WO2025027999A1 - Key storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a key storage device capable of reliably performing locking without causing a locking mechanism to malfunction. [Solution] As a locking mechanism 2 of a lid body 12, the present invention comprises: a latch 21 that is biased in a protruding direction by a spring 21a provided to the lid body 12 and that is locked to a housing body 11; a latch manipulation piece 22 that is provided to the housing body 11 and that retracts the latch 21; an electrical operation mechanism 23 for operating the latch manipulation piece 22; and a control means 24 for the electrical operation mechanism 23.

Description

Key storage device

The present invention relates to a key storage device that consists of a housing that has an internal key storage space for storing keys to lock and unlock a door.

　Previously, for example, in the case of vacant rental property, the manager would hold the keys to lock and unlock the doors of the rental property, and the manager would be present when the rental property was viewed.

However, when the key is taken out of storage to view a rental property, there is a problem in that the key is not in storage, making it difficult for other people who wish to view the property to view it.

Furthermore, the method of having an administrator store the keys in a designated storage location had the problem that multiple people, such as multiple construction workers, could not access the keys individually.

To address these issues, key storage devices have been proposed and put into practical use, in which a key storage unit that holds the keys used to lock and unlock a door is attached to the building or door via an attachment member (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

The locking mechanism of the key storage body of this type of key storage device uses a combination lock as used in the key storage device disclosed in Patent Document 1, or a locking mechanism that uses a key as used in the key storage device disclosed in Patent Document 2. However, in recent years, key storage devices that use mobile terminals such as smartphones have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 3 and 4).

Utility Model Registration No. 3138550 JP 2004-11145 A Special table 2017-502185 publication JP 2018-44312 A

By the way, in the case of a locking mechanism of the key storage body of the key storage device that uses a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a limit switch or the like detects when the door of the key storage body, which was open, is closed, and the locking mechanism is locked.
However, there is a time lag between when the door of the key storage body is closed and when the locking mechanism is locked, and if the door is opened during that time, the locking mechanism may malfunction and stop functioning.

In consideration of the problems inherent in the locking mechanism of the key storage body of the above-mentioned key storage device, the present invention aims to provide a key storage device that can be locked reliably without the locking mechanism malfunctioning.

In order to achieve the above object, the key storage device of the present invention is a key storage device consisting of a housing with a key storage space formed inside for storing a key to lock and unlock a door, the housing is characterized in that the cover is pivotally supported on the housing body, and the locking mechanism for the cover is provided with a latch that is biased in the protruding direction by a spring provided on the cover and engages with the housing body, a latch operating piece provided on the housing body for retracting the latch, an electric operating mechanism for operating the latch operating piece, and a control means for the electric operating mechanism.

In this case, the electric operating mechanism that operates the latch operating piece can be equipped with a servo motor or a solenoid.

In addition, the control means of the electric operating mechanism can be equipped with a wireless communication unit and receive the authentication signal emitted by the mobile terminal via wireless communication.

The power source for the control means of the electric operating mechanism can be a primary or secondary battery arranged inside the housing, and a 9V square dry cell connected to a battery snap for a 9V square dry cell arranged exposed on the housing.

The control means for the electric operating mechanism can also be equipped with a start switch.

The lid can also be provided with a key storage space, and a cover that covers the lower part of the key storage space can be pivoted and has its upper end biased toward the housing body by a spring.

The lid can also be provided with a key storage space and a protrusion with a mountain-shaped projection that the card key rides on when the lid is open.

The housing body can also be provided with a shackle whose protruding dimension from the housing body can be adjusted, and a rack can be formed on the surface of the shackle to engage with a rack-shaped claw of a fixing mechanism for fixing the shackle.

The device may further comprise a biasing means for biasing the lid in an opening direction, and a deceleration means for decelerating the speed at which the lid is opened.
Furthermore, a covering edge that covers the upper edge of the opening of the housing body may be extended from the upper end of the lid, and a protrusion may be formed on the housing body along the covering edge.

The key storage device of the present invention can provide a key storage device that can reliably lock without the locking mechanism malfunctioning.

