Lock system

Abstract

 The invention relates to a lock system comprising a mechanical lock comprising: a lock casing comprising a first bolt being movable between an unlocked position in which the first bolt is fully comprised by the lock casing and a locked position in which the first bolt is partially located outside the casing; a first electromechanical actuator connected to the bolt, which first electromechanical actuator is arranged to move the first bolt from the unlocked position to the locked position in response to receiving an electrical pulse; and a second electromechanical actuator that in response to receiving an electrical pulse enables the first bolt to move from the locked position to the unlocked position.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to a lock system comprising a mechanical lock and in particular a mechanical lock that can be operated by means of electrical actuation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] US 4,800,741 discloses a lock system comprising - among others - a housing, a bolt displaceable in the housing, a strike which receives the bolt, a solenoid which is mounted on the housing and has a coil, a plunger which is axially reciprocal in the coil, a spring which is operatively braced between a crosspiece fin and the housing and an apparatus which electrically energises the coil.

[0003] The spring urges the bolt is urged in an outer position, so at least partially sticking outside the housing, for locking a door. By energising the solenoid, the bolt is retracted to permit a door in which the lock system is placed to be opened. The bolt can be held in retracted position if desired. This is done by leaving the solenoid energised, which means that the solenoid is constantly provided with a current. This results in heating up of the windings of the coil, which may finally result in damaging or even destruction of the coil.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] There appears to be a need for a lock system that uses energy in a more efficient way.

[0005] In a first aspect the invention provides a lock system comprising a mechanical lock comprising: a lock casing comprising a first bolt being movable between an unlocked position in which the first bolt is fully comprised by the lock casing and a locked position in which the first bolt is partially located outside the casing; a first electromechanical actuator connected to the bolt, which first electromechanical actuator is arranged to move the first bolt from the unlocked position to the locked position in response to receiving an electrical pulse; and a second electromechanical actuator that in response to receiving an electrical pulse enables the first bolt to move from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0006] By providing an additional electromechanical actuator enabling the first bolt to move from the locked position to the unlocked position, there is no need anymore for the first electromechanical actuator to be energised to keep the lock in an unlocked position. In addition, there is no need anymore for a spring to urge the bolt in the locked position. Both features are with prior art required to move the bolt back to the locked position for locking a door in which the lock was fit, upon de-energising the solenoid. AS indicated, placing the first bolt back in the locked position is done by providing a pulse to the second electromechanical actuator that in response to receiving an electrical pulse enables the first bolt to move from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0007] A first advantage of this set up is that energy is only used to lock or unlock the lock, so less energy is used. A second advantage is that the door can be kept unlocked for a longer amount of time, without heat dissipation building up in electromechanical actuators that may lead to damaging or destruction of the electromechanical actuators. In particular windings of solenoids are susceptible to this issue.

[0008] In an embodiment of the lock system according to the invention, the lock system further comprises: a first biasing element for biasing the first bolt towards the unlocked position; and a bolt blocking member movable between a blocked position in which the blocking member is enabled to block the first bolt if the first bolt is in the locked position and an unblocked position in which the first bolt is not blocked by the bolt blocking member, wherein the second electromechanical actuator is connected to an actuating member arranged to engage with the bolt blocking member for moving the bolt blocking member from the blocked position to the unblocked position.

[0009] In this embodiment, the first bolt may be automatically blocked after a movement to the locked position. A first advantage is that this means that the bolt is well secured against tampering with the lock. A second advantage is that by providing an electrical pulse to the first electromechanical actuator, the first bolt is moved to the locked position where it can be blocked. Upon blocking, the electrical pulse can be removed and the first bolt will remain in the locked position. Upon moving the blocking member to the unblocked position, the first bolt will move to the unlocked position by virtue of the first biasing element. So an electrical pulse provided to the second electromechanical actuator will result in the first bolt moving to the unlocked position.

[0010] In a further embodiment of the lock system according to the invention, the bolt is movable in a substantially linear way, the first electromechanical actuator mechanically actuates in a substantially linear way and the bolt and the first electromechanical actuator are coupled by means of a coupling member translating a movement of the electromechanical actuator in a movement of the bolt that is substantially perpendicular to the movement of the first electromechanical actuator. This allows a more compact design of the lock system.

