JP7754396B2 - Electronic lock mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an electronic lock mounting structure.

An add-on electronic lock is known that has a clamping mechanism that can clamp the thumb turn knob, and operates the thumb turn by rotating the clamping mechanism with a motor while the knob is clamped (see Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 6060471

This electronic lock is fixed to the door via strong double-sided tape. Therefore, when the electronic lock is removed from the door, the double-sided tape remains attached to the surface of the door. In this case, workers may damage the door when peeling off the double-sided tape that remains attached to the door surface.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide an electronic lock mounting structure that allows the electronic lock to be removed from the door without damaging the door surface.

An electronic lock mounting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is an electronic lock mounting structure that is placed between an electronic lock and a door in order to mount the electronic lock to the door, and is equipped with an engagement mechanism configured to engage with a thumb turn mounting hole provided in the door.

The electronic lock mounting structure described above allows the electronic lock to be removed from the door without damaging the door surface.

FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a protrusion of the base and a recess of the attachment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a base. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a ratchet mechanism. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of the configuration of a claw portion. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating another example of the configuration of the base.

The following is a description of an electronic lock unit 10 including an electronic lock mounting structure FS according to an embodiment of the present invention. To facilitate understanding of the following description, identical components in each drawing are assigned the same reference numerals whenever possible, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the electronic lock unit 10 as seen from the front. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the electronic lock unit 10 as seen from the rear. The electronic lock unit 10 is composed of an electronic lock 100, an attachment 110, and a base 120. In this embodiment, the attachment 110 and the base 120 form an electronic lock mounting structure FS for mounting the electronic lock 100 to the door 20. However, the attachment 110 may be omitted. In this case, the electronic lock 100 may be fixed directly to the base 120 using double-sided tape or the like. Furthermore, the attachment 110 may be integrated into the electronic lock 100 or the base 120.

Specifically, Figure 1(A) shows the electronic lock unit 10 attached to the interior surface 20A of the door 20. Figure 1(B) shows the state of the electronic lock unit 10 when the electronic lock 100 and attachment 110 have been removed together from the base 120 attached to the surface 20A of the door 20. Figure 1(C) shows the state of the electronic lock unit 10 when the base 120 and thumbturn device 130 have been separately removed from the surface 20A of the door 20. Figure 2 shows the state of the electronic lock unit 10 removed from the door 20. Figure 2 also shows the state of the electronic lock unit 10 when the base 120 has been removed from the attachment 110 attached to the electronic lock 100. Note that Figure 2 also shows the cylinder mounting hole CH provided on the exterior surface 20C of the door 20.

1 and 2, X1 represents one direction of the X axis that constitutes a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, and X2 represents the other direction of the X axis. Furthermore, Y1 represents one direction of the Y axis that constitutes the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, and Y2 represents the other direction. Similarly, Z1 represents one direction of the Z axis that constitutes the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, and Z2 represents the other direction of the Z axis. In this embodiment, the X1 side of the electronic lock unit 10 corresponds to the front side (front face) of the electronic lock unit 10, and the X2 side of the electronic lock unit 10 corresponds to the rear side (back face) of the electronic lock unit 10. Furthermore, the Y1 side of the electronic lock unit 10 corresponds to the left side of the electronic lock unit 10, and the Y2 side of the electronic lock unit 10 corresponds to the right side of the electronic lock unit 10. Furthermore, the Z1 side of the electronic lock unit 10 corresponds to the top side of the electronic lock unit 10, and the Z2 side of the electronic lock unit 10 corresponds to the bottom side of the electronic lock unit 10. The same applies to other components in the other figures.

The electronic lock unit 10 rotates the thumb turn device 130 provided on the door 20 by remote control via wireless communication (e.g., wireless communication via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) between various wireless devices (e.g., a smartphone or remote control) and the electronic lock unit 10, enabling the door 20 to be locked and unlocked using the thumb turn device 130.

As shown in Figures 1(B) and 1(C), the thumbturn device 130 has a base 131 and a knob 132. The base 131 is fixed to the door 20 through a thumbturn mounting hole TH provided on the interior-side surface 20A of the door 20, protruding from the surface 20A toward the interior of the room. Figure 1(C) shows the state in which the thumbturn mounting hole TH provided on the surface 20A of the door 20 is exposed. The knob 132 is configured to be rotatable relative to the base 131 around an axis AX1 extending in a direction perpendicular to the surface 20A of the door 20.

