Locking unit, housing having a locking unit, and method for unlocking one or more doors of the housing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9959692-B2
Application number	US-201615166082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2016
Priority date	Dec 5, 2013
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a locking unit for a housing, comprising at least two doors for locking each housing opening. The locking unit has a locking element module for each of the doors, and the module has at least one locking body and a locking drive for actuating the locking body. The locking drive has a common drive element for the locking element modules, which drive element can be moved about a displacement path, and which, in a first displacement position, brings the locking body, for only one of the doors or only a first group of doors, of the doors into an unlocking position, and in a second displacement position, brings the locking body for all doors into an unlocking position. The invention also relates to a housing comprising a locking unit of this type, and to a method for unlocking one or more doors of a housing of this type.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A locking unit for a housing, in particular for a receptacle for objects, having at least two doors for locking respective housing openings, in particular leading to storage compartments, wherein the locking unit has, for each of the doors, in each case a locking element module with at least one locking body and a locking drive for actuating the locking body, characterized in that the locking drive for the locking element modules has a common drive element which is movable by an adjustment distance, and in a first adjustment position moves the locking body or bodies for merely one of the doors or merely a first group of two groups of doors of the doors into an unlocking position, and in a second adjustment position moves the locking bodies for all of the doors into an unlocking position, wherein the common drive element is embodied as a rotatable axle which has first and second rod parts which can be releasably secured to one another in such a way that first and second rods parts rotate together.

2. The locking unit as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that each locking body that is secured to the/each first rod part is non-movably secured to the/each first rod part, and in that each locking body that is mounted on the/each second rod part is mounted on the/each second rod part so as to be rotatable about the axle with a defined amount of play.

3. The locking unit as claimed in claim 2 , characterized in that the locking body/bodies which is/are rotatably mounted on the second rod part/parts has/have a bearing sleeve with a cutout, which bearing sleeve is movably guided on the axle, wherein a pin which protrudes radially from the axle engages in the cutout in the bearing sleeve and as a result defines the play with respect to the rotation of the bearing sleeve on the axle.

4. The locking unit as claimed in claim 3 , characterized in that the pin on the axle is accommodated in the locking position of the locking body/bodies in a central region of the cutout which defines the play for the rotation of the bearing sleeve on the axle.

5. The locking unit as claimed in claim 2 , characterized in that one or more locking bodies are arranged on a rod part in an axial direction in a mirror-symmetrical fashion with respect to the horizontal central axis of the rod part.

6. The locking unit as claimed in claim 2 , characterized in that the first and second rod parts have, at both ends, coupling pieces which are constructed symmetrically about the horizontal central axis of each rod part.

7. The locking unit as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that at least one of the locking element modules is embodied as a snap-action closure with the locking body/bodies prestressed in a closing direction for automatically locking the door when closing occurs.

8. The locking unit as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that at least one locking element module of the locking element modules has an ejection ram, prestressed in the opening direction, for automatically opening the door when unlocking occurs.

9. The locking unit as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the common drive element is connected to a drive via a coupling.

10. The locking unit as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that, after the movement for opening the doors, the common drive element is moved back into the home position corresponding to the locking position of the locking bodies.

11. The locking unit as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that a mounting carrier is provided, on which the locking element modules are mountable rotated through 180° in each case with respect to the axial direction of the common drive element, is provided.

12. A housing, in particular a receptacle for objects, having at least two doors for locking respective housing openings, in particular leading to storage compartments, comprising a locking unit as claimed in claim 1 .

13. The housing as claimed in claim 12 , also comprising:
authorization checking means for checking the respective authorization of persons to unlock one or more of the doors of the housing, on the basis of authorization information which is respectively used by the persons when providing proof of authorization, and
control means for controlling a drive assigned to the common drive element depending on the result of the checking of the authorization checking means, with the result that the common drive element assumes the first adjustment position if first authorization information was used when providing proof of authorization, and assumes the second adjustment position if second authorization information was used when providing proof of authorization.

14. The housing as claimed in claim 13 ,
wherein the first authorization information is usable by a delivery agent or a group of delivery agents and authorizes said agent/agents to unlock merely the one of the doors or merely the first group of doors of the doors in order to permit said agent/agents to place one or more shipments in the respective housing opening or openings and/or to collect one or more shipments, in particular parcels, from the respective housing opening or openings, and
wherein the second authorization information authorizes at least one person assigned to the housing, in particular an owner of the housing, to unlock all of the doors, in order to permit said person to retrieve one or more delivered shipments, in particular parcels, from the housing opening or openings which is/are assigned to the door or to the first group of doors, or to place one or more shipments which are to be collected, in particular parcels, in the housing opening which is/are assigned to the door or to the first group of doors, and to remove one or more delivered shipments, in particular letters, from the housing opening or openings which is/are assigned to the remaining door or doors of the doors.

15. The housing as claimed in claim 13 ,
wherein the authorization checking means are configured to prevent the door or the first group of doors of the doors of the housing from being unlocked twice in direct succession with respective use of the first authorization information.

16. A method for unlocking one or more doors of a housing as claimed in claim 13 , the method comprising:
proving, vis-à-vis the authorization checking means of the housing, the authorization of a person to unlock one or more doors of the housing by using the first or second authorization information.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein proving the authorization comprises the following:
inputting the first or second authorization information, or information which was generated using the first or second authorization information, into an input unit of the housing, or
transmitting, in particular in a wireless fashion, the first or second authorization information, or information which was generated using the first or second authorization information, to a reception unit of the housing.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the first authorization information provides authorization for respectively unlocking one or more doors of a plurality of housings.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the first authorization information is stored on a portable electronic device, in particular on an RFID or NFC tag or on a hand-held scanner.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the first authorization information provides authorization for respectively unlocking one or more doors of only one housing, and wherein the first authorization informa

Assignees

• Hild Horst
• Benz Ramin
• Dautz Christoph
• Carstens Christian
• Deutsche Post Ag

Inventors

• Hild Horst
• Benz Ramin
• Dautz Christoph
• Carstens Christian

Classifications

• G07C9/29

  the pass containing active electronic elements, e.g. smartcards · CPC title

• G07C9/28

  the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence · CPC title

• G05B19/00

  Program-control systems · CPC title

• E05B47/0001

  with electric actuators; Constructional features thereof (for vehicles E05B81/04) · CPC title

• G06F1/04

  Generating or distributing clock signals or signals derived directly therefrom · CPC title