Locking device with embedded circuit board

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9725929-B2
Application number	US-201414565813-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2014
Priority date	Feb 25, 2010
Publication date	Aug 8, 2017
Grant date	Aug 8, 2017

Abstract

Electrified access-control technology devices for a door, particularly electrified locks for a door, having embedded circuitry therein, and methods of making the same. One or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) having various electronic circuitry are secured inside a housing that encases an access-control device, particularly a lock, for a door. The one or more PCB(s) may be embedded on an internal surface of the housing such that the embedded PCB resides inside the housing along with the lock itself. The embedded PCB(s) avoid interference of both any working components of the lock inside the housing and any openings residing in the housing.

First claim

Thus, having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating an electrified lock for a door comprising:
providing a housing having a first side and a second side, each of said first and second sides having corresponding internal surfaces facing an inside of said housing;
providing at least one recessed channel within said internal surface of either said first or second side of said housing;
providing an access-control device being a locking device within said housing;
embedding at least one printed circuit board (PCB) within said recessed channel in said internal surface of either said first or second side of said housing, said PCB having a variety of electrical components attached thereto;
providing one or more openings in an exposed surface of said at least one recessed channel to access a backside of at least one PCB; and
electrifying said locking device via said variety of electrical components attached to said PCB.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said variety of electrical components provide said electrified locking device with digital monitoring and electronic actuation capabilities.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said electrified locking device is selected from the group consisting of a mortise lock, a bored lock, a cylindrical lock, a tubular lock, an auxiliary lock, and a deadbolt.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one embedded PCB comprises a single PCB having a sinusoidal shape that covers over a distance of more than 50% of a diagonal distance across a surface area of said internal surface of said housing side in which said PCB is embedded.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one recessed channel and said at least one embedded PCB have matching configurations that avoid interference with working components of said locking device and any openings within said housing.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein an exposed surface of said embedded PCB is planar with an exposed surface of said internal surface of said housing side in which said PCB is embedded.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said variety of electrical components include one or more sensors residing on said PCB and positioned at various locations across said PCB, said various locations corresponding to locations where one or more magnets reside on mechanical working components of said locking device, whereby said one or more sensors sense said one or more magnets to detect positions of said mechanical working components of said locking device.

8. The method of claim 1 further including:
providing a plurality of channels recessed within one or more of said first or second sides of said housing;
providing a plurality of PCBs corresponding to configurations of said plurality of recessed channels, each of said plurality of PCBs being embedded within respective ones of said plurality of recessed channels; and
said various electrical components attached to said plurality of embedded PCBs to electrify said lock.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said plurality of embedded PCBs reside on said first side alone, said second side alone, or both said first and second sides of said housing, whereby said plurality of embedded PCBs are in electrical communication with one another to electrify said lock and avoid interference with working components of said locking device.

10. A method of fabricating an electrified lock comprising:
providing a first side of a housing that has an internal surface facing an inside of said housing;
fabricating a second side of said housing, said second side having at least one channel residing on a surface thereof, said at least one channel having one or more openings in an exposed surface thereof to access a backside of a printed circuit board that is to be provided within said housing;
combining said first and second sides to provide said housing;
providing an access-control device inside said housing;
providing at least one printed circuit board (PCB) in said at least one channel residing on the second side of said housing, said one or more openings in said at least one channel exposing and providing access to said backside of said PCB;
controlling said access-control device via said at least one PCB to provide an electrified lock.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said access-control device comprises a lock that is electrified by the PCB, the electrified lock being provided with both digital monitoring and electronic actuation capabilities.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein said electrified lock is selected from the group consisting of a mortise lock, a bored lock, an electric strike, a cylindrical lock, a tubular lock, an auxiliary lock, and a deadbolt.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said access-control device is selected from the group consisting of an exit device, an electronic door strike, a door operator and a door closer.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein said channel is recessed within second side of said housing, said PCB having a configuration matching the recessed channel's configuration so that said PCB is matingly embedded within said recessed channel.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein an exposed surface of said embedded PCB is planar with said surface of said second side.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said embedded PCB covers over a distance of more than 50% of a diagonal distance across a surface area of said surface of said second side of said housing.

17. The method of claim 10 further including:
providing a plurality of channels residing on said second side of said housing;
providing a plurality of PCBs corresponding to configurations of each of said plurality of channels, whereby each of said plurality of PCBs reside within respective ones of said plurality of channels inside said housing; and
said plurality of PCBs electrifying said access-control device to provide said electrified lock.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said plurality of embedded PCBs have various electrical components selected from the group consisting of one or more sensors, actuators, surface mount connectors, signal output devices, accelerometers, temperature sensors, heating components, and combinations thereof.

19. A method of fabricating an electrified lock comprising:
providing a housing having a first side having an internal surface facing an inside of said housing;
providing a mechanical lock within the inside of said housing;
fabricating a second side of said housing, said second side having at least one recessed channel residing in a surface thereof;
embedding at least one printed circuit board (PCB) having a variety of electrical components attached thereto within said at least one recessed channel in said surface of said second side; and
converting said mechanical lock into an electrified lock by attaching said second side to said housing such that said surface of said second side having said embedded at least one PCB faces the inside of said housing.

Assignees

• Sargent Mfg Co

Inventors

• Picard Daniel J
• Hunt Robert C
• Lowder Scott B

Classifications

• H05K13/0023

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K7/1427

  Housings · CPC title

• E05B2047/0048

  Circuits, feeding, monitoring · CPC title

• Y10T29/49126

  Assembling bases · CPC title

• Y10T70/7062

  Electrical type [e.g., solenoid] · CPC title