Patent Publication Number: US-9422743-B2

Title: Decoding pin locks

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This Application is a Section 371 National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/ GB2013/050361, filed 15 Feb. 2013 and published as WO 2013/124629 A1 on 29 Aug. 2013, in English, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     This invention relates to a method, apparatus and transducer for use in determining the cut of a mechanical lock or of a tumbler in a mechanical lock. 
     The invention is applicable to a mechanical lock which is arranged to be unlocked by a key. In order to do this, first the key must be of a design which can be inserted into the lock. Second the key must have the correct ‘cut’ so that when fully inserted into the lock it moves at least one tumbler (but usually between three and nine tumblers) in the lock each to a position in which the lock can be released. Each tumbler has one of several possible cuts, typically between three and ten cuts. The combination of the particular cuts of the tumblers and the order in which they are arranged in the lock defines the cut of the lock, and the cut of the key needs to complement the cut of the lock in order that the key will work. Locks are usually designed so that it is not possible to read the cut of the lock by external visual inspection. 
     There are occasions when a lock needs to be lawfully unlocked but none of the keys for that lock is available, for example because they have all been lost. In this case, an attempt may be made by a skilled locksmith to pick the lock. If successful, the lock can then usually be replaced, or the lock can be disassembled so that its cut can be determined and the lock can be re-keyed. However, some locks are extremely difficult, or impossible, to pick. If a complete range of possible keys for a lock is available, each of them may be tried in the lock in turn until a key that works is found. However, the number of possible cuts of key for a particular design of lock may be very high, of the order of ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million or more, and so in most cases this is an impracticable method. As a last resort, it may be necessary to break the lock or the structure to which it is fitted. 
     An aim of the invention, or least of specific embodiments of it, is to enable the cut of a locked lock to be determined without the need to pick the lock and without the need for dismantling the lock so that, for example, a key with a complementary cut can be manufactured and the lock can be unlocked. 
     The invention is applicable to many different types of lock, including pin-, wafer-, disc- and lever-tumbler locks. 
     In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of determining a particular cut possessed by a tumbler of a mechanical lock, the particular cut being one of a plurality of possible cuts. The method comprises the steps of: stimulating the tumbler with mechanical energy; detecting the vibrational response of the tumbler to the stimulation; and processing the detected response in determining which cut of the plurality of possible cuts the tumbler possesses. 
     The cut of a tumbler is defined by its shape and/or size. For example, in the case of a pin-tumbler lock, the cut of a pin is defined by its length. Different cuts of tumbler will therefore exhibit different vibrational responses to stimulation by mechanical energy, and these different vibrational responses can be used to determine which cut the tumbler possesses, for example by comparing with the vibrational responses of real or modelled tumblers with known cuts. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the response is detected while the tumbler is being stimulated. 
     Preferably, the tumbler is stimulated at at least two frequencies so that the tumbler vibrates, and the response of the tumbler to vibration at each of the stimulation frequencies is detected. For example, the tumbler may be stimulated at at least two (and preferably many) discrete stimulation frequencies in succession. Alternatively, the tumbler may be stimulated at a stimulation frequency which is swept substantially continuously between two values. In another variant, the tumbler may be stimulated at at least two (and preferably many) different stimulation frequencies simultaneously, for example with white noise. 
     In one example, the method includes the steps of: storing, for each possible cut, at least one reference resonant frequency value for that cut; determining at which of the stimulation frequencies a resonance peak is produced in the response of the tumbler with the particular cut; and determining which particular cut the tumbler possesses by comparing the resonance peak frequency or frequencies with the reference frequency or frequencies. This technique is useful where the tumbler design is such that it has a particular resonance at a frequency which changes in an ordered way as the cut is changed in an ordered way. 
     In another example, the method includes the steps of: storing, for each possible cut, at least one reference frequency-domain response spectrum for that cut; producing from the detected responses a detected frequency-domain response spectrum for the tumbler; and comparing the detected spectrum with the reference spectra. In this case, each comparing step may use an algorithm which produces a quality-of-match value dependent on the quality of match between the detected spectrum and the respective reference spectrum; and the cut of the tumbler may be determined from which reference spectrum produces the best quality-of-match value. The quality-of-match value for each reference spectrum is preferably weighted in favour of peaks in the detected spectrum which match peaks in that reference spectrum. The quality-of-match value for each reference spectrum is also preferably weighted against peaks in the detected spectrum which do not match peaks in that reference spectrum and/or against peaks in that reference spectrum which do not match peaks in the detected spectrum. Each of the reference spectra is preferably normalised, and the method may further comprise the step of normalising the detected spectrum prior to comparison with the stored spectra. 
     Resonances (or the characteristic response of a tumbler) may also be detected by means not involving a spectrum. For instance, Prony analysis may be used to model a time history response of the tumbler as being due to a limited set of damped sinusoidal transients, which will have frequencies similar to the resonant frequencies of the preceding example. These transients may equally be used as a means of identifying tumblers. 
     The stimulating step preferably comprises: providing a driving transducer which moves in response to an electrical driving signal; driving the driving transducer with an electrical signal; and transmitting the resultant movement of the driving transducer to the tumbler. 
     The detecting step preferably comprises: providing a detecting transducer which generates an electrical detection signal in response to movement of the detecting transducer; and transmitting the vibrational response of the tumbler to the detecting transducer. 
     The driving transducer and the detecting transducer may be separate devices. However, a common transducer may conveniently serve as the driving transducer and as the detecting transducer. For example, in the case where a piezoelectric transducer is driven with a voltage signal, the vibration of the tumbler causes a back EMF in the transducer which affects the current flowing in the transducer, and the change in current so caused can be detected. 
     The root mean square level of the detection signal is preferably used, and in the case of a continuous frequency spectrum the root mean square signal may be smoothed over a narrow frequency band. 
     The invention extends, in a second aspect thereof, to a method of determining a cut of a mechanical lock having a plurality of tumblers each possessing one of a plurality of possible cuts. The method comprises the steps of performing the method of the first aspect of the invention on each of the tumblers. For a design of lock which is known other than its cut, once the cut of each of its tumblers has been determined, the cut of the lock as a whole and therefore of the required key can be determined. 
     A third aspect of the invention provides a transducer assembly for use in determining a particular cut possessed by a tumbler of a mechanical lock. The transducer assembly comprises: a shaft or blade for insertion into a keyhole of the lock; and at least one transducer mounted on the shaft or blade and arranged to vibrate the tumbler and to detect vibration of the tumbler. The transducer assembly may additionally include a gauge for gauging the depth to which the shaft or blade is inserted into the lock. When used with a lock having a plurality of tumblers, the shaft or blade can therefore be moved to align the tumblers one after another. Alternatively, a plurality of such transducers may be provided arranged along the shaft or blade, and a register may be provided for engaging the lock and registering the transducer assembly with respect to the lock in the longitudinal direction of the shaft or blade. 
     In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for determining a cut of a tumbler of a mechanical lock. The apparatus comprises means for performing at least the stimulating step and the detecting step as defined for the method of the first aspect of the invention. At least part of the processing step of the method may be performed by a human operator. However, the apparatus may further comprise a means for performing the processing step at least in part automatically. The apparatus preferably employs a transducer assembly according to the third aspect of the invention. 
    
