Conventional mechanical lock cylinders and keys with electronic access control feature

摘要

A mechanical key and lock cylinder with mechanical bittings include electronic access control feature. A small, low-profile memory cell is embedded in a recess or hole through the key, with one cell terminal grounded to the key and the other having a contact extension. When the key is inserted into the keyway of the cylinder plug, the ground connection is made with the cylinder and the memory cell contact extension engages a contact of a connector unit from the cylinder plug. The key remains of very low profile. In another embodiment the key has its contacts on one or both sides of the key blade rather than at the shoulder of the key head. The memory cell device in or on the key head can include a microprocessor, battery and read/write memory.