Lock Cylinder Control Ring and Pin Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lock systems with interchangeable cores have limitations in efficiently managing key operations, particularly in removing lock cylinders from housings without disassembly, and in ensuring secure and unique key interactions across different lock families.
Innovation Solution
The system introduces a lock class with distinct control pin locations for each lock family, utilizing a control ring and control pin mechanism that can be selectively coupled by a control key, allowing for secure retention and removal of lock cylinders within housings, while using control and change keys to manage locking and unlocking states.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a control key is used to remove the lock cylinder from the housing, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the control ring and control pin mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The lock system is segmented into distinct functional components: a control ring with control slots, control pins with springs, and control keys. This segmentation allows the control function to be separated from the locking mechanism, enabling independent operation of cylinder removal without affecting the core locking function. The control ring acts as an intermediary component that mediates between the control key and the cylinder retention mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The control ring serves as an intermediary element between the control key and the lock cylinder retention system. When the control key is inserted and rotated, it moves the control pins through the control ring's slots, which in turn releases the cylinder from the housing. This intermediary mechanism provides a controlled, key-dependent method for cylinder removal while maintaining security through the spring-loaded pin system.
2Reliability
If distinct control pin locations are used for each lock family, then the reliability is improved through unique key interactions, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each lock family is assigned a specific control pin location within the control ring, creating local differentiation. The control ring contains multiple control slots at different positions, and each slot corresponds to a specific lock family's control pin location. This local quality approach allows the same control ring design to accommodate multiple lock families by simply varying which slot is activated, providing unique key interactions for each family while using a standardized component structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A system including a lock class having a plurality of lock families, with each lock family including a plurality of lock cylinders. Each of the lock families has a control pin location which is different from the control pin location of another of the lock families within the lock class. Each of the lock cylinders generally includes a shell, a plug rotatably mounted in the shell, and a control ring rotatably mounted on the plug at the control pin location of the lock family of which the lock cylinder is a member, and a control pin operable to selectively couple the plug with the control ring. Each lock family may be associated with a control key family. Each control key family may include a plurality of control keys, each of which may have a control bitting configured to urge control pins of the associated lock family to a coupling position.