a third input gear, and an electromechanical driver operable to rotate the third input gear in an unlocking direction. The third input gear is engaged with the first input gear and the second input gear such that rotation of the third input gear in the unlocking direction causes rotation of the first and second output gears, thereby retracting the first and second bolts. Further embodiments, forms, features, and aspects of the present application shall become apparent from the description and figures provided herewith.
Although the concepts of the present disclosure are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described herein in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the concepts of the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives consistent with the present disclosure and the appended claims.
References in the specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an illustrative embodiment,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may or may not necessarily include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. It should further be appreciated that although reference to a “preferred” component or feature may indicate the desirability of a particular component or feature with respect to an embodiment, the disclosure is not so limiting with respect to other embodiments, which may omit such a component or feature. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
As used herein, the terms “longitudinal,” “lateral,” and “transverse” are used to denote motion or spacing along three mutually perpendicular axes, wherein each of the axes defines two opposite directions. The directions defined by each axis may be referred to as positive and negative directions, wherein the arrow of the axis indicates the positive direction. In the coordinate system illustrated in
Furthermore, motion or spacing along a direction defined by one of the axes need not preclude motion or spacing along a direction defined by another of the axes. For example, elements which are described as being “laterally offset” from one another may also be offset in the longitudinal and/or transverse directions, or may be aligned in the longitudinal and/or transverse directions. The terms are therefore not to be construed as limiting the scope of the subject matter described herein.
Additionally, it should be appreciated that items included in a list in the form of “at least one of A, B, and C” can mean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (B and C); (A and C); or (A, B, and C). Similarly, items listed in the form of “at least one of A, B, or C” can mean (A); (B); (C); (A and B); (B and C); (A and C); or (A, B, and C). Further, with respect to the claims, the use of words and phrases such as “a,” “an,” “at least one,” and/or “at least one portion” should not be interpreted so as to be limiting to only one such element unless specifically stated to the contrary, and the use of phrases such as “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” should be interpreted as encompassing both embodiments including only a portion of such element and embodiments including the entirety of such element unless specifically stated to the contrary.
In the drawings, some structural or method features may be shown in specific arrangements and/or orderings. However, it should be appreciated that such specific arrangements and/or orderings may not be required. Rather, in some embodiments, such features may be arranged in a different manner and/or order than shown in the illustrative figures unless indicated to the contrary. Additionally, the inclusion of a structural or method feature in a particular figure is not meant to imply that such feature is required in all embodiments and, in some embodiments, may not be included or may be combined with other features.
With reference to
The inside assembly 110 generally includes an inside escutcheon 112, an inside handle 113 pivotably mounted to the escutcheon 112, and a thumbturn 114 rotatably mounted to the escutcheon 112. The handle 113 is operably connected with the latchbolt assembly 130 such that rotation of the handle 113 from a home position to a pivoted position causes the latchbolt 132 to retract. The thumbturn 114 is operably connected with the deadbolt assembly 140 such that rotation of the thumbturn 114 in opposite directions causes the deadbolt 142 to extend and retract. As described herein, the inside assembly 110 further includes a drive assembly 200 operable to electromechanically retract the latchbolt 132 and the deadbolt 142, and a controller 116 that controls operation of the drive assembly 200.
The outside assembly 120 generally includes an outside escutcheon 122 and an outside handle 123 pivotably mounted to the escutcheon 122, and may further include a lock cylinder 124 mounted to the escutcheon 122. The handle 123 is operably connected with the latchbolt assembly 130 such that rotation of the handle 123 from a home position to a pivoted position causes the latchbolt 132 to retract. The lock cylinder 124 is operably connected with the deadbolt assembly 140 such that actuation of the lock cylinder 124 with an appropriate key causes the deadbolt 142 to extend and retract.
