SE535288C2 - Lock schema device, method, computer program product and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT It is presented a method for obtaining a lockconfiguration matching a key. The method comprises thesteps, executed in a lock configuration device, of:capturing an image of the key; obtaining geometriccharacteristics of the key using the captured image;determining, using the geometric characteristics, orderand types of pins for a lock matching the key;presenting the determined types of pins in the determined order. (FIG. 1)

Description

LOCK CONFIGURATION DEVICE, METHOD, COMPUTER PROGRAMPRODUCT AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention relates generally to lockassembly, and more particularly to lock assembly based on a given key.

BACKGROUND In most cases, keys and locks are manufactured at thesame time, whereby it is ensured that the keys that are supplied fit the lock or locks.

However, there are situations where it is desired toobtain a new lock which fits a certain key. For example,consider the situation of a residential house havingmultiple doors, such as a front door and a kitchenentrance. In such circumstances it is common to have thelocks configured in the same way such that a single keycan be used to unlock any of the doors to the house. Ifan addition is built to the house, there may be a newdoor, it is a new garden door. In this situation, e.g.desirable to install a lock in the garden door whichcould also be opened using the same key that is used for the other doors of the house.

There are several more or less automated systems forproducing a copy of a given key. However, the prior art fails to provide On the contrary, in the prior art, assembling a lock tofit a given key is an art performed by an experienced locksmith. The locksmith examines the key and attempts, at least partly by trial and error, to configure a lock which matches the key.

While, in many cases, an experienced locksmith is ableto obtain a lock which matches a given key, it cansometimes take a significant amount of time to produce afitting lock. Moreover, it would be beneficial to allowpersons with less experience to be able to create a lock from a key.

SUIVIMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the invention to provide amethod and system which allows an automated key analysis and pin selection.

According to the invention there is provided a methodfor obtaining a lock configuration matching a key. Themethod comprises the steps, executed in a lockconfiguration device, of: capturing an image of the key;obtaining geometric characteristics of the key using thecaptured image; determining, using the geometriccharacteristics, order and types of pins for the lockconfiguration matching the key; and presenting the determined types of pins in the determined order.

This enables an efficient and consistent way ofdetermining a lock configuration matching a key. Thisconfiguration can be used to assemble a lock whichmatches a particular key. Furthermore, this methodallows for quality control of key production, where themethod provides a pin sequence which can be checked against an expected pin sequence.

The step of determining may comprise determining eachpin separately using a subset of the geometric characteristics.

The step of determining order and types of pins may comprise using a lookup table.

The step of determining order and types of pins may comprise using a rule bases pin determination.

The step of obtaining geometric characteristics maycomprise obtaining geometric characteristics for two or more separate rows of teeth of the key.

The step of obtaining geometric measurements maycomprise using a coordinate system which is fixed in relation to an identifiable point of the key.

The step of obtaining geometric measurements maycomprise converting a measurement of pixels of the captured image into a unit of length.

A second aspect of the invention is a lock configurationdevice for obtaining a lock configuration, said lockconfiguration matching a key. The lock configurationdevice comprises: a key scanner arranged to capture animage of the key; a controller arranged to obtaingeometric characteristics of the key using the capturedimage; determining, using the geometric characteristics,order and types of pins for a lock matching the key;presenting the determined types of pins in the determined order.

The key scanner and controller may be provided in separate entities with a communication channel for communication between the key scanner and the controller.

A third aspect of the invention is a computer program(101) for a lock configuration device, the computerprogram (101) comprising computer program code which,when run on the lock configuration device, causes thelock configuration device to perform the steps of:capturing an image of the key; obtaining geometriccharacteristics of the key using the captured image;determining, using the geometric characteristics, orderand types of pins for a lock matching the key;presenting the determined types of pins in the determined order.

A fourth aspect of the invention is a computer programproduct comprising a computer program according to thethird aspect and a computer readable means on which the computer program is stored.

It is to be noted that all aspects of the first, second third, fourth aspects can be applied, where applicable, to any other of these aspects.

