Abstract:
A locking device includes a mobile locking member, movement of which can be prevented by a blocking member interacting with a motorized lever, where the motorized lever is capable of rotational movement about an axis with respect to the supporting structure, the centre of gravity of the lever lying on the axis, the lever being kept in a determined stable position and without rigid mechanical contact of the lever with the supporting structure apart from its axis of rotation.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a National Phase Entry of International Application No. PCT/FR2013/051835, filed on Jul. 30, 2013, which claims priority to French Patent Application Serial No. 1258222, filed on Sep. 4, 2012, both of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The invention relates to the field of electrical devices providing a locking function, such as, for example motorized locks or mechatronic positioning assemblies, having an electrical actuating element and a pivot lever ensuring the locking of the device. The present invention more particularly relates to the behaviour of high security locks, which have a high resistance to mechanical shocks delivered during an external attack of the device. The invention also relates to a mechatronic system having to withstand an external shock or a high frequency vibration, like those which actuators aboard automobiles or airplanes can be subjected to during an accident. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    French Patent FR2945065 is known in the prior art, which describes an electronic lock comprising a stator and a rotor mounted to rotate in the stator with a rotor blocking member which can move between a locking position where it is engaged with the rotor to prevent the rotation thereof, and a retracted position where the rotation of the rotor is released. A movable stop can move between a first position where it opposes the movement of the locking member and a second position where the locking member is free to leave its locking position. The mobile stop comprises a permanently magnetized part able to retain the mobile stop in the first position, i.e. resting against a stationary stop without consuming energy when jerks are applied to the lock. 
         [0004]    The European patent EP2412901 discloses another exemplary electronic lock, comprising a stator and a rotor, a rotor locking member and a lever which can move between a locking position and an unlocking position. A memorizing arm rotates between a rest and memorizing position, by the action of a magnet. This arm comes in contact with a mechanical stop. 
         [0005]    In the electronic lock solutions of the prior art, the locking member is in contact, when at rest as well as in the locked position, with a mechanical stop against which it rests. The untimely unlocking of this member can thus be caused by applying violent or periodic shocks, at a given frequency. The vibrations of the shocks applied to the supporting structure are transmitted to the mobile member by the stop, and the transmitted energy causes the movement of the member and the undesired release of the bolt. The person skilled in the art thus faces a paradoxical situation where the mechanical locking of a locking member must be provided while avoiding any mechanical contact which might cause the transmission of mechanical energy. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The invention, in its broadest sense, relates to a locking device comprising a mobile locking member the movement of which can be prevented by a blocking member interacting with a motorized lever, where the motorized lever is capable of rotational movement about an axis with respect to the supporting structure, with the centre of gravity of said lever being located on said axis, with said lever being kept in a determined stable position and without rigid mechanical contact of the lever with the supporting structure apart from its axis of rotation. The mechanical wave propagating through a structure upon an impact is transferred to the locking lever by the points of mechanical contacts thereof with the stationary supporting structure. The shock wave thus propagates through the pivot axis, on the one hand, and by the catching device (at the aforementioned point of contact) on the other hand. If the device is insensitive to what is transmitted by the axis because of the lever balance, it is, on the contrary, sensitive to the force transmitted to the magnetic catching contact. This can be compared to what happens in Newton&#39;s cradle when the end ball is ejected because of the kinetic energy that is transmitted thereto by the dropped ball. 
         [0007]    Whatever the catching effort generated between the rotating lever and the supporting structure, a shock having a sufficient intensity to eject the lever from its stable position and thus to unlock the lock may thus always be liable to propagate. The invention thus provides a locking device comprising an electrical actuator moving, within a supporting structure, a locking lever capable of rotational movement about a stationary axis with respect to the supporting structure, with the centre of gravity of said lever being located on said stationary axis, where the lever is held in a determined stable position and, at rest, without rigid mechanical contact of the lever with the supporting structure apart from the connection of its axis of rotation. Within the scope of this patent, “at rest” means the state of the device when locked and when no effort is exerted on any of the components thereof. 
         [0008]    The concept of rigid mechanical contact is generally implemented when the lever is in mechanical contact with a rigid part integral with the supporting structure. Such rigid connection then transmits the impact energy to the lever when the supporting structure is hit. On the contrary, the invention eliminates the rigid connection between the supporting structure and the lever to make the lever insensitive to any external shock since the impact energy is never transmitted anywhere but at the centre of gravity of the lever, which does not generate any rotation torque and ensures the holding in position thereof. The stable position is advantageously achieved without any power consumption. 
         [0009]    Various embodiments of this function have been considered. The suspension of the lever without any rigid contact can thus be obtained using resilient elements (at least one mechanical spring) or preferably using magnetic elements (a link without magnet/magnet or magnet/ferromagnetic material contact). This suspension may be separate, or integrated in the locking lever actuating means. Such suspension means without rigid contact create a mechanical filter of the “low-pass” type which excludes any transmission of shocks and high frequency vibrations (with respect to the resonance frequency of the device). 
