EP4361387A1

EP4361387A1 - Transmission device for lock cylinders

Info

Publication number: EP4361387A1
Application number: EP23205734.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Ricardo Beitia Molina; Carlos FERREIRA SÁNCHEZ
Original assignee: Salto Systems SL
Current assignee: Salto Systems SL
Priority date: 2022-10-26
Filing date: 2023-10-25
Publication date: 2024-05-01
Also published as: ES2970859A1

Abstract

Transmission device for lock cylinders configured to be installed in a cylinder comprising at least one inner side (1) which comprises a drive by means of a key (3), knob (4) or shaft (5), and one outer side (2). The device comprises a base body (6) with at least one receiving system (7) for an opening or closing signal and a connector element (8) provided with a hole (9) configured to receive therein the key (3), the knob (4) or the shaft (5) of the cylinder. The connector element (8) is linked to the receiving system (7) such that when the receiving system (7) receives an opening or closing signal to open or close the lock, it rotates the connector element (8), rotating with it the key (3), the knob (4) or the shaft (5) of the cylinder, thus opening or closing the lock.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is a universal transmission device for lock cylinders, adaptable to all types of key, knob or shaft cylinders, which allows the locks in which it is installed to be converted into smart locks.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM TO BE RESOLVED AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Due to the continuous technological development that is taking place in society, automation has reached numerous places, including homes and offices. For this reason, there is a continuous increase in the implementation of home automation applications in buildings to thus be able to control the existing installations and elements in homes and offices.
One of the elements of these home automation installations are smart locks that allow the doors in which they are installed to be opened and closed without the need to use a key from outside the room. Simply a remote control or mobile device is used, emitting a signal based on different technologies such as Bluetooth, radio frequency or telephone signal.
Currently, solutions are known to convert conventional locks into smart locks by means of opening and closing devices which are installed in existing lock cylinders, on the inner side of the cylinder, that is, the one that remains inside the room when the cylinder of the lock is installed in a door. Thus, the outer side of the cylinder (the one that can be seen from the outside of the room) is not modified, having a conventional operation and appearance.
Currently there are various transmission devices of the type described (which allow conventional locks to be converted into smart locks). However, one of the problems that these devices present lies in the variety of lock cylinders that exist on the market and the difficulty of being able to easily adapt to all of them. The designs of current transmission devices are quite rigid, which conditions their use to the cylinders for which they have been designed, making it difficult, and sometimes impossible, to adapt them to other cylinders and, therefore, they cannot be used in all existing cylinder types.
There is currently a wide variety of lock cylinders. There are cylinders which can have double clutch mechanisms (which allow the door to be opened and closed from one side regardless of whether the key is inserted on the other side), cylinders without a double clutch, half cylinders with a button or knob on the inner face (that is, keyless), etc. Additionally, in conventional key cylinders, there are multiple models that can be operated by any type of key (greater or shorter length, width or symmetry). There are also cylinders comprising knobs with different shapes (large, small, long neck, short neck, etc.) or some that simply have a drive shaft without a key or knob to later couple a button to a handle plate.
This great variety of cylinders used in doors means that, when a cylinder transmission device is to be installed to achieve a smart lock, the installer first has to analyze the existing cylinder type and, depending on this and the requirements of the device to be installed, adapt the cylinder to the device.
To do this, the installer may have to cut off part of the cylinder key head that will be inserted into the device, remove the existing cylinder knobs or may even have to remove the original cylinder and install another one that can somehow adapt to the device to be installed.
Therefore, the plurality of existing cylinders and the little flexibility in the design of currently known transmission devices generate a number of drawbacks for the installer, which translates into a longer installation time or often even a cylinder change, which implies a higher cost.
Furthermore, if it is necessary to change the cylinder, the person in charge of carrying out the installation must have specific knowledge of locksmithing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a transmission device for lock cylinders which is universal, that is, applicable to any type of key, knob or shaft cylinder on the inner side of the cylinder, and which allows the conventional lock into which it is installed to be transformed in a smart lock.