The deadbolt DB, located on the side edge surface 20B of the door 20, is configured to protrude or retract from the side edge surface 20B in response to the rotation of the knob 132. The door 20 is locked when the deadbolt DB protrudes from the side edge surface 20B, and the door 20 is unlocked when the deadbolt DB retracts from the side edge surface 20B. Figure 1(A) shows the state when the deadbolt DB protrudes from the side edge surface 20B, i.e., the state when the door 20 is locked. In this way, the door 20 is configured to switch between a locked state and an unlocked state in response to the rotation of the knob 132.

The electronic lock 100 is configured to operate in response to remote control using various wireless devices. Specifically, the electronic lock 100 has a clamping mechanism SM (see Figure 2) that clamps the knob 132 of the thumbturn device 130, and an electric motor (not shown) for rotating the clamping mechanism (knob 132) around axis AX1. The electronic lock 100 is attached to the door 20 via an attachment 110 and a base 120. Specifically, the electronic lock 100 is attached to the attachment 110 by any means, such as double-sided tape, screws, snap fitting, or slide fitting. In the example shown in Figure 1, the electronic lock 100 is detachably attached to the attachment 110 by slide fitting.

Attachment 110 is a component for attaching electronic lock 100 to base 120. In this embodiment, attachment 110 is made of resin. Attachment 110 is attached to base 120 by any means, such as double-sided tape, screws, snap fitting, or slide fitting. In the example shown in FIG. 1, attachment 110 is detachably attached to base 120 by slide fitting. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1(B) and 1(C), base 120 has protrusion 120V formed to protrude forward (in the X1 direction) from the front surface (X1-side surface). Attachment 110 has recess 110C formed to recess forward (in the X1 direction) on the rear surface (X2-side surface), as shown in FIG. 2. Protrusion 120V of base 120 and recess 110C of attachment 110 are configured to engage by slide fitting.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the convex portion 120V of the base 120 and the concave portion 110C of the attachment 110. Specifically, Figure 3(A) shows a cross-section of the attachment 110 in a plane parallel to the XY plane and including the dashed-dotted line L1 in Figure 2. Figure 3(B) shows a cross-section of the base 120 in a plane parallel to the XY plane and including the dashed-dotted line L2 in Figure 1(C). Figure 3(C) shows a cross-section of the attachment 110 and base 120 when the concave portion 110C of the attachment 110 and the convex portion 120V of the base 120 are engaged.

3, the protrusion 120V of the base 120 has a dovetail-shaped cross section. The recess 110C of the attachment 110 is configured to have a shape that matches the shape of the protrusion 120V, which has a dovetail-shaped cross section. Furthermore, the lower end (the end on the Z2 side) of the recess 110C of the attachment 110 is open so that it can receive the protrusion 120V of the base 120, as shown in FIG. 2. Meanwhile, the upper end (the end on the Z1 side) of the recess 110C of the attachment 110 is configured to have an upper wall that contacts the upper end of the protrusion 120V of the base 120. With this configuration, the worker can attach the attachment 110 to the base 120 by positioning the attachment 110 above the base 120 as shown in FIG. 1(B), and then sliding the attachment 110 downward with the rear surface of the attachment 110 in contact with the front surface of the base 120.

Next, an example configuration of the base 120 will be described with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the base 120. Specifically, Figure 4(A) is an exploded perspective view of the base 120, and Figure 4(B) is a rear view of the base 120.

The base 120 is composed of an engagement mechanism 121, a main body member 122, a base plate 123, a ratchet gear 124, a ratchet pawl 125, a ratchet spring 126, a screw 127, and a crimp pin 128.

The engagement mechanism 121 is configured to attach the base 120 to the door 20 and to remove the base 120 from the door 20 without damaging either the interior surface 20A or the exterior surface 20C of the door 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, the engagement mechanism 121 is configured to attach the base 120 to the thumbturn mounting hole TH of the door 20. Specifically, the engagement mechanism 121 is configured to contact at least a portion of the inner surface of the thumbturn mounting hole TH and to apply force in a direction that widens the thumbturn mounting hole TH at at least two locations on the inner surface of the thumbturn mounting hole TH. The base 120 is attached to the thumbturn mounting hole TH by the engagement mechanism 121 before the thumbturn device 130 is attached to the door 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the engagement mechanism 121 is configured to apply force in a direction that widens the thumb turn attachment hole TH at three locations on the inner surface of the thumb turn attachment hole TH. Specifically, the engagement mechanism 121 includes a central engagement member 121C, a left engagement member 121L, and a right engagement member 121R. The central engagement member 121C, the left engagement member 121L, and the right engagement member 121R are all plate-shaped members made of metal such as stainless steel. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the engagement mechanism 121 is configured to have three engagement members, but it may also be configured to have one engagement member, two engagement members, or four or more engagement members.

