EP2362039B1

EP2362039B1 - Handle with rotary lever and a rotation blocking mechanism

Info

Publication number: EP2362039B1
Application number: EP11155009.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Stanislaw Artur Kolawa
Original assignee: Fakro PP Sp zoo
Current assignee: Fakro PP Sp zoo
Priority date: 2010-02-18
Filing date: 2011-02-18
Publication date: 2018-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 2031-02-18
Also published as: EP2362039A3; PL390482A1; PL220641B1; EP2362039A2

Description

Subject of the invention is a handle with a rotary lever, designed mainly for roof windows, provided with an incorporated mechanism blocking rotation in closed position, and a lock fixing that mechanism.
There is known a solution in which a springy blocking mechanism set in the handle body is being pushed-in when the lever is in closed position by means of a button located above it. Upon pressing the button, the position of the lever can be changed. During rotation, a locking element is kept in pressed-in position by the lever sliding upon it. When the handle lever is moved to closed position, the locking element, forced by the spring, slides partly into a recess in the lever, locking by that the relative movement of the body and the lever. The aesthetic disadvantage of that solution consists in attrition and wear of the exposed surfaces of the locking element in the course of use.
EP 0460297 presents a solution consisting of a lever, a body, a locking disk with tongues, a locking cylinder with tongues, and an unlocking button. In that solution, in closed position, the locking cylinder and the locking disk set in the handle lever overlap and mesh, blocking by that the possibility of rotating the lever about the body. Conversely, in open position, the cylinder and the disk overlap in a way enabling relative movement of lever in the body. In that solution, the relative setting of the locking disk and the handle lever is achieved by connecting these elements by a screw, which joins the unlocking button with the locking disk. The drawback of that solution lies in considerable complexity of the locking mechanism located inside the lever and the handle body.
Known are also several solutions, in which mechanisms with a locking slug are placed in the lever, while the sockets are generally part of the handle body. Among others there is also known a solution according EP 0581001 , consisting of a lever, a handle body, and a lock with a locking slug. In that solution, when in closed position, the lever and the body of the handle are set parallel to each other and a locking slug is sled out so far of the lock, that penetrating into a socket in the handle body it prevents changing the position of the lever.
Changing the position of the key moves the locking slug so that it is completely hidden in the lever and does not block turning.
There is further also a known solution according EP 0250517 , which consists of a lever, a handle body, a locking disk with suitably shaped notches, and a lock with a closing mechanism. In that solution, when in closed position, the locking disc, which is fixed by a screw to a stem being an extension of the internal part of the lock with the closing mechanism, meshes so with the lever body that it effectively blocks the possibility to move the handle lever. Upon pressing the lock with the closing mechanism, the locking disk is being retracted from the lever body. This enables turning of the lever.
There is also known invention GB2306309A which disclose a grip which can be rotated from first, closed position, to a second open position, in which it can be tilt, and further to third position, in which grip can be turn. Blocking grip position is realised by a detent between grip and a base of the handle. The handle can switch its position by changing position of said detent. Said detent is located in the body of the handle and comprises an upstanding portion, which engages in shaped recess in the underside of the grip and prevents rotation of the grip. The body of the detent bears against a projectoon which is formed integrally with the lock barrel. The lock barrel is urged upwards by a compression spring. To open the window, the user grasp the grip and presses with his thumb of the top of the lock barrel. The barrel moves downwardly, and the detend is disengaged from the base of the grip by the action of the projection, enabling the grip to be rotated. The detent is maintained in its downwarly depressed position by the underside of the grip.
Application EP0521717A2 provides a handle blocking mechanism, in which blocking or unblocking of the handle is realised by plunger and the push button. Said plunger projects from fixing plate into a recess in the handle to prevent turning of the handle in its closed position and said push button can be depressed to push the plunger out of the recess to allow turning of the handle to its open position.
There is known invention published in document EP0410886A1 which disclose a handle which blocking or unblocking function is realised by a locking slug which is pushed by the button. After depressing said locking slug, its projection comes into contact with element with a spring and the handle is unblocked. Blocking of the handle is relised by releasing of the button and rising the locking slug up by force of the spring placed on the element.
Also known solution published in document GB2331549A1 , disclose blocking position of the handle by a latch which projects from a base of the handle and engages with the handle, such that it cannot rotate. To release the handle, push button is deprereses, and the handle and the base is disconnected.
The aim of the invention is achieving such a construction of the turning handle that it enables easy shifting the locking mechanism from the inside of the room, and at the same time considerably hampers any attempt to operate the mechanism of the lock in the door or window from the outside.
The essence of the invention consists in that the subassembly of the locking mechanism, keeping the locking slug in its releasing or locking position, is completely placed inside the handle body.
The subassembly of the mechanism keeping the locking slug in releasing position consists of a flat rotary disk with a tongue, set in the body, firmly connected with the stem being a part of the lever.
The external form of the rotary disk with the tongue is defined by two sectors, the sum of their angles being equal to 360°, having a common center and different radii.
The handle lever is being locked against turning in blocked position by simultaneous pressing the wall of the socket in the lever and the tongue on the locking slug.
The pressure of the tongue and the lever socket on the locking slug is compensated by the reaction of the wall of the socket in the body.
The locking slug is pressed by a spring out of the socket in the body. The spring, in locking position, is pre-deflected causing a force keeping the locking slug in the handle socket.
The push-button and the pusher serving to alter the position of the locking slug are placed in the handle lever.
The handle can be provided with an internal lock with a two-position rotary insert, being actuated by a key, blocking the movement of the lever in one of its positions.