    
     
       A specific embodiment of the present invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a partly cut away view of a lever tumbler lock fitted to a door and a first embodiment of transducer assembly; 
         FIG. 2  shows a set of five possible cuts of lever tumbler which may be used in such a lock; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic sectioned view through the lock and showing the transducer assembly; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic sectioned view of a pin tumbler lock and a second embodiment of transducer assembly; 
         FIG. 5  is similar to  FIG. 4 , but showing a third embodiment of transducer assembly; 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic sectioned view of one arrangement of transducers that may be used in the transducer assemblies; 
         FIG. 7  is a schematic sectioned view of another arrangement of transducer that may be used in the transducer assemblies; 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a lock cut determining apparatus according to the invention; and 
         FIG. 9  shows sample signal spectra that may be acquired by the apparatus. 
     
    
    
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a lever tumbler lock  10  fitted to a door  12  has a set of three lever tumblers  14  which normally prevent a bolt  16  from moving. However, each tumbler  14  has a gateway  18  through which a projection  20  from the bolt  16  can pass if the tumbler  14  is raised, against the action of a leaf spring  22 , a particular amount by a key bearing against the lower edge  24  of the tumbler  14 . Each tumbler  14  is identical to one of a set of five tumblers  14   a - e  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The tumblers  14   a - e  are identical except that each has its gateway  18  at a different angular position. The tumblers  14   a - e  therefore need to be raised by differing amounts by the key in order to bring their gateways  18  horizontal so that the projection  20  on the bolt  16  can pass though them. This is what gives each of the tumblers  14   a - e  its different cut. 
     The invention utilises the effect that if each lever tumbler  14  of the lock  10  is stimulated mechanically at a position along its lower edge  24  that is accessible through the keyhole, then the tumbler  14  will respond differently in dependence upon which of the five cuts the tumbler  14  possesses. By detecting the response and comparing the response to predetermined reference responses for each of the five cuts of tumbler  14 , it is possible to determine which cut that tumbler  14  possesses. Once the cuts of all of the tumblers  14  have been determined and the order of them, then if the model of lock is known, it is possible to manufacture a key that will fit the lock. 
       FIG. 3  shows a transducer assembly  26  for stimulating the tumblers  14  in turn. The assembly  26  comprises a body  28 , a shaft  30  projecting from the body  28  so that it can be inserted through the keyhole  32  into the lock  10 , and an arm  34  mounted on the shaft  30  so that it too can be inserted through the keyhole  32 . The arm  34  radiates from the shaft  30  and has a transducer device  36  mounted at its tip so that when the shaft  30  is turned, for example through half a turn, the transducer device  36  can engage the lower edge  24  of one of the tumblers  14 , depending on how far the shaft  30  has been inserted into the lock  10 . To assist in setting or measuring the insertion distance, a depth gauge  38  is provided on the body  28 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a different type of lock, namely a pin tumbler lock  40 , is schematically shown having a body  42  and a cylindrical plug  44  fitted in the body  42 . Five pairs of abutting pins  46 , 48  are a sliding fit in aligned holes in the body  42  and plug  44 , and the pins  46 , 48  are urged inwards by springs  50  so that the inner tumbler pins  46  project into a keyway  52  and so that the outer driver pins  48  rest partly in the body  42  and partly in the plug  44 . Although the total length of each pair of pins  46 , 48  is typically identical, the tumbler pins  46  can be of different lengths, as too can the driver pins  48 . It is the length of each tumbler pin  46  that defines its cut. In the example shown, there are five different cuts of the tumbler pins  46 . When a key (not shown) is fully inserted into the keyway  52  it raises each pair of pins  46 , 48  by individual amounts according to the cut of the key. If the keys fits, then the shear line between each tumbler pin  46  and its driver pin  48  will line up with the shear line between the outer surface of the plug  44  and the body  42 , so that the plug  44  can then be turned in the body and operate an unlocking mechanism. 
