EP0598430A1

EP0598430A1 - Control system for locks

Info

Publication number: EP0598430A1
Application number: EP93203079A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Piero Scricciolo; Franco Scricciolo
Original assignee: ITALIAN LOCKS Srl
Current assignee: ITALIAN LOCKS Srl
Priority date: 1992-11-19
Filing date: 1993-11-03
Publication date: 1994-05-25
Also published as: IT1258057B; ITRE920084A1; ITRE920084A0

Abstract

A lock control system of the type comprising lock operating means governed by an electrical actuator (6) controlled by an electronic circuit incorporating a receiver (HF2) for encoded radio-frequency signals emitted by a portable transmitter (HF1) comprises a first microprocessor (IC6) activated by a second microprocessor (IC9) programmed to decode and compare the encoded radio-frequency signal and to activate said first microprocessor on recognizing said encoded signal, said first microprocessor, once activated, being arranged to process data received from magnetic sensors (7,8) sensing when the lock is completely unlocked and completely locked and to cause the electrical actuator to operate in one direction or the other.

Description

This invention relates generally to fastening systems, and in particular to a double bolt lock for use in one- or two-leaf residential access doors.
Said lock consists of two parallel bolts arranged to slide symmetrically into a locked position in which they project from the sides of the lock, and into a neutral or unlocked position in which they are retracted towards the lock centre.
They are operated by a central pinion which simultaneously engages in two opposing facing racks each provided on a respective bolt.
The pinion is operated by an electric motor, which can rotate in the two directions to cause the bolts to extend and retract.
The pinion can obviously also be operated by a linear actuator via a suitable transmission.
The object of the present invention is to control the unlocking and locking of the lock.
A further object is to provide a tamper-proof control system.
A further object is to provide such a control system with suitable safety and alarm devices.
These and further objects are attained by the control system defined in the claims.
The system uses a key consisting of encoded pulses transmitted in radio-frequency.
This eliminates the need for material access to the lock from the outside of the door, which is perfectly smooth and gives no indication of the position of the lock on the other side of the door. The possibility of obtaining casts or the like and of using counterfeit keys is automatically excluded.
It comprises an electronic circuit with a power section maintaining at least one dry battery charged to provide the energy necessary to power the motor which operates the lock, and to power an alarm siren.
The unlocking, locking and alarm commands are fed by a first microprocessor which processes the data received from the devices installed on the lock, and the data received from a second microprocessor which decodes the radio-frequency signals.
These latter are transmitted by the person who wishes to open the door, and after they have been received by a radio-frequency receiver they are decoded by said second microprocessor which feeds the unlocking or locking input to said first microprocessor.
The first microprocessor also receives the signals emitted by a vibration sensor, which causes the alarm to operate if tampering attempts are made.
In addition the programming of said first microprocessor is such that the alarm trips automatically to operate the siren if it is not deactivated within a short time after opening the door.
The second microprocessor has its own access code which enables the user, via a keyboard, to enter programming mode enabling him to key-in the recognition codes for new remote commands or to cancel already stored codes relative to remote commands no longer in use.
It is programmed such as to automatically vary its recognition code at each radio-frequency signal received.
Said code variation also takes place automatically in the transmitter operated by the user, in accordance with the same calculation algorithm.
The invention will be apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, which show a preferred but not exclusive embodiment thereof.

Figure 1 shows part of the electronic circuit of the fixed part of the invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the lock provided with the invention plus the other part of the electronic circuit of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the radiotransmitter.