The advantage of the suggested design is solving the problem of blocking the rotation of the lever by two-point pressure on the locking slug, applying elements connected with the rotary lever. That solution essentially increases the resistance of the handle against force breaking the lock by attempts to turn the lever.
The two-position locking slug sliding within the handle body is being manually actuated and shifted to the releasing position by means of a push-button and a pusher located inside the handle lever. The back movement of the locking slug to the locking position is being forced by the force of a tensioned spring set in the handle body, the spring being an element constantly exerting a force on the locking slug towards its locked position. Upon setting the handle in closed position, the locking slug, using the force of the spring, slides-in partially into a mating socket in the handle lever, blocking by that any relative movement of the lever in the handle body. The slug is kept in that position by the force exerted by the spring.
Unlocking and enabling rotary movement of the handle lever is done by pressing-in the push-button, which, using a pusher placed in that position directly above the locking slug, causes its shifting to the releasing position. Simultaneously, the locking slug is being moved out of the socket, making it possible to turn the lever.
The locking slug is set with some clearance in the socket made in the handle body, enabling free axial play. In the first phase of turning the lever in the handle about the body, the locking slug is kept in the pressed-in position due to blocking its face surface by the pusher turning together with the lever. In the next phase of turning, the locking slug, despite freeing its face surface, stays in pressed-in position due to locking it by means of a tongue of the rotary disc mechanically coupled with the handle lever. The external contour of the flat rotary disk with the tongue can be defined by two circular sectors with a sum of angles equal to 360° having a common center and different radii, with the radius limiting the tongue being greater than the radius of the disk.
In closed handle position, the tongue is outside the contour of the locking slug. Upon pressing-in the locking slug, the handle lever can be turned together with the rotary disk due to setting on the same height the disk tongue and the groove, said groove concentric with the disc and made on the locking slug. When describing the mating of rotary elements it is convenient to apply polar coordinates. In view of the combined rotary operation of the disk tongue in conjunction with the groove on the locking slug, it advantageous to have a cylindrical form of both the tongue and the groove with a common axis in the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of disk. The dimensions of the groove should allow loose-fitting mating of these two elements. The angle of the circular sector limiting the size of the tongue, preferably an acute one, is to be assumed so as to safeguard constant presence of the tongue in the groove. Only in the position, in which the rotation of the lever has to be blocked, it is indispensable that the tongue is outside the contour of the locking slug, enabling its sliding out of the socket in the body. The push-button can be released already during the first phase of rotation, in the moment when the tongue is at least partly in the groove.
Additional locking of the rotation of the handle lever in closed position, increasing the efficacy of closure, results from the relative position of the disk tongue, the rotation of which is blocked by the locking slug, which in its pressed-in position forced by the spring, blocks the rotation in releasing direction of the disk tongue, and by the same of the handle. When attempting to turn the handle, there arise a concurrent pressure in the same direction of the tongue and the wall of the socket in the lever, acting on the wall of the locking slug. Using the opposite wall in the socket in the body as the point of support, there comes into being a three-point statical force system, which essentially increases the resistance of the mechanism against attempts to turn the handle lever by force.
The mechanism blocking the rotation of the handle lever can be additionally fitted with a lock opened and closed by a key, which is a part of the push-button assembly modified for that purpose. The lock, in its open state, is an element neutral with respect of all functions of the lever. Turning the lock to its closed position with the key, which is possible when the lever is blocked, stops the push-button, hampering by the same any rotation of the lever.
The construction of the lever is specific by its simple structure, low manufacturing cost, and easy assembly, at the same time safeguarding it against attempts to unblocking from the outside. The lever provided with a blocking mechanism situated inside the body provides increased freedom in shaping the lever of the rotary part of the handle. This is especially important in the case of handles of roof windows in view of the close distance of the trajectory of the handle from other elements of the window. An essential advantage of the suggested solution is the absence of open and protruding elements of the locking mechanism, extending outside the contour of the lever and the handle body, both in open, as in closed position of the handle. This eliminates the risk of inadvertent damaging of the construction or caching of parts of clothes by salient elements. A definite advantage of such construction consists also in the esthetical value of the solution.
The complete set of elements of the handle assembly with its blocking parts is presented in the drawing as Fig. 1 in exploded assembly view. Fig. 2 presents a cross-section of the handle through the axes of the handle and center of symmetry of the locking slug, showing the main elements in assembled condition, which rotate together with the lever. Fig. 3 is a section through the assembled handle, in a plane parallel to a plane led through the mounting holes in the body, the plane being tangent to the wall of the socket guiding the locking slug, and shows mainly the shape of the locking slug and its placement. Fig. 4 shows the location of the assembly of the push-button in the handle, in a section parallel to that presented in Fig. 3, passing through the center of the locking slug. Fig. 5 is a view on the completely assembled handle, on the side of the rotary disc with the tongue mounted completely inside the handle body. Fig. 6 shows in exploded assembly view the complete handle with a key-operated lock, which blocks any movement of push-button.
A complete handle in its first example of execution, which is shown in exploded view in the drawing in Fig. 1, consists of two basic parts - the handle 1 and the body 2. The handle, to which is fixed the pin 3, preferably having a square cross-section, is mounted in a way enabling rotation in the body 2 of the handle, using the stem 1a made on the handle 1 and the spacer washer 4, which plays also the role of an axial-and-radial slide bearing enabling rotation of the handle about the body.
