Explanation Video

Above is a short video that explains why I designed my locking mechanism and how it works in the real world. Enjoy

Evaluation

In this post I am going to look back on my project and think about how effective my design skills were and if I would change anything I’ve done during this project. I will also look in detail at my final design to see if it really is viable as an alternative locking mechanism to what is already being used in households around the world



Desirability
I think that this would be a very desirable concept for use in elderly people’s homes. The reasons I feel this to be the case are:

1. As people get older their children inevitably begin to look after them and I think that this locking mechanism is very secure due to the addition of the vertical bolts and the fact that there is more than just the key and pin system for unlocking the door (magnets).
2. The lock is also so familiar to the older generation that they would barely even notice the change but it would really help them especially during the winter when there is a risk of the door jamming leaving the elderly person outside in the rain and this will prevent that situation from arising.
3. The discreteness of the lock would mean that the elderly person would not feel belittled by the fact that they need to be helped with the front door as it impacts so little on aesthetics and other people aren’t aware that the help is there.

Feasibility (Technical Factors)

I am torn on this question for many reasons, which include:

1. I think this locking mechanism is very feasible as the technology in it is not new and it is all used in applications similar to this one. This means that it would not be difficult to convert these technologies for use in the application I have specified.
2. The way I have designed the lock in my Solidworks drawings did not take into account retrofitting (the lock I have designed would have to be built into the door during manufacture).  This is because I made the housing a single piece so a carpenter would not be able to install it using the same mortising techniques that they are used to. The door would have to be cut and glued back together and this would greatly reduce the strength of the door and offer a risk to the occupants.
3. The assembly would be very difficult again because of the single housing part.
4. I think that if I solved the housing problem this would be a very feasible design and I would have no problem at all putting this into my house, in fact I would encourage it.

Viability (Economic Factors)

I think that this mechanism would be very economically viable because:

1. This lock is not far from what is already on the market apart from the solenoid. As the current locking alternatives are relatively inexpensive and my mechanism only includes an extra solenoid I don’t think that my mechanism would end up cost much more than the current competitors.
2. Security is always such a huge factor when it comes to elderly people that I feel that families would be willing to spend the money on a lock that will keep their loved ones as safe as possible and I feel that my lock offers that.

My Opinion

I am happy with the project and how it turned out. There were of course problems during my project but overall I am satisfied with the finished product.

The parts I am happy with are:

• I think the lock really fits it’s purpose and it is definitely fulfilling a need that is out their as I feel that too many elderly people have problems opening their front doors due to the doors weight and the risk of jamming in wet weather.
• My Solidworks drawing really shows off my design perfectly. I am very happy that I modelled it to a standard that really gave a clear view of how the mechanism works and the physical properties of the mechanism.

The parts I am not as happy with are:

• I think I have made my design too bulky and almost impossible to retro fit into older doors. I do not feel like it would take much changing to get it to a feasible alternative to the classic dead lock. As I said before I think it would just mean changing the housing.

What would I change if I was to do it all again?

There’s not a whole lot that I would change really.

•  I feel like I came up with a very good idea for helping the elderly. 
• My research was good but I could maybe have spent a little bit more time researching so that I would have realised that a single housing would not be effective. 
• I think that I came up with 3 possible solutions that could have all been used as my final design. 
• I am delighted with my Solidworks drawing as I was not sure if I would be able to model my design effectively but I definitely communicated the design well so the time was very worthwhile. 
• I think that my notes and the means by which I have explained the design also work very well.

Finished Solution

Overview
Shown here is my finishing Solidworks drawing of my lock mechanism to aid elderly people. I purposely made the housing smaller than full size (the vertical bolts would be much longer) because these drawings are simply trying to communicate my idea and I feel as though it would have been much harder to see if I had made them actual size. It is, as you can see very close to my final sketched solution. I did make a some practical changes however, these included:


1. I mounted the solenoid up against the faceplate of the horizontal bolt. The reason I did this was purely because the rubber face of the ram has to push against the door jam and it simple would not have where I had sketched it previously.


