Key or key blank for a disk cylinder and associated disk cylinder

Abstract

A key or a key blank for a disk cylinder having a plurality of rotatably supported disk tumblers has a key shaft having a shaft cross-section that comprises a first end section, a second end section and a connection section along a longitudinal axis, the connection section connecting the first end section and the second end section to one another. The connection section is narrower than the two end sections and has two longitudinal edges that are aligned in parallel with one another and that extend obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the shaft cross-section between the two end sections.

Claims

1. A disk cylinder having a key, comprising: a cylinder housing; a disk housing rotatably supported about a cylinder axis in the cylinder housing; at least one blocking pin which is provided at the outer periphery of the disk housing, which is aligned in parallel with the cylinder axis and is displaceable radially to the cylinder axis, which blocks the disk housing against a rotational movement in a radially outer blocking position, and which releases the disk housing for a rotational movement in a radially inner release position; and a plurality of disk tumblers arranged along the cylinder axis in the disk housing and rotatably supported between a locked position and an unlocked position, with each disk tumbler having a key reception opening and, at the outer periphery, at least one cut-out in which the blocking pin is at least partly receivable in the release position, with the blocking pin only being displaceable into the release position when all the disk tumblers are in their unlocked positions in which the cut-out of the respective disk tumbler is aligned radially to the blocking pin, wherein the key has a key shaft having a shaft cross-section that has a first end section, a second end section, and a connection section along a longitudinal axis, said connection section connecting the first end section and the second end section to one another, with the first end section and the second end section having a respective encoding region for driving an associated disk tumbler; wherein the connection section of the shaft cross-section is narrower than the two end sections and has two longitudinal edges that are aligned in parallel with one another and that extend between the two end sections obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the shaft cross-section; and wherein the connection section of the shaft cross-section comprises a central region that has a square shape, with the square shape: having two exposed edges which are disposed opposite one another and of which each forms a part of one of the two longitudinal edges of the connection section; having two corners which are disposed diametrically opposite one another and of which each corresponds to a transition of the connection section to the respective end section of the shaft cross-section; and having two further edges which are disposed opposite one another, which pass through the connection section, and of which each extends from one of said two corners up to the longitudinal edge of the connection section disposed opposite the respective corner, wherein the key shaft has at least one incision at the respective encoding region of the two end sections of the cross-section, wherein said at least one incision extends across the entire width of the shaft cross-section.

2. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the two end sections of the shaft cross-section has a first side edge, a second side edge that is disposed opposite the first side edge, an outer edge, and an inner edge that is disposed opposite the outer edge and that extends, starting from the first side edge, to one of said two corners of the square shape of the connection section; wherein one end of each of the two longitudinal edges of the connection section leads to an end of the inner edge of a respective one of the two end sections of the shaft cross-section to form said respective corner of the square shape; and wherein another end of each of the two longitudinal edges of the connection section leads to the second side edge of the respective other end section of the shaft cross-section.

3. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first side edge and the second side edge of each of the two end sections of the shaft cross-section are aligned at least substantially in parallel with one another and/or are rectilinear.

4. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 2, wherein the outer edge of each of the two end sections of the shaft cross-section has the shape of a circular section.

5. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 2, wherein the inner edges of the two end sections of the shaft cross-section are at least substantially aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft cross-section and/or are rectilinear.

6. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 2, wherein the shaft cross-section has a respective cut-out at the level of the connection section, said cut-out at least substantially having a triangular shape, with a first limb of the respective triangular shape forming the inner edge of one of the two end sections of the shaft cross-section, and with a second limb of the respective triangular shape forming one of the two longitudinal edges of the connection section.

7. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the longitudinal edges of the connection section are rectilinear.

8. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the transitions of the connection section to the respective end section of the shaft cross-section which correspond to said two corners of the square shape are rounded.

9. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the square shape of the connection section is rotated relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft cross-section by an angle that has a value in the range from 22 to 32.

10. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein said respective transition of the connection section to the respective end section of the shaft cross-section is set back with respect to a side edge of the respective end section by a value of approximately 40% of the maximum width of the shaft cross-section.

11. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein a mutual spacing of the two longitudinal edges of the connection section of the shaft cross-section amounts to a value in the range from 37% to 47% of the maximum width of the shaft cross-section.

12. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first end section, the connection section and the second end section of the shaft cross-section each extend along approximately a third of the length of the shaft cross-section with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft cross-section.

13. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the shaft cross-section is point symmetric.

14. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the respective encoding region of the two end sections of the shaft cross-section is provided at a respective end face of the shaft cross-section in alignment, when viewed along connection section.

15. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the key shaft has at least one incision at the respective encoding region of the two end sections of the shaft cross-section, said incision extending at an angle to the longitudinal axis that has a value in the range from 0 to 90.

16. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein the key reception openings of the disk tumblers form a keyway extending along the cylinder axis, with the disk cylinder having at least one securing disk at an insertion opening of the keyway, said at least one securing disk having a key insertion opening having a cross-section that is formed at least substantially in a complementary manner to the shaft cross-section of the key.

17. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of disk tumblers has a key reception opening having a cross-section that is formed at least substantially in a complementary manner to the shaft cross-section of the key.

18. The disk cylinder in accordance with claim 2, wherein the key shaft includes first and second incisions that extend in different angular orientations, each angle orientation starting from the second side edge of the respective end section.

Description

(1) The invention will be described in the following by way of example with reference to the drawings, in which the same or similar elements are characterized by the same reference numerals.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a disk cylinder with a key;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of parts of the disk cylinder with a key in accordance with FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a shaft cross-section of a key with an encoding 6 or of a key blank;

(5) FIG. 4 shows a shaft cross-section of a key with an encoding 3;

(6) FIG. 5 shows a shaft cross-section of a key with an encoding 1; and

(7) FIG. 6 shows a securing disk of a disk cylinder.

(8) FIG. 3 shows a cross-section 50 of the key shaft 25 of a key 24 for a disk cylinder 10 in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2 and a cross-section 50 of a key blank 24 that serves for the manufacture of a key 24, wherein the shaft cross-section 50 in accordance with FIG. 3 differs from the shaft cross-section of a key 24 in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2, as will be explained in the following. The view in accordance with FIG. 3 is selected such that the key 24 is rotated clockwise for an opening actuation of the associated disk cylinder.

(9) The shaft cross-section 50 in the embodiment shown here is point-symmetric and has a first end section 51, a second end section 52, and a connection section 60 along a longitudinal axis L (extending within the shown section plane), said connection section connecting the first end section 51 and the second section 52 to one another. The first end section 51, the second end section 52 and the connection section 60 extend in each case along approximately a third of the length of the shaft cross-section 50 with respect to the longitudinal axis L in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

(10) The first end section 51 and the second end section 52 form, in extension of the obliquely extending connection section 60, a respective encoding region 54 for driving an associated disk tumbler 16 (FIGS. 1 and 2), with a respective outer edge 55 of the end section 51, 52 partly bounding the respective encoding region 54 and being able to be set back, however, partly or completely by an incision 26 (FIGS. 1 and 2), as is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The shaft cross-section 50 in accordance with FIG. 3, however, has no incision and thus corresponds to an encoding 6 or to a key blank without incisions.

(11) The connection section 60 of the shaft cross-section 50 is narrower than the two end sections 51, 52 and has two rectilinear longitudinal edges 62 that are in parallel with one another and that extend between the two end sections 51, 52 along a direction of extent V at an able of, for example, approximately 27 or approximately 31 obliquely to the longitudinal axis L of the shaft cross-section 50. The mutual spacing of the two longitudinal edges 62 of the connection section 60 amounts in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 to approximately 40% of the width (measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L) of the shaft cross-section 50.

