Rotating Pin Key Lock Resists Picking via Segmented ID Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional key locks with split-pin ID mechanisms are vulnerable to unlocking using tools like rakes and bump keys, allowing unauthorized access due to their design.
Innovation Solution
The rotating pin key lock employs single-piece rotating pins and a unique collar mechanism that requires a specific key ID to align pins correctly, preventing unauthorized access by using a key with precise ID cut surfaces to interact with the pins, ensuring secure locking and unlocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If split-pin ID mechanisms are used in conventional key locks, then the locking mechanism is simple and easy to manufacture, but the lock becomes vulnerable to picking and bump key attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism is segmented into multiple independent rotating pins, each capable of independent rotation and positioning. This segmentation allows each pin to function as a separate security element, making the overall system more resistant to picking and bump key attacks while maintaining a modular structure that is manageable in complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The pins are designed to be dynamic rather than static, capable of rotating into different positions based on key interaction. This dynamic behavior creates a more complex security state space that resists traditional picking methods, while the rotation mechanism itself remains mechanically simple
2Reliability
If rotating pins with specific ID alignment requirements are implemented, then unauthorized access is prevented, but the operation becomes more complex requiring precise key ID cut surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The key ID cut surfaces are designed with asymmetric patterns that correspond to the specific rotation positions of each pin. This asymmetry ensures that only the correct key with the precise cut pattern can align all pins to their required positions, preventing unauthorized access while maintaining a straightforward lock/unlock operation for authorized users
3Reliability
If single-piece rotating pins are used instead of split pins, then vulnerability to rake and bump key tools is reduced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pins are pre-configured with specific rotation positions and ID alignment requirements during manufacturing. This preliminary setup ensures that during operation, the pins will naturally align to their correct positions when the proper key is inserted and rotated, reducing the need for high-precision real-time adjustments and maintaining manufacturing feasibility
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a key lock operable for locking and unlocking a latch control mechanism. The key lock includes a key collar with a front face, an outer cylindrical surface, and a longitudinally extending key slot. A center collar is concentrically disposed about the key collar such that an inner cylindrical surface of the center collar is fit to and rotatable on the outer cylindrical surface of the key collar. A series of cylindrical rotating pins are disposed in the center collar, each rotating pin having a notch with a key ID surface configured to engage one of a corresponding series of ID cut surfaces of a key when the key is inserted in the key slot and rotated to a key verification position, thereby rotationally orienting each pin at a respective ID position.