Embodiments of the invention provide an elegant andconvenient solution to the problem of assembling a lockfitting a given key. The user simply scans the key usingthe key scanner and is provided with information tounambiguously select the correct pins for a fittinglock. This reduces the time such an operation takes and increases reliability compared to the prior art.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwiseherein. All references to "a/an/the element, device,component, means, step, etc." are to be interpretedopenly as referring to at least one instance of theelement, device, component, means, step, etc., unlessexplicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methoddisclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig 1 is a schematic diagram of an environment where the present invention can be embodied, Fig 2 is a schematic diagram of how key characteristicsare obtained from an image of a key according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig 3 is a schematic diagram of how pin types can be presented to a user, Fig 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig 5 shows one example of a computer program productcomprising computer readable means and a computer program thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown.

This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided by way of example so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled inthe art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

Fig 1 is a schematic diagram of an environment where thepresent invention can be embodied. The arrangement isused to provide a scheme of pin types 17 to a user sothe user can assemble a lock 18 matching a given key 12.The key 12 is thus the key to be used as a base for theassembly of the lock 18. The key 12 is any key 12 whereits geometric construction determines whether it can open and close a lock or not.

The key is read by a key scanner 10. The key scanner 10captures an image of the key 12 to allow the geometricconstruction of the key 12 to be analysed. The keyscanner 10 can comprise a camera, a flatbed scanner orany other suitable device for capturing an image of thekey 12. The key scanner is connected via a communicationchannel to a computer 11. This communication channel canfor example be a wired connection such as USB (UniversalSerial Bus), FireWire, serial RS-232, Ethernet, or awireless connection such as BlueTooth, ZigBee, wireless USB, wireless local area network (IEEE 802.11), etc.

Once the key scanner 10 has captured an image of the key12, as will be explained in more detail below, geometric characteristics are obtained from the key. This can be performed in the key scanner 10 or a computer 11connected to the key scanner 10. The computer 11 can beany suitable computer with capability of executingcomputer programs, communicating with the key scanner 10and which has a user interface allowing the user 14 tobe provided with information on what types of pins to use and in what order to assemble them.

The user 14 thus gets information from the computer 11on how to assemble a lock 18 which matches the key 12.This is schematically shown by the pins 17 of lock 18which have been arranged in an order corresponding to the measurements obtained from the image of the key 12.

The key scanner 10 and the computer 11 can inconjunction be called a lock configuration device 19.The key scanner 10 and the computer 11 can be separate,as depicted in Fig 1, or they can be combined in a single lock configuration device 19.

Fig 2 is a schematic diagram of how key characteristicsare obtained from an image 5 of a key according to anembodiment of the present invention. In this example,the notches 13a-f are measured to obtain thecharacteristics of the key. Firstly, a reference pointis found on the image 5 of the key 12. This can forexample be at a reference point 15 corresponding towhere the lower part of a collar of the key 12transitions to the blade of the key 12. Furthermore, ahorizontal reference is found, such as the upper part ofthe blade 16. Alternatively, the horizontal referencecan be a ridge of the profile of the key. With the reference point 15 and the horizontal reference established, a coordinate system can be fixed inrelation to the key. Once the horizontal reference isfound, measurements 13a-f can be obtained in relation tothe horizontal reference. The measurements l3a-f can beobtained at predetermined horizontal distances from thereference point 15. Optionally, the measurements 13a-fin a are obtained according to the rules, for example, notch or on a tooth.

It is to be noted that the system can be configured tobe applicable to several different key types. The keytypes can be identifies by the geometrics of the key 12or by the user 14 entering key type to the computer 11.The key type can affect how many pins are to be used,what set of pins to use (in other words selecting andappropriate look-up table or rule set), and/or the horizontal distances between measurements l3a-f.

It is to be noted that the key 12 may assume othershapes, including more square shaped keys. Furthermore,the key could have two or more separate rows of teeth onthe same key. As long as all teeth and/or notches arecaptured on the image 5 from the key scanner 10, themeasurements can be obtained from the image 5 and serve as a base for the determination of pins.

Fig 3 is a schematic diagram of how pin types can bepresented to a user. This can for example be shown on ascreen of the computer 11 of Fig 1. A graphical output32 is shown, indicating the visually how the pins shouldbe arranged. For example, for some locks, every pin canbe rotatably arranged in two ways, whereby the graphical output assists the user to assemble the lock correctly.

Furthermore, a second section 30 of the display showspart numbers for the user. In this way, the user canunambiguously assemble a lock which fits a given key.The part numbers shown in Fig 3 are only examples, anyunambiguous identification of pins is possible. Forexample, in one example, the second section 30 canpresent measurements of pins, if all pins have the same profile and only differ in length.