Figure 1 shows a steel casing 1 to be fixed to the inside of a door by way of a rear steel plate. It receives two slidable bolts 2 and 3, on each of which there is provided a rack portion, not shown. The two rack portions are faced and engaged by the same central pinion connected to the shaft of a direct current electric motor 6.
One of the two bolts is provided with two limit switches, 7-FCA for unlocking and 8-FCC for locking, they being of adjustable magnetic type.
A buzzer 9, a vibration sensor 10, an emergency battery 11 and an alarm siren 12 with the relative alarm stoppage control 121 are fixed to the door in proximity to the casing 1.
All said devices are connected to two terminal blocks M2 (A-H) and M3 (I-N) in accordance with the scheme of Figures 1 and 2.
The operation of the said devices is controlled by the electronic circuit shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Said circuit comprises a power unit connected to the 220V alternating current mains to provide a 12V pulsating current via the transformer TF1 and the diode bridge PD1.
Two 12V dry batteries, connected in parallel and isolated from each other by the relay RL1, are kept charged by the mains current transformed as stated, to provide energy to the system.
The relay RL1 is operated by moving a magnet towards the outer surface of the door in a position corresponding to a reed switch, not shown in the figures, located on the inside of the door.
More specifically, the two batteries are charged by the circuit composed of IC1-R3-R2-R1-P1-D1 in the case of the emergency battery and the circuit composed of IC2-R6-R5-R4-P2-D2 in the case of the working battery.
The pulsating voltage originating from PD1 and filtered by the capacitors C1-C2 is applied to the integrators IC1 and IC2. The charging voltage is set by the trimmers P1-P2, the maximum current being limited by R3 and R6.
Downstream of the relay RL1 there is a voltage V1 which under the control of the relays RL2, RL3 and RL4 operates the electric motor 6 both for unlocking and locking, and the alarm siren 12.
The circuit composed of the resistors R7, R8, R9, the integrated circuit IC3, the resistors R10 and R11, the PNP transistor TR1, the diode D4, the stabilizer IC4 and the capacitors C3, C4, C5 and C6 provides two voltages V2 and V3 which power that part of the circuit operating the relays RL2, RL3 and RL4 and other system accessories, as will be apparent hereinafter.
Specifically, the purpose of the circuit composed of R7-R8-R9-R10-R11-IC3-PNP TR1-D4 is to interrupt power and hence halt current absorption from the batteries if the voltage falls below a threshold value. This circuit protects the batteries.
This latter circuit part comprises a first microprocessor IC6 which receives signals from the unlocking limit switch 7-FCA, from the locking limit switch 8-FCC and from the vibration receiver 10. Each input of the microprocessor IC6 is protected and filtered against overvoltages and disturbances of the circuit composed of D11-RR1-RR2-C9 etc.
The oscillating circuit of IC6 is composed of RIS1-CK-CY.
The received signals are processed by IC6 and fed via the integrated circuits IC7 to the relays RL2, RL3 and RL4.
A further signal is fed to the buzzer 9 via a further integrated circuit IC7, the resistor R16 and the diode D11.
The microprocessor is powered by the voltage V3 via a circuit composed of C14 and C15.
It is programmed such that when activated as described hereinafter it causes the bolts 3 to extend or retract by means of the motor 6.
IC6 also activates the buzzer 9 for the time during which the motor is in operation.
If within a predetermined time after operation of the unlocking limit switch 7-FCA the control 121 for stopping the alarm is not operated manually, the microprocessor IC6 causes the siren 12 to operate via the relay RL2.
The first microprocessor IC6 is activated by the second microprocessor IC9, the oscillator of which is composed of XTAL1-C19-C18. This latter is connected to a radio-frequency signal receiver HF2 which receives signals from the remote controller HF1 (Figure 3).
This transmitter for unlocking and locking the electrical lock (see Figure 3) comprises a high frequency part and a logic part which generates a recognition code. The high frequency part consists of a stabilized oscillator, a resonator SAW 1 which stabilizes the operating frequency, and a logic switch TR101 which switches the oscillator on and off. The transmission system is therefore of the carrier suppression type. The purpose of the microprocessor IC20 is to generate the recognition code and to calculate, by an algorithm identical to that of the receiver, the value of the new code which always changes at each transmission. The transmitter is able to generate four different code calculations and to control four different receivers. The appropriate code is generated by the microprocessor IC20 which identifies which of the four pushbuttons (PS1..PS4) has been activated. The power is generated by two lithium button batteries BT10, BT20 of 3V each, connected in series to provide a total voltage of 6V.
The remote controller HF1 emits its own recognition code, comprising a fixed identification code and a variable identification code which changes automatically on each operation of the remote controller. The microprocessor IC9 can be programmed by the user to recognize different codes.
The complete electronic scheme of Figures 1, 2 and 3 together with the data of the following table make a more detailed description superfluous for the expert of the art.
The invention is not limited to the aforegoing particular description, and modifications and improvements can be made thereto without leaving the scope of protection of the following claims.

Claims

A lock control system of the type comprising lock operating means governed by an electrical actuator controlled by an electronic circuit comprising a receiver for encoded radio-frequency signals emitted by a portable transmitter, characterised by comprising a first microprocessor activated by a second microprocessor programmed to decode and compare the encoded radio-frequency signal and to activate said first microprocessor on recognizing said encoded signal, said first microprocessor, once activated, being arranged to process data received from magnetic sensors sensing when the lock is completely unlocked and completely locked and to cause the electrical actuator to operate in one direction or the other.
A system as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said first microprocessor is always activated to cause an alarm siren to operate in response to the pulse of a vibration sensor positioned on the door on which the lock is mounted.
A system as claimed in claim 1, characterised by comprising a power circuit consisting of a transformer, a diode rectifier bridge, at least one dry battery providing the energy for the entire system, and at least one normally disconnected emergency battery able to unlock the lock if the dry battery is spent, and connectable to the system by approaching with a magnet a suitable operator (reed switch) positioned on the inside of the door.