The description relates to a closure for mounting in an opening in a thin wall, such as a sheet metal cabinet door, which comprises a housing and which has, at one end, a bearing support for an actuation lever and, at its other end, a lock device for the actuation lever and a fastening device such as a clamping clip therebetween. The housing has a partially spherical bearing surface with a cylindrical bore hole proceeding from it, wherein a partial ball with a first bearing for a closure drive shaft extending through the cylindrical bore hole and with a second bearing for the actuation lever is arranged in the cylindrical bore hole, and the two bearings enable a rotation of the partial ball in relation to the housing and a swiveling of the actuation lever in relation to the partial ball around an axis vertical to the closure drive shaft and to the extension of the lever.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of PCT Application Ser. No. PCT/EP01/01486, filed Feb. 10, 2001 and German Application No. 200 06 373.1, filed Apr. 6, 2000, the complete disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

a) Field of the Invention

The invention is directed to an electrically lockable swivel lever actuating mechanism comprising a dish which can be placed on a door leaf or the like and in which an actuation lever for a closure, such as a sash closure or bar closure, is mounted in such a way that it can be moved out of a position in which it is swiveled out of the dish and in which it enables actuation of the closure into a position in which it is swiveled into the dish and in which it does not allow actuation of the closure and in which it can be locked by an electromechanical lock device.

b) Description of the Related Art

A swivel lever actuating mechanism of the type mentioned above is already known, e.g., from EP 0 824 624 B1. The known swivel lever actuating mechanism requires a special arrangement on the door frame for proper operation. This is uneconomical for many applications.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the primary object of the invention to modify the electrically lockable swivel lever actuating mechanism of the type mentioned above in such a way that it is constructed in a simple manner and, in particular, requires no special devices that are constructed on the door frame or the like instead of on the door leaf or the like.

In particular, it should be possible to use the arrangement in essentially conventional swivel lever closures.

Another object consists in dispensing with the previously used keys for a cylinder lock or the like which are also prior art.

The object is met in that the electromechanical lock device is a modular unit or constructional unit which can be inserted or integrated in the dish and a pin or projection can be moved out or swiveled out from the constructional unit by means of an electric control signal for locking the actuation lever.

As a result of these features, the swivel lever actuating mechanism according to the invention can be outfitted with previously used swivel lever actuating mechanisms without electrical locking in that, for example, this constructional unit can be used in conventional actuating levers, possibly with slight machining if necessary. On the other hand, it is possible to convert previous swivel lever actuating mechanisms simply by exchanging with the version according to the invention.

Due to the electrical locking, cylinders with associated cylinder locks which were previously used in the prior art can be dispensed with. This is advantageous in that a key which was previously necessary is necessary no longer and therefore can not be lost or fall into the wrong hands.

In a particularly advantageous further development, the handle has an opening on its upper side in the area of the constructional unit, through which opening the constructional unit inserted in the dish is accessible when the actuation lever is swiveled in. This has the advantage that there is no need to provide an electrical connection to the actuation lever, so that the design is simplified and can be made more reliable in operation.

In particular, flexible lines and plug-in contact constructions which are very susceptible to malfunction are dispensed with.

There is a variety of possibilities for the constructional unit. In a particularly favorable embodiment form, the opening has the size and shape of a fingerprint and the accessible surface of the constructional unit has a fingerprint sensor surface (also called a biometric sensor device). With this construction, it is possible to analyze the fingerprint lines of a user's thumb which is placed upon the opening of the actuation lever and accordingly contacts the fingerprint sensor surface of the constructional unit by means of suitable electronic devices inside the constructional unit in order to determine whether or not the person to whom the fingerprint belongs is authorized to access the switch cabinet. If so, the constructional unit can respond in such a way that it emits a control signal for driving its projection or pin and swiveling it or moving it in so as to open the lock, whereupon the user can swivel out the actuation lever and can open the closure.

Another possibility consists in that the opening in the actuation lever is constructed in such a way that light (visible or not) can pass through and in that an optical sensor surface is arranged on the surface of the constructional unit that is accessible to the light, which optical sensor surface responds to the light signal in a determined manner insofar as the light is modulated (has a pattern) in time or space such that it can represent a characteristic which signals the electromechanical lock device arranged downstream of the sensor surface that the signal pattern generated by the light pertains to a user who is authorized to open the switch cabinet or the like.