2. I added vertical bolts into the design. I did this to add extra security for the inhabitant of the house. These bolts will make it much harder for anyone to knock in the door.

Explanation of Mechanism

Sequence of events when using this locking mechanism

1. Door is closed and locked
2. Person arrives at the door and takes out their key
3. The key is inserted into the barrel
4. The key is turned clockwise which in turn rotates the barrel 90°
5. The barrel is attached to the cam shaft which is in turn attached to the 3 cams. Once the barrel is rotated the cams do the same. When the cams turn the 90° they retract the 3 bolts.
6. There is also a magnetic contact in the barrel so that when the barrel is in the open position, with a key in it, the solenoid pushes out against the door jam. This action causes the door to open slightly (enough to get it past the jam).
7. The operator pushes the door in and they walk into the house.
8. Once inside the house the operator closes back in the door and locks it again by turning the key back 90° anti-clockwise.

Exploded View of Parts

Manufacture - Class 5

Assembly

This is the class I have been really looking forward to. I finally got to assemble my lock and see it in action. The assembly process was quite simple and rewarding. Below is a video of the lock assembly in action

Manufacture - Class 4

Today was my toughest day of manufacture as I was making the housing for the lock. This was not overly complicated but required a lot of features and was a slow process due to that. I am happy with how it is looking though and I am really excited about assembling all of my pieces together in the next lesson and seeing it in action.

My Lock Mechanism Housing

Manufacture - Class 3

Today didn't go as well as I had hoped but I still got three parts completed. My problem was with the key part which took longer than expected to figure out. I got my key and the barrel surrounds finished today


Key
The key was much more complicated to complete than I had thought. I think I could have made it more realistic also but cutting out the pin pushing parts were difficult as I wanted them to coincide with the holes I have put in the key barrel

My Key

Barrel Surrounds
I was happy to have another easy piece to finish off this class as the key had frustrated my. To complete the barrel I:

1. I sketched the profile of the barrel
2. Created an axis in the centre of what is now the hole
3. Used "revolve boss/ based" command to complete the piece

Barrel Surrounds

Manufacture - Class 2

I got a lot done in my second class of manufacture. Although the parts were quite simple I did not expect to get as many completed in a single lesson. The parts I got completed were:

Cams

To create my cams (x3, but all the same) I needed to:

1. Sketch the outline of the cam
2. Extrude the cam shape
3. Use hole wizard to create the hole through the cam

My Cams

Cam Shaft

To create my cam shaft all I needed to do was extrude a circle of the correct diameter

My Cam Shaft

Key Barrel

The key barrel was my most complicated piece yet, to manufacture it I had to:

1. Extrude a circle
2. Sketch the key hole shape
3. Extrude cut the key hole shape
4. Use the hole wizard to bore the holes in the top of the barrel

My Key Barrel

Solenoid Body

This was again a simple piece. All I needed to do was:

1. Extrude a square
2. Extrude cut a circle

My Solenoid Body

Solenoid Pusher

The solenoid pusher was another easy part to make. It simply involved sketching the outline of the part and revolving the sketch to create the part.

My Solenoid Pusher

Manufacture - Class 1

Today I started the manufacture of my door locking mechanism for elderly people. My design is not very complicated so I am hoping to get it finished in 5 classes.


Horizontal Bolt
Today I completed my horizontal bolt which only involved:

1. An extrude of a sketch of the top face
2. A 45 degree chamfer

My Horizontal Bolt

Vertical Bolts

I also completed my vertical bolts, which are the same. This meant that I only needed to make one of them for my assembly. It's manufacture involved:

1. An extrude of a sketch of the side view
2. A 45 degree chamfer

My Vertical Bolts

Possible/ Final Solutions Reflection

I am very happy with the door locking mechanism that I have designed for this project. I think my possible solutions were great for cementing in my mind what was important to consider in the final design, these considerations included:

1. Must not jam
2. Must be discreet
3. Must be as secure as it can be to keep the elderly person and their belongings safe
4. Must include a key so that the elderly person does not have to adapt as much from their habits developed over their entire lives.

