Lock Arrangement With Reconfigurable Elements For Mass Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional locks are difficult to mass produce cost-effectively due to their fixed configurations and varied designs, which limit the number of possible lock codes and complicate production.
Innovation Solution
A lock arrangement featuring two groups of reconfigurable lock elements and neutral elements, allowing for a binary opening condition and enabling easy recoding, with lock elements that change positions to allow or prevent rotation based on key access, facilitating rational and cost-effective production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional locks use multiple lock elements with different configurations to enable large number of opening criteria, then the number of lock codes increases, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The lock elements are divided into two functional groups: first group elements that prevent rotation in first and second positions but allow rotation in third position, and second group elements that allow rotation in second position but prevent rotation in third position. This segmentation enables binary coding with just two element types, dramatically reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining high adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
Each lock element is designed to be movable between multiple positions (first, second, and third positions) rather than being fixed in a single configuration. The elements can be repositioned by key actuation during operation and reconfigured during manufacturing, enabling dynamic adaptation to different lock codes without requiring different physical element designs.
2Productivity
If traditional locks are produced with fixed configurations in the factory, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but productivity and cost-effectiveness decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The lock elements are pre-configured in standardized first, second, and third positions during manufacturing, but the specific lock code is not fixed until final assembly. The elements can be repositioned between these predefined positions to create different lock codes, allowing mass production of standardized components that can be flexibly configured for different applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock code is determined by changing the positional parameters of the lock elements rather than changing the physical design of the elements themselves. By adjusting which elements are in the first, second, or third position, different lock codes can be created from the same standardized component set, enabling high productivity with maintained precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If locks are designed with varied configurations for different applications, then adaptability increases, but ease of manufacture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Both first group and second group lock elements are designed with universal functionality - they can prevent rotation when in the first position and can be repositioned to different states. This universality means that the same basic element design serves multiple purposes in different positions, allowing a single manufacturing process to produce elements that can create any lock code combination, greatly simplifying production while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
According to one aspect of the present invention, an arrangement for a lock is provided, comprising: a first lock part and a second lock part which is rotatably arranged in the first lock part and comprises a plurality of lock elements for cooperation with the first lock part and a key, which lock elements comprise a first and a second group of lock elements which are oriented with a primary end facing in a first and a second direction respectively relative to the second lock part, each of which lock elements in the first and second group is arranged: to assume a first position relative to the second lock part in the absence of actuation of the key, to be movable by means of the key from the first position into a third position via a second intermediate position, and to prevent rotation of the second lock part in the first position, each lock element in the first group being arranged to, in the second position, prevent rotation of the second lock part and, in the third position, allow rotation of the second lock part, and each lock element in the second group being arranged to, in the second position, allow rotation of the second lock part and, in the third position, prevent rotation of the second lock part.