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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
First Claim
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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, andan 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, andwherein the single combination entry is a single character or single digit entry.

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