Input device, input method and application of electronic combination lock

• US 8,638,227 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2004
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shanghai Buddy Technological Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Shanghai Buddy Technological Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yuan, Mengxiao
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): EUSTAQUIO, CAL J
• Application Number:
  US10/575,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20070133802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,466 Days
• Field of Search: 702/781, 340/5.55, 340/5.31
• US Class Current: 340/542
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 49/00 Electric permutation locks; Circuits therefor ; Mechanical aspects of electronic locks; Mechanical keys therefor arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; mechanisms including electronic locks actuated by nonmechanical keys such as passive and active electrical keys and other data carriers G07C9/00, G07F7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00666 with dials
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password

Abstract

The invention provides an input device of the electronic combination lock and a corresponding input method thereof, wherein a signal device produces combination input information and converts said information into two groups of electrical pulse signals; a measurement and control device measures the electrical pulse signals, decides the order of the electrical pulse signals and calculates correspondingly such that said signals are converted into character sequences including the combination elements, and decides whether the current combination elements are confirmed to be inputted or not and decides whether the input of all the combination elements is completed or not; a confirmation device produces a conformation signal for inputting the combination elements; and a display device displays said character sequences and preset prompt information in a rolling and refreshing manner. The invention also provides a door lock handle and a panel of the combination lock for the chests and bags applying the above said input device of the electronic combination lock. In said input device of the electronic combination lock and the application thereof, the operation parts do not contact with the circuit, the reliability and the security protection performance have been improved significantly. Furthermore, the operation for inputting the combination and the operation for changing the combination are very convenient and intuitional.

Claims

1. An input device of an electronic combination lock, comprising:

a signal device for producing combination input information and for converting said information into two groups of electrical pulse signals;

a measurement and control device connected to said signal device for measuring the electrical pulse signals outputted from the signal device, deciding the order of the electrical pulse signals and calculating correspondingly such that said signals are converted into character sequences including combination elements, and deciding whether said current combination elements are confirmed to be inputted or not and deciding whether the input of all the combination elements is completed or not;

a confirmation device connected with said measurement and control device and used for producing a confirmation signal for inputting each single entry of a combination element to indicate that the input of the single entry is confirmed; and

a display device connected with said measurement and control device for displaying, said character sequences and for displaying prefabricated prompt information in a rolling and refreshing manner by the driving of said measurement and control device,

wherein said confirmation device is a switch device, an electrical signal produced when it is closed allows said measurement and control device to confirm the current combination element displayed by said display device as a part of a final input combination,

said signal device consists essentially of;

a panel body,

a rotatable dial installed on said panel body,

a drive shaft located at a center of said dial,

a set of driving gears installed on said drive shaft,

a driven gear engaged with said driving gears, and

an electromechanical rotating coder coupled with said driven gear on the drive shaft, a rotor of the coder having a mechanical driving relationship with the dial and rotating following the dial, the coder having two code signal output terminals, wherein when the dial rotates in a clockwise direction, an electrical pulse signal outputted from a first output terminal keeps ahead while when the dial rotates in a counterclockwise direction, an electrical pulse signal outputted from a second output terminal keeps ahead, the number of the pulses included in the two groups of electrical pulse signals being proportional to an angle through which the rotor of the coder has rotated, and frequencies of the pulse signals being proportional to a rotation rate of the rotor of the coder,

wherein said measurement and control device is a programmed microcontroller;

wherein said display device is an information display screen,

wherein said switch device is a photoelectric switch,

wherein said programmed microcontroller, said coder, said information display screen and said photoelectric switch are provided on a same circuit board, said circuit hoard is provided within said panel body, and said microcontroller is connected electrically with said coder, said information display screen and said photoelectric switch, respectively,

wherein the outer edge of said dial is a circular skirt-like fringe, the position of said photoelectric switch corresponds to the skirt-like fringe of said dial, when said dial is depressed, the light transmitted to the photoelectric switch is blocked by said skirt-like fringe, thereby a signal is produced by said photoelectric switch, and

wherein the single combination entry is a single character or single digit entry.

2. The input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 1, wherein said measurement and control device is also used for deciding whether during a given timing period which starts each time when a signal is produced by said confirmation device, the timing period expires or not and if the timing period expires, then it decides that the input is during overtime.

3. The input device of the electronic combination lock as described ir claim 1, wherein the preset information displayed by said display device is indicated by symbols, wherein the close and open states of the lock are indicated by a symbol having a padlock shape, the time at which the lock is opened on time or is delayed to be opened is indicated by a symbol having a clock shape, the code setting state is indicated by a symbol having a key shape, and low power of battery is indicated by a symbol having a battery shape, and the confirmation states of the respective parts of the combination are indicated in turn by the remaining dot symbols.

4. The input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 1, wherein the outer edge of said dial is a circular skirt-like fringe, the position of said photoelectric switch corresponds to the skirt-like fringe of said dial, when said dial is depressed, the light transmitted to the photoelectric switch is blocked by said skirt-like fringe, thereby a signal is produced by said photoelectric switch.

5. The input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 1, wherein the upper part and lower part of said panel body are hunched to be ear-edge shaped, and said panel body further comprises:

grooves provided in back of said ear edge and matched with the fingers;

a display window, the shape and size of which matches with the shape and size of said information display screen, and which forms an oblique angle together with said information display screen for viewing effectively the displayed information; and

a guiding hole provided at the display window side of said panel body for inserting an emergency key.

