Combination Strand Lock Latch Layout for Wear-Resistant Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional strand locks with combination locking mechanisms require complex bolt designs that are prone to damage and wear, affecting locking reliability due to external influences and stresses.
Innovation Solution
A strand lock design featuring a bolt introduction opening transverse to the lock axis, with a latch that moves along the axis for locking and unlocking, eliminating the need for additional locking structures on the bolt and allowing secure engagement through a locking notch, and a simplified handling mechanism using a secret code to control the latch's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bolt is introduced along the lock axis into the lock body and locked by the combination locking mechanism, then the locking function is achieved, but the bolt design becomes complex and prone to damage and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The locking function is segmented between the bolt (which only needs a simple locking notch) and the latch (which contains the combination locking mechanism). The latch acts as a movable barrier that can be positioned to block or allow bolt movement, separating the complex coding function from the bolt structure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch serves as an intermediary component between the combination locking mechanism and the bolt. It translates the code verification result into a physical blocking or unblocking action on the bolt's movement path, eliminating the need for complex structures on the bolt while maintaining secure locking.
2Reliability
If additional locking structures are added to the bolt to cooperate with the combination locking mechanism, then the locking reliability is improved, but the bolt becomes more susceptible to damage and wear from external influences
Solution Approach 1:
The complex locking structures are extracted from the bolt and placed in the latch component. The bolt is reduced to its essential function of providing a simple locking notch, making it more robust and less susceptible to damage from external influences while maintaining the same locking reliability.
3Reliability
If the bolt acts as a latch of the combination locking mechanism, then the locking function is achieved, but the bolt design becomes complex and handling becomes inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making the bolt act as the latch (as in conventional designs), the invention inverts the roles by making the latch the active component that moves to control bolt access. The latch is preloaded into a locking position and can be moved by the code rings to unblock the bolt, simplifying the bolt design and improving handling convenience.
Data Source
AI summary
A strand lock includes: a lock body having a first closure part and a second closure part; a combination locking mechanism oriented along a lock axis; and a strand hoop. A first strand end is formed by a bolt that can be selectively locked to or released from the lock body. The first closure part has a bolt introduction opening into which the bolt can be introduced. The combination locking mechanism includes rotatable code rings and a preloaded latch. When a secret code is set, the latch is released for movement against the preload into an unlocking position, where the latch unblocks a movement path of the bolt for an introduction or removal from the lock body. When the secret code is set, he latch may be urged into the unlocking position by introducing the bolt into the lock body and by removing the bolt from the lock body.