Access Control

Abstract

The invention relates to an access control for controlling the unlocking of a door (102) when a credential (108) is presented at the door. A credential relay unit (112) and a lock controller (114) are installed near the door. The credential relay unit transmits the received credential to a preconfigured first network address and additionally transmits a wake-up signal (122) to the lock controller, which upon receiving the wake-up signal transmits a request (126) for an instruction to a preconfigured second network address. In response to the request, the lock controller receives an unlock instruction or a no-action instruction (128a, 128b), and in the case of receiving an unlock instruction, the lock controller transmits an unlock signal (132).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of access control. In particular, the present application relates to controlling the unlocking of a door when a credential is presented at the door. Background Art

[0002] Access control systems that control the unlocking of doors are used in many different locations such as offices, educational facilities and warehouses. There are many different variations on how a credential can be presented at the door, how the validity of such a credential is checked and how the door lock is controlled to open when the presented credential is determined to be valid.

[0003] Some available solutions rely on a local door controller that maintains a list of valid credentials for unlocking the door. Such a door controller is installed near the door to be controlled and is connected to one or more doors and card readers. When an access card is presented to the card reader, the card reader sends information about the access card to the door controller, which checks whether the access card credential is valid for opening the door. If the credential is listed as valid in the door controller, the door controller controls the unlocking of the door.

[0004] Additionally, the local door controller may be connected to a door control server, or may be reached directly via a software program over a network connection, to allow the security operator to maintain an up-to-date list of valid credentials. Examples of such units are the AXIS A1001 and AXIS A1601 Network Door Controllers provided by Axis Communications AB.

[0005] Although this existing solution works well, there is still room for improvement. Summary of the invention

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved access control system which enables remote checking of credentials, thereby allowing the use of less complex units closer to the door. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide an access control system which decouples the receipt of credentials from the checking of the validity of these credentials to a greater degree, so as to further improve tamper resistance and security.

[0007] According to a first aspect, these objects and others are achieved in whole or at least in part by an access control system for controlling unlocking of a door upon presentation of a credential at the door, the access control system comprising a credential relay unit mounted in the vicinity of the door and a lock controller,

[0008] The credential relay unit includes an input interface and a first network interface.

[0009] wherein the credential relay unit is configured to receive the credential via the input interface, and transmit the credential to a preconfigured first remote network address via the first network interface in response to receiving the credential via the input interface,

[0010] wherein the credential relay unit and the lock controller have a local communication interface, and the credential relay unit is configured to transmit a wake-up signal to the lock controller via the local communication interface in response to receiving the credential via the input interface,

[0011] wherein the lock controller includes a second network interface and is configured to transmit a request for an instruction to a preconfigured second remote network address via the second network interface in response to receiving the wake-up signal and receive an unlock instruction or a no-action instruction via the second network interface,

[0012] The lock controller includes a lock control interface and is configured to transmit a signal for unlocking the door via the lock control interface in response to receiving an unlock instruction via the second network interface.

[0013] By isolating the lock control functionality in a unit with limited capabilities, better tamper resistance can be established and the access control system becomes more secure. The capabilities of the lock controller are limited because the communication with other units is trigger-based, meaning that communication from the lock controller is only initiated when the lock controller receives a wake-up signal, or in other words, triggered by a signal that issues a request for an instruction. In addition, the fact that communication is limited to being performed using a pre-configured second network address further improves security. The lock controller does not have an open input communication interface that can be accessed to tamper with the door lock. More importantly, the lock controller does not make any decisions to control the lock individually, but only takes actions based on access control commands (unlock / no action) received via the second network interface in response to a request for an instruction.

[0014] In other words, by moving the check of the validity of the credentials away from the edge (i.e., from the vicinity of the door) and by separating the reception of credentials on the one hand and the reception of requests and instructions for unlocking on the other hand in different units (i.e., the credential relay unit and the lock controller), better tamper resistance is established and the system becomes more secure. Avoiding the storage of data about access rights and credentials locally in the credential relay unit or the lock controller also increases the security of the access control system.

[0015] Furthermore, since the two units (lock controller and credential relay unit) that are part of the access control system only require limited functionality, they can also be made inexpensive and energy efficient. The units also have similar functionality, giving them similar, if not identical, structures. In fact, the two units can have the same structure but be configured for their respective tasks during installation. The pre-configured first network address and the pre-configured second network address also make the system easy to install and increase security by ensuring that there are no open IP ports on the lock controller or the credential relay unit through which tampering may be attempted.