Therefore, the present invention solves the mentioned problems of the known prior art solutions, since it is a universal transmission device. That is, the device of the present invention allows the conventional lock in which it is installed to be converted into a smart lock, with the advantage that its design allows its use in more than 95% of the locks on the market (whether they are with a key, knob or shaft), also having a simple installation and for which few accessories are required.
The device is installed on the inner side of the cylinder, that is, the side that faces the interior of the room. Thus, from the outside of the room, no changes are observed in the originally installed lock and it appears as a conventional lock.
The device comprises a base body with a connector element responsible for transmitting the opening or closing movement to the cylinder when it moves operated by a receiving system, also arranged in the base body. The receiving system is configured to receive an opening or closing signal electronically, for example from a mobile phone or any other electronic device. Additionally, the signal can be Bluetooth type, WiFi type, etc.
The connector element comprises a hole designed to house therein the key, the knob or the shaft of the conventional cylinder in which the device is installed. The connector element and key/knob/shaft assembly is responsible for transmitting the opening/closing movement from the transmission device to the cylinder.
Thus, the receiving system receives the opening/closing order electronically, and transmits said order to the connector element, rotating it in one direction or another, thus moving the key, knob or shaft of the cylinder, which is inside same, and proceeding to open or close the lock.
The universality of the transmission device is achieved thanks to the connector element and its design, and it can be used in cylinders operated with keys, knobs or shafts of any shape and/or size.
The connector element is configured to receive practically all types and geometries of knobs on the market.
In another possible embodiment, when the device is to be attached to a key cylinder, the invention has an additional key element, which may comprise two plates that are housed in the hole of the connector element, so that when attaching the device to the cylinder, the key is housed inside the connector element, in the additional element. In the embodiment in which the additional element comprises the two plates, the key is housed between such plates.
To position the additional element in the connector element, it comprises, in the hole, slots intended to receive said additional element, which is inserted into such slots. More specifically, the additional element comprises two asymmetrical plates and the connector element comprises two slots, intended to receive one of the plates in each of them. The fact that the plates are asymmetrical (that is, with an asymmetrical protrusion on both sides), allows their orientation to be varied in the slots of the connector element in order to house the corresponding key (whether very thick, of standard thickness or asymmetrical thickness) between them.
Likewise, in another embodiment, in the event that the cylinder has an internal shaft, the present invention has an intermediate piece that is positioned on the shaft, so that both the shaft and the intermediate piece are housed in the connector element when the base body is attached to the cylinder. The intermediate piece can have any geometric shape that allows its insertion into the hole of the connector element and the transmission of the rotation movement of the connector element to said intermediate piece and therefore to the shaft. In an exemplary embodiment, it is in the shape of a rectangular prism, with a through hole for casing the shaft therein. In this way, the transmission device is equivalent to that of the described embodiment in which it is used with knob cylinders, the assembly of the intermediate piece and the shaft behaving as if it were a knob.
Finally, the present invention may comprise an elastic element that is used in the case of key cylinders. The elastic element is fastened on both sides of the connector element (by means of projections arranged on said sides and through a transverse slot of the connector element) perpendicular to the key.
This elastic element has the function of keeping the internal key always inserted inside the cylinder, to prevent the key from coming out of the cylinder, which would disable the device. In one embodiment of the invention, the elastic element is interchangeable with other elastic elements of a different size to adapt even better to different key types and sizes.
Both the knob and the shaft assembly plus the intermediate piece, when inserted into the hole of the connector element, and the key assembly plus the additional key element, have a certain clearance that facilitates and optimizes the operation of the device.
The device may also comprise a casing that is fastened to the base body to cover and protect both the connector element (with the key, knob or shaft) and the opening/closing signal receiving system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

