Electronic lock with selectable power off function
First Claim
1. A lock apparatus, comprising:
- a lock housing;
an electronic controller disposed within the lock housing and operable to control a state of the lock between locked and unlocked positions;
an electronic actuator disposed within the lock housing and electrically coupled to the controller, the electronic actuator movable between first and second positions corresponding to a locked position and an unlocked position of the lock apparatus, respectively;
a capacitor disposed within the lock housing and electrically coupled to the controller and the electronic actuator, the capacitor configured to store electrical energy; and
an electronic selector component having a first portion disposed within the lock housing and a second portion extending from the lock housing, the second portion being transitionable between a connecting state and a disconnecting state, the electronic selector component operable to define a desired electrical state of the lock apparatus as one of an electrically locked (EL) and an electrically unlocked (EU) state in an electric power-off condition; and
wherein the capacitor, in the electric power-off condition, is configured to supply stored electrical energy to move the electronic actuator between the first and second positions, and wherein the connecting state and the disconnecting state of the electronic selector component correspond to one of the EL and EU states.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method is disclosed for electronic locks with a selectable power off function. The electronic lock includes an electronic controller disposed within a lock housing and operable to control a state of the lock between locked and unlocked positions. An electronic actuator electrically coupled to the controller is movable between first and second positions corresponding to a locked position and an unlocked position of the lock, respectively. The electronic lock further includes at least one electrical energy storage device and a selector switch coupled to the controller to define a desired state of the lock between one of an electrically locked (EL) and an electrically unlocked (EU) state in an electric power off condition.
55 Citations
27 Claims
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1. A lock apparatus, comprising:
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a lock housing; an electronic controller disposed within the lock housing and operable to control a state of the lock between locked and unlocked positions; an electronic actuator disposed within the lock housing and electrically coupled to the controller, the electronic actuator movable between first and second positions corresponding to a locked position and an unlocked position of the lock apparatus, respectively; a capacitor disposed within the lock housing and electrically coupled to the controller and the electronic actuator, the capacitor configured to store electrical energy; and an electronic selector component having a first portion disposed within the lock housing and a second portion extending from the lock housing, the second portion being transitionable between a connecting state and a disconnecting state, the electronic selector component operable to define a desired electrical state of the lock apparatus as one of an electrically locked (EL) and an electrically unlocked (EU) state in an electric power-off condition; and wherein the capacitor, in the electric power-off condition, is configured to supply stored electrical energy to move the electronic actuator between the first and second positions, and wherein the connecting state and the disconnecting state of the electronic selector component correspond to one of the EL and EU states. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An electronic lock, comprising:
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a lock housing; a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed in the lock housing, the PCB having a memory, a microcontroller, and an electrical energy storage device configured to store electrical energy; an electronic actuator disposed in the lock housing and operable to move the electronic lock between locked and unlocked positions when a command signal is received from the microcontroller; wherein the microcontroller and electronic actuator receive electrical power from an external power source under a power-on condition and receive electrical power from the electrical energy storage device during a power-off condition; and an electronic selector having a first portion disposed within the lock housing and a second portion extending from the lock housing, the second portion being transitionable between a connecting state and a disconnecting state, the electronic selector configured to signal the microcontroller to set the operating state of the electronic lock to one of an electric locked (EL) state and an electric unlocked (EU) state in the power-off condition, wherein the electrical energy storage device in the power-off condition is configured to supply stored electrical energy to the electronic actuator to move the electronic actuator between the locked and unlocked positions, wherein the connecting state and the disconnecting state correspond to one of the EL and EU states. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for controlling an electronic lock under a power-off condition, the lock including a lock member and a lock housing, the method comprising:
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charging an electric energy storage device located in the lock housing from an external electric power source and storing electrical energy in the electric energy storage device; selecting, with an electronic component having a first portion positioned partially internal to the lock housing and a second portion positioned partially external to the lock housing, a desired electrical state of the lock member in the power-off condition, wherein the desired electrical state includes one of an electrically locked (EL) and an electrically unlocked (EU) state; and moving the lock member to the desired electrical state with the stored electrical energy in the electric energy storage device in the power-off condition. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification