Patent attributes
A self-balancing locking mechanism for actuating a locking pin-bar assembly of a door. The mechanism includes a drive shaft having an axis of rotation mounted to the door, and a cam mounted to the drive shaft. The mechanism also includes one or more actuator plates, each having a proximal end with a radial slot formed therein and installed about the drive shaft, and a distal end coupled to a locking pin-bar assembly that is slidably supported adjacent a perimeter of the door. The mechanism further includes one or more linkage bars, each having a proximal end pivotably coupled to the cam at a radial distance from the axis of rotation, and a distal end pivotably coupled to a mid-span of the actuator plate. Rotation of the cam causes the linkage bar to drive the actuator plate along a radial axis and engage the locking pin-bar assembly with a side edge of a door frame, and simultaneously cause the radial slot of the actuator plate to bear on the drive shaft and balance any off-axis loads applied by the linkage bar to the actuator plate.