1A, 1B, and 1C are diagrams showing an embodiment of a key storage device of the present invention, in which FIG. 3A is a left side view, FIG. 3B is a right side view, and FIG. 3C is a rear view of the key storage device. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the key storage device. 1 shows the locking mechanism of the lid of the key storage device, where (a1) is a cross-sectional view of the initial state, (a2) is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of (a1), (b1) is a cross-sectional view when an opening command is issued, and (b2) is a cross-sectional view of the main parts of (b1). 1A shows the locking mechanism of the lid of the key storage device, where (a) is a cross-sectional view when the lid is closed, (b) is a cross-sectional view when the lid is closed, (c) is a cross-sectional view when an open operation command is issued, and (d) is a cross-sectional view when the latch operation piece is slid (retracted). 1A is a front view of the housing body of the key storage device with the lid and the front surface (cover) of the housing removed, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing the internal structure. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a locking mechanism of the lid of the key storage device. The figures show the key storage device with the lid open, with (a) being a side view of the state where the end of the card key is not being pressed, (b) being a side view of the state where the end of the card key is being pressed, and (c) being an oblique view of the state where the end of the card key is not being pressed. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a fixing mechanism of the shackle of the key storage device. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a shackle of the key storage device. 1 shows the deceleration means of the lid body of the key storage device, where (a) is a front view of the key storage device, (b) is an X-X cross-sectional view of (a), (c) is a side view, and (d) is an enlarged view of the main part of (b). 1A is a rear view of the magnetic plate of the key storage device, FIG. 1B is a side view of the magnetic plate, and FIG. 1C is a rear view of the housing with the magnetic plate attached. 1 shows an attachment for the key storage device, with (a) being a plan view showing the attachment attached to a shackle, (b) being a front view of the same, (c) being a left side view of the same, (d) being a right side view of the same, and (e) being a front view showing the attachment in an open state. 3A and 3B show an attachment for the key storage device, in which FIG. 3A is a six-sided view of the left member, and FIG. 3B is a six-sided view of the right member. 1A to 1E show a modified embodiment of the key storage device, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right side view, (d) is a cross-sectional view, and (e) is a perspective view.

Below, an embodiment of the key storage device of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

1 to 14 show an embodiment of a key storage device according to the present invention.
1 to 3, this key storage device is made up of a housing 1 with a key storage space 12a formed therein for storing a key for locking and unlocking a door, and the housing 1 rotatably supports a lid 12 on a housing body 11 via a shaft 13, allowing the opening of the housing body 11 to be opened and closed. The lid 12 is constantly biased in the open direction by a push-out pin 14 biased by a spring provided on the housing body 11.

[Regarding the locking mechanism 2 of the lid body 12]
As shown in Figures 4 to 7, the key storage device includes, as a locking mechanism 2 for the lid body 12, a latch 21 that is biased in a protruding direction by a spring 21a (not shown) provided on the lid body 12 and engaged with the housing main body 11, a latch operating piece 22 provided on the housing main body 11 for retracting the latch 21, an electric operating mechanism 23 that operates the latch operating piece 22, and a control means 24 for the electric operating mechanism 23.

The electric operating mechanism 23 that operates the latch operation piece 22 includes a servo motor 23a. The rotational force of the servo motor 23a is transmitted via a pinion gear 23b to a rack 23c formed on the latch operation piece 22 that meshes with the pinion gear 23b, thereby sliding the latch operation piece 22.
In addition, in the electric operating mechanism 23, a solenoid can be used instead of the servo motor 23a.

The control means 24 of the electric operating mechanism 23 is equipped with a wireless communication unit and receives the authentication signal emitted by the mobile terminal via wireless communication.

The locking mechanism 2 of the lid body 12 operates according to the flowchart shown in Figure 7, enabling the key lending process to be executed.

The control means 24 starts from an initial power saving mode (step S1) and determines whether the start switch 24a has been operated based on an input from the start switch 24a (the start switch 24a is operated by pressing the pressing portion 11a provided on the housing body 11) (step S2). In the power saving mode, the control means 24 aims to reduce power consumption by stopping the supply of power to at least the wireless communication unit. In the power saving mode, the control means 24 may also aim to reduce power consumption by lowering the clock speed of the CPU built into the control means 24 itself below the clock speed for normal operation.

If it is determined in step S2 that the start switch 24a has not been operated, the control means 24 returns to step S1 and implements the power saving mode.

While the start switch 24a is not being operated, the control means 24 sequentially repeats the processing loop of steps S1 and S2, thereby entering a power saving mode and reducing power consumption.

