GB2285656A

GB2285656A - Disc tumbler cylinder

Info

Publication number: GB2285656A
Application number: GB9500590A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Horst Dipl Ing Willach; Rolf Groenwoldt
Original assignee: Huwil Werke GmbH
Current assignee: Huwil Werke GmbH
Priority date: 1994-01-14
Filing date: 1995-01-12
Publication date: 1995-07-19
Anticipated expiration: 2015-01-12
Also published as: DE4400921A1; GB2285656B; ITMI950058A0; ES2127042B1; GB9500590D0; ES2127042A1; FR2715182A1; IT1272899B; ITMI950058A1

Description

2285656 PATENTS ACT 1977 GDH/PJ/A8423GB Mitle:- "Disc Tumbler Cylinder"

Description of the invention "flie invention relates to a disc tumbler cylinder having a cylinder housing, a cylinder core which is received in the bore of the cylinder housing and is rotatable between a closed position and an open position around a rotational axis and which comprises a plurality of closing discs which are distributed along the rotational axis, which, transversely to the rotational axis, are adjustable in apertures of the cylinder core and which, in the closed position, each engage a groove in the bore of the cylinder housing, said groove extending parallel to the rotational axis, and which are each loaded by a spring towards the closed position, with the spring being position in recesses of the cylinder core and received in slots of the closing discs while being supported at one end thereof, with the slots being aligned centrally relative to the longitudinal axis of the closing discs and intersecting the rotational axis and furthermore, with the apertures, in the part comprising the recesses for receiving the springs, towards the outer face of the cylinder core half, each being provided with a supporting web supporting the associated spring, and furthermore having a key channel in the cylinder core for a key with a flat shank with two narrow faces and two wide faces as well as setting contours on at least one of the wide faces for moving the closing discs from the closed into an open position drawn back into the cylinder core, with the shank passing through through-holes in the closing discs which are provided with setting faces co-operating with one of the setting contours.

Such a disc tumbler cylinder is described in GB 2127891A. The setting contours of the key described therein are provided in the form of indentations which are separated from one another. The key serves to adjust the closing discs in respect of their positions.

US-PS 4682484 describes a disc tumbler cylinder whose cylinder core is divided into two halves to be able to vary the distance between two apertures 2 in the cylinder for receiving the discs and thus to be able to increased the number of closing combinations.

DE 8120364 describes a locking cylinder with closing pairs, wherein, in the region of the locking projection of a disc, there is provided a slot which, by means of its resulting tongues, extends over a web in the housing. it is only the lateral guiding faces of the closing disc in the aperture of the cylinder core which support the forces to prevent rotation.

Furthermore, DE-OS 19 53 323 describes a disc tumbler cylinder wherein the spring which serves to load a closing disc on the one hand, is supported against the end of a slot of the holding disc and, on the other hand, against a beaded portion of the hole end of the bore in the cylinder core, in which it is received. Such a beaded portion influences the guiding quality of the cylinder core in the cylinder housing and of the holding disc in the cylinder core. Furthermore, the slot affects the safety against a forced rotation of the cylinder core relative to the cylinder housing. The arrangement of indentations for controlling the closing discs leads to greater wear and inaccurate guidance.

It is the ob ect of the invention to provide a disc tumbler cylinder which features improved guidance of the key relative to the closing discs and of the cylinder core in the cylinder housing and greater safety against forced rotation and less wear.

In accordance with the invention, the objective is achieved in that the through-holes comprise guiding faces for guiding the shank on its narrow faces; that the setting contours are provided in the form of cuts; that in a plane containing the rotational axis and intersecting the longitudinal axis of the closing discs at a right angle, the cylinder core is divided into two halves; that the two cylinder core halves are held together by holding means; and that the closing discs are provided with a further second slot extending diametrically relative to the first slot; and that the associated cylinder core half is provided with a web which engages the slot and serves to guide the associated closing disc.

3 The advantage of this embodiment is that the supporting web improves the support of the spring, which, in turn, improves the guidance of the associated closing disc and thus further reduces the friction between the cylinder core and closing discs. Furthermore, the guiding web provides greater safety against a forced rotation of the cylinder core because it provides additional support. By guiding the key on the narrow faces of its shank by means of the guiding faces of the closing discs, the alignment of the cuts in the shank relative to the setting faces at the closing discs is improved, thus rendering the closed positions more accurate.

