STREET CABINET EQUIPPED WITH A LOCKING MECHANISM

Abstract

Street cabinet equipped with a locking mechanism. The invention relates to a street cabinet, particularly of the telecom or energy type, generally parallelepiped in shape, comprising a frame equipped with ground anchoring means, a set of cladding panels attached to the frame, and at least one door (1, 2) equipped with a locking mechanism. This locking mechanism is electromagnetic and is controlled by an electronic circuit comprising a radio frequency communication module with a communicating unlocking device. Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: STREET CABINET EQUIPPED WITH A LOCKING MECHANISM Field of invention

[0001] The present invention relates to the general field of street furniture designed to house electrical or telecommunications equipment. It relates in particular to furniture called "street cabinets" and, for fiber optic connection equipment, "zone distribution points" or "street distribution points." These cabinets are located in public areas and consist of a solid, parallelepiped-shaped enclosure, resistant to weathering and physical damage, and generally protected against graffiti and tagging by a suitable surface finish or coating.

[0002] The cabinet is equipped with an access door on the inside opposite the rear wall, thus forming a housing structure designed to accommodate equipment according to the cabinet's intended use, for example, telecommunications or electrical equipment. These cabinets are located in public areas, at the streetside, generally on a sidewalk, and are therefore accessible to anyone. Prior art

[0003] In the prior art, French patent FR3058020 of the applicant describes a street cabinet consisting of a housing with opposing side walls, a rear wall, a top wall, and an access door, a base, and an internal chassis supporting connection assemblies, characterized in that said chassis is detachably mounted on the base. The base consists of a floor surrounded by a peripheral skirt having four lateral faces. The base floor provides a dust-tight seal between the lower part of the base and the interior of the cabinet. The base has at least one cutout extending across the floor to the edge, which is extended by an opening formed along the entire height of one of the peripheral side faces, to allow the cable bundle to be removed from the enclosure defined by said base.

[0004] European patent EP0865129 describes another example of a street cabinet. The cabinet comprises wall elements made separately of weather-resistant, recyclable plastic, which enclose a stable frame when locked together. Each wall element forms a front or rear portion with an integrated side wall portion of a rectangular housing. The front and rear portions also form integrated profiled portions of the top of the housing. The wall elements have joints on their edges to allow overlapping of the assembly with other wall elements.

[0005] European patent application EP2204081 describes another example of an enclosure comprising a first and a second side wall formed from a single elongated piece of sheet metal. The first and second side walls, as well as a third and a fourth side wall, define the interior space of the enclosure. The first and / or the second side wall includes an edge region folded inward relative to the interior space to form a mounting channel. The enclosure further comprises a rear wall coupled to first edges of the side walls and a door hinged to a second edge of at least one of the side walls. Disadvantages of prior art

[0006] Prior art solutions do not provide satisfactory unlocking security and can be opened relatively easily by a malicious person. Locking is generally achieved with a mechanical key, often a standardized three-sided key, which a malicious person can force without too much difficulty. Access to the infrastructure of a shared access point is particularly sensitive, as it provides the connection for users of FTTH solutions that provide access to telecommunications resources via fiber optics.

[0007] In the event of damage to these infrastructures, all the users concerned are deprived of access to telephone and internet services, which is extremely detrimental.

[0008] Furthermore, the cabinets are not always electrically powered, and therefore their operation must be ensured with energy efficiency. Solution provided by the invention

[0009] In order to address the drawbacks of the prior art, the invention relates, in its most general sense, to a street cabinet, in particular of the telecom or energy type, of a general parallelepiped shape comprising a frame equipped with means for anchoring to the ground, a set of cladding walls attached to the frame and at least one door equipped with a locking means characterized in that said locking means is of the electromagnetic type and is controlled by an electronic circuit comprising a radio frequency communication module with a communicating unlocking equipment.

[0010] Preferably, the cabinet also includes an electrical contactor accessible from the outside, transiently controlling the power supply of said electronic circuit.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment, said radio frequency communication module is of the NFC type, for example a cell phone.

[0012] According to another variant, the cabinet further comprises one or more pa sensors meters including temperature, humidity, door opening and accelerations, and means for periodic radio frequency transmission of said parameters.

[0013] According to a particular embodiment, the cabinet further comprises an internal support for an identification marking. This marking is read by the connected equipment and allows an acknowledgment message of the opening to be sent to a server or this information to be recorded in the memory of the connected equipment.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment, said locking means consists of a mechanical lock associated with an electromechanical actuation means controlled by said electronic circuit.

[0015] According to a particular embodiment, the cabinet includes a photovoltaic power supply means and / or a buffer storage means of the battery or supercapacitor type, to ensure the continuity of service of the unlocking including in the event of interruption of the power supply to the cabinet.

[0016] Advantageously, said mechanical lock drives an electric generator which powers an electrical storage device and said electronic circuit. This variant ensures the cabinet's autonomy, as power is supplied by the recovery of mechanical energy when a handle is operated.