The main body member 122 is a component that constitutes the main body of the base 120. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the main body member 122 is formed by injection molding of resin. A through-hole 122A for receiving the thumb-turn device 130 is formed in the lower part of the main body member 122. Furthermore, a recess 122G for accommodating a portion of the engaging member is formed in the rear surface (the surface on the X2 side) of the main body member 122. Specifically, the recess 122G includes a central recess 122GC for accommodating a portion of the central engaging member 121C, a left recess 122GL for accommodating a portion of the left engaging member 121L, and a right recess 122GR for accommodating a portion of the right engaging member 121R. Each of the central engaging member 121C, left engaging member 121L, and right engaging member 121R is configured so that a portion protrudes into the through-hole 122A, and the remaining portion is accommodated in the recess 122G.

The base plate 123 is a member that forms the rear surface of the base 120. The base plate 123 is attached to the rear surface of the main body member 122 so as to cover at least a portion of each of the central engagement member 121C, ratchet gear 124, ratchet pawl 125, and ratchet spring 126, which are attached to the rear surface of the main body member 122. In the example shown in Figure 4, the base plate 123 is a plate-like member made of metal such as highly corrosion-resistant plated steel plate. A through hole 123A is formed in the lower part of the base plate 123 to correspond to the through hole 122A formed in the main body member 122.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the central engaging member 121C is disposed on the front side (X1 side) of the base plate 123. That is, the central engaging member 121C is disposed between the rear surface of the main body member 122 and the front surface of the base plate 123. Meanwhile, the left engaging member 121L and the right engaging member 121R are disposed on the rear side (X2 side) of the base plate 123. That is, the left engaging member 121L and the right engaging member 121R are attached to the rear surface of the base plate 123. Therefore, the base plate 123 has recesses 123G that receive the left engaging member 121L and the right engaging member 121R, respectively. The recesses 123G are formed by press working so as to be recessed forward (in the X1 direction). Specifically, the base plate 123 has a left recess 123GL that receives a portion of the left engaging member 121L and a right recess 123GR that receives a portion of the right engaging member 121R. The left recess 123GL, together with a portion of the left engaging member 121L, is housed in the left recess 122GL formed in the main body member 122, and the right recess 123GR, together with a portion of the right engaging member 121R, is housed in the right recess 122GR formed in the main body member 122.

The ratchet gear 124 is a component of the movement mechanism TM and also a component of the ratchet mechanism LM1. The movement mechanism TM is a mechanism for moving the engaging member in the radial direction of the thumb turn mounting hole TH. The ratchet mechanism LM1 is an example of a movement limiting mechanism LM that limits the movement direction of the engaging member by the movement mechanism TM to one direction. The ratchet pawl 125 and ratchet spring 126 are both components that make up the ratchet mechanism LM1.

In the example shown in Figure 4, the ratchet gear 124, ratchet pawl 125, and ratchet spring 126 are all made of metal such as stainless steel. The ratchet gear 124 and ratchet pawl 125 are housed in a recess 122C formed in the rear surface of the main body member 122. The ratchet spring 126 is housed in a groove 122T formed in the rear surface of the main body member 122.

The screws 127 are an example of a fixing member for fixing the base plate 123 to the main body member 122. This fixing member may be composed of a mechanical element other than the screws 127. In the example shown in Figure 4, the base plate 123 is fastened to the rear surface of the main body member 122 by six screws 127.

The crimping pin 128 is an example of a fixing member for fixing the left engaging member 121L and the right engaging member 121R to the base plate 123. This fixing member may be composed of a mechanical element other than the crimping pin 128. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the crimping pin 128 is a member made of a metal such as brass, and includes a left crimping pin 128L for fixing the left engaging member 121L to the base plate 123, and a right crimping pin 128R for fixing the right engaging member 121R to the base plate 123.

Specifically, the left engaging member 121L is fixed to the base plate 123 by crimping both ends of a left crimping pin 128L inserted through a left through-hole 123HL formed in the base plate 123 and a left through-hole 121HL formed in the left engaging member 121L. Similarly, the right engaging member 121R is fixed to the base plate 123 by crimping both ends of a right crimping pin 128R inserted through a right through-hole 123HR formed in the base plate 123 and a right through-hole 121HR formed in the right engaging member 121R.

In the example shown in Figure 4, the left engagement member 121L is mounted so as to be rotatable relative to the base plate 123 around the axis AX2 of the left crimping pin 128L, and the right engagement member 121R is mounted so as to be rotatable relative to the base plate 123 around the axis AX3 of the right crimping pin 128R.