The outside assembly 120 further includes a credential reader 126 operable to read a user credential. In certain forms, the user credential may be embodied on a card or chip, such as a magnetic card, radio frequency identification (RFID) circuitry, a near field communication (NFC) card, or an ultra-wideband (UWB) communication device, and the credential reader 126 may be configured to read such user credentials. Additionally or alternatively, the user credential may be stored on a mobile device configured to transmit the user credential to the credential reader 126. In certain embodiments, the credential reader 126 may be a biometric credential reader such as a fingerprint scanner or an iris recognition device, and the user credential may be a corresponding biometric credential. In other forms, the credential reader 126 may comprise a keypad and the user may input a user credential in the form of a personal identification number or a password using the keypad. While certain examples have been given for the credential reader 126 and the credential, it is to be appreciated that such examples are illustrative only and are non-limiting in nature.
With additional reference to
With additional reference to
With additional reference to
In the illustrated form, the lock control module 150 includes an energy storage device housing 152 in electrical communication with the controller 116, and may further include one or more energy storage devices 153 operable to supply power to the controller 116 and to the drive assembly 200. It is also contemplated that the lock control module 150 may be configured for connection to line power or to a wireless power transmission device, in which case the energy storage device housing 152 and the energy storage devices 153 may be omitted. In embodiments that include the energy storage devices 153, the energy storage devices 153 may, for example, be provided in the form of batteries or super-capacitors.
The lock control module 150 further includes a housing assembly 160, which includes a first case member 161 and a second case member 162 coupled to the first case member 161 such that a cavity 169 (
With additional reference to
With additional reference to
With additional reference to
With additional reference to
When the handle 113 is rotated manually for manual retraction of the latchbolt 132, such rotation may be transferred to latchbolt output gear 234 via the spindle 106. As noted above, the outer spindle 104, which is rotationally coupled to the latchbolt output gear 234, is rotationally decoupled from the inner spindle 106, which is rotationally coupled with the inside handle 113. As a result, rotation of the inner spindle 106 is not transmitted to the outer spindle 104, and the latchbolt 132 can be manually retracted by operating the handle 113 without causing a corresponding rotation of the latchbolt gear train 230. Similarly, electronic retraction of the latchbolt 132 by rotation of the latchbolt gear train 230 is effected without causing a corresponding rotation of the handle 113.
The deadbolt gear train 240 includes the deadbolt input gear 242 and a deadbolt output gear 244, and may further include one or more intermediate gears 246. The deadbolt output gear 244 includes an engagement feature 245 that is aligned with the second opening 164 in the housing assembly 160. In the illustrated form, the engagement feature 245 is provided in the form of a slot 245 that extends through a post 241, which is rotationally coupled with the deadbolt output gear 244. The thumbturn 114 includes a tailpiece 115 (
As noted above, the deadbolt input gear 242 is connected with the input gear 226 via the lost motion connection 204. The lost motion connection 204 is configured such that when the input gear 226 is driven by the motor 212 in the unlocking direction, the deadbolt input gear 242 also rotates in the unlocking direction. This rotation of the deadbolt input gear 242 is transmitted to the deadbolt output gear 244 to rotate the output gear 244 in the deadbolt-retracting direction, thereby causing electronic retraction of the deadbolt 142.
When the thumbturn 114 is rotated manually for manual retraction of the deadbolt 142, such rotation is transferred to the deadbolt output gear 244 via the tailpiece 115. As will be appreciated, such rotation of the deadbolt output gear 244 in the deadbolt-retracting direction causes a corresponding rotation of the deadbolt input gear 242 in the unlocking direction. Due to the lost motion connection 204, however, such rotation is not transmitted to the input gear 226. Instead, such rotational motion is lost as a result of the arcuate slot 243, which permits the deadbolt input gear 242 to rotate relative to the input gear 226 without causing a corresponding rotation of the input gear 226. As a result, manual retraction of the deadbolt 142 by the thumbturn 114 does not back-drive the motor 212 or cause rotation of the latchbolt gear train 230. Thus, the deadbolt 142 can be manually retracted while the latchbolt 132 remains extended.
