Rekeyable Lock Cylinder Rack Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lock cylinders require matching keys and replacement of both the lock cylinder and key when changing locks, leading to high replacement costs and inconvenience.
Innovation Solution
A rekeyable lock cylinder design featuring first and second rack components and a guide bar, where the guide bar is actuated by a rekeying tool to move the first rack components transversely, allowing disengagement from the second rack components, enabling effective rekeying without replacing the lock cylinder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional lock cylinder is used, then the lock provides basic security function, but the lock cylinder and key must be replaced in pair when changing locks, resulting in high replacement cost and inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The lock cylinder is divided into multiple independent rack components (first rack components and second rack components) that can selectively engage with each other. This segmentation allows the key configuration to be changed by repositioning individual rack components without replacing the entire lock cylinder, thereby achieving rekeyability while managing complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The rack components are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to be repositioned during the rekeying process. The first rack components can move in a transverse direction relative to the key insertion direction, enabling dynamic reconfiguration of the lock's internal mechanism to accommodate different key configurations
2Adaptability or versatility
If the lock cylinder structure is simplified for easy replacement, then manufacturing cost decreases, but the ability to rekey without replacement is lost
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the lock cylinder into standardized first and second rack components that can be selectively engaged, the invention enables rekeyability through configuration changes rather than manufacturing new parts. This approach maintains ease of manufacture while achieving adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The first rack components are selectively engaged with the second rack components within the lock cylinder housing, creating a nested structure. This nesting allows multiple key configurations to be achieved within a single lock cylinder body, providing rekeyability without requiring multiple different lock cylinder designs
3Ease of operation
If the guide bar and rack components are designed for rekeying functionality, then rekeying capability is achieved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The guide bar serves as an intermediary mechanism that translates the rotational motion of the key into transverse movement of the first rack components. This intermediary mechanism enables the rekeying operation by mediating between the key input and the rack component displacement, making the rekeying process operable while managing structural complexity through functional decomposition
Data Source
AI summary
A rekeyable lock cylinder comprises a plurality of first rack components, a plurality of second rack components and a guide bar having a first surface engaged with the first rack components. The second rack components are movable via contacting against a first matched key which is inserted in a first direction. The guide bar has a second surface, a first side, a second side, and a tool-receiving portion recessed into the first side. The tool-receiving portion is parallel to the first direction, and the first rack components are actuated by the guide bar via acting force applied by the rekeying tool accommodated in the tool-receiving portion therefore enabling the first rack components to move in a transverse direction relative to the first direction and disengaging the first rack components from the second rack components.