Actuator for door lock mechanism

• US 5,332,273 A
• Filed: 07/29/1992
• Issued: 07/26/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Harada Kogyo KK
• Original Assignee: Harada Kogyo KK
• Inventors: Komachi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US07/921,935
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 292/201, 292/336.3, 292/DIG. 25, 292/144
• US Class Current: 292/336.3
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 81/25 Actuators mounted separately from the lock and controlling the lock functions through mechanical connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 292/25 Remote control
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 292/57 Operators with knobs or handles

Abstract

An actuator for a door lock mechanism, that is capable of sufficiently securing a strong driving force as well as a necessary stroke quantum, that is small in size, and that makes manual operation possible under a light load, comprising: a columnar body that is rotated by a forward-reverse motor and provided with, on its outer circumferential surface, a first spiral stage, which forms an upward gradient in a first direction when the columnar body rotates in a forward direction, a second spiral stage which forms an upper-gradient in a second direction when the columnar body rotates in a reverse direction; and a displacement component having one end driven to move in the first direction by the first spiral stage at the time of the positive rotation of the columnar body and in the second direction by the second spiral stage when the columnar body rotates in the reverse direction, thus causing another end of the displacement component to actuate a latch mechanism for locking doors.

Claims

1. An actuator for a door lock mechanism comprising:

a motor that rotates reciprocally in response to a control signal supplied thereto;

a columnar body driven to rotate by said motor, said columnar body having, on the peripheral surface, a first spiral stage, which provides an upward gradient in a first direction along a center axis of said columnar body when said columnar body rotates in a forward direction, and a second spiral stage, which provides an upward gradient in a second direction along said center axis of said columnar body when said columnar body rotates in a reverse direction; and

a displacement component, one end of said displacement component being driven to move in said first direction by said first spiral stage when said columnar body makes said forward rotation and also being driven to move in said second direction by said second spiral stage when said columnar body makes said reverse rotation, thus causing another end of said displacement component to actuate a door lock latch mechanism; and

wherein said columnar body is rotated to return to its original position via a rebounding force of a spring after being driven to rotate a specific angle by said motor, and said displacement component, first spiral stage and second spiral stage are set for their mutual positional relations so as to prevent said one end of said displacement component from coming into contact with said first and second spiral stages at least when said columnar body is in said original position after rotating back thereto.

2. An actuator for a door lock mechanism comprising:

a motor that rotates reciprocally in response to a control signal supplied thereto;

a columnar body driven to rotate by said motor, said columnar body having, on the peripheral surface, a first spiral stage, which provides and upward gradient in a first direction along a center axis of said columnar body when said columnar body rotates in a forward direction, and a second spiral stage, which provides an upward gradient in a second direction along said center axis of said columnar body when said columnar body rotates in a reverse direction; and

a displacement component, one end of said displacement component being driven to move in said first direction by said first spiral stage when said columnar body makes said forward rotation and also being driven to move in said second direction by said second spiral stage when said columnar body makes said reverse rotation, thus causing another end of said displacement component to actuate a door lock latch mechanism; and

wherein said first spiral stage and said second spiral stage are formed in such a manner that a lead angle of spiral portions of said spiral stages is changed gradually relative to an outer circumferential surface of said columnar body which is in a conical shape.