In the illustrated embodiment, the deadbolt gear train 240 further includes a second deadbolt output gear 248, which is offset from the first deadbolt output gear 244 in the lateral direction and is substantially similar to the first deadbolt output gear 244. In particular, the second deadbolt output gear 248 is configured to rotate in the deadbolt-retracting direction in response to rotation of the input gear 226 in the unlocking direction. Additionally, the second deadbolt output gear 248 includes an engagement feature 249 formed in a post 241′, which respectively correspond to the engagement feature 245 and the post 241. The engagement feature 249 is aligned with the third opening 168 in the housing assembly 160 such that the tailpiece 115 is operable to pass through the third opening 168 while engaging the engagement feature 249. When so engaged, the tailpiece 115 can be rotated by the second deadbolt output gear 248 to retract the deadbolt 142. Thus, while the thumbturn 114 is illustrated as being mounted to the first deadbolt output gear 244, the thumbturn 114 can also be mounted to the second deadbolt output gear 248.
The alternative mounting locations for the thumbturn 114 facilitate installation of the lockset 100 in door preparations of different configurations. In the United States, for example, it is typical for door preparations to have one of two standard offset distances between the latchbolt bore and the deadbolt bore. The offset distance between the latchbolt output gear 234 and the upper deadbolt output gear 244 is selected such that installation in door preparations having the greater offset can be accommodated by mounting the thumbturn 114 to the upper or first deadbolt output gear 244. Similarly, the offset distance between the latchbolt output gear 234 and the lower deadbolt output gear 248 is selected such that installation in door preparations having the lesser offset can be accommodated by mounting the thumbturn 114 to the lower or second deadbolt output gear 248. Alternatively, the thumbturn 114 may remain mounted to the upper deadbolt output dear 244, and a connector may be mounted to the lower deadbolt gear 248. In such forms, the connector extends into the door and engages the deadbolt mechanism 140 such that rotation of the lower deadbolt gear 248 causes movement of the deadbolt 142.
With additional reference to
When the handle 113 is rotated to retract the latchbolt 132, the first cam 173 drives the slide 175 laterally upward, thereby driving the second cam 174 to rotate in the deadbolt-retracting direction. Such rotation of the second cam 174 causes a corresponding rotation of the second deadbolt output gear 248, which causes the deadbolt gear train 240 to rotate the first deadbolt output gear 244 in the deadbolt retracting direction. As a result, manual retraction of the latchbolt 132 by operation of the handle 113 causes a contemporaneous retraction of the deadbolt 142, despite the presence of the lost motion connections 203, 204.
During typical operation, the lockset 100 may be placed in a locked state by rotating the thumbturn 114 or actuating the lock cylinder 124 to extend the deadbolt 142 while the door is in the closed position. In this state, rotation of the outside handle 123 may serve to retract the latchbolt 132, but the deadbolt 142 remains extended to retain the door in the closed position. The inside spindle 106 is connected with the inside handle 113 and the outside handle 123 via lost motion connections or slip connections such that rotation of either handle 113/123 does not rotate the other handle 113/123. As a result, rotation of the outside handle 123 does not actuate the interconnect mechanism 170, and the deadbolt 142 remains in the extended position.
When a user approaches the door from the unsecured side, the user may present a credential to the credential reader 126, for example by scanning a card or mobile device, inputting a personal identification number (PIN), or presenting a biometric credential. The credential reader 126 transmits credential information to the controller 116, which determines whether the credential information relates to an authorized credential.
In response to determining that the presented credential is an authorized credential, the controller 116 transmits an actuating signal to the motor 212, which causes the driver 210 to rotate the input gear 226 in the unlocking direction. The actuating signal may, for example, be provided in the form of power of a first polarity that is transmitted from the energy storage device 153 via the controller 116. In certain forms, the actuating signal may be provided in the form of a series of electrical pulses, for example in embodiments in which the motor 212 is provided in the form of a stepper motor.