When the start-up switch 24a is operated and it is determined in step S2 that the start-up switch 24a has been operated, the control means 24 uses a clock function of the control means 24 itself to start measuring the elapsed time from the point in time when the start-up switch 24a was operated (step S3). At this time, the control means 24 releases the power saving mode and supplies power to the wireless communication unit, and if the clock number of the CPU built into the control means 24 itself has been lowered, it performs processing to restore the clock number for normal operation.
At this time, for example, an LED provided on the control means 24 can be illuminated to allow the user to confirm that the start switch 24a has been operated.

Then, the control means 24 proceeds to step S4, where it determines whether the time that has elapsed since the activation switch 24a was operated has reached the set time, and proceeds to step S5 if it is determined that the set time has not been reached. The set time in this case may be set to correspond to the maximum time expected to be required for the user to operate the mobile terminal used as authentication means and perform the process of transmitting an authentication signal, and may be set to, for example, a few seconds to about 10 minutes, and in this embodiment, to about 10 seconds.

In step S5, the control means 24 determines whether or not an authentication signal has been received based on the input from the wireless communication unit.

If it is determined in step S5 that the authentication signal has not been received, the control means 24 returns to step S4 and repeats the processing loop of steps S4 and S5 until it is determined in step S4 that the elapsed time since the activation switch 24a was operated has reached the set time, or until it is determined in step S5 that the authentication signal has been received.

If the control means 24 determines in step S4 that the elapsed time from the time the start switch 24a was operated has reached the set time while repeatedly executing the processing loop of steps S4 and S5, the control means 24 proceeds to step S1 and restarts the power saving mode.

If the control means 24 determines that an authentication signal has been received at the time of proceeding to step S5, it proceeds to step S6.

In step S6, the control means 24 issues an opening operation command to the servo motor 23a of the electric operating mechanism 23, which serves as the opening operation means for the locking mechanism 2 of the lid body 12.

When the servo motor 23a is operated according to this opening command, the rotational force of the servo motor 23a is transmitted via the pinion gear 23b to the rack 23c formed on the latch operation piece 22 that meshes with the pinion gear 23b, causing the latch operation piece 22 to slide (advance). The slidable (advance) latch operation piece 22 retracts the latch 21 that is biased in the protruding direction by the spring 21a and is engaged with the housing body 11, thereby releasing the latch 21 from the housing body 11, and the lid 12 is opened by the biasing force of the ejector pin 14 biased by a spring provided on the housing body 11.
Subsequently, the control means 24 rotates the servo motor 23a in the opposite direction to the previous direction, so that the latch operation piece 22 slides (retracts).
The time from when the latch operation piece 22 is slid (forward) until it is slid (backward) can be set to about one to several seconds.

The lid 12 is locked in an open position at approximately 90 degrees by the hinge, and in this position the key stored in the key storage space 12a can be removed.

When the user has finished using the key, he or she returns the key into the key storage space 12a and then rotates the lid 12 to close it. Because the latch operating piece 22 has been slid (retracted) in step S6, simply closing the lid 12 causes the latch 21 on the lid 12 to engage with the housing body 11, keeping the lid 12 in the closed position and locking it, preventing the key from being removed.

The control means 24 returns to the initial state (step S7), returns to step S1, and restarts the process from step S1.

Here, the control means 24 can be equipped, as necessary, with a detection means for detecting the open/closed state of the lid body 12, a detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a key in the key storage space 12a, and further with a detection means for detecting the shape (volume) and weight of a key stored in the key storage space 12a so that a malicious user can discover by checking the history that he or she has temporarily replaced a key with a different key in order to duplicate it.
This allows the key storage device to be managed more accurately, thereby improving security.

In this way, a key can be lent only to users who have been authenticated by operating a mobile terminal used as authentication means to emit an authentication signal, and a highly secure key storage device can be provided that can reliably lock the key without causing malfunction of the locking mechanism 2.

In addition, when the user operates the portable terminal used as authentication means and an authentication signal is input to the wireless communication unit, the control means 24 performs processing to give an opening operation command to the servo motor 23a of the electric operating mechanism 23. Therefore, the control means 24 does not require information such as the user or when the user will use the key.
Therefore, there is no need to connect to the outside via a network, and the equipment costs required for automatic key lending can be reduced.
The period or time when the key can be used, such as when the authentication signal can be transmitted, can be managed by an application program on the mobile terminal used by the user as authentication means.

