Self-powered closing and manual opening system with permissions managed in a remote server

Abstract

The present invention relates to a self-powered closing and manual opening system (1) with permissions managed in a remote server (3) comprising a knob (1a1), a handle or the like, an interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2) operable by means of a mechanical key (1c), an antenna (1f), a lock actuator (1a) operated by means of the knob (1a1) or by means of the interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2) and connected to a mechanical adapter (1d), an electric motor (1b) controlled by a microcontroller (1g) by means of a signal adaptation electrical circuit (1h), and an integrated circuit (1e) for NFC interface management that is configured to receive activation energy (2a), via NFC communication, from a device with connectivity (2) through the antenna (1f) and communicate through intermediation of the device with connectivity (2) to a remote server (3). The present invention discloses that the remote server (3) queries the database (3c) through its permissions manager (3b), transmitting the operation data (4) to the integrated circuit (1e) for NFC interface management via the application (5) installed on the device with connectivity (2).

Description

Self-powered locking system and manual opening with permissions managed in a remote server. Field of the invention This invention concerns a self-powered locking system and manual opening with permissions managed in a remote server, transmitted to the lock through a mobile application and intended for use in small locks such as those used to restrict access to small spaces, such as; lockers, drawers, mailboxes, etc. or those used in bicycle locks, scooters, etc. or object exchange boxes. State of the prior art At present and as a reference to the state of the art, small locks that are operated by a mechanical key for opening or closing are well known. Advantageously, these small locks are provided with interchangeable mechanical cylinders so that only the cylinder can be replaced in the event of loss or theft of the key. Locks are also known which, in order to avoid the need for the user to have the key available, replace the mechanical key with other means of identification, such as numerical encryption or a keypad, but in the event of power failure, or malfunction, they are not capable of allowing access. The increase in connectivity and the need to provide additional security functions has led to the configuration of small electronic locks which, in order not to depend on the use of batteries, are powered by energy harvesting sources such as: mechanical energy, photovoltaic energy, thermal energy or electromagnetic energy generated, for example, by the NFC near field produced by portable elements, such as smartphones, which, in addition to energetically powering the device, are capable of transmitting data to identify the user. Locks are known that identify the user thanks to the SIM card of the smartphone (i.e., they decide whether a user can or cannot open the lock depending on the SIM that connects). Locks are also known that identify the user based on data entered into their database and that must establish communication and query the database of the mobile device and decide whether these data grant permission to perform the required operation, for example, if a user has permission to close a lock but not to open it, etc., the lock, upon receiving an opening command, must communicate with the smartphone database, query the smartphone database to receive the user’s permissions and decide whether to deny opening due to the user not having the appropriate permissions or, on the contrary, proceed with the operation and execute the cycle. Most of these models present on the market present certain drawbacks. On the one hand, the locks either usually have portable batteries that entail costs in terms of maintenance, generation of chemical waste, etc., or they usually have wired electrical power supply that entails costly installation and maintenance of the lock, or they have energy harvesting systems to optimise or avoid the use of batteries, but they make use of lock systems with complex design and assembly, thus incurring product cost overruns. For example, in these models without active (electrical) energy supply, on the one hand, the lock always has to query a smartphone or similar device and decide whether the user is authorised regardless of where the user data is located, this requires increased use of the lock microcontroller, which results in slower operation and higher energy consumption, limiting the battery life of the portable device that supplies it with energy. On the other hand, when making these decisions and operations internally in the lock, a remote administrator must update all the locks they manage each time the connection protocols are modified and / or when the operating modes of the lock are modified, thus making it difficult to manage multiple locks at once and preventing rapid updating in the case of managing locks in very distant locations or with poor coverage, as may be the case of managing locks for rental items such as bicycle padlocks. Explanation of the invention and advantages In contrast to this state of the art, the present technology refers to a self-powered locking system and manual opening with permissions managed in a remote server that comprises a knob, handle or similar, an interchangeable mechanical cylinder operable by a mechanical key, an antenna, a lock actuator driven by manual rotation of the knob, or actuation of the handle or similar, or by actuation of the mechanical key of the interchangeable cylinder and connected to a mechanical adapter capable of joining locking elements that have different terminations, an electric motor controlled by an electrical signal adaptation circuit by a microcontroller, and a dedicated integrated circuit for NFC interface management configured to, by NFC communication, receive activation energy from a device with internet connectivity such as a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, etc. through the antenna embedded in the locking system and communicate through the intermediary of the connected device with a remote server. The remote server has a permissions manager through which it queries a database in which granted permissions are stored and transmits operation data through the application installed on the connected device to the integrated circuit for NFC interface management. The operational data, composed of executable commands, are produced by decision of the remote server which will preferably be a cloud server, although it may be a server installed on another computer or device, not on the portable device itself, depending on the permissions available to the user (opening / closing if authorised, denial if not authorised, etc.). Afterwards, through the application, the operational data received from the remote server are transmitted to the integrated circuit for NFC interface management of the locking system via the NFC connection for storage. Thanks to this configuration, the locking system is exempt from decision-making and only needs to store the operational data composed of executable commands (for example, to execute opening, the command to supply power to the motor in a specific polarity for a determined time is transmitted, and to execute closing a similar command with inverted polarity is transmitted. Since the locking system only requires temporary storage of commands (it only stores the operational data received until a sufficient activation energy level is reached), it does not require energy storage elements such as batteries or capacitors that could supply activation energy after the operation has been executed. When the locking system has sufficient activation energy, transmitted via NFC by the