To complete the description, and for the purpose of helping to make the features of the invention more readily understandable, this description is accompanied by a set of drawings constituting an integral part of the same, which by way of illustration and not limitation represents the following:

Figures 1A-C depict views of the transmission device for lock cylinders in an embodiment in which it has been installed in a knob cylinder.
Figures 2A-C show views of the transmission device for lock cylinders in an embodiment in which it has been installed in a shaft cylinder.
Figures 3A-C show views of the transmission device for lock cylinders in an embodiment in which it has been installed in a key cylinder.
Figures 4A-C show views of the transmission device for lock cylinders adapted to different types of key thicknesses depending on the position and orientation of the asymmetrical plates in the slots of the connector element.
Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the transmission device for lock cylinders with a casing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The device of the present invention is a transmission device for lock cylinders configured to be installed in a cylinder comprising at least one inner side (1) which comprises a drive by means of a key (3), knob (4) or shaft (5), and at least one outer side (2).
The key to the proposed transmission device is that it can be adapted to any type of cylinder to convert a conventional lock into a smart lock and to be able to open/close it with instructions sent, for example, from a mobile phone, without the need for manual operation. Furthermore, it provides the advantage over other prior art systems in that it is not necessary to modify the elements of the lock itself. It is therefore a universal device.
Figure 1A depicts an exploded view of the device in a first embodiment, installed in a knob cylinder.
As can be seen in the figures, the device comprises a base body (6) with at least one receiving system (7) for an opening or closing signal and a connector element (8). The connector element (8) is provided with a hole (9) configured to receive inside the key (3), the knob (4) or the shaft (5) of the cylinder. Said connector element (8) is linked to the receiving system (7) such that when the receiving system (7) receives an opening or closing signal to open or close the lock, it rotates the connector element (8), rotating with it the key (3), the knob (4) or the shaft (5) of the cylinder, thus opening or closing the lock.
The knob (4) has a geometric shape configured to be housed in the hole (9) of the connector element (8) such that when the device comprises a knob (4) and is installed in the cylinder, the knob (4) is housed in said hole (9) of the connector element (8) such that when the connector element (8) rotates, it causes the rotation of the knob (4) housed in the hole (9). In an exemplary embodiment as shown in the figures, the hole (9) is prismatic and has a rectangular section. Figure 1B depicts a detail of a rear elevational view (that is, from the inner side of the cylinder) of the device installed in a knob cylinder. It can be seen how the knob (4) is installed in the hole (9) when the device is attached to the cylinder.
Figure 1C depicts the same embodiment as in Figures 1A-B in a front elevational view, that is, from the outer side of the cylinder.
Figure 2A depicts a second embodiment of the device in which it is installed in a cylinder comprising an internal shaft (5). As can be seen, in this case, in addition to comprising the basic elements described above, the device comprises an intermediate piece (10). Said intermediate piece (10) can take different geometric shapes and is configured to be inserted into the hole (9). In an exemplary embodiment as shown in the figure, it has a prismatic configuration. However, it could be oval, for example, or have another type of shape. The configuration of the intermediate piece (10) must be a configuration that allows it to be inserted into the hole (9) and transmit the rotation of the connector element (8) to the shaft (5).
The intermediate piece (10) is configured to be installed on the shaft (5) of the cylinder. In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in Figure 2A, the intermediate piece (10) is joined to the shaft (5) by means of a grub screw (1 0a). In a possible embodiment, as shown in the figures, the hole (9) and the intermediate piece (10) have a prismatic shape.
When the device is installed in the cylinder, it is housed in the hole (9) of the connector element (8) as seen in Figure 2B, which shows a detail of a rear elevational view of the device installed in the cylinder. Figure 2C depicts a front elevational view of this embodiment.
As described above, in the exemplary embodiment of Figures 2A-C, the intermediate piece (10) has a prismatic shape. This shape could be of any other type as long as it allows its introduction into the hole (9) and the transmission of the rotational movement of the connector element (8) to the shaft (5).
In another exemplary embodiment shown in Figures 3A-C, the device is configured to be installed in key cylinders. As can be seen in the exploded view of Figure 3A, the device comprises an additional key element (11) configured to be housed in the hole (9) of the connector element (8) such that when the device is installed in the cylinder, the key (3) is housed in said additional key element (11).
Preferably, said additional key element (11) comprises two asymmetrical plates separated from one another by a sufficient distance to receive the key (3) between them. Also preferably, the connector element (8) comprises slots (12), intended to receive the additional key element (11).
As can also be seen in Figure 3A, the device may further comprise an elastic element (13) which is attached to both sides of the connector element (8) and extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the key (3) is located housed in the additional key element (11). This elastic element secures the position of the key (3) in the additional key element (11). It can also be seen that, in an exemplary embodiment, the connector element (8) comprises on both sides projections (14) to which the elastic elements (13) are attached.
The connector element (8) may comprise at least one transverse groove (15) configured to delimit the position of the elastic element (13). In this case, the additional key element (11) comprises a second transverse slot (16) that coincides with the transverse slot (15) of the connector element (8).
The elastic element (13) can be of different sizes, or the transmission device can comprise a set of elastic elements (13) of different sizes, so that they are interchangeable or so that the operator can choose one or the other depending on the size of the key. This allows an even more universal adaptation to the type of key (3).
Figure 3B shows a detail of the rear elevational view of the transmission device installed in a key cylinder. Figure 3C depicts a front elevational view of that same embodiment.
As a result of the fact that the additional element (11) comprises two asymmetrical plates and that the connector element (8) comprises the slots (12), the position and orientation of said asymmetrical plates in the slots (12) can be combined to allow the adaptation of the device to different key thicknesses as shown in Figures 4A-C. Just by varying the orientation of the plates of the additional element (11) when inserted into the slots (12) of the connector element (8) adaptation to very thick keys (Figure 4A), keys of a standard thickness (Figure 4B, which coincides with Figure 3B) and keys of an asymmetrical thickness (Figure 4C) is possible. As can be seen, the device adapts to any of the different types.
Likewise, in Figure 5 it can be seen a preferred embodiment in which the transmission device also comprises a casing (17) that allows hiding the rest of the device's elements . It is a casing (17) removably attached to the base body (6) such that the connector element (8) and the receiving system (7) are housed inside said casing (17).
The present invention should not be limited to the embodiment described herein. Other configurations may be carried out by those skilled in the art based on the present description. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.