[0011] In another embodiment of the lock system according to the invention, the first electromechanical actuator is a solenoid comprising a first winding and a first movable armature arranged to move in a substantially linear way; and the second electromechanical actuator is a solenoid comprising a second winding and a second movable armature arranged to move in a substantially linear way. Solenoids are well known and widely available actuators, making construction of the lock system convenient.

[0012] In yet a further embodiment of the lock system according to the invention, the bolt is moved to the locked position by the first movable armature moving into the first winding. The advantage here is that while moving the bolt to the locked position, force built up in the biasing element may increase. With the first movable armature moving into the first winding, the force exerted by the first winding on the first movable armature is built up as well. This prevents issues in case the force exerted on the first movable armature would decrease during moving the first bolt to the locked position.

[0013] Yet another embodiment of the lock system according to the invention comprises a sensor for detecting whether the first bolt is in at least one pre-determined position. This embodiment provides possibilities for controlling electrical pulses to the lock system in a controlled way. By detecting the position of the first bolt, feedback data is generated that may in turn be used to provide any electrical pulses for actuating the electromechanical actuators in an efficient way. Pulses for putting the first bolt to a pre-determined position need only to be provided until it has been detected that the first bolt is in that pre-determined position.

[0014] In a second aspect, the invention provides a building locking system comprising: at least one lock system according to any of the preceding claims; and a lock control unit couplable to the lock system and enabled to actuate the electromechanical actuator of the lock system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The invention and embodiments thereof will now be further elucidated by means of Figures. In the Figures:

Figure 1

discloses a first embodiment of the lock system according to the invention;

Figure 2

discloses a second embodiment of the lock system according to the invention;

Figure 3

discloses a third embodiment of the lock system according to the invention;

Figure 4

shows a locking cylinder; and

Figure 5

shows an embodiment of the building locking system.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Figure 1 A discloses a first lock system 100 as an embodiment of the lock system according to the invention. Whereas practical embodiments of the lock system according to the invention will in most cases comprise more elements than disclosed in Figure 1 A, Figure 1A primarily discloses the lock system 100 comprising elements that are relevant for describing the invention and embodiments thereof. This applies to Figure 1 B as well, which discloses the lock system 100 in a closed or locked state, whereas Figure 1A discloses the lock system 100 in an opened or unlocked state.

[0017] The lock system 100 comprises a lock casing 110 comprising a bolt 112. The bolt 112 is slidable between an unlocked position wherein the bolt 112 is located inside the lock casing 110 as shown by Figure 1A and a locked position wherein the bolt is partially located outside the lock casing 110 as shown by Figure 1B. The lock system 100 further comprises a bolt spring 116 acting as a biasing element, a bolt blocking tumbler shaft 120, a blocking spring 128, a first solenoid 130 comprising a first plunger 134 and a first stationary part 132 comprising a first coil (not shown) in which the first plunger 134 fits and a bolt connecting element 136 connected to the first plunger 134.

[0018] The lock system 100 is preferably fit in a door, with the bolt 112 engaging with a hole in a doorpost for locking the door. The door is locked with the bolt 112 is in the locked position and the door is unlocked with the bolt 112 in the unlocked position or in any case substantially comprised by the lock casing 110 that the bolt 112 is not in the hole of the doorpost anymore.

[0019] The blocking tumbler shaft 120 is slidable by virtue of an elongated opening 122 in the blocking tumbler shaft 120 in which a holding pin 124 fits, which holding pin 124 is connected to the lock casing 110. The blocking tumbler shaft 120 is slidable between an unblocked position as shown in Figure 1A and a blocked position as shown in Figure 1B. The blocking tumbler shaft 120 is biased towards the blocked position by means of the blocking spring 128 that is connected to the blocking tumbler shaft 120 via a blocking spring pin 126 protruding from the side of the blocking tumbler shaft 120.

[0020] The position of the bolt 112 can be controlled by means of a key, as will be discussed later in further detail. By operating the key in a first direction, preferably by turning it clockwise, viewed from the drawing plane, the blocking tumbler shaft 120 can be slid towards the unblocked position and subsequently the bolt 112 can be slid back to the unlocked position by the same key operation. As the bolt 112 is biased towards the unlocked position by means of the bolt spring 116 acting on a bolt spring pin 114 protruding from the side of the bolt 112, sliding the bolt 112 to the unlocked position will be a relatively light operation.