connected device together with the operational data transmitted by the remote server through the application, the microcontroller reads the operational data and executes it. To drive the motor, the passage of activation energy to the motor is allowed by means of an electrical signal adaptation circuit (such as an H-bridge), responsible for directing this activation energy according to the required motor polarity (depending on the direction of rotation). This execution is carried out as soon as the required activation energy level is reached, thereby achieving a fast opening by not requiring user authentication, credential verification, or decision-making by the locking system, since these operations have been previously performed by the remote server and also achieving a reduction in the required activation energy by not requiring energisation of a microcontroller for decision-making. During the opening / closing operation, the microcontroller actuates the motor via the electrical signal adaptation circuit to unlock and enable actuation by, for example, manual rotation of the knob. By having a manually operated opening knob and using activation energy solely to lock / unlock its rotation, this allows, on the one hand, a significant reduction in the required activation energy by not having to move large elements such as the lock actuator and, on the other hand, it decouples the motor movement from the lock actuator, thus allowing the lock actuator to be operated by the interchangeable mechanical cylinder using a mechanical key without damaging the motor and thereby extending the service life of the motor. The remote server and the connected device communicate by means of an application installed on the connected device, and thus the lock identification data are sent from the connected device to the remote server and, to send, from the remote server, the lock operational data to the connected device. In this way, even in the event of loss of the connected device such as a smartphone or a change of number (or SIM card), the user can have the same permissions simply by downloading the application. It being possible, in case of not having a battery available, to use another connected device that has the application simply by registering in the remote server. Therefore, the loss of permissions is avoided in the event of not having the connected device linked to the SIM card with which they were obtained, since the user permissions are not linked to a SIM card. For obtaining permissions, the remote server has a licensing and user manager that receives the permission request from the connected device through an application. The licensing and user manager compares the requested permissions with the authorisations issued by the lock manager for which the permissions are requested and stores these permissions, once encrypted, in the database. In this way, data can be protected in a secure environment. In addition to user permissions linked to a specific lock, locking system, or group of locks, the database allows storing the operational data issued to each lock. These operational data can be consulted by the remote manager or administrator to check the events occurring in each specific lock, such as opening times, users, access denials, etc. Additionally, the self-powered locking system and manual opening with permissions managed in the remote server is suitable for incorporation into elements of variable thickness, thus allowing it to be incorporated into various elements such as locker doors or drawer fronts of different thicknesses and enabling the use of the locking system in different mechanical assemblies for applications such as wheel locks (bicycles, electric scooters, etc.) or object exchange spaces such as key exchange boxes present in accommodations, or temporary lockers. Furthermore, since the self-powered locking system and manual opening has a mechanical adapter connected to the locking system actuator, it can be installed as a replacement for an existing lock, allowing the mechanical adapter, available in various terminations, to be connected to different locking elements (bolts, latches, or cams, etc.) previously incorporated. In the event that connection to the remote server cannot be established, either due to coverage failure or due to connectivity problems of the connected device itself, the locking system itself determines whether the connected device has permission to operate the lock. When the lock has sufficient activation energy, transmitted via NFC by the connected device together with the operational data, the microcontroller (or control electronics) reads the operational data and executes it. To drive the motor, the passage of activation energy to the motor is allowed by means of an electrical signal adaptation circuit, responsible for directing this activation energy according to the required motor polarity (depending on the direction of rotation). This execution is carried out as soon as the required activation energy level is reached. Drawings and references To better understand the nature of the invention, the attached drawings depict an industrial embodiment which is presented by way of purely illustrative and non-limiting example. Figure 1 shows an operation diagram of a self-powered locking system (1) with manual opening and permissions managed on a remote server in which the interaction between the remote server (3) composed of a licensing and user manager (3a), a permissions manager (3b) and a database (3c) and the connected device (2) via the application (5) and the connected device (2) with the locking system (1) (symbolic representation) placed on a locker door, to which it transmits the activation energy (2a) together with the operational data (4) via NFC communication. The sequence followed by the operational data (4) in the locking system (1), antenna (1f), integrated circuit (1e) for NFC interface management, microcontroller (1g), electrical signal adaptation circuit (1h) and motor (1b) is also shown. Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the locking system (1) in which a lock actuator (1a) is observed which is connected to a knob (1a1) and to an interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2) at its actuatable end facing a mechanical key (1c) and to a mechanical adapter (1d) at its opposite end, a motor (1b) and an integrated circuit (1e) on whose outer face the antenna (1f) is arranged and on whose inner face, as shown in the detail, the microcontroller (1g) and the electrical signal adaptation circuit (1h) are arranged. 1. Locking system 1a - Lock actuator 1a1 - Knob 1a2 - Interchangeable mechanical cylinder 1b - Motor 1c - Mechanical key 1d - Mechanical adapter 1e - Integrated circuit 1f - Antenna 1g - Microcontroller 1h - Electrical signal adaptation circuit 2. Connected device 2a - Activation energy 3. Remote server 3a - Licensing and user manager 3b - Permissions manager 3c - Databases 4. Operational data 5. Application Exposition of a preferred embodiment With reference to the drawings and references listed above, the attached plans illustrate a preferred embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, referring to an self-powered locking system (1) with manual opening and permissions managed in a remote server (3) in the cloud that comprises a knob (1a1), handle or similar, an interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2) operable by a mechanical key (1c), an antenna (1f), a lock actuator (1a), actuated by manual rotation of the knob (1a1), handle or similar, or by actuation of the mechanical key (1c) of the interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2) and connected to a mechanical adapter (1d) capable of joining locking elements that present different terminations, an electric motor (1b) controlled by means of an electrical signal adaptation circuit (1h) by a microcontroller (1g), and an