     Again, the invention utilises the effect that if each tumbler pin  46  of the lock  40  is stimulated mechanically at its lower end that is accessible through the keyway  52 , then the tumbler pin  46  will respond differently in dependence upon which of the five cuts the tumbler pin  46  possesses. By detecting the response and comparing the response to predetermined reference responses for each of the five cuts of tumbler pin  46 , it is possible to determine which cut that tumbler pin  46  possesses. Once the cuts of all of the tumbler pins  46  have been determined and the order of them, then if the model of lock is known, it is possible to manufacture a key that will fit the lock. 
       FIG. 4  also shows a transducer assembly  54  for stimulating the tumbler pins  46  in turn. The assembly  54  comprises a body  56  and a blade  58  projecting from the body  56  so that it can be inserted into the keyway  52 . A transducer device  36  is mounted on the blade  58  so that it can engage the lower end of any one of the tumbler pins  46 , depending on how far the blade  58  has been inserted into the lock  40 . To assist in setting or measuring the insertion distance, a depth gauge  38  is provided on the body  56 . 
       FIG. 5  shows an alternative transducer assembly  60  for stimulating the tumbler pins  46  of the lock of  FIG. 4 . In this case, a separate transducer device  36  is provided for each tumbler pin  46 . A depth gauge  38  is therefore unnecessary, but the blade  58  is formed with a fixed register  62  which engages the end of the plug  44  of the lock  40  when the blade  58  is in its proper position. 
     The transducer device  36  used in the transducer assemblies  26 , 54 , 60  of  FIGS. 3 to 5  may comprise an element  64  of a piezoelectric material, a magnetostrictive material, or another material which changes shape when a voltage or other signal is applied to it. 
     One design of transducer device  36  is shown in  FIG. 6 . In the simplest case, the element  64  is placed in contact with the tumbler  14 , 46 , so that the vibration of the element  64  may be transferred to the tumbler  14 , 46  and vice versa. However, since this may cause wear of the element  64 , and also to improve the transmission of energy, the vibration may be transferred between the element  64  and the tumbler  14 , 46  through a thin layer of compliant material and/or an anvil  66 , or hard structure, attached to the outer face of the element  64 , which is designed to couple movement efficiently between the transducer element  64  and the tumbler  14 , 46 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , the device  36  has an electrically conductive tubular sleeve  68  to which a ‘ground’ electrode of the element  64  is bonded, and an electrically conductive backing mass  70  which is bonded to the ‘signal’ electrode of the element  64  and also provides a connection for a signal cable  72 . The element  64  and backing mass  70  are potted in the sleeve  68  by a non-conductive material  74  such as plastic or rubber which may additionally serve to insulate the element  64  from the shaft  30  or blade  58  of the transducer assembly  26 , 54 , 60 . 
     Another design of the transducer device  76  is shown in  FIG. 7 . In this case, there are two transducer elements  64   a,b , namely a receiving transducer element  64   a  immediately underneath the anvil  66 , and a transmitting transducer element  64   b  sandwiched between the receiving element  64   a  and the backing mass  70 . The abutting electrodes of the elements  64   a,b  are electrically bonded to the ground sleeve  68 , and separate receiving and transmitting signal cables  72   a,b  are electrically connected to the other electrode of the receiving element  64   a  and to the backing mass  70 . 
     An apparatus  96  for use in determining the cut of the lock  10 , 40  using a transducer assembly  26 , 54  with a transducer device  76  is shown schematically in  FIG. 8 . In response to a command from a user interface  80 , a microprocessor  82  is programmed to trigger a swept sine generator  98  to commence a sweep. In response, the generator  98  produces a constant amplitude sinusoidal electrical output signal having a frequency which progressively varies from one limit to another, for example between 20 kHz and 250 kHz, in a predetermined manner. For example, the sweep rate (i.e. the change in frequency per unit time) may be constant. Alternatively, the frequency may be swept logarithmically such that the frequency doubles in equal increments of time. The output of the generator  98  is fed to the transmitting transducer element  64   b  of a transducer device  76  (as described with reference to  FIG. 7 ) in the transducer assembly  26 , 54 . As a result, the tumbler  14 , 46  in contact with the transducer device  36  vibrates. The receiving transducer element  64   a  in the transducer device  76  produces a voltage signal related to the amount of vibration of the tumbler  14 , 46  and is connected to the input of a preamplifier  88  which amplifies the voltage signal that it receives and passes it to a root-mean-square detector circuit  90 . The circuit  