In addition, the control means 24 is in a standby state until an authentication signal is input to the wireless communication unit, which reduces the power consumption of the control means 24 including the wireless communication unit.

[About power supply]
As shown in Figure 6, the power source for the control means 24 including the servo motor 23a of the electric operating mechanism 23 and the wireless communication unit can be a primary battery or a secondary battery attached to a battery case 25a arranged in the housing body 11 of the housing 1, and a 9V square dry battery connected to a battery snap 25b for a 9V square dry battery arranged exposed on the housing body 11.
Of these, the primary or secondary battery attached to the battery case 25a is used as a normal power source, and the 9V square dry battery connected to the battery snap 25b for the 9V square dry battery is used as an emergency power source in case the normal power source is cut off. In particular, the 9V square dry battery used as an emergency power source can be fixed to the housing body 11 by connecting it to the battery snap 25b for the 9V square dry battery, which has the advantage that it does not need to be held by hand.

[Regarding the key storage space 12a of the lid 12]
As shown in Figure 8, a key storage space 12a is formed in the lid body 12, and a cover part 15 covering the lower part of the key storage space 12a can be made to be swingable and have its upper end biased toward the housing body 11 by a spring 15a.
This makes it possible to prevent the keys (including the card key C) stored in the key storage space 12a from falling out of the gap between the housing body 11 and the lid 12 when the lid 12 is opened or closed.

The cover 12 may be provided with a protrusion 12b having a mountain-shaped protrusion on which the card key C rides when the cover 12 is open (when the cover 12 is opened at an angle of approximately 90 degrees).
With this arrangement, when the lid 12 is opened, pressing an end of the card key C with a finger causes the card key C to float up from the rear surface of the lid 12, allowing it to be easily removed.

[About Shackle 3]
As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the housing body 11 is provided with a shackle 3 whose protruding dimension from the housing body 11 is adjustable, and a rack 31 is formed on the surface of the shackle 3 to engage with a rack-shaped claw piece 32c of a fixing mechanism 32 for fixing the shackle 3.
As a result, there are no protrusions on the inside of the shackle 3, and when the wireless communication unit of the control means 24 utilizes radio waves in the 2.4 GHz band, for example, by maintaining a distance (usually about 16 mm or more) from the metal shackle 3, it is possible to prevent the control means 24 from being affected by the shackle 3.
The fixing mechanism 32 for fixing the shackle 3 comprises an operating piece 32a which can be operated when the cover 12 is open, a claw piece 32c which moves in the front-to-back direction due to an inclined surface 32b formed on the operating piece 32a when the operating piece 32a is operated in the vertical direction, and a spring 32d which biases the claw piece 32c toward the inclined surface 32b.
When the cover 12 is closed, the operating piece 32a fits into a recess 12c of the cover 12 so as not to move downward even if an impact or the like is applied.
This prevents the shackle 3 from being released from its fixed state when the cover 12 is closed.

[Regarding the speed reduction means for reducing the speed when the lid body 12 is opened]
The lid body 12 is constantly biased in the open direction by a biasing means for biasing the lid body 12 in the open direction, i.e., an extrusion pin 14 biased by a spring provided in the housing body 11, and can be provided with a deceleration means 16 for decelerating the speed of the lid body 12 when it is opened, which has been accelerated by the extrusion pin 14, as shown in Figure 11.
The deceleration means 16 is composed of a spring piece 16a formed integrally with the side surface of the lid body 12, and the speed at which the lid body 12 is opened is decelerated by the resistance generated when a protrusion 16b formed on the spring piece 16a moves from a guide groove 16c formed on the side surface of the housing body 11 while abutting against the side surface of the housing body 11.
This reduces the speed at which the lid 12 is opened, and prevents the keys (including the card key C) stored in the key storage space 12a from flying out due to impact when the lid 12 is opened.

[Regarding magnet plate 4]
As shown in FIG. 12, a rectangular recess 11b is formed on the rear surface of the housing body 11, and the magnetic plate 4 is attached thereto.
As a result, when the key storage device is attached to the doorknob of the door body via the shackle 3, the magnetic plate 4 is attracted to the door body made of a magnetic material, so that the housing 1 can be installed in a stable state.