integrated circuit (1e) for NFC interface management. The integrated circuit (1e) for NFC interface management is configured to receive activation energy (2a) from a connected device (2) by NFC communication through the antenna (1f) and to communicate through the intermediary of the connected device (2) with a remote server (3) in the cloud via the application (5). The remote server (3) in the cloud has a permissions manager (3b) through which it queries a database (3c) in which granted permissions are stored and transmits the operational data (4) through the application (5) to the connected device (2). The operational data (4) are composed of operable commands, similar to those produced in a locking system (1) with internal decision-making, but in this invention, they are produced in the remote server (3) in the cloud, that is, the decision-making is external in the remote server (3) in the cloud and is based on the permissions available to the user in the cloud. The remote server (3) in the cloud stores these operational data together with the time and the identification of the user and the locking system (1) in its database (3c). Afterwards, the connected device (2) in connection with the remote server (3) in the cloud through the application (5) transmits the operational data (4) to the integrated circuit (1e) of the locking system (1) for storage via the NFC connection. The locking system (1) temporarily stores the operational data (4) composed of executable commands, for example, to execute opening the command to supply power to the motor (1b) in a specific polarity for a determined time is transmitted and to execute closing the command to supply power to the motor (1b) in an inverted polarity for a determined time is transmitted. The operational data (4) are stored in the integrated circuit (1e) for NFC interface management until sufficient activation energy (2a) is available (supplied by the connected device (2) via NFC together with the operational data (4)) to execute them. Since the locking system (1) only requires temporary storage of executable commands (it only stores the operational data (4) received until a sufficient activation energy (2a) level is reached) it does not require energy storage elements such as batteries or capacitors that could supply activation energy after the operation has been executed, being able to remain in a zero-energy consumption state between operations. When the locking system (1) has sufficient activation energy (2a), obtained via NFC by the connected device (2) together with the operational data (4) through the application (5), the microcontroller (1g) reads the operational data (4) issued by the connected device and executes them. To drive the motor (1b), it allows the passage of activation energy (2a) to the motor (1b) by means of an electrical signal adaptation circuit (1h), responsible for directing this activation energy (2a) according to the required polarity (corresponding to the direction of rotation). This execution is carried out as soon as the required and pre-established activation energy (2a) level in the microcontroller (1g) is reached, thereby avoiding the need for and energisation of a microcontroller for decision-making in the locking system (1) itself. During the opening operation, the microcontroller (1g) actuates via the electrical signal adaptation circuit (1h) the motor (1b) as previously described, to unlock and preferably enable manual rotation of the knob (1a1), (during the closing operation the rotation of the knob (1a1) would be blocked). By having a manually operated opening knob (1a1), the activation energy (2a) is used solely to lock / unlock the rotation of the knob (1a1), reducing the activation energy (2a). In addition, the movement of the motor (1b) is decoupled from the lock actuator (1a), allowing the lock actuator (1a) to be operated by the interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2) using a mechanical key (1c) without damaging the motor (1b), since the rotation of the motor (1b) is independent from the rotation of the interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2). The remote server (3), preferably in the cloud, and the connected device (2) communicate by means of an application (5), to send the identification data (4) of the locking system (1) and of the user from the connected device (2) to the remote server (3) and to send, from the remote server (3), the operational data (4) of the lock (1) to the connected device (2). In this way, dependence on a specific connected device (2) is eliminated, since it can be replaced by any other connected device (2) or device capable of connecting via NFC with the locking system (1) and capable of installing the application (2b), such as tablets, laptops, etc. For obtaining permissions, the remote server (3) has a licensing and user manager (3a) that receives the permission request through the application (5) in communication with the connected device (2). The licensing and user manager (3a) of the remote server (3) compares the requested permissions with the authorisations issued by the manager of the locking system(s) (1) for which the permission(s) are requested and stores them, once encrypted, in the database (3c). In this way, data can be protected in a secure environment. In addition to user permissions linked to a specific locking system (1) or group of locking systems (1), the database (2b) allows storing the operational data (4) issued to each locking system (1). These operational data (4) can be consulted by the remote manager or administrator to check the events occurring in each specific locking system (1). In this type of use such as queries to the locking system (1), the activation energy is used to obtain such data about the query to the lock (configuration, recorded events, etc.) or to update data in the lock, and not to drive a motor. The self-powered locking system (1) and manual opening with permissions managed on a remote server (3) is suitable for incorporation into elements of variable thickness, thus allowing it to be incorporated into various elements such as locker doors or drawer fronts of different thicknesses and enabling the use of the locking system (1) in different mechanical assemblies for external locking applications, such as wheel locks (bicycles, electric scooters, etc.) or key exchange boxes present in accommodations. Furthermore, since the locking system (1) has a mechanical adapter (1d), connected to the lock actuator (1a), it can be installed as a replacement for a pre-existing locking system, allowing the mechanical adapter (1d), available in various terminations, to be connected to different locking elements (bolts, latches, or cams, etc.) previously incorporated. In the event that it is not possible to establish a connection with the remote server (3) or in the cloud, the application (5) would issue a connection failure to the connected device (2), which would transmit it to the locking system (1). In this case, the locking system (1) would internally determine whether the connected device (2) has permission to operate the lock. When the locking system (1) has sufficient activation energy, transmitted via NFC by the connected device (2) together with the operational data (4), the microcontroller (1g) reads the operational data and executes them. To drive the motor (1b), the passage of activation energy to the motor (1b) is allowed by means of an electrical signal adaptation circuit (1h), responsible for directing this activation energy according to the required motor polarity (depending on the direction of rotation opening / closing) as soon as the required activation energy level is reached. Variations in materials, shape, size and arrangement of the component elements, described in a non-limiting manner, do not alter the essential nature of this invention, being sufficient for its reproduction by an expert.