90  produces as an output a voltage signal which is the RMS level of the input signal, optionally smoothed over a short period of time. This RMS signal is then converted to a digital signal by an A to D converter  92 , and a stream of samples of the digital signal are input to the microprocessor  82 . The microprocessor  82  is then programmed to perform any of a number of operations on the received data stream, such as storing it, representing it in graphical form to the user interface  80 , and/or processing it and data in a reference spectrum database  100  so as to determine which cut is possessed by the tumbler  14 , 46  under test, as will be described in more detail below. The above process is then repeated for each of the other tumblers  14 , 46  in the lock  10 , 40 . 
     If the level of the returning signal is recorded as a function of time, and since the signal is swept at a known rate over frequency, the level of the returning signal may be presented as a function of frequency. The function describing the level of the returning signal as a function of the frequency at which the tumbler  14 , 46  is being driven may be considered to be an estimate of the frequency-domain spectrum of the locking mechanism&#39;s response. As the frequency of the driving signal changes, there will be specific frequencies at which the locking mechanism resonates or is easier to drive. At these frequencies, the received signal will vary in level from the level at other frequencies. It is these variations in the behaviour of the locking mechanism that may be used to determine its cut. 
     If the frequency range is well chosen and wide enough, the characteristic of the tumbler  14 , 46  will contain many resonances and changes in vibration level that depend only on the structure of the tumbler  14 , 46  with which the transducer assembly is in contact. By comparing these with the measured resonant behaviour of tumblers having a known cut, or the estimated resonant behaviour calculated using a suitable model, such as a finite element modelling, it is possible to determine the structure within the lock and hence determine its cut. 
       FIG. 9  shows the outputs of the A to D converter  92  as a function of frequency of five tumblers  14  of a commercially available lever tumbler lock. The upper three traces (or frequency-domain response spectra) are for tumblers  14  of one cut, and the lower two spectra are for another cut. As can be seen, the spectra for tumblers which have the same cut are very similar. However, the spectra for tumblers having different cuts are dissimilar. Hence, where a reference set of frequency-domain response spectra have been acquired for a particular lock type and all permissible cuts, having at least one example of each cut but preferably many, it is possible to determine the cut of an unknown lock by comparing the frequency-domain response spectra of the unknown tumblers within it to the reference set of spectra. By finding the cut of each tumbler that matches most closely to the known reference cuts, the cut of that tumbler may be determined. 
     In the simplest case, a trained operator of the apparatus  78  might simply recognise the response spectrum of a cut from previous experience. However, it is preferable to aid the operator in recognising the cut by visually comparing the response spectrum of the unknown cut against each reference spectrum. For instance, the reference and unknown spectra may be overlaid on the same graph, to determine whether the peaks, troughs, and other features of the reference and unknown spectra are similar These features may be used by the operator to visually determine which reference cut matches the unknown cut best. 
     Alternatively, it is possible for the microprocessor  82  to use a suitable algorithm to compare the spectrum for the unknown pin and the reference spectra automatically. For instance, the unknown spectrum may be correlated against each of the reference spectra, to find the reference spectrum that provides the best match. 
     It should be noted that where the reference spectra have dissimilar levels, for instance if the contact between the transducer and the tumbler was better in one case than another when the signal was acquired, a matching algorithm may tend to favour a pulse having the highest level. Therefore, in order to compare the unknown spectrum more accurately and select those that offer the best matches, it is beneficial to normalise at least the reference spectra first, in order to bring the average amplitude of them all to the same level. For instance, in producing a normalised reference spectrum, the RMS signal output from the A to D converter  92  can be normalised by dividing it by the overall root mean square level of the entire time history for that spectrum. In other words, if a digital unnormalised reference spectrum is made up of N data points having values U(i) for I=1 to N, then the corresponding N data points having values R(i) in the normalised spectrum can be calculated as: 
     