[0016] The credential relay unit may be configured to wait for receipt of a response to the credential sent via the first network interface before transmitting a wake-up signal. In this way, there will be no unnecessary wake-up signals sent from the credential relay unit to the lock controller, which in turn means that there will be fewer or unnecessary requests for instructions sent from the lock controller. This is advantageous because it may save power in the lock controller, for example, by avoiding activation of the second network interface when it is not needed.

[0017] The local communication interface may be a low power, low bandwidth interface. This saves power in the credential relay unit and the lock controller, which is particularly advantageous if one or both of the credential relay unit and the lock controller are powered by a battery or other type of limited power source.

[0018] The lock controller may be configured to power on upon receiving a wake-up signal and to power off after transmitting a signal to unlock the door in order to reduce power consumption in the lock controller.

[0019] Specifically, the lock controller may be configured to power on the second network interface upon receiving a wake-up signal, and power off the second network interface after receiving an unlock instruction or a no-action instruction. This is a convenient and easy-to-implement way to reduce power consumption in the lock controller.

[0020] At least one of the lock controller and the credential relay unit may be powered by one or more of: a solar cell, a battery pack, and an energy harvesting unit. This simplifies the installation of the access control system, as no power socket needs to be provided when a power source independent of the mains is employed.

[0021] The preconfigured first network address and the preconfigured second network address may point to a remote authorization server. The remote authorization server may be configured to compare the received credential with a set of access rights associated with the credential and determine whether the received credential is associated with access rights to unlock the door. This means that this functionality no longer needs to be provided in the credential relay unit or the lock controller, thereby reducing the functional requirements of these units.

[0022] The credential relay unit may be connected to the credential reader via the credential input interface.The credential relay unit and the credential reader may be provided as separate physical units, or they may also be built into one and the same physical unit.

[0023] The credential reader may include at least one of: a proximity reader, a smart card reader, a barcode reader, a magnetic reader, a biometric reader, and a keypad.

[0024] According to a second aspect, the above-discussed and other objects are achieved in whole or in part by a method of controlling unlocking of a door upon presentation of a credential at the door, comprising:

[0025] The credential relay unit receives the credential and transmits the credential to a preconfigured first network address,

[0026] The credential relay unit transmits the wake-up signal to the lock controller,

[0027] the lock controller transmits a request for a command to a preconfigured second network address in response to the wake-up signal and receives an unlock command or a no-action command from the preconfigured second network address,

[0028] When receiving the unlock command, the lock controller transmits a signal to unlock the door.

[0029] The embodiments discussed above and the advantages discussed in conjunction with the first aspect also apply to the second aspect.

[0030] Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given below. However, it should be understood that although preferred embodiments of the present invention are indicated, the detailed description and specific examples are given by way of illustration only, because various changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description.

[0031] Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific components of the described systems or the steps of the described methods, as the systems and methods may vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the articles "a", "the" and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more elements, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to "a unit" or "the unit" may include several units, etc. In addition, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example and with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:

[0033] Figure 1 The illustration shows an access control system configured to control the unlocking of a door.

[0034] Figure 2 Pictured is the credential relay unit.

[0035] Figure 3 Picture lock controller.

[0036] Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of access control. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Figure 1 The access control system 100 is shown mounted near a door 102 and configured to control the unlocking of a lock 104 at the door 102. A credential reader 106 is mounted beside the door. The credential reader 106 reads a credential 108 presented to it. The credential 108 may be read from an access card 110, for example, but there are many different alternatives.

[0038] In short, the credential reader can be any type of reader capable of receiving input credentials in a selected format. The credential reader can also support a combination of different credential input options. A common variation of this combination would be a card reader with a keyboard for entering a numeric code. The credential reader can include a close-range reader such as in the form of an RFID reader, and the credential can be presented via a card or some type of mobile device with an RFID, NFC or any other type of close-range-based chip. The credential reader can also be a smart card reader, and the credential can be presented via a smart card. The credential reader can be a magnetic reader, and the credential can be presented via a magnetic stripe card. The credential reader can also be a barcode reader, which is configured to read one or more types of barcodes including QR codes. The barcode can be presented on a card, paper, or display of a mobile device, for example. The credential reader can also include a biometric reader, which can be in the form of a fingerprint reader, an eye scanner, an iris scanner, or a retina scanner, a microphone or a camera with voice or speech recognition capabilities, for example. The camera may include or be connected to another unit with analysis software or hardware for performing facial recognition, gait recognition, or recognition of any other biometric data that may serve as a credential. When a biometric reader is used, the credential is typically in the form of one or more features of the person presenting themselves to the credential reader.

