EP1997983A1 - Biometric Control Cylinder Lock Adaptor Mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention proposes a dummy lock barrel shaped to appear as a conventional lock cylinder and which can conventionally be fixed to the door around the bridge-like region below a vertical gap in between the two cylinder halves. A doorknob shaped driving assembly set coaxial to said dummy cylinder's longitudinal axis is arranged to control locking and unlocking of the driving pawl in between two cylinder halves so as to actuate post-barrel mechanisms in a conventional manner. A further control unit is adapted to communicate with said driving assembly to actuate the driver means in the event authorization is granted. Said control unit comprises a biometric sensor for granting access and both said driving means and said control unit are powered by embedded batteries.

Description

Technical Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to an electrical biometric lock mechanism adapted to be replacing an existing lock mechanism by way of easy and instant demounting.
Background of the Invention
• Electrical lock mechanisms are widely used overall the world and are especially convenient for multiple access control systems. Although requiring an electrical power source and wiring, electrical locks for individual home users are also available in the market. Such locks can be modified to be incorporating a power source without requiring further wiring for home users. Those are however still deficient in that it is not always possible to replace an existing conventional cylinder lock mechanism with a biometric electrical lock by way of easy and instant mounting.
• Electrical locks of the type enabling biometric control of authorized users are also practiced in prior art systems and are commercially available. Among others,GB2402428 for instance, proposes a biometric system having a cylinder insert for a conventional cylinder barrel lock. The control mechanism requires either biometric sensor information or a programmed sequence of button pushes to be inputted via a keypad. The referred disclosure enabling biometric control, however, is fairly complex to be implemented into an existing barrel lock and requires considerable work and time compared to the simple approach adopted by the present invention in order for modifying an existing conventional lock barrel.
• Therefore an electrical biometric lock which is easily adaptable to replace an existing conventional lock mechanism with a biometric lock mechanism is of need in the market. The lock mechanism according to the present invention can be mounted as fast as possible to the extent that it practically requires the same amount of work and time compared to replacing said existing conventional cylinder mechanism with another conventional cylinder mechanism.
• The lock mechanism according to the present invention is designed to be mounted on almost every door previously comprising a conventional cylinder lock mechanism.
Objects of the Invention
• The primary object of the present invention is to provide a biometric lock mechanism adapted to replace an existing conventional lock cylinder mechanism easily and instantly.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a biometric lock assembly which is adapted to be mounted on every door previously comprising a conventional cylinder lock mechanism and without further mechanical processing on the door. In particular, the object is to provide a biometric lock assembly which can be mounted without e.g. drilling or otherwise modifying the structure of a door equipped with a conventional cylinder lock and in the absence of additional fastening means.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a biometric lock assembly which does not require additional power source, such as feed from mains supply.
Summary of the Invention
• The present invention proposes a dummy lock barrel shaped as a conventional lock cylinder and which can conventionally be fixed to the door around the bridge-like region below a vertical gap in between the two cylinder halves. A doorknob shaped driving assembly set coaxial to said dummy cylinder's longitudinal axis is arranged to control locking and unlocking of the driving pawl in between two cylinder halves so as to actuate post-barrel lock mechanisms in a conventional manner. A further control unit is adapted to communicate with said driving assembly to actuate the driver means in the event that an authorization is granted. Said control unit comprises a biometric sensor for granting access and both said driving means and said control unit are powered by embedded batteries.
• The electrical lock system comprises an electric motor and a remote control unit for authenticating authorized users prior to granting permission and communicating such information to a motor driver circuitry. A lock cylinder, typically having two half-housings divided by a notch in which a rotatably arranged pawl is driven to actuate post-barrel lock mechanisms is coupled to the electric motor. The motor is built-in in a doorknob integrally formed with said lock cylinder. The axis of rotation of said motor is arranged coaxial to the cylinder's longitudinal axis such that the motor's shaft extends along the half housing between the doorknob and the notch and along a cylinder adaptor region integrating the doorknob to the lock cylinder in order for said motor's shaft to be coupled to the pawl.
Brief Description of the Figures
• Accompanying drawings are given solely for the purpose of exemplifying a biometric lock assembly whose advantages over prior art were outlined above and will be explained in detail hereinafter:
• Fig. 1a demonstrates a perspective side view of a cylinder lock and driver mechanism in the form of a doorknob according to the present invention.
• Fig. 1b demonstrates a side view of the cylinder lock and driver mechanism.
• Fig. 1c demonstrates a front perspective view of the system ofFig. 1 and2.
• Fig. 2 demonstrates the control unit in wireless communication with said driver mechanism according to the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
• Referring now to the figures outlined above, the biometric lock assembly comprises a dummy cylinder (11) which is identical to a conventional pin tumbler cylinder lock in shape. It typically comprises a longitudinally extending cylindrical portion (12) in the form of two divisions or cylindrical half-housings (13) and a flat portion (14) extending parallel to the upper cylindrical portion with a notch (15) in the middle, through which a pawl is rotatably movable between said divisions, to operate post barrel lock mechanisms.