(12) The connection section 60 of the shaft cross-section 50 comprises a central region having the shape 70 of a square that is rotated relative to the longitudinal axis L in accordance with the oblique extent of the connection section 60. The square shape 70 comprises two exposed first edges 71 which are disposed opposite one another and of which each forms a part of one of the two longitudinal edges 62 of the connection section 60 and two second edges 72 disposed opposite one another and passing through the connection section 60. The two second edges 72 have the same length as the two first edges 71 and are aligned orthogonally thereto.

(13) The square shape 70 furthermore comprises two first corners 73 which are disposed diametrically opposite one another and of which each corresponds to a transition 64 of the connection section 60 to the respective end section 51 and 52 respectively of the shaft cross-section 50, with the respective transition 64 being rounded so that the first corners 73 of the (imaginary) square shape 70 do not exactly coincide with the actual (i.e. physical) negative corners that are formed by the respective transition 64. The two first corners 73 of the square shape 70 are thus located approximately at one end of a respective one of the two longitudinal edges 62 of the connection section 60 of the shaft cross-section 50.

(14) The square shape 70 furthermore comprises two second corners 74 that are disposed diametrically opposite one another and that are approximately arranged in a central region of a respective one of the two longitudinal edges 62 of the connection section 60. Each of the two first edges 71 thus extends from one of the two first corners 73 along an associated longitudinal edge 62 up to one of the two second corners 74. Each of the two second edges 72 extends from one of the two first corners 73 transversely to the connection section 60 and in particular orthogonally to the direction of extent V up to one of the two second corners 74.

(15) Each of the two end sections 51, 52 of the shaft cross-section 50 comprises a first side edge 57 and a second side edge 58 that is disposed opposite the first side edge 57 with respect to the (central) longitudinal axis L, with the first side edge 57 and the second side edge 58, in the embodiment shown here, being aligned in parallel with one another and being rectilinear. The two side edges 57, 58 are of different length. Each of the two end sections 51, 52 of the shaft cross-section 50 furthermore comprises the already named outer edge 55 that has the shape of a circular section in the embodiment shown here and an inner edge 59 that is disposed opposite the outer edge 55 and that extends, starting from the first side edge 57, in the direction of the (central) longitudinal axis L to one of the two first corners 73 of the square shape 70 of the connection section 60. The respective inner edge 59 can in particular extend, as shown in FIG. 3, orthogonally to the longitudinal axis L of the shaft cross-section 50. This is, however, not absolutely necessary; for example, the respective inner edge 59 could be inclined with respect to such an orthogonal alignment, in particular in a similar manner to or corresponding to the alignment of the second edges 72 of the square shape 70.

(16) Corresponding to the explained oblique position of the connection section 60 and to the square shape 70, the two longitudinal edges 62 of the connection section 60 merge into the respective end section 51, 52 of the shaft cross-section 50 at different heights (with respect to the longitudinal axis L). One end of each of the two longitudinal edges 62 leads to an end of the inner edge 59 of the respective end section 51, 52 to form the respective transition 64. The respective transition 64 of the connection section 60 to the respective end section 51, 52 of the shaft cross-section 50 is set back in the embodiment shown here by a value of approximately 40% of the width (measured perpendicular to the longitudinal axis L) of the shaft cross-section 50. The other end of each of the two longitudinal edges 62 furthermore leads to the second side edge 58 of the respective other end section 52 or 51 respectively of the shaft cross-section 50.

(17) To form, starting from an at least substantially rectangular base shape, the shaft cross-section 50 with an obliquely extending connection section 60 in accordance with FIG. 3, the shaft cross-section 50 has a respective cut-out 76 that at least substantially has a triangular shape at the height of the connection section 60 at both longitudinal sides, with a first limb of the respective triangular shape forming the inner edge 59 of one of the two end sections 51, 52 of the shaft cross-section 50, and with a second limb of the respective triangular shape forming one of the two longitudinal edges 62 of the connection section 60.

(18) FIG. 4 shows a shaft cross-section 50 of a key 24 corresponding to FIG. 3, but at a point along the key axis S at which an incision 26 is provided that represents the encoding 3 in accordance with the initially explained encoding system. The incision 26 introduced at the outer edge 55, at the second side edge 58, and partly at the longitudinal edge 62 of the connection section 60 adjacent thereto is accordingly inclined by an angle of approximately 36 with respect to the longitudinal axis L (FIG. 3).

