Locking Device Key Code Recovery and Discard Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lock devices are either too complex or lack reliable long-term functionality, and they do not effectively protect the key code from unauthorized access after it has been set or lost.
Innovation Solution
A lock device with a combination lock and rotary unit that includes heart-shaped curves on number wheels and hubs, allowing for predeterminable settings to shift the key code out of sight, while a secondary lock mechanism helps find and discard the key code, using a cam disk and locking piece to interact with feeler elements and pockets for secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a secondary lock mechanism is added to recover lost key codes, then the ability to recover lost key codes is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the secondary lock mechanism with the existing combination lock structure, using shared components such as the number wheels, hubs, and locking mechanism. The secondary lock integrates into the same housing and uses the same basic operational principles, merging multiple functions into a unified structure rather than adding completely separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The number wheels and hubs serve multiple functions: they operate as the primary combination lock mechanism for normal locking operations, and simultaneously function as the key code setting and recovery mechanism when activated by the secondary lock. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
2Reliability
If the key code is automatically discarded after opening the lock, then security against unauthorized access is improved, but the loss of information occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism automatically performs the action of discarding the key code immediately after the lock is opened, before any unauthorized person could potentially observe or record the code. This preliminary automatic action ensures security by eliminating the key code from visibility before the opening action completes, preventing any opportunity for unauthorized observation.
Solution Approach 2:
The key code discarding action occurs rapidly and automatically as part of the opening sequence, rushing through the transition from locked to unlocked state so quickly that there is no time window for unauthorized observation. The mechanical action of the number wheels and hubs moving to discard the code happens as an immediate consequence of opening, skipping any intermediate state where the code might be visible.
3Ease of operation
If heart-shaped cams are used to move number wheels and hubs to predefinable positions, then the ease of operation is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses heart-shaped cams (curved cam profiles) instead of straight-line or angular cam profiles. The curved geometry of the heart-shaped cams provides smoother guidance of the locking piece, enabling the number wheels and hubs to move more smoothly to their predefinable positions. The curved surfaces distribute the mechanical guidance more evenly, reducing peak forces and improving operational smoothness.
Solution Approach 2:
The heart-shaped cam profile changes the geometric parameters of the cam mechanism, creating a specific motion profile that optimizes the transition of the locking piece. By carefully designing the curvature and dimensions of the heart-shaped cams, the mechanism achieves reliable positioning with reduced sensitivity to manufacturing tolerances compared to sharper or more complex cam profiles.
Data Source
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AI summary
A lock device has a locking mechanism to which a combination lock (1) belongs and a rotary unit (2) to which a secondary lock (3) belongs. In order to ensure that the combination wheels of the combination lock are displaced out of the position corresponding to the key combination, following the setting of the key combination and the opening of the lock, and in order to be able to find again an unknown or lost key combination with comparatively little effort, the invention proposes that the locking device have both a key combination setting device, by means of which the key combination of the combination lock can be set in the event that the key combination is lost, and also have a key combination discard device, by means of which, following the setting of the key combination of the combination lock, the combination lock can be displaced out of the key combination.