I think that this design could be very successful and could be integrated into today's doors quite easily.

Final Solution

I have decided on my final design, of course I will still try to improve it as I get into modelling it etc but I am happy that it will work well and function in the way that it has been designed.


The parts that I have incorporated into my design are:


   1. Deadlock Mechanism - The reason I have chosen this form of lock is because it 
       is simple and very effective. The internal mechanism also allows me to create 
       electrical contacts easily due to it's simplicity.


   2. Smart Key - The key for this lock will have a computer chip inside it so that the 
       lock will recognise the individual key. This means that the lock will be very 
       resistant to picking as the chip will be needed.


   3. Vertical Bolts - There are 2 vertical bolts in my mechanism. This is so that the 
       door will be much more resistant to someone trying to jimmy it open.


   4. Car Door Popper Solenoid - This is the most innovative part of my design. 
       These poppers are used in car doors but I have looked extensively on the 
       internet and have been unable to find them used in this application. Once the 
       key is turned in the door there will be a contact in the internal locking 
       mechanism. This contact will push out the solenoid which will open the door a 
       little for the old person to easily be able to push it. Once the barrel of the lock is 
       turned back (which will be required to remove the key from the door) the 
       contact inside the barrel will be broken causing the solenoid to retract again,  
       allowing the door to close.


Using this design will help an old person immensely as the door will not jam on them. This lock will significantly lessen the work that will need to be done by the user.

Possible Solution 3

Here is my third possible solution. It incorporates a simple dead bolt, a compact motorised hinge and door opening button.

Deadlock

The deadbolt lock is simply to give the door the security of a high quality deadbolt which is important to have in a front door to prevent robberies. 

 Compact Motorised Hinge 

This type of motorised hinge would be very desirable do to its compact presentation. The problem would be that a motor this small my not have the torque to open the door if it were to jam in the frame.

Door Opening Button

There is a button for the elderly person to press to trigger the door opening mechanism. This means that the elderly person still has to turn a key (which they would like to be able to do) and still have the dorr opened automatically with a very discreet and compact hinge mechanism.



Opinions
Good Points

1. Key is again familiar
2. Discrete
3. Secure

Bad Points

1. There would be a lot of strain on the motors in the hinges as they could only be small and old doors are heavy
2. A button would be strange for the old person

Things to Think About

1. The key is very important to incorporate in my final design.
2. I think that the old person would like to have to lock the door on the inside after they come in as older locks work this way so it would be less of a transmission.I think that the motors in the hinges may be too noisy with the work they would have to do which would not be ideal for an elderly person.

Possible Solution 2

Above is my second possible solution. It incorporates a simple dead bolt, a sprung bolt, a car door popper solenoid and a central locking style key to open the door.

Door Popper Solenoid

The reason for incorporating a door popper solenoid is that is will give the user help with only the first part of opening the door (where the door is liable to jam). This means that it is not as obvious that the person is getting help as the solenoid is discreet and it only opens the door a small amount.

Central Locking Style Key

I have incorporated central locking style key to this design also. This is so that the elderly person does not even need to turn a key to get into the house. This eliminates the pressure on the person's wrist while turning the key.

Opinion
Good Points

1. Very simple
2. Doesn't involve cosmetic changes like big boxes, sensors etc.
3. Discrete

Bad Points

1. The door doesn't close itself
2. Unfamiliar as there will be no key
3. Old person may forget to lock the door after them as they need to press an extra button

Things to think about

1. The discreteness of this design would be welcomed by an old person.
2. The old person will not lose face with their friends as it is not obvious that they are being helped.
3. A key would be best I think as old people are so used to using them and it is engrained in their lives, so if it was to be taken away then the person would surely miss it at his/her age.