The joining is shown in Fig. 2. The stem 1a is also used to fix on it the rotary disc 5. The part of the stem 1a protruding above the disk 5 is being expanded (burred) upon assembly, axially blocking the handle 1 in the body 2. Between the disk 5 and the internal surface of the body 2 is placed the spacer ring 6 with an external diameter preferably equal to that of the disk 5. Making the ring of a material with a low coefficient of friction causes it to act at the same time as an axial slide bearing, easing operation of the lever. The locking mechanism includes, beside the disk 5, also the sliding locking slug 7 and the spring 8, which mate with the mechanism consisting of the push-button 9 and the pusher 10, built-in in the lever 1.
The locking slug 7 with a square cross-section is sliding on the spring 8 in the socket 11, situated at a specific distance from the axis of rotation of the lever 1 in the direction perpendicular to the line determined by the centers of the fixing holes of the body 2.
The rectangular form of the locking slug 7 safeguards it from unwanted rotation when turning the elements mating with it directly, i.e. the pusher 10 which, when the lever is being turned, executes a movement along an arc, sliding during a fragment of its trajectory on the face surface a of the locking slug 7, and the disk 5, the tongue of which slides on the surface b of the slug shown in Fig. 3. The surface b, which is the effect of machining a groove 13 in the locking slug 7, is made with a small bevel b', facilitating insertion of the tongue 12 when turning the disk 5.
When the lever of the handle is in closed position, the locking slug 7 is positioned partly in the socket 14 in the body 2, and partly in the mating socket 14 in the lever 1 of the handle, blocking so the possibility to turn the lever about the handle body. The position of the socket 11 in the body 2 is therefore combined with the position of the socket 14 in the handle 1 and of the pusher 10 set when the lever is in closed position. The locking slug 7 is retained in the socket 14 by the constant force of the initial deflection of the spring 8, set in the dedicated pocket 15, hollowed in the locking slug 7.
The additional blocking of the turning movement of the lever in that position, increasing the effectiveness of blocking, results from the relative positions of the tongue 12 of the disk, the rotation of which is blocked on one side by the left-hand stop 16 shown in Fig. 5, and on the other side by the locking slug 7, which in its pushed-in position forced by the spring 8 blocks turning of the tongue 12 in its direction.
In that position, when attempting to turn the lever 1, there arises a simultaneous pressure of two elements, the tongue 12 and the wall of the socket 14 in the lever, on to the locking slug 7. Applying the opposite wall in the socket 11 in body as a point of support, there comes up a three-point statical system of forces, essentially increasing safety against turning the handle lever by force. The angular position of the left-hand stop 16 defines the maximum range of turning to the left, while the position of the corresponding right-hand stop 17 limits the maximum range of turning the lever to the right, in opening direction.
Unlocking and enabling turning movement of the lever 1 of the handle is done by pressing the push-button 9, shown in Fig.4, which, by the intermediary of the pusher 10 located in that setting of the lever directly above the locking slug 7, forces the locking slug out of the socket 14 in the lever and pushes it completely into the socket 11 in the body of the handle, by the same making it possible to turn the lever. The locking slug 7 is placed with slight clearance typical for such elements in the socket 11 of the body, the side walls of which constitute guides for free longitudinal movement.
During the first phase of changing the position of the lever 1 in the body 2, starting from locked state, the locking slug 7 is kept pressed into the socket 11 of the body due to blocking its face surface a by the pusher 10 moving together with the lever. During the subsequent phase of turning, the locking slug, despite freeing its face surface a, stays in pressed-in position due to blocking it by the tongue 12. When the handle is closed, the tongue is outside the contour of the locking slug 7, which is the necessary condition to enable partial extension of the locking slug out of the socket 11 in the body and sliding it into the socket 14 in the lever.
The pressed-in position of the locking slug 7 makes it possible to turn the lever in opening direction due to setting at an equal height the tongue 12 of the disk and the groove 13. The width and depth of the groove are slightly greater than the thickness of the tongue 12 of the disk, safeguarding loose mating of these two elements, while the action of the spring 8 causes a constant pressure of the surface b of the groove on the tongue. The angle of the sector limiting the size of the tongue 12, preferably an acute angle, is assumed so as to maintain at least partial presence of the tongue in the groove; therefore the push-button can be released already during the first phase of turning, at the moment when the tongue is at least partially in the groove.
The additional dependence resulting from the assumed solution determines the angle between the stops 16 and 17, which is the sum of the angle limiting the size of the tongue 12 and the designed maximal turning angle of the lever 1.
In the described example of execution, the maximum turning angle of the lever is 90°. In order to block the lever again, the lever is to be turned in the opposite direction, to its extreme position. In that position, the tongue moves out from the groove 13, freeing the locking slug, which, forced by the spring, slides partly into the socket 14 in the lever, blocking the possibility to turn it. Sliding the locking slug 7 into the socked 14 forces the backward movement of the push-button 9 by the pusher 10, to its fully extended position, which makes it possible to repeat the operation of unlocking and turning the lever. Both the pusher 10 and the push-button 9, upon placing them in the guides, make use of their elastic latches 21, which upon assembly play also the role of stroke limiters, and protect these elements from uncontrolled loosing.
In another example of execution, the mechanism locking the handle can be additionally fitted with a lock shown in Fig. 6, which is opened and closed by key 18. The lock consists of a push-button 19, a modified version of the push button 9, and of a rotary insert 20. In its open position, the additional lock is a neutral element in relation to all functions of the handle and keeps unchanged the functionality of the handle described in example 1. Turning the additional lock to closed position by the locking key 18, which is possible when the handle is in closed position, causes immobilizing of the assembly of the 20 and the push-button 19, hampering the locking slug from sliding out of the socket 14, and turning of the lever.
The assumed solution of the operating part of the locking key 18 in form of a flat bar makes it possible, in case of loosing it, to use a simple screw-driver with a flat tip of suitable size, to open the handle. This does not reduce the effectiveness of resistance against breaking-in and attempts to open the lock of outside.