As another alternative, a keyboard which is accessible through the opening is arranged on the constructional unit. The keyboard can then be actuated, for example, by means of a simple pin or with the tip of a finger and, e.g., a coded message can be entered to unlock the lock device.

In another alternative, a key actuation arranged in the constructional unit is accessed through the opening. The key actuation can have the form of the previous cylinder key arrangement, but in this case is mounted in the constructional unit supported by the dish rather than in the handle as in the prior art. The actuation lever is accordingly narrower and easier to handle.

By means of the key, it is possible to trigger a pulse or otherwise generate a signal which leads to the lock device being electrically unlocked in the manner described above.

When a transponder device is installed in the constructional unit, it may even be possible to dispense with the opening in the hand lever, since the electromagnetic wave by which the transponder device can be actuated can easily penetrate the material of a hand lever when this material comprises plastic, for instance.

The transponder device has the further advantage that it can receive energy from the external device, e.g., in order to initiate the opening process by means of this energy without the need for battery devices, for example.

Another possibility for dispensing with batteries or for simplifying the charging of batteries is achieved in that a photovoltaic arrangement is provided in the area of the opening on the constructional unit, this opening making this device accessible to the external light.

In order to facilitate the detection processes, particularly at higher levels of security, it is advantageous when the constructional unit comprises a microprocessor chip that can carry out sufficiently complicated calculating processes to enable high degrees of security, e.g., when entering codes or scanning fingerprints.

The chip has the further advantage that a design is made possible in which the entire arrangement communicates with a network, e.g., with an internal network, which reports the state of the closure to a remote control terminal. Conversely, it may also be possible to unlock the closure from the remote control terminal, e.g., in case of emergency or the like.

An interface of this kind for connecting to a data network or the like can be carried out by wiring or advantageously by means of a wireless connection, e.g., by means of an infrared interface to which a mobile telephone provided with a corresponding complementary interface can be connected, for example.

According to another further development of the invention, the control lever can have a displaceable or swivelable cover on its upper side for the opening. Therefore, it is possible to protect the device arranged under this opening, e.g., a sensor device, from damage and soiling.

It has turned out to be particularly favorable mechanically when the constructional unit comprises a cup-shaped housing whose bottom has a receiving space for sensor devices or the like which can be accessed through the opening in the hand lever, this receiving space being accessible from the outside. When the constructional unit comprises a cup-shaped housing, it is advantageous when the side wall of the housing has an opening for the lock pin or lock projection to pass through. A constructional unit with a cup-shaped housing of the type mentioned above preferably has a flange-like edge having bore holes for clamping screws to pass through, by means of which clamping screws the cup (together with a cover, for example) can be accommodated and fixed in a corresponding recessed area of the dish. The fastening screws could serve at the same time to clamp the dish inside a door leaf or the like.

It has proven advisable when the constructional unit comprises an electric motor drive unit which moves the lock pin or lock projection alternately in or out when controlled. For example, an actuation pulse can cause the lock pin or lock projection to move out and lock the swiveled in lever in the dish, while a repeated pulse causes the pin or projection to move in and thus release the actuation lever.

This type of actuation of the lock pin or lock projection is particularly reliable and saves power.

The microprocessor can also be used for switching off power-consuming circuit areas after a determined quiescent time. As soon as a trigger signal of some kind arrives from the sensor surface, the microprocessor switches the power supply on again momentarily. This preserves an accumulator or battery (rechargeable energy storage) that may be provided in the device.

In order to switch on, for example, a sliding cover or the like is pushed back so that light strikes the sensor surface, for example. Alternatively, the slide itself can also have a contact which, when actuated, supplies a pulse to the microelectronics device in order to put this device into operation.

This makes it possible to operate the arrangement for months without maintenance, i.e., long operating periods can be covered with a battery or accumulator charge.

The swivel lever actuating mechanism according to the invention can be used in a wide variety of closures, for example, in sash closures, bar closures, etc.