Claims

A transmission device for locks configured to be installed in a lock cylinder of the type comprising at least one inner side (1) which comprises a drive by means of a key (3), knob (4) or shaft (5), and the device is characterized in that it comprises a base body (6) with at least one receiving system (7) for an opening or closing signal and a connector element (8) provided with a hole (9) configured to receive therein the key (3), the knob (4) or the shaft (5) of the cylinder and said connector element (8) is linked to the receiving system (7) such that when the receiving system (7) receives an opening or closing signal to open or close the lock, it rotates the connector element (8), rotating with it the key (3), the knob (4) or the shaft (5) of the cylinder, thus opening or closing the lock.
The device according to claim 1, further comprising an additional key element (11) configured to be housed in the hole (9) of the connector element (8) such that when the device is installed in the cylinder, the key (3) is housed in said additional key element (11).
The device according to claim 2, wherein the additional key element (11) comprises two asymmetrical plates separated from one another by a sufficient distance to receive the key (3) between them.
The device according to one of claims 2 to 3, wherein the connector element (8) comprises slots (12) in which the additional key element (11) is housed.
The device according to claims 3 and 4, where the connector element (8) comprises two slots (12) intended to receive the asymmetrical plates of the additional key element (11) such that the orientation of the plates in the slots (12) configures the additional key element (11) for keys (3) of different thicknesses.
The device according to claims 2 to 5, further comprising an elastic element (13) attached to both sides of the connector element (8) and extending in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the key (3) is housed in the additional key element (11).
The device according to claim 6, wherein the connector element (8) comprises on both sides projections (14) to which the elastic element (13) is attached.
The device according to any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the connector element (8) comprises at least one transverse slot (15) which is configured to delimit the position of the elastic element (13).
The device according to claim 8, wherein the additional key element (11) comprises a second transverse slot (16) that coincides with the transverse slot (15) of the connector element (8).
The device according to claim 1, wherein the hole (9) of the connector element (8) has a geometric shape configured to house the knob (4) such that when the device is installed in the cylinder, the knob (4) is housed in said hole (9) of the connector element (8) such that when the connector element (8) rotates, it causes the rotation of the knob (4) housed in the hole (9).
The device according to claim 1, further comprising an intermediate piece (10) attached to the shaft (5) and configured to be inserted into the hole (9) of the connector element (8) such that when the connector element (8) rotates, it causes the rotation of the intermediate piece (10) housed in the hole (9) and, therefore, the rotation of the shaft (5).
The device according to claim 11, wherein the intermediate piece (10) is attached to the shaft (5) by means of a grub screw (10a).
The device according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein the hole (9) and the intermediate piece (10) have a prismatic shape.
The device according to any one of the preceding claims comprising a casing (17) removably attached to the base body (6) such that the connector element (8) and the receiving system (7) are housed inside said casing (17).