       
         
           
             
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     One suitable algorithm to find the quality of match Q between the N-point root mean square frequency-domain response spectrum X(i) for an unknown tumbler and a normalised reference spectrum R(i) is given by:
 
 Q=Σ   i=1   i=N   X ( i )· R ( i )
 
     Thus, the microprocessor  82  multiplies each i-th point in the unknown spectrum by the corresponding point in the reference spectrum, and sums the values over all N point pairs. It will be appreciated that where peaks in both the reference and unknown frequency-domain spectra coincide, a high value will be multiplied by a high value and its addition to the quantity Q will be high, thus making it to tend to a large value. Where the peaks do not coincide, Q will be correspondingly low as in general a high value will be multiplied by a low value at each point. Thus, if the quantity Q is calculated using the unknown spectrum and for all of the reference spectra, it may be used to select the best match by determining the reference spectrum that yields the highest value of Q. 
     It may be noted that whereas this algorithm provides a high value for peaks that coincide, it does not provide a penalty when a peak occurs in the reference spectrum that does not exist in the unknown spectrum, and vice-versa. It may therefore be beneficial to use an algorithm which ensures that the match is the best possible, by not only ensuring that peaks in the unknown spectrum coincide with peaks in the reference spectrum, but also that no peaks exist in the unknown spectrum that are not matched by peaks in the reference spectrum and vice-versa. For instance, the degree of existence W 1  of unmatched peaks in the unknown spectrum when compared with the reference may be estimated by: 
     