Claims

1. Self-powered locking system (1) with manual opening and permissions managed on a remote server (3) comprising:-   a knob (1a1), handle or similar,- an interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2) operable by a mechanical key (1c),-   an antenna (1f),- a lock actuator (1a), actuated by the knob (1a1) or by the interchangeable mechanical cylinder (1a2) and connected to a mechanical adapter (1d),- an electric motor (1b) controlled by means of an electrical signal adaptation circuit (1h) by a microcontroller (1g), and- an integrated circuit (1e) for NFC interface management configured to, via NFC communication, receive activation energy (2a) from a connected device (2) through the antenna (1f) and communicate through the intermediary of the connected device (2) with a remote server (3),characterised in that the remote server (3) by means of its permissions manager (3b) queries the database (3c) transmitting the operational data (4) to the integrated circuit (1e) for NFC interface management through the application (5) installed on the connected device (2).

2. Self-powered locking system (1) with manual opening and permissions managed according to claim 1, characterised in that when the lock (1) has sufficient activation energy (2a) coming from the connected device (2), the microcontroller (1g) reads the operational data (4) issued by the connected device and executes them.

3. Self-powered locking system (1) with manual opening and permissions managed according to claim 1, characterised in that the microcontroller (1g) is capable of actuating via the electrical signal adaptation circuit (1h) the motor (1b) to unlock and enable manual rotation of the knob (1a1), handle or similar.

4. Self-powered locking system (1) with manual opening and permissions managed according to claim 1, characterised in that the remote server (3) communicates with the connected device (2) by means of an application (5).

5. Self-powered locking system (1) with manual opening and permissions managed according to claim 1, characterised in that the remote server (3) has a licensing and user manager (3a)that receives the permission request from the application (5) installed on the connected device (2) and stores these permissions in the database (3c) of the remote server (3).

6. Self-powered locking system (1) with manual opening and permissions managed according to claim 1, characterised in that it is suitable for incorporation into elements of variable thickness.

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