• The lock assembly according to the present invention can easily and instantly be mounted to replace an existing conventional lock cylinder. To this end, steps taken in order for mounting the biometric lock assembly of the present invention are similar to those for mounting a conventional cylinder lock without requiring any further step. Therefore the biometric lock can easily be mounted by way of fixing the mounting screw at the screw hole (16) located on said bridge-like portion.
• The biometric lock with a lock cylinder having a conventional lock cylinder's appearance in shape is adapted to be integral to a driving unit (17) in the form of a doorknob (17). Said doorknob (17) incorporates a motor for effecting locking and unlocking of the post barrel lock mechanisms by way of rotating said pawl. The motor is powered by means of built-in e.g. AA size alkaline batteries, also embedded within said doorknob (17). The motor is typically a small brushed or brushless DC motor in which speed and torque control can easily be done by adjusting the voltage and high operating torque with a reduced speed can be achieved in order for unlocking the door. Typical drive circuits according to the basic control principle above are available in the market and mention of further details of motor control circuitry is deemed needless.
• The motor is driven to operate and unlock the lock only when a user is granted authorization, i.e. when a pre-registered fingerprint pattern is authenticated by a remote module (18) and information of authorization status is communicated to said drive circuitry. As the essential approach adopted by the preferred embodiment of the present invention offers simplicity and allowability of easy replacement of an existing cylinder lock in a manner as quickest as possible by a biometric cylinder lock, use of a remote authentication module in wireless communication with the drive circuitry of the motor assembly set within a doorknob which is integral to a dummy cylinder lock (11) identical to a tumbler pin conventional cylinder lock in geometric terms provides a biometric cylinder lock which can in no time be mounted to be ready for operation.
• The fingerprint reader module (18) according to the present invention may comprise sensors of any type. All fingerprint sensors generate a digital picture of the finger surface. The picture normally has a pixel resolution of 500 dpi. Sensors may be of any type of capacitive, optical or thermal sensors. Various products having different characteristics in terms of image quality, indoor-outdoor use, personal-public use, size, cost, sensitivity against vandalism and electrostatic discharge sensitivity are available in the market.
• In brief, the fingerprint reader module (18) communicating with the doorknob (17) according to the present invention may be of any suitable type as long as it is convenient for achieving the general object of the invention, i.e. providing fingerprint authentication and establishing wireless communication with the drive mechanism. Lithium powered modules are also available in the market. Such modules are suitable for storing a plurality of pre-registered fingerprint patterns to substantiate identities thereof.
• Although not being a distinguishing feature, the reader module (18) and the doorknob (17) unit according to the present invention communicate with each other using RF to grant permission for uniquely identified fingerprint patterns. The two-way encoded communication and hardware enabling such communication is not of interest as far as the present invention is concerned.
• Further referring toFig. 1, the lock cylinder (11) is adjoined to said driving unit, i.e. the doorknob (17) through an adaptor portion (19). The cross-section taken on a point along the longitudinal axis of said lock cylinder (11) is identical to a cross-section of said lock adaptor (19) taken on the same axis. The cylinder adaptor portion (19) is merely designed to integrate said doorknob (17), which comprises means for communicating with said remote module (18) and means for driving said motor, to said dummy cylinder (11) between the cylindrical half-housings (13) of which a rotatably arranged pawl actuates post-barrel lock mechanisms in a conventional manner. The half housing (20) between said doorknob (17) and said notch (15) comprises motor shaft being coupled to said pawl, the latter functioning in a conventional manner.
• Integration of a doorknob (17) having a built-in motor directly into a lock cylinder which is identical to a conventional pin tumbler cylinder lock in shape by means of said adaptor region (19) provides a motor-cylinder assembly which can easily and quickly replace an existing cylinder lock mechanism.
• In a nutshell, the present invention proposes an electrical lock system comprising an electrical motor, a remote control unit (18) for authenticating authorized users prior to granting permission and communicating such information to a motor driver circuitry, an a lock cylinder (11). Said cylinder (11) has two half-housings (13, 20) divided by a notch (15) in which a rotatably arranged pawl is driven to actuate post-barrel lock mechanisms. Said motor (17) is built-in in a doorknob (17) which is integrally formed with said lock cylinder (11) and whose axis of rotation is arranged coaxial to said cylinder's (11) longitudinal axis. Said motor's shaft extend along the half housing (20) between said doorknob (17) and said notch (15) and along a cylinder adaptor region (19) integrating said doorknob (17) to said lock cylinder (11) in order for said motor's shaft to be coupled to said pawl.

Claims (5)

1. An electrical lock system comprising an electric motor, a remote control unit (18) for authenticating authorized users prior to granting permission and communicating such information to a motor driver circuitry, said system further comprising a lock cylinder (11) having two half-housings (13, 20) divided by a notch (15) in which a rotatably arranged pawl is driven to actuate post-barrel lock mechanisms wherein said motor is built-in in a doorknob (17) integrally formed with said lock cylinder (11) and whose axis of rotation is arranged coaxial to said cylinder's (11) longitudinal axis such that said motor's shaft extend along the half housing (20) between said doorknob (17) and said notch (15) and along a cylinder adaptor region (19) integrating said doorknob (17) to said lock cylinder (11) in order for said motor's shaft to be coupled to said pawl.
2. An electrical lock system as set forth in Claim 1 wherein said remote control unit (18) is a fingerprint reader module.
3. An electrical lock system as set forth in Claim 1 or 2 wherein said remote control (18) unit is adapted to establish wireless communication with said motor driver circuitry.
4. An electrical lock system as set forth in Claim 3 wherein said remote control (18) is equipped with built-in batteries.
5. An electrical lock system as set forth in any of the proceeding Claims wherein said doorknob (17) is equipped with built-in batteries for powering said motor driving circuitry.

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