[0021] By operating the key in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, the bolt 112 can be slid from the unlocked position to the locked position. It is noted that this action involves loading the bolt spring 116. If the bolt 112 has been moved to the locked position, the blocking tumbler shaft 120 is slid towards the blocked position by virtue of the biasing force of the blocking spring 128, thus acting as a bolt blocking member that is blocking the bolt 112 from moving from the locked position to the unlocked position.

[0022] As already discussed, the lock system 100 may be closed by operating a key. Additionally or alternatively, the lock system 100 may be closed remotely by means of the first solenoid 130. By applying a current to the first coil comprised by the first stationary part 132 of the first solenoid 130, the first plunger 134 is expelled from the first stationary part 132 by virtue of an electromagnetic force. This results in pushing out the bolt 112 from the lock casing, via the connecting member 136. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that the first plunger 134 may also be directly connected to the bolt 112. As the first coil may be energised remotely by providing an electrical current via wires, the lock system 100 may be closed remotely.

[0023] After the bolt 112 has been pushed out, the bolt 112 is blocked by the blocking tumbler shaft 120 as discussed before. This means that the first coil of the first solenoid 130 only requires to be energised for a limited period. This period should be long enough to move the first plunger 134 so far out that the bolt 112 is expelled from the lock casing 110 and the blocking tumbler shaft 120 is pulled down by the blocking spring 128 to block the bolt 112 in its expelled or locked position. With the bolt 112 blocked by the blocking tumbler shaft 120, the bolt 112 cannot be retracted anymore by means of the bolt spring 116 and the first coil of the first solenoid 130 does not have to be energised anymore.

[0024] With the lock system 110 being enabled to be closed remotely, there may also be a need to open the lock system 110 remotely as well. To this end, the lock system 100 is provided with a second solenoid 230 as depicted in Figure 2A en Figure 2B. The first solenoid 130 (Figure 1) has been omitted to enhance clarity of the figure, but the features additionally disclosed in Figure 2 can be combined with those of Figure 1.

[0025] Figure 2 A shows the lock system 100 in the closed state, with the blocking tumbler shaft 120 blocking the bolt 112 thus holding the bolt 112 in the locked or expelled position. The blocking tumbler shaft 120 is kept in place by the blocking spring 128. The lock system 100 is complemented with a second solenoid 230 comprising a stationary part 232 comprising a second coil (not shown) in which a second plunger 234 is fit that is arranged to move linearly over the length of the second solenoid 230. At the lower end of the second plunger 234 a lever 236 as an actuating member is provided that engages with the blocking tumbler shaft 120.

[0026] Upon energising the second coil of the second solenoid 230 by applying a current to the second coil, the second plunger 234 is pulled inside the second coil comprised by the second stationary part 232. With this movement, the lever 236 brings along the blocking tumbler shaft 120, moving the blocking tumbler shaft 120 from the blocked position to the unblocked position.

[0027] Subsequent locking of the lock system 100 is done as described above. This means that without the first solenoid 130 or the second solenoid 230 being energised, the first plunger 134 and the second plunger 234 should be able to move freely within the first stationary part 132 and the second stationary part 232, respectively. In any case, the friction between the plungers and the stationary parts should at least be lower than the forces exerted by the bolt spring 116 and the blocking spring 128.

[0028] Figure 3 shows a lock system 300. The lock system 300 comprises a lock casing 310 comprising a bolt 312 slidable between a locked position depicted by the dashed line and an unlocked position depicted by a solid line. The bolt 312 is biased towards the locked position by a bolt spring 316 that acts on a bolt spring pin 314 that is connected to the bolt 312. The lock system further comprises a blocking tumbler shaft 320 that is slidable from the unblocked position depicted in Figure 3 to a lower blocked position in which the blocking tumbler shaft 320 blocks the bolt 312 if the bolt 312 is in the locked position depicted by the dashed line. The blocking tumbler shaft 320 is biased by a blocking spring 328 to the blocked position. The blocking spring 328 interacts with the blocking tumbler shaft 320 at the top of the blocking tumbler shaft 320. If the bolt 312 has been moved to the locked position, the blocking tumbler shaft 320 will move to the blocked position by virtue of the biasing force of the blocking spring 328.