Figure 4(B) uses dotted lines to show the state of the left engagement member 121L when it rotates around axis AX2, and the state of the right engagement member 121R when it rotates around axis AX3. Specifically, the dotted arrow AR1 indicates the direction of rotation of the left engagement member 121L, and the dotted figures GP1 and GP2 indicate the position of the left engagement member 121L after rotation. The dotted arrow AR2 indicates the direction of rotation of the right engagement member 121R, and the dotted figures GP3 and GP4 indicate the position of the right engagement member 121R after rotation. Note that the base plate 123 has been omitted from Figure 4(B) for clarity.

Next, the movement mechanism TM and ratchet mechanism LM1 will be described with reference to Figure 5. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example configuration of the ratchet mechanism LM1. Specifically, Figure 5(A) is an enlarged view of the area R1 surrounded by the dashed line in Figure 4(B). Figure 5(B) is a perspective view of the ratchet gear 124. For clarity, the ratchet spring 126 is shown schematically in Figure 5(A).

The movement mechanism TM is a mechanism for moving the engaging members that make up the engaging mechanism 121 in the base 120 attached to the thumbturn mounting hole TH in the radial direction of the thumbturn mounting hole TH. In this embodiment, the movement mechanism TM is a rack-and-pinion mechanism TM1 for moving the central engaging member 121C in the up-and-down direction (Z-axis direction), which is one of the radial directions of the thumbturn mounting hole TH.

Specifically, the rack and pinion mechanism TM1 is composed of a rack portion RK formed on the central engagement member 121C and a ratchet gear 124.

As shown in Figure 5(B), the ratchet gear 124 has a gear portion 124G and a cylindrical portion 124C. The cylindrical portion 124C of the ratchet gear 124 is fitted into a through-hole 122H1 (see Figure 4(A)) formed in the main body member 122 so that it can rotate relative to the main body member 122 around the axis AX4. The gear portion 124G is configured to mesh with the rack portion RK of the central engagement member 121C when the cylindrical portion 124C is fitted into the through-hole 122H1.

In addition, a hole 124R corresponding to the tip shape of a tool used to rotate the ratchet gear 124 is formed on the front (X1 side) end face of the cylindrical portion 124C. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the hole 124R is a cross recess corresponding to the tip shape of a Phillips head screwdriver, which is an example of a tool used to rotate the ratchet gear 124. Note that the hole 124R may also be formed to correspond to the tip shape of other tools, such as a flat-head screwdriver or hex wrench. Alternatively, the cylindrical portion 124C may be configured with a knob on its front end face so that it can be operated by hand by the operator.

The ratchet mechanism LM1 is an example of a movement limiting mechanism LM that limits the movement direction of the engagement member by the movement mechanism TM to one direction. In this embodiment, the ratchet mechanism LM1 is configured to allow upward movement of the central engagement member 121C (Z1 direction) while limiting downward movement of the central engagement member 121C (Z2 direction).

Specifically, the ratchet mechanism LM1 is mainly composed of a ratchet gear 124, a ratchet pawl 125, and a ratchet spring 126. The ratchet gear 124 and the ratchet pawl 125 are housed in a recess 122C formed in the rear surface of the main body member 122.

The ratchet gear 124 is housed in the recess 122C so that it can rotate around the axis AX4.

As shown in FIG. 5(A), the ratchet pawl 125 is configured to rotate within the recess 122C around the axis AX5 of the pin 125P. The pin 125P is configured to be inserted through a through-hole 125H1 formed in the center of the ratchet pawl 125 and through a through-hole 122H2 (see FIG. 4(A)) formed in the main body member 122. In this embodiment, the ratchet pawl 125 is fixed to the pin 125P and configured to rotate together with the pin 125P around the axis AX5. The ratchet pawl 125 and the pin 125P may be coupled, for example, by an interference fit. The front end of the pin 125P may be configured to protrude forward from the front surface of the main body member 122 so that it can be manually rotated by an operator. Alternatively, a hole corresponding to the shape of the tip of a tool for rotating the pin 125P may be formed in the front end surface of the pin 125P.

Dotted line diagram 125A in Figure 5(A) shows ratchet pawl 125 rotating around axis AX5 when ratchet gear 124 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow AR11. Diagram 125A also shows that tip 125E of ratchet pawl 125 disengages from ratchet gear 124 when ratchet gear 124 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow AR11.

As shown in Figure 5(A), the ratchet spring 126 is housed in a groove 122T formed in the rear surface of the main body member 122. The ratchet spring 126 has its lower end CT1 fixed to a through hole 125H2 formed in the ratchet pawl 125, and its upper end CT2 fixed to the upper end of the groove 122T. The through hole 125H2 is formed between the through hole 125H1 and the tip end 125E.