Because of the higher degree of accuracy it is possible to provide a larger number of closing discs. By associating the cuts with the wide faces, safety is increased because it is possible to provide several rows of cuts. Furthermore, the friction conditions between the cylinder core and cylinder housing are improved. By dividing the cylinder core into two halves, it is easier to produce same. The tools used for producing the two halves in the form of pressure diecastings are simple. By dividing the core, it also becomes possible to arrange a further supporting web which is positioned diametrically opposite the first supporting web and which serves to guide the associated closing disc in the region which is subjected to the greatest loads, i.e. the locking projection which, in the locking position, engages the locking groove of the housing. In particular, this measure results in an increase in strength preventing forced rotation. To improve the guiding conditions further, the supporting web serves to laterally guide the associated closing disc by engaging the slot receiving the spring.

The holding means are preferably provided in the form of a cap slid on to the outer contour of the cylinder core halves from the introducing end of the key channel, and of a ring slid on to the contour of the cylinder core halves which faces away from the introducing end.

In a preferred embodiment, one wide face of the shank of the key comprises at least two rows of cuts which are offset relative to the rotational axis of the shank.

4 To ensure that the key can be used independently of its rotational position, it is proposed that the two wide faces are each provided with at least two rows of cuts whose shape on the two wide faces is identical and which, with the key, for being inserted into the key channel, having two introducing positions offset by 180' relative to the one another, permit the closing discs to be set to the open position.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in the drawing wherein- FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal section with the sectional line PI, without showing the key; FIGURE 2 is a cross-section II-II according to Figure 1; and FIGURE 3 shows three views of a key matching the cylinder core embodiment according to Figures 1 and 2.

The disc tumbler cylinder 1 comprises the cylinder housing 2 and the cylinder core 3 positioned therein in the bore 8 centred on the rotational axis 7. The cylinder core 3 is arranged so as to be rotatable around the rotational axis 7. it consists of two cylinder core halves 3, a311 whose dividing plane has been given the reference number 4. Two grooves 5,6 offset relative to one another by 180' are arranged in the cylinder housing 2; they extend along at least part of the length of the bore 8. At one end, the two cylinder core halves 3a3b each comprise a collar 9 which is embraced by the cap 10. The cap 10 presses the two cylinder core halves 3a.3b together in the region of the dividing plane 4. At its end facing away from the collar 10, the cylinder core 3 comprises a step 11 with an indentation 12 accommodating a ring 13 which also tensions the two cylinder core halves 3,a3b relative to one another.

At their ends facing away from the collar, the cylinder core halves 3,a3b comprise a journal 14 for actuating a lock, locking bolt or the like. Tle journal 14 axially projects from the cylinder housing 2. The two cylinder core halves 3a and 3b are pressure die-castings. They comprise complementary apertures 15 extending transversely to the rotational axis 7 and intersecting same.

The apertures 15 are only partially open towards the outer circumferential face of the cylinder core 3 or its two cylinder core halves 3g and 3t. As is particularly obvious from Figure 2, a web is arranged in the region of each of the two exits towards the circumferential face. the supporting web 16 is arranged in the cylinder core half 3a. whereas the web 17 is arranged in the region of the second cylinder core half A However, with reference to Figure 1, this only applies to the first aperture 15 following the collar 9.

The side faces of the supporting web 16 have been given the reference number 18, whereas the supporting face positioned radially inwardly has been given the reference number 19.

In the case of the closed position following the first closed position, the aperture 15 is arranged in such a way that the web 17 is positioned in the first cylinder core half 3,a with the supporting web 16 being positioned in the second cylinder core half 3b.

The arrangement in respect of the third aperture 15 is the same as that existing in respect of the first aperture 15 following the collar 9.

Each aperture 15 extends transversely through the two cylinder core halves 3a and 3b, whereas the key channel 20, starting from the end face at the collar end, extends longitudinally, i.e. parallel to the rotational axis 7, in the form of an introducing end for a key, into the cylinder core halves 3a,3b. In the aperture 15, there are arranged recesses 21 so as to adjoin the supporting webs 16. The apertures 15 are laterally delimited by guiding faces 23. Closing discs 22 which comprise guiding faces 24 matching the guiding faces 23 are movably arranged in the apertures 15. In the region of the supporting web 16, the closing discs 2:21. each comprise a first slot 27 with side faces 30. The side faces 30 serve to guide a closing disc 22 on the side faces 18 of the supporting web. Between the end face 31 of the first slot 27 and the supporting face 19 of the supporting web 16 there is arranged a spring 31 which adjusts the closing disc 22 along its longitudinal axis 22a and along the guiding faces 23 so that the locking projection 25 is loaded towards the left in the direction of the groove 5. In the region of the 6 locking projection 25 there is arranged a further slot 28 which extends over a web 17 by means of its side faces 29 and guides the closing disc 22 towards same. Furthermore, the closing disc 22 comprises lateral locking faces 32 which cooperate with the side faces of the groove 5.