[0029] The bolt 312 is pivotally connected to a closing tumbler 374. The bolt 312 can be moved to the locked position by moving the closing tumbler 374 to the left, viewed from the plane of Figure 3. The lock casing 310 comprises a lock cylinder opening 370 in which a lock cylinder 400 as depicted in Figure 4 may be fit. The lock cylinder 400 comprises a cylinder housing 402, a key slit 408 and a cylinder cam 404 comprising a cylinder notch 406. For operating the lock cylinder 400, a key is stuck in the key slit 408. If the combination of the key fits the combination of the lock cylinder 400, the key can be turned, resulting in turning the cylinder cam 404 with the cylinder notch 406.

[0030] With the lock cylinder 400 fitted in the lock cylinder opening 370, the cylinder notch 406 is able to interact with the closing tumbler 374, and a lower left part of the blocking tumbler shaft 320. Turning the key of the lock cylinder 400 to the left (counter clockwise) will result in the cylinder notch 406 pushing the closing tumbler 374 to the left, resulting in the connected bolt 312 to be moved to the locked position. After the bolt 312 has been moved to the locked position, the blocking tumbler shaft 320 moves to the blocked position by virtue of the force of the blocking spring 328 acting upon the blocking tumbler shaft 320.

[0031] Turning the key of the lock cylinder 400 subsequently to the right (clockwise) will result in the cylinder notch 406 interacting with an opening tumbler available behind the blocking tumbler shaft 320, pushing the opening tumbler and with that the bolt 312 connected thereto to the unlocked position. Operating the opening tumbler will also result in the blocking tumbler shaft 320 to be moved to the unblocked position, allowing the bolt 312 to be moved to the unlocked position. The blocking tumbler shaft 320 is moved upwards while turning the key clockwise by interaction of the cylinder notch 406 with the lower left part of the tumbler shaft 320.

[0032] Besides being operated by means of a key, the lock system 300 can also be remotely locked and unlocked by means of an electrical pulse. For locking, a first solenoid 370 is provided. The first solenoid 370 comprises a first stationary part 372 comprising a first coil (not shown) in which a first plunger 374 is fit. The first plunger 374 is fit such that it is linearly movable. The first plunger 374 is connected to a first connecting member 376, which connection is preferably pivotable. The first connecting member 376 is connected to a tumbler wheel 380.

[0033] A second connecting member 378 is provided to connect the tumbler wheel 380 to the bolt 312. The second connecting member may also act as the opening tumbler by providing it with a notch with which the cylinder notch 406 can engage while turned clockwise. The first solenoid 370 and the tumbler wheel 380 are located in a control housing 340. The tumbler wheel 380 translates a linear movement of the first plunger 374 to a linear movement of the bolt 312 which movement of the bolt 312 is substantially perpendicular to the linear movement of the first plunger 374.

[0034] Connecting the bolt 312 to the first solenoid 370 via the tumbler wheel 380 has multiple advantages. First, the vertical placement of the first solenoid 370 - as depicted on Figure 3 -, enabled by the tumbler wheel 380 allows a more compact design of the control housing 340. Second, the forces exerted by a solenoid coil on a plunger increase as the plunger is located further in the coil. The arrangement shown on Figure 3 allows that the expelling of the bolt 312 is done by pulling the first plunger 374 in the first stationary part 372. So the more the bolt 312 is expelled, the more force is applied. This is advantageous, because while the bolt 312 is being expelled, the bolt spring 316 is loaded and the force built up increases. The latter means that the force to be provided to the bolt 312 to overcome the force applied by the bolt spring 316 to the bolt 312 has to increase as well.

[0035] With the bolt 312 being expelled by the first plunger 374 being pushed out of the first stationary part 372, the force of pushing out the first plunger 374 would decrease, with an increasing force required to load the bolt spring 316. If at a certain moment the force exerted on the first plunger 374 would be lower than the force built up in the bolt spring 316, the risk may occur that the bolt 312 would not be fully expelled.

[0036] A micro switch 390 is provided to detect a specific location of the tumbler wheel 380. To this purpose, a projection is provided on the tumbler wheel 380, on the other side of the tumbler wheel 380 that is shown by Figure 3. The projection is arranged to interact with the micro switch 390. If the micro switch 390 is pushed by the projection, a specific location of the tumbler wheel can be detected. Preferably, the projection is provided such that the micro switch 390 is pushed when the bolt 312 is fully expelled so the lock system 300 is in the locked mode. This allows detection of full locking of the lock system 100, upon which energising the first coil of the first solenoid 370 can be stopped. In this way, an energising pulse provided to the first solenoid 370 can be kept as short as possible, thus saving energy.