Fig 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method according toan embodiment of the present invention. The methodassists a user in assembling a lock for a given key, asillustrated e.g. in Fig 1. References will also be madeto Fig 1 to further clarify the various entities used in the method.

In an initial capture key image step 40, an image of the key 12 is obtained using the key scanner 10.

In an obtain geometric characteristics step 41, thecomputer 11 or the key scanner 10 obtains the geometriccharacteristics of the key 12, as explained in with reference to Fig 2 above.

In a determine order and type of pins step 42, the orderand types of pins are determined. Processing for eachpin is performed separately. For each pin, one, two oreven more measurements can be required to determine itstype. In this example, each pin determinationcorresponds to one measurement (13a-f in Fig 2). To finda pin, the measurement (or measurements) first need tobe converted to a unit of length, such as millimetres.Once the length is used, this can be used to determine an appropriate pin, either using a look-up table, from measurement ranges to pins, or a determination rule. Forexample, if a measurement is found to be 4.2millimetres, this can correspond to a pin with partnumber 111, if there is a rule that measurements between4.05 and 4.35 matches a pin with part number 111.Similarly, if two measurements are needed to determine apin, the two measurements are used together to find amatching pin type number. This process is repeated until all pins are determined.

In a present pins step 43, the pins determined in theprevious step are presented to the user. This allows theuser to assemble a lock which fits the given key 12.Alternatively, in key production, the presented pins arechecked against expected pins to verify that the key has been produced with characteristics as expected.

Fig 5 shows one example of a computer program product100 comprising computer readable means. On this computerreadable means a computer program 101 can be stored,which computer program can cause a controller to executethe method according to embodiments described herein. Inthis example, the computer program product is an opticaldisc, such as a CD (compact disc) or a DVD (digitalversatile disc). The computer program product could alsobe embodied as a memory of a device, such as a memory ofthe computer 11. While the computer program 101 is hereschematically shown as a track on the depicted optical disk, the computer program can be stored in any way which is suitable for the computer program product.

The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily 11 appreciated by a person skilled in the art, otherembodiments than the ones disclosed above are equallypossible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.

Claims (11)

1. A method for obtaining a lock configuration matchinga key (12), the method, comprising the steps, executedin a lock configuration device (19), of: capturing (40) an image of the key; obtaining (41) geometric characteristics of the keyusing the captured image; determining (41), using the geometriccharacteristics, order and types of pins for the lockconfiguration matching the key (12); and presenting (43) the determined types of pins in the determined order.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step(42) of determining comprises determining each pinseparately using a subset of the geometric characteristics.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein thestep (42) of determining order and types of pins comprises using a lookup table.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein thestep (42) of determining order and types of pins comprises using a rule based pin determination.

5. The method according to any one of the precedingclaims, wherein the step (41) of obtaining geometriccharacteristics comprises obtaining geometriccharacteristics for two or more separate rows of teeth of the key (12). 13

6. The method according to any one of the precedingclaims, wherein the step (41) of obtaining geometricmeasurements comprises using a coordinate system whichis fixed in relation to an identifiable point (15) of the key (12).

7. The method according to any one of the precedingclaims, wherein the step (41) of obtaining geometricmeasurements comprises converting a measurement of pixels of the captured image into a unit of length.

8. A lock configuration device (19) for obtaining alock configuration, said lock configuration matching akey, wherein the lock configuration device (19)comprises: a key scanner (10) arranged to capture an image ofthe key; a controller arranged to obtain geometriccharacteristics of the key using the captured image; determining, using the geometric characteristics,order and types of pins for a lock matching the key; presenting the determined types of pins in the determined order.

9. The lock configuration device (19) according toclaim 8, wherein the key scanner (10) and controller areprovided in separate entities with a communicationchannel for communication between the key scanner (10) and the controller. 14

10. A computer program (101) for a lock configurationdevice (19), the computer program (101) comprisingcomputer program code which, when run on the lockconfiguration device (19), causes the lock configurationdevice (19) to perform the steps of: capturing an image of the key; obtaining geometric characteristics of the key usingthe captured image; determining, using the geometric characteristics,order and types of pins for a lock matching the key; presenting the determined types of pins in the determined order.

11. A computer program product (100) comprising acomputer program (101) according to claim 10 and acomputer readable means on which the computer program is stored.