Magnetic Lock Status Indicator for Cylindrical Door Assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cylindrical door locks face challenges in transmitting the lock status between the ingress and egress sides of a door, making it difficult to signal whether the door is locked or unlocked effectively.
Innovation Solution
A lock indicator system comprising a hub, a rose assembly with a flag that displays lock or unlock indicators, and a magnet holder that actuates the flag between positions to indicate the lock status, allowing the status to be visible on both sides of the door through a window in the rose assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a cylindrical lock is used to secure a door, then the lock can selectively block and permit access, but it is difficult to transmit the lock status between the ingress and egress sides of the door
Solution Approach 1:
A magnetic field serves as an intermediary to transmit lock status information from the locking lug on the ingress side to the indicator on the egress side through the door thickness, enabling status communication without direct mechanical connection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical linkages for status indication with a magnetic field-based system, where a magnet holder moves with the locking lug and actuates a flag indicator through magnetic coupling, eliminating complex mechanical transmission across the door
2Reliability
If a lock indicator is added to show lock status, then users can determine if the door is locked or unlocked, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rose assembly serves multiple functions: it provides a visual indicator window, houses the flag mechanism, and can be positioned at different locations on the door. The flag actuator mechanism simultaneously responds to both the locked and unlocked states, providing comprehensive status indication with a single integrated component
Solution Approach 2:
The flag indicator mechanism is automatically actuated by the movement of the locking lug through magnetic coupling, requiring no separate power source or manual operation. The system self-regulates to display the correct status based on the lock's state
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables clear and reliable indication of the lock status on both sides of the door, ensuring users can easily determine if the door is locked or unlocked, enhancing security and convenience.
Implementation Method 1
the flag actuator magnetically actuatable by the magnet holder to actuate the flag between the flag lock position in which the rose displays the lock indicator and the flag unlock position in which the rose displays the unlock indicator
Data Source
AI summary
Lock indicators useable to signal the locked or unlocked state of a lock where the lock indicator is usable with an adjustable rose for accommodating various door thicknesses.