[0037] The lock system 300 can also be remotely unlocked by means of an electrical pulse. To this end, the lock system 300 comprises a second solenoid 330 that is also located in the control housing 340. The second solenoid 330 comprises a second stationary part 332 comprising a second coil (not shown) and a second plunger 334 that is slidably mounted in the second stationary part 332. The second plunger 334 has a lever 336 connected to it, protruding the lock casing 310 from the control housing for interacting with the blocking tumbler shaft 320 and in particular the lower part thereof.

[0038] Upon receiving an electrical pulse, the second coil of the second solenoid 330 attracts the second plunger 334, resulting in the lever 336 to move in an upward direction. If the blocking tumbler shaft 320 is in the blocked position, the tumbler shaft 320 is moved in the unblocked position, unblocking movement of the bolt 312. Subsequently, by virtue of the bolt spring 316, the bolt 312 slides to the unlocked position. In this unlocked position, the bolt 312 blocks the blocking tumbler shaft 320 from moving to the blocked position.

[0039] With the bolt 312 moving to the unlocked position, also the connected tumbler wheel 380 turns. To detect whether the bolt 312 has correctly moved to the unlocked position, a further projection may be provided on the tumbler wheel 380 and a further micro switch may be provided to interact with the further projection. Alternatively or additionally, the further micro switch interacts with the projection referred to earlier. Detecting whether the bolt 312 has moved to the unlocked position enables a pulse provided to the second solenoid 330 to be just as long as required for the bolt 312 to be retracted by force of the bolt spring 316. This saves energy as compared to energising the second solenoid 330 for a longer period to be really sure that the blocking tumbler shaft 320 is held in the unblocked position long enough to enable the bolt 312 to move to the unlocked position. In other words, the micro switch 390 and/or a further micro switch provide feedback on the position of the bolt 312 to energise the first solenoid 370 and the second solenoid 330 in a controlled and efficient way.

[0040] The various electrical components of the lock system can be connected to further units by virtue of the socket 341 comprising connections to the various electrical elements of the lock system 300 like the micro switch 390, the first solenoid 370 and the second solenoid 330.

[0041] The lock system 300 further comprises a spring latch 362 as a second bolt that is biased in a locked position by means of a spring latch spring 366 that interacts with spring latch protrusion 364. The spring latch 362 can be operated by inserting a handle in the square spring latch operating hole 347. This enables the spring latch operating hole 347 to be swivelled, resulting in retracting the spring latch 362 in the lock casing 310, in an unlocked position. The spring latch operating hole 347 is fitted with a flange 346 that swivels with the spring latch operating hole 347 and is couplable to a spring latch swivel arm 348. If the flange 346 is coupled to the spring latch swivel arm 348, operation of a handle fitted in the spring latch operating hole 347 by turning the handle clockwise results in the spring latch swivel arm 348 moving to the right, thus retracting the spring latch 362 in the lock casing 310.

[0042] Coupling of the flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348 is done by means of a coupling catch 354 fitted on a coupling tumbler 350. The coupling catch 354 fits in a recess in the flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348. If the coupling catch 354 is fit in the recesses in the flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348, the flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348 are coupled and the spring bolt 362 can be operated by means of a handle fitted in the spring latch operating hole 347.

[0043] The coupling tumbler 350 further comprises a slot 356 fit around a coupling tumbler holding pin 358 connected to the lock casing 310. The coupling tumbler holding pin 358 hold the coupling tumbler 350 in place and with the slot 356 it allows the coupling tumbler to swivel with the flange 346.

[0044] The flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348 can be decoupled by pulling the coupling catch 354 out of the recesses in the flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348 by a coupling tumbler shaft 344. The coupling tumbler shaft 344 is coupled to the blocking tumbler shaft 320 and preferably moves in the same linear way as the blocking tumbler shaft moves in this embodiment.

[0045] If the blocking tumbler shaft 320 is in the blocked position, the coupling tumbler shaft 344 is in a lower position, lower than depicted on Figure 3, resulting in a coupling hook 345 to grip on a coupling pin 352 protruding from the coupling tumbler 350 and pulling back the coupling tumbler 350. This results in the coupling catch 354 to be pulled out from the recesses in the flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348, preventing the spring bolt 362 to be operated by means of a handle fit in the spring latch operating hole 347.