Rotation of the input gear 226 in the unlocking direction causes a corresponding rotation of the coaxially-mounted latchbolt input gear 232, thereby causing rotation of the latchbolt output gear 234 in the latchbolt-retracting direction. Rotation of the input gear 226 in the unlocking direction also causes a corresponding rotation of the coaxially-mounted deadbolt input gear 242, thereby causing rotation of the deadbolt output gear 244 in the deadbolt-retracting direction. Thus, presentation of a valid credential to the credential reader 126 causes hands-free retraction of the latchbolt 132 and the deadbolt 142, thereby allowing the user to conveniently open the door even when his or her hands are otherwise occupied.
Once the latchbolt 132 and the deadbolt 142 have been retracted, the controller 116 may transmit a hold signal operative to retain the driver 210 in its current position, thereby maintaining the latchbolt 132 in its retracted position against the internal biasing force of the latchbolt assembly 130, which biases the latchbolt 132 toward its extended position. As a result, the latchbolt 132 remains retracted for the duration of the hold signal. After a predetermined period of time, the controller 116 may terminate the hold signal to allow the latchbolt 132 to return to its extended position. Alternatively, the controller 116 may transmit the hold signal until a door position sensor indicates that the door has been moved to the open position, and thereafter terminate transmission of the hold signal. In such forms, the latchbolt 132 may return to the extended position upon opening of the door such that a subsequent closing movement of the door causes the door to become latched in the closed position.
In certain forms, the controller 116 may further be operable to transmit a relock signal. For example, the outside assembly 120 may have mounted thereon a relock button that causes the controller 116 to transmit the relock signal. In response to receiving the relock signal, the driver 210 may operate to rotate the input gear 226 in a direction that causes the deadbolt output gear 244 to rotate in a deadbolt-extending direction opposite the deadbolt-retracting direction. Due to the configuration of the lost motion connections 203, 204, such rotation is not transmitted to the latchbolt gear train 230. In such forms, the deadbolt 142 may be electronically extended without causing a corresponding actuation of the latchbolt gear train 230.
As should be evident from the foregoing, the lock control module 150, when installed to the lockset 100, provides for convenient operation of the lockset 100, and may further facilitate installation of the lockset 100 in different door preparations by providing distinct locations at which the thumbturn 114 and the deadbolt assembly 140 can be installed. The illustrated lock control module 150 may further facilitate installation in at least one other manner.
It is common for locksets such as the lockset 100 to be installed to a door in either a right-hand orientation or a left-hand orientation. As will be appreciated, the latchbolt-retracting direction for the latchbolt output gear 234 and the deadbolt-retracting direction for the deadbolt output gear 244 depends upon the orientation of the lockset 100. More particularly, the retracting directions in the left-hand orientation are opposite of the retracting directions in the right-hand orientation. To accommodate these different retracting directions, the lock control module 150 is reversible. More particularly, the lock control module 150 can be rotated 180° about its lateral vertical axis to reverse the direction in which the output gears 234, 244 rotate in response to rotation of the input gear 226 in the unlocking direction. Thus, a single lock control module 150 can be utilized in both right-handed installations and left-handed installations.
In the illustrated embodiment, the lockset 100 includes first and second bolt assemblies in the form of a latchbolt assembly 130 and a deadbolt assembly 140. As such, the first and second bolts of the illustrated lockset 100 are provided in the form of a spring-biased latchbolt 132 and a deadlocking deadbolt 142. It is also contemplated that first and second bolts may be provided in another form, such as two latchbolts or two deadbolts. Furthermore, while only two bolts are illustrated, it is to be appreciated that additional or alternative bolts may be utilized. By way of example, the lockset 100 may include a second deadbolt assembly 140, which may be connected with the second deadbolt output gear 244 such that actuation of the deadbolt gear train 240 causes retraction of both deadbolts.