         [0010]    In a particular embodiment, the actuator moving the locking lever also provides the magnetic force keeping the position of the lever stable. The invention also aims at providing an actuator for a locking device which drives a locking lever in rotation about a stationary axis, wherein the centre of gravity of the locking lever is held on said stationary axis and in that the actuator comprises at least one magnet and has a variable air gap ensuring a stable position without any power consumption. Advantageously, the air gap is minimum when the lever is in its stable locked position and maximum in the unlocked position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0011]    The relevance of the invention will be better understood when reading the following description of the various figures, which show various possible configurations: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective representation of a complete electromechanical lock device based on the use of an electric motor and a contactless stabilizing device according to a first embodiment. 
           [0013]      FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c  are detailed front views of the device of  FIG. 1 , shown in three different states. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a representation of the invention according to a second embodiment of the actuating device, which has an intrinsic characteristic of stability without current provided by the actuator. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 4   a ,  4   b  and  4   c  are detailed front views of the device of  FIG. 3  shown in three different states. 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  is a plot of the torque exerted on the locking lever according to the power supply to the actuator and to the position of the lever according to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a complete electromechanical lock device according to a third embodiment based on the use of an actuator of the vane solenoid type and of a stabilizer based on elastic springs. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 7   a ,  7   b  and  7   c  are detailed front views of 3 states of the structure shown in  FIG. 6 . 
           [0019]      FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  are detailed front views of 2 states of an alternative structure shown in  FIG. 6 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    The following description refers to a non-restrictive exemplary embodiment as a lock with a mobile bolt. But the invention is not limited to the embodiment of a lock and extends to any type of locking device comprising a mobile member which can be temporarily immobilized by means of a motorized member interacting with a motorized lever. 
         [0021]    The described exemplary embodiments are not restrictive and relate to a lock  1  comprising a supporting structure  3 , and a bolt  9  mobile by translation with respect to the supporting structure  3 , the movement of which can be blocked by the head of a piston  6  engaging in a housing  10 . Such piston  6  is mobile in translation, in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the bolt  109 . A spring  126  urges the piston  6  at rest towards the bolt  9 , so as to keep the piston head in the position where it is engaged in the housing  10 . The piston head  6  has a truncated or conical shape, matching the shape of the housing  10 , so that the movement of the bolt  9  pushes the piston  6  back, because of the transverse component (perpendicular to the axis of movement of the bolt  9 ) of the forces exerted by the inner edge of the housing  10  on the piston head  6 . 
         [0022]    The lock further comprises a lever  5  which can move between a locking position where it prevents the movement of the piston  6 , and thus the disengagement of the head thereof, and an unlocking position which enables the movement of the piston and the release of the bolt  9  when the piston head  6  is fully extended out of the housing  10 . The aim of the invention is to prevent shocks exerted on the bolt  9  or any other accessible part of the lock from propagating to the lever  5  with enough energy to cause the untimely movement thereof from the locking position to another position where it would no longer provide the locking of the piston  6  movement. 
         [0023]      FIGS. 1 ,  2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c  show a motorized locking device  1  according to a first embodiment. Such lock mechanism comprises a rotating actuator  2 , integral with the supporting structure  3 , electrically controlled by a polyphase switched motor, a torque motor or still a proportional angular or variable reluctance actuator. The rotor  4  of the actuator  2  is mechanically coupled to the locking lever  5 , the design of which enables the latter to clear the passage of a third part (the piston  6  in the drawing) when it has completed the rotational movement generated by the supply of the actuator  2 . 
         [0024]    The lever  5  has, in association with the rotor  4  of the actuator  2  which it is attached to, a centre of gravity on its axis of rotation  7 . According to this embodiment, the lever  5  is made of a ferromagnetic material. The lever  5  is thus sensitive to the magnetic field generated by a polarized (=magnetized) structure  8  integral with the supporting structure  3 . The magnetic circuit is so designed that it generates a stable position of the lever in at least one position. Thus, when the actuator  2  is not energized, the rotor assembly  4  is subjected to a magnetic attraction, via the lever  5 , which tends to re-position the latter in the vertical stable position. Having several stable positions (locked and unlocked states) is also conceivable in other mechanisms. 
         [0025]    From left to right,  FIGS. 2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c  show three operating states of a locking device using the first embodiment.  FIG. 2   a  shows the locked state. The bolt  9  is shown in the extended position. A piston  6  having a linear stroke is engaged in the bolt  9  in high position under the action of the spring  16 . 
         [0026]    It cannot go down because of the presence of the locking lever  5 . The piston  6  can engage into the bolt  9  thanks to a housing  10  provided in the bolt  9 . Thus, if a force is applied to the bolt  9  so as to make the latter translate, such force is transmitted to the piston  6  according to two components. A horizontal component supported by the supporting structure  3  and, on the other hand, a lower vertical component, transmitted to the locking lever  5 . As the lever is in its vertical stable position, it transmits such force to the supporting structure, because of an elastic deformation of the axis which connects it to the motor, or of the support of the actuator  2 . Thus, the piston  6  cannot be released from the bolt  9 , and the lock is locked. 