In the following, the invention will be explained more fully with reference to embodiment examples shown in the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1Ashows an electrically lockable swivel lever actuating mechanism10comprising a dish14which can be placed on a door leaf12or the like. An actuation lever16is mounted in the dish14in such a way that from a position in which it is swiveled out of the dish (see swivel-out axis18) and in which actuation of the closure actuation is made possible, e.g., by rotating the swiveled out hand lever16about the axis20, e.g., of a ribbon bar lock casing22, during which rotation, for example, ribbon bars24mounted in the lock casing22are pushed outward, a door leaf in a frame, for example, is unlocked in a manner known per se (see prior art) during this pushing outward. Conversely, when the actuation lever16is in the swiveled in position shown inFIG. 1A, actuation of the closure is not possible. An electromechanical lock device which holds the swivel lever16in its swiveled in position serves to secure the hand lever and, therefore, the closure in this position.

According to the invention, the electromechanical lock device10comprises a constructional unit26which can be inserted into the dish14; a pin or projection28of the constructional unit26can be moved out or swiveled out to lock the actuation lever16by means of an electric adjusting signal. When the pin28moves out in the direction indicated by the arrow30, the pin28penetrates a bore hole32which is formed by a shoulder or intermediate wall34formed by the bottom forming a trough and by side walls36of the actuation lever16(seeFIG. 3). The pin accordingly holds the actuation lever16in its swiveled in position when it is moved out. As also follows fromFIGS. 3 and 4(see alsoFIG. 1A), the actuation lever16has, on its upper side, an opening40in the area of the constructional unit26, which opening40is formed by the bottom wall of the trough-shaped section38. When the actuation lever is swiveled out as shown inFIG. 1A, the constructional unit26inserted into the dish14is accessible through this opening40. The embodiment form represented in the drawings shows an opening40which is so constructed with respect to size and shape that a thumb or finger can be comfortably accommodated in such a way that most of the fingertip or thumb rests on the surface42of the constructional unit26that is accessible below the opening40. In this case, this surface42is a so-called biometric sensor surface which can detected fingerprint lines which differ from one individual to the other, and a corresponding image signal is processed at a processing device such as a microprocessor chip44and compared to a comparison pattern that is entered, so that when there is a match a control pulse or a control signal is generated which controls an electric linear drive46which then pulls back the pin28, for example, from the locked position in the direction of the arrow48and accordingly releases the actuation lever16for swinging around the shaft18. The opening40in the actuation lever16is shaped like the tip of a thumb or index finger and is beveled50,52so as to be adapted to the latter, so that the surface of the fingertip is not distorted unnecessarily when the thumb is pressed into the opening40, so that the fingerprint lines are detected with greater accuracy.

The lock opening32is advantageously enclosed on all sides so as to impede tampering with the lock device by unauthorized persons.

Instead of a biometric sensor device such as that described above, an alternative embodiment form in which, for example, the surface42located below the opening40is an optical sensor surface is also conceivable. When this surface is irradiated by light with a determined spatial variation or pattern (spatially modulated light) or pulsed light in a determined code (temporally modulated light), a sensor output signal can be generated and suitably processed for opening the lock device. With pulsed light, there are no scattering influences so that the opening40could then also be closed by glass or Plexiglas which is opalescent rather than transparent; when the light is radiated in a spatially modulated manner, it is important that a protective wall of the type mentioned above is transparent so that this spatial distribution of the light is imaged on the sensor surface without being influenced by scattering.

The surface42could also have a keyboard, for example, a keyboard with four keys which would make it possible to enter encoded data by pressing on these keys, e.g., by a pin or by a fingertip when the individual keys are sufficiently large.

Standard key operation is also conceivable, although it is disadvantageous to have a key which could be lost; moreover, standard key operation involves a cylinder, for instance, which takes up a relatively large amount of space.

The surface42can also be a so-called transponder having a coil which receives energy from a second coil which is guided past in the vicinity of the actuation lever16in order to provide the linear motor28, for example, with energy for displacing the pin30and in order at the same time also to transmit digital information indicating, for example, whether or not the transponder device is carried by an authorized user outside of the actuation lever16. A transponder device has the advantage that it can also write information into the memory chip of the microprocessor device of the swivel lever actuating mechanism, for example, in order to change the authorization code and to read off actuating times and actuating frequencies and subsequently read them out and process them in a data processing device.