Additionally, while each of the illustrated gear trains 230, 240 is composed of spur gears that mesh with one another, it is also contemplated one or both of the gear trains 230, 240 may take a different form. As one example, two or more of the illustrated spur gears may be replaced with sprockets that are connected to one another by a chain. By way of example, the gear train 240 may include an input sprocket in place of the input gear 242 and an output sprocket in place of the output gear 244, and the intermediate gear(s) 246 may be omitted in favor of a chain that operably connects the input sprocket and the output sprocket.
Furthermore, while the illustrated driver 210 includes a single motor 212 that actuates both gear trains 230, 240, it is also contemplated that the driver 210 may include plural motors that operate in tandem. By way of example, the driver 210 may include a first motor that actuates the first gear train 230 and a second motor that actuates the second gear train 240. In such forms, the motors may operate contemporaneously to retract the latchbolt 132 and the deadbolt 142 based upon signals received from the controller 116.
The input/output device 304 allows the computing device 300 to communicate with the external device 310. For example, the input/output device 304 may be a network adapter, network card, interface, or a port (e.g., a USB port, serial port, parallel port, an analog port, a digital port, VGA, DVI, HDMI, FireWire, CAT 5, or any other type of port or interface). The input/output device 304 may be comprised of hardware, software, and/or firmware. It is contemplated that the input/output device 304 includes more than one of these adapters, cards, or ports.
The external device 310 may be any type of device that allows data to be inputted or outputted from the computing device 300. For example, the external device 310 may be a mobile device, a reader device, equipment, a handheld computer, a diagnostic tool, a controller, a computer, a server, a printer, a display, an alarm, an illuminated indicator such as a status indicator, a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch screen display. Furthermore, it is contemplated that the external device 310 may be integrated into the computing device 300. It is further contemplated that there may be more than one external device in communication with the computing device 300.
The processing device 302 can be of a programmable type, a dedicated, hardwired state machine, or a combination of these; and can further include multiple processors, Arithmetic-Logic Units (ALUs), Central Processing Units (CPUs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) or the like. For forms of processing device 302 with multiple processing units, distributed, pipelined, and/or parallel processing can be utilized as appropriate. The processing device 302 may be dedicated to performance of just the operations described herein or may be utilized in one or more additional applications. In the depicted form, the processing device 302 is of a programmable variety that executes algorithms and processes data in accordance with operating logic 308 as defined by programming instructions (such as software or firmware) stored in memory 306. Alternatively or additionally, the operating logic 308 for processing device 302 is at least partially defined by hardwired logic or other hardware. The processing device 302 can be comprised of one or more components of any type suitable to process the signals received from input/output device 304 or elsewhere, and provide desired output signals. Such components may include digital circuitry, analog circuitry, or a combination of both.
The memory 306 may be of one or more types, such as a solid-state variety, electromagnetic variety, optical variety, or a combination of these forms. Furthermore, the memory 306 can be volatile, nonvolatile, or a combination of these types, and some or all of memory 306 can be of a portable variety, such as a disk, tape, memory stick, cartridge, or the like. In addition, the memory 306 can store data that is manipulated by the operating logic 308 of the processing device 302, such as data representative of signals received from and/or sent to the input/output device 304 in addition to or in lieu of storing programming instructions defining the operating logic 308, just to name one example. As shown in
The processes in the present application may be implemented in the operating logic 308 as operations by software, hardware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, or any combination thereof, or at least partially performed by a user or operator. In certain embodiments, units represent software elements as a computer program encoded on a non-transitory computer readable medium, controller 116 and/or credential reader 126 performs the described operations when executing the computer program.
While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventions are desired to be protected. It should be understood that while the use of words such as preferable, preferably, preferred or more preferred utilized in the description above indicate that the feature so described may be more desirable, it nonetheless may not be necessary and embodiments lacking the same may be contemplated as within the scope of the invention, the scope being defined by the claims that follow. In reading the claims, it is intended that when words such as “a,” “an,” “at least one,” or “at least one portion” are used there is no intention to limit the claim to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claim. When the language “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” is used the item can include a portion and/or the entire item unless specifically stated to the contrary.
