Signal Based Arrangement of Pin Tumbler Pins

• US 20200131804A1
• Filed: 10/25/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Department of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: US Department of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Deminico, Mathew
• Granted Patent: US 11,085,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 1/02 Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/16 Extraterrestrial cars
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/75 for extra-terrestrial use, e.g. on the Moon or Mars
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/20 for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/0012 with rotary electromotors actuators with rotary electromotors per se H02K7/06, H02K23/68
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/0611 Cylinder locks with electromagnetic control
• CPC Class Codes: E05B 47/063 with a rectilinearly moveable blocking element
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0643 Hash functions, e.g. MD5, SHA, HMAC or f9 MAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions

Abstract

Various embodiments that pertain to signal based arrangement of pin tumbler pins are described. A receiver can receive and process a signal. The signal can indicate an arrangement for the pins of the pin tumblers. With a proper signal, the pins can be placed so that the pin tumbler unlocks. Security measures can be put into place to make sure the signal is a valid signal, such as through employment of a hash function set (e.g., two hash functions).

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an identification component configured to identify a signal; and

a conversion component configured to convert the signal to a physical placement sequence that corresponds to the signal,

where the physical placement sequence places a set of actuation devices into a physical arrangement,

where individual actuation devices are individually associated with individual pins and

where the individual pins are part of a pin tumbler apparatus with a lock status and an unlock status.

2. The system of claim 1,

where the physical arrangement causes the pin tumbler apparatus to be in the unlock status and

where absent the physical arrangement, the pin tumbler apparatus is caused to be in the locked status.

3. The system of claim 2, comprising:

a time determination component configured to determine a time span for the physical arrangement,

where the time span has a start time,

where the time span has an end time,

where immediately before the start time the pin tumbler apparatus is in the lock status, and

where immediately after the end time the pin tumbler apparatus is in the lock status.

4. The system of claim 2,

where when the pin tumbler apparatus is coupled to a shaft of a motor,

where when the pin tumbler apparatus is in the unlock status, the shaft rotates, and

where when the pin tumbler apparatus is in the lock status, the shaft does not rotate.

5. The system of claim 2,

where the individual pins comprise a fixed portion and a floating portion,

where the individual fixed portions are coupled, individually, with individual actuation devices,

where the floating portion is movable by movement of the fixed portion,

where in the unlock status, the floating portion is moved into the pin tumbler apparatus, and

where in the lock status, the floating portion is moved out of the pin tumbler apparatus.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising:

a reception component configured to receive the signal; and

a verification component configured to verify the signal is not a rouge signal,

where the conversion component is configured to convert the signal to the physical placement sequence when the signal is verified to not be a rouge signal and

where the conversion component is configured to not convert the signal to the physical placement sequence when the signal is not verified to not be a rouge signal.

7. The system of claim 6,

where the verification component verifies the signal by way of at least two hash functions.

8. A system, comprising:

a pin set; and

an actuation device set coupled to the pin set,

where the actuation device set moves linearly in response to a signal and

where in response to the linear movement of the actuation device, the pin set moves linearly.

9. The system of claim 8, comprising:

a reception component configured to receive the signal;

an arrangement component configured to determine an arrangement for the pin set based on the signal; and

a movement component configured to move the actuation device set in accordance with the arrangement.

10. The system of claim 9, comprising:

a hash component to submit the signal to a hash function to produce a hash function output; and

a determination component to determine if the hash function output meets an expected output,

where the movement component moves the actuation device set if the hash function output meets the expected output and

where the movement component does not move the actuation device set if the hash function output does not meet the expected output.

11. The system of claim 9, comprising:

a hash component to submit the signal to a hash function to produce a hash function output; and

a determination component to determine if the hash function output meets an expected output,

where the arrangement component determines the arrangement if the hash function output meets the expected output and

where the arrangement component does not determine the arrangement if the hash function output does not meet the expected output.

12. The system of claim 9,

where the signal is a time-limited signal such that the arrangement is for a time span with a start time and an end time,

where the movement component is configured to move the actuation device set from a rest position in accordance with the arrangement at the start time, and

where the movement component is configured to move the actuation device set from the arrangement to the rest position at the end time.

13. The system of claim 8,

where the pin set are configured to align with a shaft such that the pin set linearly moves into the shaft and

where the shaft rotates when filled with the pin set.

14. The system of claim 13,

where during a first time span the actuation device set does not move linearly in response to the signal,

where during a second time span, which immediately follows the first time span, the actuation device set does move linearly in response to the signal,

where during a third time span, which immediately follows the second time span, the actuation device set does not move linearly in response to the signal,

where the pin set is aligned with the shaft during the second time span due to the signal,

where the pin set is not aligned with the shaft during the first time span, and

where the pin set is not aligned with the shaft during the third time span.

15. The system of claim 14,

where the pin set comprises individual pins with an individual fixed portion and an individual floating portion,

where the individual fixed portion is fixed to the actuation device set,

where the individual floating portion is supported by the individual fixed portion, and

where the actuation device, in response to the signal during the second time span, moves the individual fixed portion and the individual fixed portion moves the individual floating portion into the shaft.

16. A method, comprising:

controlling a blocking mechanism to be in a first state such that the blocking mechanism prevents activation of a system; and

controlling the blocking mechanism to be in a second state such that the blocking mechanism promotes activation of the system,

where controlling the blocking mechanism to be in the first state occurs when a pin tumbler is unengaged,

where controlling the blocking mechanism to be in the second state occurs when the pin tumbler is engaged, and

where the engagement and the unengagement of the pin tumbler is managed by way of an electrical signal.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

receiving the electrical signal; and

placing individual pins of the pin tumbler in a position set in accordance with the electrical signal.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

processing the electrical signal through a hash function to produce a hash result; and

authenticating the electrical signal by way of the hash result,

where the placing of the individual pins occurs when the electrical signal is authenticated, and

where the placing of the individual pins does not occur when the electrical signal is not authenticated.

19. The method of claim 18,

processing a known value through the hash function to produce a second hash result,

authenticating the electrical signal by way of the second hash result,

where the placing of the individual pins occurs when the electrical signal is authenticated, and

where the placing of the individual pins does not occur when the electrical signal is not authenticated.

20. The method of claim 16,

where at a first point in time the blocking mechanism is in the first state,

where at a second point in time the blocking mechanism is in the second state,

where at a third point in time the blocking mechanism is in the first state,

where the third point in time is after the second point in time, and

where the second point in time is after the first point in time.