Claims

Handle with a rotary lever set in a handle body (2), provided with a mechanism operated manually by means of a push-button (9), said mechanism blocking rotation of the lever in a selected position by means of a sliding locking slug placed in the handle body (2), where the locking slug (7) is arranged to be movable in blocking direction and to be maintained in its blocking position by a force generated by the tension of a spring (8), characterized in that the subassembly of the mechanism keeping the locking slug (7) in its releasing or blocking position consists of a flat rotary disk (5) with a tongue (12) and is totally contained in the body (2) of the handle firmly connected with the stem (1a) being a part of the handle (1).
Handle according to claim 1 characterized in that the external shape of the rotary disk (5) with the tongue (12) is defined by two circular sectors, the sum of their angles being equal to a round angle, having a common center but different radii.
Handle according to claim 1 characterized in that rotation of the handle lever (1) is blocked in the locking position by the simultaneous pressure of the wall of the socket (14) in the handle (1) and of the tongue (12) on the locking slug (7).
Handle according to claim 3 characterized in that the pressure of the tongue (12) and of the wall of the socket (14) in the lever (1) on the locking slug (7) is compensated by the reaction of the wall of the socket (11) in the body (2).
Handle according to claim 1 characterized in that the locking slug (7) is pressed in outward direction of the socket (11) in the body (2) by a spring (8).
Handle according to claim 5 characterized in that the spring (8) has in its blocking position an initial deflection causing a force keeping the locking slug (7) in the socket (14) of the lever (1).
Handle according to claim 1 characterized in that the push-button (9) and the pusher (10) serving to shift the position of the locking slug (7) are set in the handle lever (1).
Handle according to claim 7 characterized in that a lock with a two-position rotary insert (20), switched by a key (18) and blocking in one of its positions the movement of the push-button (19), is placed inside the handle lever (1).