6. The input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 1, wherein it further comprises a reset spring installed within an internal axial hole provided on said drive shaft of said dial.

7. The input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 1, wherein a concentric circle plane gullet is provided on the internal end face of each of said set of driving gears, and a blind hole is provided on said plane gullet at a position corresponding to said panel body, and a steel ball and a spring are installed in said blind hole, said steel ball contacts and matches with the concentric circle plane gullet of said driving gear under the action of the spring.

8. An input device of an electronic combination lock, comprising:

a signal device for producing combination input information and for converting said information into two groups of electrical pulse signals;

a measurement and control device connected to said signal device for measuring the electrical pulse signals outputted from the signal device, deciding the order of the electrical pulse signals and calculating correspondingly such that said signals are converted into character sequences including the combination elements, and deciding, whether said current combination elements are confirmed to be inputted or not and deciding whether the input of all the combination elements is completed or not;

a confirmation device connected with said measurement and control device and used for producing a conformation signal for inputting a single entry of a combination element to indicate that the input of the single entry is confirmed; and

a display device connected with said measurement and control device for displaying said character sequences and for displaying prefabricated prompt information in a rolling and refreshing manner by the driving of said measurement and control device, wherein said confirmation device is a switch device, an electric signal produced when it is closed allows said measurement and control device to confirm the current combination element displayed by said display device as a part of the input combination, wherein,

the signal device is a roller device, the signal device consisting essentially of;

a roller;

a coder coaxial with the roller; and

an elastic bracket for supporting said roller,

wherein the roller consists essentially of;

a photoelectric wheel;

a light emitting diode; and

a phototriode that are disposed at two sides of the photoelectric wheel,

wherein a rotation direction and a rotated angle of the roller are converted into electrical pulse signals via the photoelectric wheel, the light emitting diode and the phototriode,

wherein said measurement and control device is a programmed microcontroller,

wherein said display device is an information display screen,

wherein said switch device is a microswitch provided below the shaft extension of the roller,

wherein said microcontroller is connected electrically with said coder, information display screen and microswitch respectively, and

wherein the single combination entry is a single character or single digit entry.

9. The input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 8, wherein,

said information display screen is used for displaying 1-bit or 2-bit number in a circularly rolling manner of an ascending order or descending order according to the direction and angle of the rotation of said roller;

said microswitch is used for that when the roller is depressed, the microswitch is actuated by the shah extension of said roller, thereby the rolling display of said information display screen is stopped, so that the number displayed currently is confirmed as a part of the combination; and

said elastic bracket is used for resetting said roller after releasing the depressed roller.

10. A handle of a combination lock, wherein said handle is hollow and comprises:

an input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 8, which is fixed within a cavity of said handle;

a first window provided on the surface of said handle, the first window corresponds to said roller may be dialed and depressed;

a second window provided on the surface of the handle, the second window corresponds to said information display screen thereby the contents displayed may be viewed; and

a rotation shaft fixed within the handle with a hole used for the wires to be passed through provided therein,

wherein the input device of the electronic combination lock is connected with a combination identification device of the combination lock and a power supply which are installed inside the core mechanism of the lock or installed at other position inside the door via the wires.

11. A handle of a combination lock, wherein said handle is hollow and comprises:

a handle body comprises a rotation shaft fixed therein, and a hole provided inside said rotation shaft for allowing the connection wires to be passed through;

a panel, the input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 8 is installed inside the panel, a first window, which corresponds to said roller thereby said roller may be dialed and depressed, and a second window, which corresponds to said information display screen thereby the contents displayed may be viewed, are provided on said panel; and

a transparent window cover provided on a plane on which there is said second window,

wherein a hollowed region, which has the size and shape matching with that of said panel, is provided on the front surface of the handle body, thereby said panel can be embedded therein, and

said handle of the combination lock is connected with a combination identification device and a power supply of the combination lock, which are installed, inside the core mechanism of the lock or installed at other positions inside the door, via the wires.

12. A handle of a combination lock, wherein it comprises;

a handle body;

a handle base with the microcontroller and information display screen of said input device of the electronic combination lock described in claim 8 installed therein, and a second window, which corresponds to said information display screen thereby the displayed contents may be viewed, is provided on the front face of the base; and

a panel, a roller device of the input device of the electronic combination lock as described in claim 8 is installed inside the panel, a first window having the size and shape matching with that of the roller thereby said roller may be dialed and depressed is provided on the surface of said panel,

wherein said handle is hollow, and a cavity matching with the size and shape of said panel is provided on the from surface of the handle, thereby said panel can be embedded therein, and

said input device of the electronic combination lock is connected electrically with a combination identification device and a power supply of the combination lock which are installed inside the core mechanism of the lock or installed at other positions inside the door via the wires.

13. A panel of a combination lock for chests and bags, wherein the panel of the combination lock for the chests and bags is fixed on the external surface of the chest body, it comprises:

an input device of the electronic, combination lock as described in claim 8 installed within said panel;

a first window provided on the surface of said panel, which matches with the size and shape of said roller thereby said roller may be dialed and depressed; and

a second window provided on said panel, which matches with the size and shape of said information display screen and having a transparent window cover provided thereon thereby the displayed contents may be viewed,

wherein said input device of the combination lock is connected with a combination identification device and a power supply of the combination lock which are installed inside the chest body via the wires.