Possible Solution 1

Above is my first possible solution. It incorporates mortise lock with a hybrid electronic and analog key, an infra read beam and an electric motor powered door opening mechanism to open the door for the elderly person. 

Mortise Lock with Hybrid Key

The reason I have decided to have a hybrid key is that it will still give the elderly person the feeling of using a key, which they are accustomed to but gives them the added security of the electronic component which will prevent the lock from being picked.

Infra-red Beam

The infra-red beam detects when the elderly person has safely walked through the door and gives the opening/closing mechanism the signal to close behind the person.

Electric Motor Powered Door Opening/Closing Mechanism

The reason for there to be  an automatic door opening and closing mechanism is that it reduces the elderly person's physical strain while entering their house. It also prevents the elderly person from getting stuck outside of the house due to the door jamming.


Opinions

Good Points

1. Familiar to older people
2. The old person won’t have to think about closing the door
3. No effort for the person whatsoever

Bad Points

1. Expensive
2. Big ugly box on the door
3. A lot of installation as there are lots of peripherals

Things to think about

1. The concept is good but I think it could be made smaller and less obvious as older people like their houses looking good
2. The fact the mechanism (mortised lock) is familier to the old person will help him/her to adapt to the idea of the new door, Which is very important.

Research/ Investigation Reflection

For the past few days we have been researching as a group using the class diigo folder and the class wiki. What we have done is:

1. First search for useful content about locking mechanisms, elderly and other relevant information for our project on the internet.
2. When we found a relevant website we bookmarked it on diigo and placed it into the class folder so that the rest of the class could see the useful websites that I found and so that I could see what they'd found - Class Social Bookmarking Repository
3. We then wrote about our findings on the "research" wiki page. Class Research Wiki
4. If we had something to add to someone else's points we could do that and we could also correct any mistakes that we discovered while reading other pupils' work

I think we worked really well as a team again during this activity. Everyone was willing to add their information to the wiki and no one got annoyed when someone made changes to their work.

Our research has definitely given me lots of ideas about what my lock design will look like and I am looking forward to sketching my possible solutions and posting them up here on my blog for my friends to look at and tell me what they think of them.

Analysis of Brief Reflection

We have analysed the brief as a class on our wiki page, Analysis of Brief Wiki. From this analysis we decided that the project that is most viable and useful to older people is to design and model a mechanism for unlocking doors. The reason we have decided this is because many of pupils' grandparents have difficulty when trying to open their front doors and we would like to help them.

I am very happy with our choice because I have lots of ideas about how to make opening doors easier for elderly people.

I think we worked well as a group in analysing the brief and identifying a problem that elderly people have. I think my idea to ask the rest of the class to leave a comment to tell the group which idea we should go with was good because everyone contributed and it led to a democratic decision and after some discussion in the halls at break time most pupils are happy with the decision.

Design Brief

Design Brief Population Pyramids
Population pyramids for many developed countries highlight the reality of an aging population. The inevitability of growing older brings with it many challenges to everyday activities. This calls for new and innovative thinking to enrich the lives of our elderly and ensure facilitation of the emotional, physiological, and social needs that guarantee an independent, dynamic and stimulate life. Reinforcing the link between technology and society: Design and model a device/artefact that will enhance the quality of life for an elderly person.

• A structured ePortfolio is to be developed using a combination of class wiki pages, social bookmarking software and student blogs

The ePortfolio must contain the following headings:

1. Design Brief
2. Analysis of Brief (completed first on class wiki page)
3. Investigation/ Research (investigation will utilise the internet with the use of social bookmarking software and will be recorded primarily on the class wiki)
4. Possible Solutions
5. Working Drawings
6. Manufacture
7. Evaluation

The portfolio can contain text, pictures, video, voice recordings or any other medium you wish to include

*This design brief has been adapted from the 2009 PN4005 Design Brief authored by Dr. Niall Seery