Locks – Operating mechanism – Using a powered device
Patent
1996-07-25
1998-03-03
Meyers, Steven N.
Locks
Operating mechanism
Using a powered device
70277, 70379R, 70467, E05B 4700, E05B 910, E05B 1704
Patent
active
057222746
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an electric lock cylinder to be set to a lock.
BACKGROUND ART
A locking device comprises a key and a lock. An electric locking device superior in crime-preventive performance has spread in recent years. In the case of this type of electric locking device, an electric lock cylinder is connected to a lock's locking/unlocking mechanism. An electronic circuit for discriminating among electronic keys is set in the cylinder. Therefore, a locking or unlocking operation can be performed by inserting a proper electronic key into the cylinder.
A conventional electric locking device using this type of cylinder is disclosed in, for example, the official gazette of Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 6-138001. In the case of this prior art, a lock cylinder comprises an outer cylinder set to a lock, an inner cylinder rotatably set to the outer cylinder and connected to a locking/unlocking mechanism of a lock, a pin for preventing the inner cylinder from rotating in the outer cylinder, and electric driving means for removing the pin from the inner cylinder by driving the pin only when a proper key is inserted into the inner cylinder and thereby allowing the inner cylinder to freely rotate. In the case of this structure, by inserting the proper key into the key seat of the inner cylinder, the pin is removed from the inner cylinder. Then, by rotating the key, it is possible to perform a locking or unlocking operation.
In the case of the conventional electric cylinder, however, it is possible to break the pin and perform locking by inserting a hard piece of metal (e.g. screw driver) into the inner cylinder key seat and forcibly rotating the inner cylinder. Therefore, there is a safety problem.
Moreover, in the case of an electric cylinder to which electric power is supplied from a battery, it is desirable to minimize the pin driving power consumption in order to maintain battery life. However, it has so far been difficult to decrease the power consumption while securing exact pin operations.
Moreover, a complex mechanical combinational relationship, as seen in the relationship between a key and a lock of a mechanical cylinder locking device, is not at all present between an electronic key and an electric cylinder of a conventional electric locking device as seen in the . In the case of a conventional electric cylinder, it is possible to remove an electronic key from an inner cylinder key seat, regardless of the inner cylinder's present rotational position. Therefore, there is a problem that pin operations cannot be secured when the rotational positional relationship between inner and outer cylinders is brought under an improper state. That is, the key is frequently removed from or inserted into the key seat when the positional relationship between the pin and the pin hole is improper. In the case of a locking/unlocking mechanism connected to an inner cylinder, a rotational position where the operations of the pin can be performed is determined and therefore, the ease of operation is greatly compromised because it is necessary to search a position where the locking/unlocking operation can be performed by first inserting an electronic key into the mechanism and thereafter rotating the key when a state in which an improper relationship between the pin and the pin hole occurs.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made to solve the above conventional problems and its object is to provide an electric lock cylinder superior in crime preventive performance and with a high reliability.
Moreover, it is another object of the present invention to provide an electric lock cylinder capable of securely operating a connecting pin and decreasing the power consumption.
Furthermore, it is still another object of the present invention to provide an electric lock cylinder capable of maintaining the advance state of a connecting pin and also retracting the connecting pin without electric power.
Furthermore, it is still another object of the present invention to provide an el
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Maeda Syuji
Nakauchi Shunsaku
Kokusai Gijutsu Kaihatsu Kabushiki Kaisha
Lecher Donald J.
Meyers Steven N.
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