[0046] If the blocking tumbler shaft 320 has moved back to the unblocked position, either by operation of a key or the solenoid 330, the coupling tumbler shaft 344, coupled to the blocking tumbler shaft 320, has moved upward as well, releasing the coupling pin 352 and allowing the flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348 to be coupled again by inserting the coupling catch 354 back into the recesses in the flange 346 and the spring latch swivel arm 348.

[0047] This means that if the bolt 312 is in the locked position and the blocking tumbler shaft 320 is in the blocked position, the spring bolt 362 cannot be operated by means of a handle. Operating the handle would result in swivelling of the handle, without any further result. If the bolt 312 is in the unlocked position and the blocking tumbler shaft 320 is in the unblocked position, the spring bolt 362 can be operated by means of a handle. So if the lock system 300 has been unlocked in an emergency case the lock system 300 can be fully opened by operation of a handle to also open the spring bolt 362 manually.

[0048] It is stipulated that multiple variations on the embodiments described and discussed above are possible, without departing from the scope of the invention. Though thus far only solenoids have been presented as electromechanical actuators, also electromagnets directly attracting an actuating member or electromotors may be employed while implementing aspects of the invention, such electromotor either acting directly on mechanical elements of the lock system or by means of gears. However, solenoids are preferred over their speed. Additionally or alternatively, the springs thus far disclosed as leaf springs may be replaced or complemented by other biasing elements like coiled springs.

[0049] Additionally or alternative, other sensors than micro switches may be used. For example, other mechanical or optical, magnetic or other sensors may be used to monitor positions of bolts and blocking tumbler shafts. The sensors, independently of their type, may also be applied at other locations than around the tumbler wheel 380. For example, a sensor may be placed in the vicinity of the bolt 312 to directly detect the position of the bolt 312 or in the vicinity of the blocking tumbler shaft 320 to detect the position of the blocking tumbler shaft 320.

[0050] Figure 5 discloses a building locking system 500 fit in a building. The building locking system 500 comprises a plurality of locks systems 502 fit in the building. The lock systems 502 may be lock systems as discussed before or other embodiments of the lock system according with the invention. The building locking system 500 further comprises a lock control unit 510 comprising a sensor communication circuit 512, a lock actuating circuit 514, a control circuit 516 and a general communication unit 518. The control circuit 516 is operatively coupled to the sensor communication circuit 512, the lock actuating circuit 514 and the general communication unit 518. The sensors and in particular the micro switches of the lock systems 502 are coupled to the sensor communication unit 512 and the actuators like solenoids of the lock systems 502 are coupled to the lock actuating circuit 514.

[0051] By means of the sensor communication unit 512, the lock control unit 510 is enabled to detect the positions of the tumbler wheels of the lock systems 502. By means of the lock actuating circuit 514, the solenoids of the lock systems 502 can be actuated. The general communication unit 518 allows the lock control unit 510 to be coupled to a user input system, an automatic control system and/or other computer or control units, either dedicated to a special function or general purpose.

[0052] By means of the user input system or other systems or units, the lock systems 402 can be operated by human interaction. Additionally or alternatively, the lock systems 402 can be operated fully automatically according to for example time schedules. This enables the lock system 402 to be locked during a first timeframe and closed during a second timeframe. This option is well suited for prison situations, but also for main accesses of residential buildings.

[0053] Furthermore, it is also possible to open one or more of the lock systems 402 remotely in a manual way, for example by means of the user input system, upon a person ringing a bell with a request to enter a building. Subsequently, the unlocked lock system is automatically locked again after a pre-determined amount of time, long enough to enable a person to open a door in which the lock system is provided. Such time period would be between 2 and 15 seconds.

[0054] Expressions such as "comprise", "include", "incorporate", "contain", "is" and "have" are to be construed in a non-exclusive manner when interpreting the description and its associated claims, namely construed to allow for other items or components which are not explicitly defined also to be present. Reference to the singular is also to be construed in be a reference to the plural and vice versa.

[0055] In the description above, it will be understood that when an element such as layer, region or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "onto" another element, or an element is connected to another element, the element is either directly on or directly connected to the other element, or intervening elements may also be present.

[0056] Furthermore, the invention may also be embodied with less components than provided in the embodiments described here, wherein one component carries out multiple functions. Just as well may the invention be embodied using more elements than depicted in Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3 or Figure 4, wherein functions carried out by one component in the embodiment provided are distributed over multiple components.