With this configuration, the ratchet spring 126 generates a force that attracts the tip 125E of the ratchet pawl 125 upward (in the Z1 direction), as shown by arrow AR10 in Figure 5(A). The ratchet spring 126 then generates a torque that rotates the ratchet pawl 125 counterclockwise around the axis AX5 of the pin 125P when viewed from behind as shown in Figure 5(A).

When an operator attempts to use a Phillips screwdriver to rotate the ratchet gear 124 in the direction indicated by arrow AR11 in Figures 5(A) and 5(B), the tip 125E of the ratchet pawl 125 is pressed against the second tooth TE2 of the ratchet gear 124, causing it to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow AR12 in Figure 5(A).

At this time, when the second tooth TE2 of the ratchet gear 124 and the tip 125E of the ratchet pawl 125 disengage, the tip 125E of the ratchet pawl 125 is pulled upward by the ratchet spring 126 and engages with the third tooth TE3 of the ratchet gear 124. When the operator further rotates the ratchet gear 124 in the direction indicated by arrow AR11, the tip 125E of the ratchet pawl 125 is pushed by the third tooth TE3 of the ratchet gear 124, causing it to further rotate in the direction indicated by arrow AR11. The subsequent movement of the ratchet gear 124 and ratchet pawl 125 is the same as that described above.

When the ratchet gear 124 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow AR11, the central engagement member 121C moves upward (in the Z1 direction) as indicated by arrow AR13.

On the other hand, even if an operator attempts to rotate the ratchet gear 124 in the direction indicated by the arrow AR14 in Figures 5(A) and 5(B) using a Phillips screwdriver, the operator will not be able to rotate the ratchet gear 124. Specifically, the operator will not be able to rotate the ratchet gear 124 in the direction indicated by the arrow AR14 unless the operator releases the engagement between the tip 125E of the ratchet pawl 125 and the first tooth TE1 of the ratchet gear 124 by the ratchet mechanism LM1.

When an operator attempts to rotate the ratchet gear 124 in the direction indicated by arrow AR14 using a Phillips screwdriver, the tip end 125E of the ratchet pawl 125 is pressed against the first tooth TE1 of the ratchet gear 124. However, because the rear end 125R of the ratchet pawl 125 is already pressed against the wall surface of the recess 122C, it cannot rotate clockwise when viewed from behind. As a result, the central engagement member 121C cannot move downward (in the Z2 direction), which is the direction indicated by arrow AR15.

In this way, the ratchet mechanism LM1 is configured to allow counterclockwise rotation of the ratchet gear 124 around the axis AX4 and restrict clockwise rotation of the ratchet gear 124 around the axis AX4 when viewed from behind as shown in Figure 5 (A). In other words, the ratchet mechanism LM1 is configured to allow upward movement of the central engagement member 121C and restrict downward movement of the central engagement member 121C.

If the operator wishes to move the central engagement member 121C downward, i.e., to rotate the ratchet gear 124 clockwise around the axis AX4, the operator simply releases the engagement between the tip 125E of the ratchet pawl 125 and the first tooth TE1 of the ratchet gear 124, as caused by the ratchet mechanism LM1.

Specifically, the operator manually rotates pin 125P, which is configured to rotate with ratchet pawl 125, to rotate ratchet pawl 125 in the direction indicated by arrow AR12, thereby disengaging tip end 125E from first tooth TE1. Then, with tip end 125E and first tooth TE1 no longer engaged, the operator can use a Phillips screwdriver to rotate ratchet gear 124 in the direction indicated by arrow AR14, thereby moving central engagement member 121C downward as indicated by arrow AR15.

In Figure 4(B), the dotted arrow AR3 indicates the direction of movement of the central engagement member 121C, the dotted figure GP5 indicates the position of the central engagement member 121C after it has moved in the Z2 direction (downward), and the dotted figure GP6 indicates the position of the central engagement member 121C after it has moved in the Z1 direction (upward). The operator can move the central engagement member 121C up and down by rotating the ratchet gear 124 as described above.

Next, the engagement mechanism 121 will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a diagram showing the engagement mechanism 121 on the base 120 when fixed to the thumbturn mounting hole TH. Specifically, Figure 6(A) is a front view of the engagement mechanism 121 on the base 120 when fixed to the thumbturn mounting hole TH. Figure 6(B) is a cross-sectional view of the central engagement member 121C and the door 20 in a plane parallel to the XZ plane and including the dashed dotted line L3 in Figure 6(A). Note that while the following description relates to the central engagement member 121C, it also applies to the left engagement member 121L and the right engagement member 121R.