[0039] The access control system 100 includes a credential relay unit 112 and a lock controller 114. The credential relay unit 112 and the lock controller 114 are respectively Figure 2 and Figure 3 This is shown in more detail in Figure 2As shown in , the credential relay unit 112 has an input interface 116 where the credential 108 is received (e.g., in the form of a standard Wiegand connection), and a first network interface 118 (e.g., in the form of a wired or wireless LAN connection or a cellular network connection) where the received credential 108 is sent to a preconfigured first remote network address.

[0040] Additionally, credential relay unit 112 has a local communication interface 120 that connects credential relay unit 112 to lock controller 114. A wakeup signal 122 may be sent from credential relay unit 112 to lock controller 114 via local communication interface 120. Wakeup signal 122 may also be denoted as a trigger signal or simply a trigger.

[0041] The local communication interface 120 is typically a low power, low bandwidth interface, and is typically chosen to use some type of interface employed in a mesh network (e.g., Zigbee or Z-wave). However, any type of connection suitable for the purpose of transmitting the wake-up signal 122 may be used, whether wired or wireless. Some examples include communication via Bluetooth, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), IR (Infrared Light), VLC (Visible Light Communication), audio / sound or ultrasonic communication, or electrical pulses transmitted via a wired interface. The credential relay unit 112 and the lock controller 114 may also be mounted in the same unit or housing. Typically, in this case, a wired interface based on electrical pulses may be used.

[0042] The lock controller 114 has a second network interface 124 (e.g., in the form of a wired or wireless LAN connection or connection to a cellular network) in which a request for a command 126 is sent to a preconfigured second remote network address and in which an unlock command 128a or a no-action command 128b is received. In addition, the lock controller 114 has a lock control interface 130 (typically a wire) in which an unlock signal 132 to unlock the lock 104 at the door 102 is transmitted.

[0043] The credential relay unit 112 or the lock controller 114 or both are typically powered by some power source that is independent of the power grid in order to simplify their installation. A battery pack, a solar cell, or some energy harvesting unit are examples of power sources that can be used to power one or both of the credential relay unit 112 and the lock controller 114. Alternatively, if deemed appropriate in a particular installation, one or both of the two units can be connected to a conventional power outlet or can also be powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE). If PoE is used, the first network connection and the second network connection can also be Ethernet connections powered via PoE.

[0044] In many cases, at least the lock controller 114 and possibly the credential relay unit 112 will be configured to be in a sleep mode when no input is received. The sleep mode may also be represented as an idle mode or a power-off mode. The term state may be used in place of mode. The lock controller 114 will typically be configured to wake up from the sleep mode upon receiving the wake-up signal 122. The credential relay unit 112 may be configured to wake up upon receiving the credential 108. The use of the sleep mode will save power and extend the life of any limited power source. The sleep mode may, for example, represent that the first network connection or the second network connection is powered off by suspending any activity associated with wireless operation, such as powering off a wireless module for providing a wireless network connection to the first network interface or the second network interface, respectively. Other power retention and shutdown schemes may also be considered, as long as power is saved, while still allowing the wake-up signal to be received at the lock controller and the credential to be received at the credential relay unit.

[0045] Back to Figure 1 , a typical situation in which a door access control system is used will now be explained. First, a credential 108 is presented to a credential reader 106, for example, in the form of an access card 110. This first step is Figure 1 The credential 108 is then transmitted to the credential relay unit 112 via the input interface 116, as in Figure 1 As shown in the number 2 in the figure.

[0046] In response to receiving the credential 108, the credential relay unit 112 transmits the credential 108 to a pre-configured first remote network address via the first network interface 118, the pre-configured first remote network address pointing to the remote authorization server 134 in some manner. Figure 1 3 in FIG. The connection to the remote authorization server 134 may be set up via some gateway, for example, using the O3C protocol. The remote authorization server 134 may be a cloud-based server, for example.

