Lock Bolt Retraction Gear Guide Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-security locks face vulnerabilities such as lock picking, drilling, and high acceleration attacks, which can damage gear trains and compromise the lock mechanism, while also needing to comply with stringent government specifications like Federal Specification FF-L-2740 and FF-L-2937.
Innovation Solution
A locking mechanism with a bolt retraction gear system that includes a guide element and actuator assembly, which inhibits movement until valid user input is verified, and a cam and clutch mechanism to control the bolt retraction, preventing unauthorized access and reducing audible noise during combination entry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical and electrical elements are used to provide complicated barriers, then security against lock picking is improved, but the lock mechanism becomes more vulnerable to drilling attacks and high acceleration attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism is divided into separate functional components: a driver gear that rotates with the dial, a bolt retraction gear that controls bolt movement, and a guide element that controls gear engagement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function and protects the overall system from comprehensive attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide element acts as an intermediary between the driver gear and bolt retraction gear. It controls when these gears engage and disengage, preventing direct mechanical coupling that would transmit high acceleration forces or drilling damage to the bolt retraction mechanism.
2Productivity
If the gear train is designed to allow rapid dialing, then productivity is improved, but the gear teeth collide and provide audible information to unauthorized persons
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element serves as a mediator that controls the engagement timing between gears. By precisely controlling when the driver gear and bolt retraction gear engage, it minimizes impact collisions and reduces audible noise while still allowing rapid dialing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically controls gear engagement based on dialing progress. The guide element moves between positions to enable or disable gear engagement at appropriate times, allowing fast dialing when needed while preventing harmful collisions.
3Ease of operation
If the guide element is positioned to enable gear engagement, then ease of operation is improved, but security against unauthorized access is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The controller receives feedback from the guide element's position and from combination verification. It only commands the actuator to position the guide element for gear engagement when the combination is verified correct, ensuring ease of operation only for authorized users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces purely mechanical combination verification with an electronic controller that verifies the combination and then mechanically actuates the guide element. This substitution ensures that ease of operation is controlled by electronic security logic rather than mechanical design alone.
Data Source
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AI summary
A high security lock (10) includes a lock bolt (54) movable between extended and retracted positions, a bolt retraction gear (68) coupled to the lock bolt (54), and a manually-driven gear. When a controller verifies that user-input information is correct for unlocking the lock (10), the bolt retraction gear (68) and manually-driven gear (78) are operatively coupled such that the gears (68, 78) can drive the lock bolt (54) from the extended position to the retracted position.