(19) FIG. 5 shows a corresponding shaft cross-section 50 of a key 24 at a point along the key axis S at which an incision 26 is provided that represents the encoding 1 in accordance with the initially explained encoding system. The incision 26 introduced at the outer edge 55, at the first side edge 57, at the second side edge 58, and partly at the longitudinal edge 62 of the connection section 60 adjacent thereto is accordingly inclined by an angle of approximately 90 with respect to the longitudinal axis L (FIG. 3).

(20) The special geometry of the shaft cross-section 50 in accordance with FIGS. 3 to 5 allows a minimal opening width of the keyway 28 (FIG. 1) of the disk cylinder (10) that, on the one hand, makes the insertion and the subsequent use of a picking tool more difficult and that, on the other hand, still enables a sufficient driving torque for the proper opening actuation of the disk cylinder 10 for driving the coupling section 30 (FIG. 1). Due to the configuration of the connection section 60, that is narrow and extends obliquely such that a correspondingly obliquely standing square shape 70 is formed between the two end sections 51, 52 (required for the driving of the disk tumblers 16) of the shaft cross-section 50, the cross-sectional surface of the key shaft 25 is minimized, whereby the insertion and use of conventional picking tools is made substantially more difficult or is practically precluded (with respect to conventional picking tools having an elongate-rectangular cross-section).

(21) A sufficiently high driving torque can nevertheless be applied to the disk tumblers 16 since the respective encoding region 54 of the end sections 51, 52 is provided in extension of the obliquely aligned connection section 60, whereby the reaction forces occurring at the key shaft 25 can be taken up and distributed along the direction of extent V of the connection section 60. This can be recognized particularly easily with reference to FIG. 4 (encoding 3). When, on a clockwise rotational movement of the key shaft 25, the incision 26 acts on a disk tumbler 16 (FIGS. 1 and 2) and drives the coupling section 30 via it, the reaction force of the square shape 70 (FIG. 3) of the connection section 60 is taken up and supported.

(22) FIG. 6 shows a securing disk 15 that is provided at an insertion opening of the keyway 28 of a disk cylinder 10 (FIGS. 1 and 2). The securing disk 15 has a central key insertion opening 19 having a cross-section that is formed at least substantially in a complementary manner to the shaft cross-section 50 of the key 24 (encoding 6 in accordance with FIG. 3) or of the key blank 24. To facilitate the insertion of the key 24 into the keyway 28 of the disk cylinder 10, the cross-section of the key insertion opening 19 can be somewhat larger and much more rounded than the shaft cross-section 50. The opening width of the keyway 28 of the disk cylinder 10 is bounded by such a securing disk 15 to make the insertion of a picking tool more difficult, as explained.

(23) Alternatively or additionally, one or more disk tumblers 16 or other disks of the disk cylinder 10 (e.g. release disk) can also have a reception opening 18 whose cross-section is formed at least substantially in a complementary manner to the shaft cross-section 50 of the key 24 or of the key blank 24.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

(24) 10 disk cylinder 12 cylinder housing 14 disk housing 15 securing disk 16 disk tumbler 18 reception opening 19 key insertion opening 20 blocking cut-out 22 blocking pin 24 key 24 key blank 25 key shaft 26 insertion 28 keyway 30 coupling section 32 slit 34 blocking pin reception recess 36 intermediate disk 38, 38a peripheral cut-out 40 abutment section 42 projection 44 fixing cut-out 46 core pin 50 shaft cross-section 51 first end section 52 second end section 54 encoding region 55 outer edge 57 first side edge 58 second side edge 59 inner edge 60 connection section 62 longitudinal edge of the connection section 64 transition between the connection section and the end section 70 square shape 71 first edge of the square shape 72 second edge of the square shape 73 first corner of the square shape 74 second corner of the square shape 76 cut-out L longitudinal axis of the shaft cross-section S key axis V direction of extent of the connection section Z cylinder axis