[0047] The remote authorization server 134 contains groups or lists of access rights to different doors or groups of doors associated with various credentials, or in other words, a database or table linking access rights to credentials 136. The remote authorization server 134 optionally acknowledges receipt by transmitting an acknowledgement message to the credential relay unit 112 in response to receiving the credential 108.

[0048] In addition, in response to receiving the credential 108, the credential relay unit 112 transmits a wake-up signal 122 to the lock controller 114 via the local communication interface 120. Figure 14 in FIG. Before sending the wake-up signal 122 to the lock controller 114, an optional reply message or some other information from the remote authorization server 134 may also be waited for. In the event that a reply message is implemented, in the absence of a reply message from the remote authorization server 134, the credential relay unit 112 will typically attempt to resend the credential 108 after a certain time has passed.

[0049] Upon receiving the wake-up signal 122, the lock controller 114 will send a request 126 for instructions via the second network interface 124 to a preconfigured second remote network address. The preconfigured second remote network address also points to the remote authorization server 134 in the same way as the first remote network address. The first remote network address and the second remote network address may be the same, for example. This step is performed by Figure 1 The number 5 in represents.

[0050] The remote authorization server 134 will check whether the credential 108 previously received from the credential relay unit 112 is valid to unlock the door 102 through the door control table 136. This check may also have been performed when the credential 108 was received from the credential relay unit 112.

[0051] As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, certain other checks may be implemented, such as checking that the credential 108 is received from the same door as the lock controller 114 for which the instruction is requested. Some type of metadata may be used to tag the credential 108 with information about which credential reader 106 the credential was received from (i.e., which door 102 the holder of the credential 108 is requesting access to). The tagging may typically be implemented in the credential reader 106 or the credential relay unit 112. Various timers may also be implemented to ensure that there is a considerable time span and no undue delay between receiving the credential 108 at the remote authorization server 134 and the request 126 for instructions. Too short a time span or too long a delay may indicate that the last received credential 108 is not relevant to the current request 126 for instructions, for example, due to some network error or tampering attempt.

[0052] In the event that the credential 108 is deemed valid, an instruction 128a for unlocking the lock 104 on the door 103 is sent back to the lock controller 114 via the second network interface 124, such as Figure 1 6 in FIG. 108. If the credential 108 is not deemed valid, a no-action instruction 128b is sent instead. It may be noted that if an unlock instruction is not received, the lock controller will not unlock the door regardless of whether a no-action instruction has been received. Therefore, the lock controller will not unlock the lock 104 on the door 103 unless a decision to actively unlock is made and the lock controller 114 receives instructions in this regard.

[0053] When the lock controller 114 receives the unlock instruction 128a, it will continue to control the lock 104 to unlock. To this end, the unlock signal 132 is sent to the lock 104 via the lock control interface 130. This will cause the lock 104 to unlock, and now the door 102 can be opened. In the case of receiving the no action instruction 128b, generally no further action will be generated, and the lock controller 114 can be powered off and enter a sleep mode after a set time, for example.

[0054] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, additional information flows involving the access control system may also be implemented, such as for allowing the credential reader 106 to receive information that the lock 104 is unlocked or a valid credential has not been presented, so that this information can be displayed on the credential reader 106 to provide notification to a person waiting to enter. There are a variety of ways to implement the provision of such information, such as directly from the door lock 104 to the credential reader 106 via the lock controller 114 and the credential relay unit 112 or even including a remote authorization server 134. Since the provision of this information is not relevant to the present invention, further details will be omitted.

[0055] exist Figure 4 , a flow chart of a method 400 illustrating a door access control system 100 is shown. In step 402, credentials are received at a credential relay unit. In step 404, the credentials are transmitted to a preconfigured first network address. In step 406, a wake-up signal is sent from the credential relay unit to the lock controller, and in step 408, the lock controller transmits a request for an instruction to a preconfigured second network address. In the next step, the lock controller receives an unlock instruction in step 410b, or receives a no-action instruction in step 410b. In the case of receiving an unlock instruction, the next step 412 is that the lock controller transmits an unlock signal. In the case of receiving a no-action instruction, no unlock signal or other signal is sent. In the case where the lock controller is set to sleep mode, the mode can be activated when such a no-action instruction is received. The process from receiving the credentials at the credential relay unit to receiving the unlock instruction or the no-action instruction at the lock controller takes a maximum of 3-5 seconds, usually less.