Furthermore, the closing platelet 22 is provided with a central throughhole 34 comprising two guiding faces 35 extending parallel relative to one another. In the through-hole 34 there are provided two setting faces 36,37 so as to extend parallel, on the one face extending between the two guiding faces 35. The shank 39 of a key 38 co-operates with the through-hole 34 and the setting faces 36,37. In Figure 2, the key 38 is inserted into the key channel 20 and in Figure 3 it is shown in the form of a detail in several views. It can be seen that the shank 39 of the key 38 comprises two narrow faces 40. According to Figure 2, the shank 39 is guided by means of said narrow faces 40 in the direction of the dividing plane 4 between the guiding faces 35 of the through-hole 34 of each closing disc 22. The two wide faces 41 of the shank 39 are each provided with two cuts 42,43, with the cut 42 being associated with the setting face 36 of the closing disc 22; it serves to move the closing disc 22 into the position illustrated in Figure 2 wherein the cylinder core.3) is rotatable in the cylinder housing 2. Figure 3 shows that with reference to the rotational axis 2, there are provided two cuts 42,43. In the case of the embodiment shown in the form of a side view in Figure 3, the cut 42 is provided at the bottom of the right hand wide face and at the top of the left hand wide face, whereas the cut 43 is provided at the top of the right hand wide face and at the bottom of the left hand wide face with reference to the rotational axis 7. This means that the key, by means of its shank, may be introduced into the key channel 20 in two introducing positions offset by 180'. The lower half of Figure 3 shows that the cuts are provided in the shape of curves with raised portions and indentations which permit in the key to be introduced smoothly into the key channel 20. In the process, the closing platelets 22 are safely controlled by the curve and there occurs only very slight wear at the setting faces 36,37. Furthermore, by arranging the cuts 42,43 in this way, it is possible 7 to achieve different variants; for instance for a group of disc tumbler cylinders it is possible to use one of the cuts for a main key, whereas the other cut of the keys is designed individually for one of the other locks.

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Claims

CIAIMS:-

1. A disc tumbler cylinder having a cylinder housing, a cylinder core which is received in a bore of the cylinder housing and is rotatable between a closed position and an open position around a rotational axis and which comprises a plurality of closing discs which are distributed along the rotational axis, which, transversely to the rotational axis, are adjustable in apertures of the cylinder core and which, in the closed position, each engage a groove in the bore of the cylinder housing, said groove extending parallel to the rotational axis, and which are each loaded by a spring towards the closed position, with the spring being positioned in recesses of the cylinder core and received in slots of the closing discs while being supported at one end thereof, with the slots being aligned centrally relative to the longitudinal axis of the closing discs and intersecting the rotational axis and furthermore, with the apertures, in the part comprising the recesses for receiving the springs, towards the outer face of the cylinder core half, each being provided with a supporting web supporting the associated spring, and furthermore having a key channel in the cylinder core for a key with a flat shank with two narrow faces and two wide faces as well as setting contours on at least one the wide faces for moving the closing discs from the closed position into an open position drawn back into the cylinder core, with the shank passing through through-holes in the closing discs which are provided with setting faces cooperating with one of the setting contours, characterised in that the through-holes comprise guiding faces for guiding the shank on its narrow faces; that the setting contours are provided in the form of cuts; that in a plane containing the rotational axis and intersecting the longitudinal axis of the closing discs at a right angle, the cylinder core is divided into two halves, that the two cylinder core halves are held together by holding means and that the closing discs are provided with a further second slot extending diametrically relative to the first slot and that the associated cylinder core half is provided with a web which engages the slot and serves to guide the associate closing disc.

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2. A disc tumbler cylinder according to Claim 1 characterised in that the supporting web serves to laterally guide the associated closing disc by engaging the slot receiving the spring.

3. A disc tumbler cylinder according to Claim 1 characterised in that the holding means are provided in the form of a cap slid onto the outer contour of the cylinder core halves from the introducing end of the key channel, and of a ring slid onto the contour of the cylinder core halves which faces away from the introducing end.

4. A disc tumbler cylinder according to Claim 1 characterised in that one wide face of the shank of the key comprises at least two rows of cuts which are offset relative to the rotational axis of the shank.

5. A disc tumbler cylinder according to Claim 4 characterised in that the two wide faces are each provided with at least two rows of cuts whose shape on the two wide faces is identical and which, with the key, for being inserted into the key channel, having two introducing positions offset by 180' relative to one another, permit the closing discs to be set to the open position.