[About Attachment 5]
When the door knob of the door body is a lever handle, the key storage device is attached to the door knob of the door body via an attachment 5 as shown in Figs.
The attachment 5 has a left side member 51 and a right side member 52 that can be integrated together via shaft portions 53 that are integrally formed with the left side member 51 and the right side member 52, respectively.
As a result, when attaching the key storage device to the doorknob of the door body via the shackle 3, the attachment 5 can be interposed between the key storage device and the doorknob, allowing the key storage device to be installed in a stable state.

[Modified embodiment]
FIG. 15 shows a modified embodiment of the key storage device.
This key storage device is an improved version of the key storage device, in which a recess 11c is formed by recessing the periphery of a pressing portion 11a provided on the housing body 11 of the key storage device, and a sticker can be affixed to this recess 11c.
This makes it possible to prevent rainwater from entering through the gaps in the pressing portion 11a.
For example, a sticker with a picture of fingertips printed on it can be used as this sticker, thereby making it possible to clearly indicate the operation location.

In addition, this key storage device has a covering edge 12d extended from the upper end of the lid body 12 to cover the upper edge of the opening of the housing main body 11, and a protrusion portion 11d is formed on the housing main body 11 along the covering edge 12d.
This eliminates a gap between the upper edge of the opening of the housing body 11 and the upper end of the lid 12, making it possible to prevent the lid 12 from being opened illegally using a screwdriver or the like.

Furthermore, this key storage device has a recess 12e formed at the upper end of the lid 12, and a sticker can be affixed to this recess 12e.
This sticker may be, for example, a sticker on which a number for identifying the key storage device is printed.

　The key storage device of the present invention has been described above based on its embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment, and the configuration can be changed as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of the invention.

The key storage device of the present invention can reliably lock without the locking mechanism malfunctioning, so it can be widely used as a key storage device for storing keys to lock and unlock doors in vacant rental properties, private lodging properties, large company document rooms, and other rooms where access restrictions are required.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 casing 11 casing body 11a pressing portion 11b recess 11c recess 11d protrusion portion 12 lid body 12a key storage space 12b protrusion 12c recess 12d covering edge 12e recess 13 shaft 14 ejection pin 15 cover portion 15a spring 16 deceleration means 2 locking mechanism 21 latch 21a spring 22 latch operation piece 23 electric operation mechanism 23a servo motor 23b pinion gear 23c rack 24 control means 24a start switch 25a battery case 25b battery snap for 9V square dry cell 3 shackle 31 rack 32 fixing mechanism 32a operation piece 32b inclined surface 32c claw piece 32d spring 4 Magnet plate 5 Attachment 51 Left side member 52 Right side member 53 Shaft portion

Claims (10)

A key storage device is a housing having a key storage space formed therein for storing a key for locking and unlocking a door,
The housing has a cover pivotally supported on a housing body,
As a locking mechanism for the lid,
a latch that is biased in a protruding direction by a spring provided on the cover and is engaged with the housing body;
A key storage device comprising: a latch operation piece provided on a housing body for retracting a latch; an electric operating mechanism for operating the latch operation piece; and a control means for the electric operating mechanism. The key storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric operating mechanism for operating the latch operating piece is provided with a servo motor or a solenoid. The key storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means of the electric operating mechanism is provided with a wireless communication unit and receives the authentication signal emitted by the mobile terminal via wireless communication. The key storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the power source of the control means of the electric operating mechanism is a primary or secondary battery arranged inside the housing and a 9V square dry battery connected to a battery snap for a 9V square dry battery arranged exposed on the housing. The key storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control means for the electric operating mechanism is provided with a start switch. The key storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lid defines a key storage space, and a cover section that covers the lower part of the key storage space is pivotable and has its upper end biased toward the housing body by a spring. The key storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lid is provided with a key storage space and a protrusion having a mountain-shaped protrusion on which the card key rides when the lid is opened. The key storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the housing body is provided with a shackle whose protruding dimension from the housing body can be adjusted, and a rack is formed on the surface of the shackle to engage with a rack-shaped claw of a fixing mechanism for fixing the shackle. The key storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is provided with a biasing means for biasing the lid in an opening direction and a deceleration means for decelerating the speed at which the lid is opened. The key storage device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper end of the lid is provided with a covering edge that covers the upper edge of the opening of the housing body, and a protrusion is formed on the housing body along the covering edge.

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