The clock time and date on which the switch cabinet is opened could be recorded, for example.

A transponder111of the type mentioned above can also be built into a key110as is shown inFIG. 6by key110which is injection molded, e.g., from plastic.

It is particularly advantageous when the key also has a magnet112in addition to the transponder111.

The key110could then cooperate with the electrically lockable swivel lever actuating mechanism in such a way that when the key110approaches the swivel lever actuating mechanism the magnet112′ arranged at the key110switches on the power supply for this swivel lever actuating mechanism (e.g., by means of a reed contact accommodated in the swivel lever actuating mechanism).

In particular, the key could cooperate with a contact that can be triggered by a magnetic field, such as a reed contact located in a transponder reading device arranged in the electrically lockable swivel lever actuating mechanism, such that the contact switches on the power supply, at least the power supply of the reading device, when the magnet approaches.

Instead of supplying energy to the circuit and motor drive unit or accumulator by means of a transponder, this can also be carried out by means of a photovoltaic device insofar as the opening40makes a photovoltaic device arranged on the constructional unit accessible to external light so that this device which comprises photodiodes, for example, can generate energy based on the incident light.

Another alternative for the power supply is the arrangement of an accumulator54or an exchangeable battery.

In order to protect the sensor surface42against soiling and damage, it may be advantageous, depending on the application, to provide a displaceable or swivelable cover for the opening40on the upper side of the actuation lever, this cover56being swivelable about an axis58or displaceable along the lever axis, for example.

As can be seen inFIG. 1B, the constructional unit comprises a cup-shaped housing60whose base62has a receiving space64for sensor devices42or the like which are accessible through the opening40in the hand lever16, this receiving space64being accessible from the outside. Further, the housing60has a flange-like edge66having bore holes68through which fastening screws or clamping screws70can be guided. After it is inserted into a corresponding receiving space62of the dish14(seeFIG. 2), the housing60can be secured by these fastening or clamping screws70in that, after a cover72with corresponding bore holes74is placed on top, cap screws can be inserted through these bore holes74,68and through bore holes78,76, which cap screws press the cup by its annular shoulder77on the flange66of the cup60on the one hand, and the door leaf is clamped in between the latter and the dish14by an edge79on the other hand, so that the entire arrangement is secured in a clamping manner in this location.FIG. 1Ashows by dashed lines that the other end of the dish14can also be similarly fastened in a clamping manner in that a lock casing or gear housing80is provided in such a way that the thin wall12is clamped between the dish14and the casing80by means of screws170. Also shown in dashes are lock bars23projecting from the casing80and a lock drive shaft82which is corrected on one side to a pinion, not shown, arranged inside the housing80and on the other side at its free end to the swivel lever16by means of the pin shaft18.

In this connection, reference is also had to the construction according to the prior art.

The cover72also encloses an electronic lock of the housing84which ensures that the housing can not be dismantled without being noticed and documented.FIG. 5shows a flow chart for the operation of the swivel lever actuating mechanism according to the invention. The block diagram shows the actuation lever16which is secured within the dish14by a pin28when the linear drive46has pushed it into the locking position. The position of the motor or drive unit can be checked by a microprocessor MY which also connects the drive46unit to a battery54in order to supply it with a pulsed current. If the battery54is an accumulator, it could be charged by a generator G or ,alternatively, a photovoltaic device S or transponder device T. The microprocessor MY is controlled, for example, by the biometric sensor device42which supplies signals that are triggered by the thumb through the opening40and which can be covered by a protective cover device56. By sliding open or opening the protective cover device56to release the opening40, a switch may be actuated which can initiate the start of operation of the entire arrangement. Alternatively, a keyboard or keypad device142which is shown in the present case with nine keys can be connected with the microprocessor MY; also shown is a transponder device242controlled by an external transceiver243.

The drawing also shows the generation of electrical energy for charging a battery54by means of a photovoltaic device V. Also shown is an optical sensor device342and an interface86which works either by means of plug-in devices or preferably by means of infrared connection87in order to enter into a connection with a network device88, e.g., a mobile telephone network.

Commercial Applicability

The invention is commercially applicable in switch cabinet engineering.