         [0027]      FIG. 2   b  shows the lever  5  when driven in rotation by the actuator  2  supplied with electric current. Under the action of the torque created, which has a higher intensity than the magneto-static torque generated by the polarized structure  8  which tends to hold it in a stable vertical position, the lever  5  is pivoted. 
         [0028]      FIG. 2   c  shows the mechanism in the unlocked position. The bolt  9  is subjected to a force which tends to make it translate. Because of the respective shapes of the piston  6  and of the bolt  9 , the piston  6  is driven in translation. Since the lever  5  has pivoted, the piston  6  can travel on to be completely disengaged from the bolt  9 . The lock will then be in an unlocked state. 
         [0029]      FIGS. 3 and 4  show a second embodiment of a mechatronic locking device  1  according to the invention operated as described in the explanations of  FIGS. 1 ,  2   a ,  2   b  and  2   c . The difference relates to the locking lever  5  which is so designed as to provide the function of rotor to the actuator and the function of stability by magnetic interaction. The lever  5  is thus balanced and polarized by the addition of a magnet  11 . A stator  12  fixed to the supporting structure  3  consists of ferromagnetic parts and is equipped with a magnetic field generating coil  13 . When energizing the coil  13 , the magnetic field produced is channelled by the ferromagnetic structure of the stator  12 . The interaction with the magnetic field created by the magnet  11  of the lever  5  generates a couple between the lever  5  and the stator  11 , which induces the rotation of the lever  5 . The assembly is so designed that the air gap between the lever  5  and the stator  11  varies according to the rotation of the lever  5 . A minimum air gap can thus be achieved when the lever  5  is in its stable position and a maximum air gap in the unlocked position thereof. In doing so, when the coil  13  is no longer energized, the lever  5  is subjected to a torque which tends to hold it in the stable position of the minimum air gap. 
         [0030]    In  FIG. 4   b , the device is shown in the locked position. The piston  6  is engaged in the bolt  9  and its stroke is hampered by the vertical position of the locking lever  5 . In this position, the air gap between the locking lever  5  and the poles  14  of the stator  12  is minimum. As the coil  13  is not energized, the torque applied without contact between the lever  5  and the stator  12  is null in this position. The torque on the lever  5 , based on its position and on the current flowing through the coil  13  surrounding the stator  12  is shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0031]    In  FIG. 4   b , the lever  5  is rotated when the coil  13  is energized. The air gap is then more important than when the lever  5  is vertical. The result is that, if the current in the coil is cancelled  13 , a magneto-static torque (=with no current) will be created and will drive the lever  5  to the stable position of minimum air gap. 
         [0032]    Eventually, in  FIG. 4   c , the device is shown in an unlocked state. The lever  5  has been rotated from its vertical position, thus releasing the piston  6  which is then liable to go down under the action of a force exerted on the bolt  9 . 
         [0033]      FIG. 5  shows the torques obtained on the axis of the locking lever of an actuator as shown in the descriptions of  FIGS. 3 ,  4   a ,  4   b  and  4   c . The vertical stable position with the minimum air gap corresponds to the 0° position. Because the air gap increases with the rotation of the lever  5 , the torque without current in the coil  13  follows the central solid curve, which can be compared to a mechanical stiffness having a magnetic origin. The lower—crosses—and upper—squares—curves are the torques obtained for opposite current polarities in the coil  13 . Moving from the 0° locked position to the −30° unlocked position can be achieved by applying a&gt;0 current in the coil  13 . 
         [0034]      FIG. 6  shows an embodiment of the invention based on the use of a rotary actuator of the solenoid type as shown, for example, in the patent FR2834119. Such structure has no magnet, and may be doubled to increase the torque on the lever  5 . When the coil  13  is energized, the magnetic flux generated is channelled by the stator  12 , and the stator  12  is composed of two separate parts, and loops back through the ferromagnetic locking lever  5 . In doing so, an attractive force is generated between the stator  12  and the lever  5 . Since the actuator  2  is not polarized, a mechanical spring  15  is used here to ensure the stability of the lever  5  in vertical position. The mechanical spring  15  is advantageously attached to the lever  5 , close to the axis of rotation, in order to dampen the transmission of the shock wave when the lock  1  is subjected to an external shock. 
         [0035]      FIGS. 7   a ,  7   b  and  7   c  show, in detail, the three distinct states of the solution presented in  FIG. 6 . In  FIG. 7   a , the lever  5  is held in a stable position without current by the resilient rigidity of the torsion spring. In  FIG. 7   b , energizing the coils  12  generates a torque on the locking lever  5  which pivots while compressing the torsion spring  15 . In  FIG. 7   c , the lever  5  has travelled on its entire stroke, under the action of the magnetic field generated by the stator  12 . The piston  6  can then slide and release the bolt  9 . 
         [0036]      FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  show an embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIG. 6 , with the difference that the mechanical spring  15  used is of the linear type (a torsion spring here).  FIGS. 8   a  and  8   b  show the device in the locked and unlocked conditions, respectively.