The central engaging member 121C, a plate-shaped member made of a metal such as stainless steel, is configured to have a base portion BS and a claw portion CL, as shown in Figure 6(B). In the example shown in Figure 6, the claw portion CL is formed by bending, and is configured so that the angle θ formed between the base portion BS and the claw portion CL is an acute angle of less than 90 degrees.

With this configuration, the central engaging member 121C is positioned so that the rear surface (X2 side surface) of the base BS contacts the interior surface 20A of the door 20, and the upper surface (Z1 side surface) of the claw portion CL contacts the rear (X2 side) edge CP of the inner surface of the thumbturn mounting hole TH. Therefore, even if a force is applied to the base 120 to pull it forward (in the X1 direction), the claw portion CL will catch on the rear (X2 side) edge CP of the inner surface of the thumbturn mounting hole TH, and the base 120 will not be pulled away from the door 20.

Furthermore, this configuration allows the upper surface of the claw portion CL to contact the rear edge CP of the inner surface of the thumb turn mounting hole TH, regardless of the length LT of the thumb turn mounting hole TH. Therefore, this configuration has the advantage that the engagement mechanism 121 can be applied to thumb turn mounting holes TH with various lengths LT. However, the angle θ formed between the base portion BS and the claw portion CL is not limited to an acute angle and may be 90 degrees or greater. Furthermore, the claw portion CL may be formed so that it bends two or more times, or so that it extends in a curved line.

Next, with reference to Figure 7, another configuration example of the base 120 will be described. Figure 7 is a diagram showing base 120A, which is another configuration example of the base 120. Specifically, Figure 7(A) is an exploded perspective view of base 120A and corresponds to Figure 4(A). Figure 7(B) is a rear view of base 120A and corresponds to Figure 4(B).

The base 120A shown in FIG. 7 differs from the base 120 shown in FIG. 4 in that it has a feed screw mechanism TM2 as the movement mechanism TM. The base 120 shown in FIG. 4 has a rack-and-pinion mechanism TM1 as the movement mechanism TM. The base 120A shown in FIG. 7 also differs from the base 120 shown in FIG. 4 in that it does not have a movement limiting mechanism LM. The base 120 shown in FIG. 4 has a ratchet mechanism LM1 as the movement limiting mechanism LM. In other respects, the base 120A shown in FIG. 7 and the base 120 shown in FIG. 4 are common. Therefore, the following description will omit the common parts and will focus on the differences.

The feed screw mechanism TM2 serving as the movement mechanism TM is mainly composed of a slider 151 and a screw 152.

The slider 151 is configured to be supported by the main body member 122 so that it can move in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) but cannot rotate around its vertical axis. The slider 151 may be made of metal or resin. In the example shown in FIG. 7 , the slider 151 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and is housed in a rectangular groove 122S formed on the rear surface (X2-side surface) of the main body member 122. The rectangular groove 122S is formed so that the slider 151 can slide in the vertical direction but cannot rotate around its vertical axis. Specifically, the rectangular groove 122S is configured so that its vertical length is significantly greater than the vertical length of the slider 151. Furthermore, the rectangular groove 122S is configured so that its horizontal length (width) is approximately the same as the horizontal length (width) of the slider 151 (strictly speaking, the width of the rectangular groove 122S is slightly greater than the width of the slider 151).

The slider 151 is configured to be fixed to the upper end of the central engagement member 121C. In the example shown in Figure 7, the slider 151 has two protrusions 151T (upper protrusion 151T1 and lower protrusion 151T2) that protrude rearward from the rear surface. The two protrusions 151T are configured to be inserted into two through holes 121H (upper through hole 121H1 and lower through hole 121H2) formed in the upper end of the central engagement member 121C.

The slider 151 is fixed to the central engaging member 121C by crimping the tips of two protrusions 151T that are inserted into two through-holes 121H formed at the upper end of the central engaging member 121C. However, the slider 151 may also be fixed to the central engaging member 121C by other means, such as adhesive or screws.

The screw 152 is configured to engage with the slider 151. In the example shown in Figure 7, the screw 152 is configured to engage with a female threaded hole 151H formed in the slider 151. Specifically, the screw 152 is inserted into a through hole 122H formed in the main body member 122, with its tip extending into the square groove 122S. The screw 152 is then screwed into the female threaded hole 151H of the slider 151 housed in the square groove 122S.

In the example shown in Figure 7, the screw 152 is a metric screw with a cross recess formed in the screw head. The operator can move the slider 151 up and down within the square groove 122S by using a Phillips head screwdriver to rotate the screw 152, which is threaded into the female threaded hole 151H of the slider 151. This is because the slider 151 is restricted from rotating around its vertical axis by being housed within the square groove 122S.