[0056] In summary, the present application is concerned with an access control for controlling the unlocking of a door when a credential is presented at the door. A credential relay unit and a lock controller are installed near the door. The credential relay unit transmits the received credential to a preconfigured first network address and additionally transmits a wake-up signal to the lock controller, which upon receiving the wake-up signal transmits a request for an instruction to a preconfigured second network address. In response to the request, the lock controller receives an unlock or no-action instruction, and upon receiving the unlock instruction, the lock controller sends an unlock signal.

[0057] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is by no means limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, according to principles well known in the art, the reply message or signal can be implemented at various nodes in the access control system and its connection units. In addition, the access control system can also be configured to have a backup process when the connection to the authorization server is lost. At this point, the credential relay unit can be configured to send the credential to the lock controller, and the lock controller can then make an independent unlocking decision, for example, based on the fact that the credential was recently deemed valid by the server and is therefore likely to remain valid. This backup solution also requires the lock controller to save a list of recently used valid credentials.

[0058] Reference numerals

[0059]

[0060]

Claims

1. An access control system for controlling unlocking of a door when a credential is presented at the door, the access control system comprising a credential relay unit and a lock controller installed in the vicinity of the door, in, The credential relay unit includes an input interface and a first network interface, wherein the credential relay unit is configured to receive the credential via the input interface, and transmit the credential to a preconfigured first remote network address via the first network interface in response to receiving the credential via the input interface, wherein the credential relay unit and the lock controller have a local communication interface, and the credential relay unit is configured to transmit a wake-up signal to the lock controller via the local communication interface in response to receiving a credential via the input interface, and wherein the credential relay unit is configured not to transmit a credential or an unlock instruction to the lock controller, wherein the lock controller includes a second network interface and is configured to transmit a request for an instruction to a preconfigured second remote network address via the second network interface in response to receiving the wake-up signal and receive an unlock instruction or a no-action instruction via the second network interface, wherein the lock controller comprises a lock control interface and is configured to transmit a signal for unlocking the door via the lock control interface in response to receiving an unlock instruction via the second network interface, The system further comprises a remote authorization server, and the preconfigured first remote network address and the preconfigured second remote network address point to the remote authorization server.

2. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein: The credential relay unit is configured to wait for receipt of a reply to the credential sent via the first network interface before transmitting the wake-up signal.

3. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein: The local communication interface is a low power, low bandwidth interface.

4. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein: The lock controller is configured to power on upon receiving the wake-up signal and to power off after transmitting the signal to unlock the door.

5. The access control system according to claim 4, wherein: The lock controller is configured to power on the second network interface upon receiving the wake-up signal, and to power off the second network interface after receiving the unlock instruction or the no-action instruction.

6. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the lock controller and the credential relay unit is powered by one or more of: a solar cell, a battery pack, and an energy harvesting unit.

7. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein: The remote authorization server is configured to compare the received credential to a set of access permissions associated with the credential and determine whether the received credential is associated with access permissions to unlock the door.

8. The access control system according to claim 1, wherein: The credential relay unit is connected to a credential reader via the input interface.

9. The access control system according to claim 8, wherein: The credential reader includes at least one of: a proximity reader, a smart card reader, a barcode reader, a magnetic reader, a biometric reader, and a keypad.

10. A method of controlling unlocking of a door upon presentation of a credential at the door, the method comprising: The credential relay unit receives the credential and transmits the credential to a preconfigured first remote network address, The credential relay unit transmits a wake-up signal to the lock controller without transmitting a credential or an unlock instruction to the lock controller, The lock controller transmits a request for a command to a preconfigured second remote network address in response to the wake-up signal and receives an unlock command or a no-action command from the preconfigured second remote network address, When receiving the unlocking instruction, the lock controller transmits a signal to unlock the door. The preconfigured first remote network address and the preconfigured second remote network address point to a remote authorization server.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The credential relay unit waits for receipt of a response to the credential sent to the preconfigured first remote network address before transmitting the wake-up signal.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The lock controller powers on upon receiving the wake-up signal, and Power is removed after the signal to unlock the door is transmitted.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The transmitted credential is compared, by the remote authorization server, to a set of access permissions associated with the credential, and a determination is made as to whether the credential is associated with access permissions to unlock the door.

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