       
         
           
             
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     Similarly, the degree of existence W 2  of unmatched peaks in the reference spectrum when compared with the unknown spectrum is given by: 
     
       
         
           
             
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     Thus, a corrected value of the quality of match Q′ that penalises for unmatched peaks is given by
 
 Q′=A.Q−B.W   1   −C.W   2  
 
where A, B and C are constants determined by experiment to give the best match.
 
     Various modifications and developments may be made to the embodiments of the invention described above. 
     For example, it will be appreciated that the matching algorithms are provided by means of example, and there are many other algorithms which might be used to match the detected and reference spectra. The use of analysis systems such as neural networks may provide better matching. 
     Also, it has been found that the level of a resonant peak may be affected by the exact point at which the transducer touches. This is because it is easier to drive a resonance at the point at which the displacement caused by the resonance is greatest; if the point at which the transducer touches is a null for the resonance, in which no movement occurs since the bending occurs around that point, it will not be driven at all. However, since the resonances are characteristic of the mechanical structure of the tumbler, the existence of the peak and the frequency at which it occurs is of more significance than its level. Thus an algorithm that detects and compares where the various peaks of the resonant frequency occur in the known and unknown characteristic spectra, rather than their level, may be best for identifying the cut of the unknown tumbler. For instance, it may be possible to tabulate several resonant frequencies of each of the cuts. By finding the best agreement, say within a narrow range of frequency that is sufficient to allow for manufacturing variations, between the resonant frequencies of the unknown tumbler, and the tabulated frequencies of the known cuts, it would be possible to determine which the unknown cut is. 
     An alternative method is to focus on one particular resonant frequency of the characteristic spectrum that is easily excited, and characteristic of the particular tumbler. For instance, it is commonly the case that a notch or “gate” on the lever mechanism changes its position. This causes the rotational inertia of the locking mechanism to change. Hence, it is possible to find resonant frequencies that move slightly upwards or downwards as the cut of the lock varies. Thus, this particular resonant frequency of the unknown locking mechanism indicates which cut it is. In addition, even where the exact cut is unknown, scrutiny of the resonant frequencies may indicate whether one cut is higher or lower than those adjacent to it. This information may be of value to a locksmith in determining the cut of the lock even when it is of an unknown type. 
     An alternative but equivalent way of determining the way in which the vibration of the tumbler changes as a function of frequency may be provided by driving the transmitting transducer with any arbitrary signal, such as, for instance, white noise, and recording the response of the receiving transducer. Both the voltage waveforms of the driving signal and the received signal may be converted into a digital form by using suitable analogue-to-digital conversion electronics. Once the waveforms have been converted into a digital form, their equivalent frequency components may be estimated by use of a suitable processing algorithm such as the digital Fourier transform, which provides as an output the frequency spectrum of the electrical signal. Division of the transform of the received response by the transform of the transmitted signal yields a quantity that is similar to the spectrum of the preceding example, and which also indicates the spectrum of the vibrational behaviour of the locking mechanism. 
     In the apparatus  78  of  FIG. 8 , instead of using a transducer device  76  ( FIG. 7 ) in the assembly  26 , 54 , a transducer device  36  ( FIG. 6 ) may be employed with its single transducer element  64  connected to the output of the swept sine generator  98 . In this case, the input to the preamplifier  88  may be derived from a current sensing circuit which senses the current supply to the transducer assembly  26 , 54 . The vibration of the tumbler causes a back EMF in the transducer element  64 , which may serve to increase or decrease the current flowing through the transducer. The change in current may be measured, and hence the vibration of the locking mechanism inferred. 
     It should be noted that the embodiment of the invention has been described above purely by way of example and that many modifications and developments may be made thereto within the scope of the present invention.