Specifically, the operator can move the slider 151 in the direction indicated by arrow AR22 (Z1 direction) by rotating the screw 152 in the direction indicated by arrow AR21 (clockwise when viewed from above). Conversely, the operator can move the slider 151 in the direction indicated by arrow AR24 (Z2 direction) by rotating the screw 152 in the direction indicated by arrow AR23 (counterclockwise when viewed from above).

In Figure 7(B), the dotted arrow AR31 indicates the direction of movement of the central engagement member 121C, the dotted figure GP31 indicates the position of the central engagement member 121C after movement in the Z2 direction (downward), and the dotted figure GP32 indicates the position of the central engagement member 121C after movement in the Z1 direction (upward). The operator can move the central engagement member 121C in the vertical direction by rotating the screw 152 as described above. Note that the base plate 123 is not shown in Figure 7(B) for clarity.

With the above-described configuration, the base 120A shown in Figure 7 provides the same effect as the base 120 shown in Figure 4. Specifically, the base 120A that constitutes the electronic lock mounting structure FS provides the unique effect of making it possible to remove the electronic lock 100 from the door 20 without damaging the interior surface 20A of the door 20. This is because there is no need to place strong double-sided tape between the interior surface 20A of the door 20 and the base 120A.

In addition, the base 120A shown in FIG. 7 has the additional advantage of reducing the number of parts compared to the base 120 shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, the base 120A has the additional advantage of facilitating the up and down movement of the central engagement member 121C compared to a base 120 having a ratchet mechanism LM1 as the movement limiting mechanism LM. When the base 120A is used, the operator can avoid the need to manually operate the ratchet pawl 125 to release the movement restriction imposed by the ratchet mechanism LM1, and can move the slider 151 (central engagement member 121C) up and down simply by rotating the screw 152 in one direction or the other.

As described above, the electronic lock mounting structure FS according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to be placed between the electronic lock 100 and the door 20 in order to mount the electronic lock 100 to the door 20, as shown in FIG. 1. The electronic lock mounting structure FS also includes an engagement mechanism 121 configured to engage with a thumb turn mounting hole TH provided in the door 20, as shown in FIG. 2.

With this configuration, the electronic lock mounting structure FS has the unique advantage of allowing the electronic lock 100 to be removed from the door 20 without damaging the interior surface 20A of the door 20. This is because there is no need to place strong double-sided tape between the interior surface 20A of the door 20 and the electronic lock mounting structure FS.

The engagement mechanism 121 may include multiple claw portions CL formed to engage with the thumb turn mounting hole TH, and a movement mechanism TM configured to move at least one of the multiple claw portions radially of the thumb turn mounting hole TH.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 4(A) and 6(B), the engagement mechanism 121 may include three claw portions CL (claw portion CL of the central engagement member 121C, claw portion CL of the left engagement member 121L, and claw portion CL of the right engagement member 121R) and a movement mechanism TM configured to move the claw portion CL of the central engagement member 121C in the Z-axis direction, which is one of the radial directions of the thumb turn mounting hole TH.

More specifically, the moving mechanism TM may be a rack-and-pinion mechanism TM1 as shown in FIG. 4(A). In this case, the engagement mechanism 121 may be equipped with a ratchet mechanism LM1 (see FIG. 4(B)) that limits the direction of movement of the claw portion CL of the central engagement member 121C by the rack-and-pinion mechanism TM1. Alternatively, the moving mechanism TM may be a feed screw mechanism TM2 as shown in FIG. 7.

These configurations have the advantage of increasing the mounting strength of the electronic lock unit 10 (base 120) to the door 20 compared to when the electronic lock unit 10 is attached to the door 20 using double-sided tape. These configurations also have the advantage of making it possible to mount the base 120 to thumb turn mounting holes TH with various diameters.

Furthermore, to achieve the same effect, the claw portion CL of the left engaging member 121L and the claw portion CL of the right engaging member 121R may be attached to the base 120 so as to be able to swing, as shown in Figure 4(B).

The three claw portions CL may be arranged at approximately equal intervals around the circumference of the thumbturn mounting hole TH. Specifically, the claw portions CL of the center engaging member 121C, the left engaging member 121L, and the right engaging member 121R may be arranged at approximately 120-degree intervals around the circumference of the approximately circular thumbturn mounting hole TH, as shown in FIG. 6(A). By ensuring that the contact points between the thumbturn mounting hole TH and the engaging mechanism 121 (three contact points) are well-balanced around the center of the thumbturn mounting hole TH, the mounting strength of the electronic lock unit 10 (base 120) to the door 20 is increased. Therefore, if the engaging mechanism 121 has two claw portions, these two claw portions are preferably arranged at approximately 180-degree intervals around the circumference of the thumbturn mounting hole TH. Alternatively, if the engagement mechanism 121 has four claws, these four claws are preferably arranged at approximately 90-degree intervals around the circumference of the thumb turn mounting hole TH.