[0057] A person skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various parameters disclosed in the description may be modified and that various embodiments disclosed and/or claimed may be combined without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0058] It is stipulated that the reference signs in the claims do not limit the scope of the claims, but are merely inserted to enhance the legibility of the claims.

Claims

1. Lock system comprising a mechanical lock comprising:

a) A lock casing;

b) A first bolt comprised by the lock casing, the first bolt being movable between an unlocked position in which the first bolt is substantially fully comprised by the lock casing and a locked position in which the first bolt is partially located outside the casing;

c) a first electromechanical actuator connected to the bolt, which first electromechanical actuator is arranged to move the first bolt from the unlocked position to the locked position in response to receiving an electrical pulse; and

d) a second electromechanical actuator that in response to receiving an electrical pulse enables the first bolt to move from the locked position to the unlocked position.

2. Lock system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a) A first biasing element for biasing the first bolt towards the unlocked position; and

b) A bolt blocking member movable between a blocked position in which the blocking member is enabled to block the first bolt if the first bolt is in the locked position and an unblocked position in which the first bolt is not blocked by the bolt blocking member;

wherein the second electromechanical actuator is connected to an actuating member arranged to engage with the bolt blocking member for moving the bolt blocking member from the blocked position to the unblocked position.

3. Lock system according to claim 2, wherein the first bolt and the first bolt locking member are movable in a substantially linear way and the directions of movement of the first bolt and the first bolt locking member are substantially perpendicular to one another.

4. Lock system according to claim 2, further comprising a second biasing element for biasing the first bolt locking member to the blocked position enabling the first bolt to be blocked upon moving to the locked position.

5. Lock system according to claim 1, wherein

a) the first electromechanical actuator is a solenoid comprising a first winding and a first movable armature arranged to move in a substantially linear way; and

b) the second electromechanical actuator is a solenoid comprising a second winding and a second movable armature arranged to move in a substantially linear way.

6. Lock system according to claim 1, wherein the bolt is movable in a substantially linear way, the first electromechanical actuator mechanically actuates in a substantially linear way and the bolt and the first electromechanical actuator are coupled by means of a coupling member translating a movement of the electromechanical actuator in a movement of the bolt that is substantially perpendicular to the movement of the first electromechanical actuator.

7. Lock system according to claim 6, wherein the coupling member is a tumbler wheel.

8. Lock system according to claim 5, wherein the bolt is moved to the locked position by the first movable armature moving into the first winding.

9. Lock system according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor for detecting whether the first bolt is in at least one pre-determined position.

10. Lock system according to claim 9, wherein the pre-determined position is one of the following:

a) the locked position; or

b) the unlocked position.

11. Lock system according to claim 10, wherein the first electromechanical actuator is coupled to the bolt via a coupling unit and the sensor detects whether the bolt is in the pre-determined position by detecting whether the coupling unit is in at least one pre-determined position.

12. Lock system according to claim 2, wherein the lock casing further comprises a second bolt movable between an unlocked position in which the second bolt is fully comprised by the lock casing and a locked position in which the second bolt is partially located outside the casing, the second bolt being movable by operating a spindle if the second bolt and the spindle are connected, the second bolt and the spindle being connected by a spindle connecting member which is connected to the bolt locking member and which spindle connecting member connects the second bolt and the spindle if the first bolt locking member is in the unblocked position and which spindle connected member does not connect the second bolt and the spindle if the first bolt locking member is in the blocked position.

13. Building locking system comprising:

a) at least one lock system according to any of the preceding claims; and

b) a lock control unit couplable to the lock system and enabled to actuate the electromechanical actuator of the lock system.

14. Building locking system according to claim 13, wherein:

a) the lock system is a lock system according to claim 10 and the pre-determined position is the locked position;

b) the lock control unit is couplable to the lock system and enabled to read out data from the sensor;

c) the lock control unit when operated, either manually or automatically, is enabled to provide an electrical pulse to the first electromechanical actuator to move the bolt from the unlocked position to the locked position until sensor data is received that the bolt has moved in the locked position.

15. Building locking system according to claim 13, wherein:

a) the lock system is a lock system according to claim 10 and the pre-determined position is the unlocked position;

b) the lock control unit is couplable to the lock system and enabled to read out data from the sensor;

c) the lock control unit when operated, either manually or automatically, is enabled to provide an electrical pulse to the first electromechanical actuator to move the bolt from the unlocked position to the locked position until sensor data is received that the bolt has moved in the unlocked position.

Drawing