At least one of the multiple claw portions CL may be configured to engage with the rear edge CP of the inner surface of the thumbturn mounting hole TH. For example, as shown in Figure 6(B), each of the three claw portions CL (claw portion CL of the central engaging member 121C, claw portion CL of the left engaging member 121L, and claw portion CL of the right engaging member 121R) may be bent relative to the base BS so that the angle θ formed between the claw portion CL and the base BS is an acute angle, and configured to contact the rear edge CP of the inner surface of the thumbturn mounting hole TH.

This configuration has the effect of increasing the attachment strength of the electronic lock unit 10 (base 120) to the door 20 compared to when the claw portion CL is configured to bend perpendicular to the base portion BS and contacts the inner surface of the thumb turn attachment hole TH.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications or substitutions may be applied to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the features described with reference to the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate, provided that they are not technically inconsistent.

For example, in the above embodiment, the left engaging member 121L and the right engaging member 121R are attached so as to be able to swing relative to the base plate 123, but they may also be attached so as to be able to swing relative to the main body member 122, or may be sandwiched so as to be able to swing between the main body member 122 and the base plate 123.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10...Electronic lock unit 20...Door 20A...Surface 20B...Side end surface 20C...Surface 100...Electronic lock 110...Attachment 110C...Recess 120, 120A...Base 120V...Protrusion 121...Engagement mechanism 121C...Central engagement member 121HL...Left through hole 121HR...Right through hole 121L...Left engagement member 121R...Right engagement member 122...Main body member 122A...Through hole 122C...Recess 122H1, 122H2...Through holes 122T...Groove 122G...Recess 122GC...Central recess 122GL...Left recess 122GR...Right recess 123...Base plate 123A...Through hole 123G...Recess 123GL...Left recess 123GR...Right recess 123HL...Left through hole 123HR...Right through hole 124...Ratchet gear 124C...Cylindrical portion 124G...Gear portion 124R...Hole 125...Ratchet pawl 125E...Tip portion 125H1, 125H2...Through holes 125P...Pin 125R...Rear end portion 126...Ratchet spring 127...Screw 128...Crimping pin 128L...Left crimping pin 128R...Right crimping pin 130...Thumb turn device 131...Base 132...Knob AX1 to AX5...Axis CH...Cylinder mounting hole CT1...Lower end CT2...Upper end DB...Deadbolt FS...Electronic lock mounting structure LM...Travel limiting mechanism LM1...Ratchet mechanism RK...Rack portion TE1...First tooth TE2: Second tooth TE3: Third tooth TH: Thumb turn mounting hole TM: Movement mechanism TM1: Rack and pinion mechanism TM2: Feed screw mechanism

Claims (6)

An electronic lock mounting structure that is disposed between the electronic lock and the door in order to mount the electronic lock on the door,
a base having an engagement mechanism configured to engage with a thumb turn mounting hole provided in the door ;
the engagement mechanism includes a plurality of claw portions attached to the base so as to engage with the thumb turn attachment hole, and a movement mechanism configured to move at least one of the plurality of claw portions in a radial direction of the thumb turn attachment hole,
At least two of the plurality of claw portions are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the thumb turn mounting hole.
Electronic lock mounting structure. At least two of the plurality of claw portions are attached to the base so as to be able to swing.
The electronic lock mounting structure according to claim 1. a movement limiting mechanism that limits the movement direction of the claw portion by the movement mechanism;
3. The electronic lock mounting structure according to claim 1 or 2. The moving mechanism is a rack and pinion mechanism or a lead screw mechanism.
3. The electronic lock mounting structure according to claim 1 or 2. At least one of the plurality of claw portions is configured to engage with a rear edge of the thumb turn attachment hole.
5. An electronic lock mounting structure according to claim 2 . An electronic lock mounting structure that is disposed between the electronic lock and the door in order to mount the electronic lock on the door,
An engagement mechanism configured to engage with a thumb turn mounting hole provided on the door,
The engagement mechanism includes a plurality of claw portions formed to engage with the thumb turn attachment hole, and a movement mechanism configured to move at least one of the plurality of claw portions in a radial direction of the thumb turn attachment hole,
The moving mechanism is a rack and pinion mechanism or a lead screw mechanism.
Electronic lock mounting structure.