[0017] The invention also relates to a method for controlling such a street cabinet, characterized in that it comprises:

[0018] - a step of identifying an operator using said communicating equipment unlocking

[0019] - a transmission step via said unlocking communicating equipment of a digital message

[0020] - a verification step by said electronic circuit of the received digital message by said radio frequency communication module

[0021] - an unlocking step in case of conformity of said digital message.

[0022] Preferably, said operator identification step is performed by a remote server connected to said unlocking communicating equipment.

[0023] Advantageously, the said unlocking step in case of conformity of said digital message is timed.

[0024] Detailed description of a non-limiting example of the invention

[0025] The present invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description of a non-limiting example of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings where: - Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the cabinet with the doors open - Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the locking housing General description of the cabinet

[0026] It consists of two side panels (1, 2), a base (3), a roof (4) and two doors (5, 6).

[0027] The door (6) has a locking handle (15) controlling two movable bars (16, 17). An activation box (18) controls the locking or unlocking of the movement of these movable bars (16, 17).

[0028] The side panels (1,2) are connected by spacers and by the roof (4). The side panel (2) has a ventilation grille. The front frame has a seal (7).

[0029] The chassis (10) consists of a folded sheet metal extending vertically and two 19-inch racks (12, 13) on which the electrical, optical and / or electronic equipment is mounted.

[0030] The two racks (12, 13) are fixed to the base (3) by embedding or bolting.

[0031] The base (3) is formed by a box having a peripheral skirt (14).

[0032] According to one variant, the handle (15) drives a kinetic energy recovery module, allowing the mechanical energy applied to the handle (15) to be converted into electrical energy.

[0033] Three main types of generators are used, employing piezoelectric, electrostatic, and electromagnetic transduction mechanisms. These mechanisms generate electricity from mechanical stress or relative displacement within the system. The electrical energy is stored in a rechargeable battery, a capacitor, or a supercapacitor. This solution ensures the energy autonomy of the electrical and electronic circuits responsible for the locking mechanism. Locking box

[0034] Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the locking housing.

[0035] It comprises an electromechanical lock (20) controlling the movement of a lug between a locked position, where it enters a slot in the rod (17) and thus prevents its movement to unlock the door (2), and a position where it is disengaged from the slot in the rod (17), which can then be operated by the handle (15). The movement of the lug is ensured by an electrical coil controlled by an electronic circuit (21). This electronic circuit (21) includes an NFC communication module connected to an antenna (22). The assembly is protected by a housing (23) and an antenna support (24) and is fixed by screws and spacers (25 to 27) against the inner surface of the door (2).

[0036] A matrix code (28) is affixed to the housing (23). It corresponds to a cabinet identifier and can be read by operator equipment to provide proof of the door opening for intervention and optionally ensure communication with a server.

[0037] Preferably, the blocking system is energy self-sufficient, so as to ensure continuous service even in the event of an interruption. power supply to the cabinet, due to a power failure or a break in the power cable.

[0038] The network is only used to send information back to the monitoring system and in the event of a power interruption, the server detects the malfunction by a lack of response.

[0039] The authorization process takes place on the one hand between the NFC smartphone and the supervision server, and then between the NFC smartphone and the cabinet itself. Functional process

[0040] The following description presents an example of a functional process.

[0041] The operator uses a cellular phone (smartphone) with an NFC function.

[0042] The operator sends a message, for example an SMS, to a supervisor's address requesting authorization to open the nearby cabinet. This message can be automatically generated by an application and may include the geographical coordinates from the GPS geolocation module.

[0043] The supervisor (computer server or human supervisor) transmits after verification an authorization message to open, either to the operator in the form of a code allowing him to then send a coded message to the cabinet via a message transmitted by NFC, or directly to the cabinet to command the activation of an unlocking procedure.

[0044] The code is calculated dynamically, for example based on the identifier or coordinates of the cabinet and the time, according to a secret algorithm also recorded in the memory of the electronic circuit of the cabinet.

[0045] Optionally, the cabinet includes an electrical contactor operated by the operator to energize the electrical and electronic unlocking circuits for a timed period, before returning to standby mode.

[0046] After opening the cabinet, the operator reads the matrix code (28) using the camera on his phone, which transmits the information to the supervisor and / or records it in the local memory of the phone to allow traceability of the openings of the cabinet.

[0047] According to one embodiment, the opening sequence is as follows:

[0048] A - Operator identification

[0049] From an application downloaded on the operator's phone, the user displays an identification page allowing them to order the connection to a monitoring server and retrieve their access rights.

[0050] B - Information

[0051] If the user is correctly identified, their account information and door opening rights are displayed on the phone screen. cellular. It can either proceed to the active unlocking phase or disconnect from the application.

[0052] C - Unlocking activation

[0053] The phone then displays an active unlocking page, and the user is given instructions to complete the unlocking.

[0054] He places his cell phone against the cabinet wall and the unlock code is transmitted via NFC. The cabinet's electronic circuit then triggers the unlocking. An unlock status is simultaneously displayed on the screen.

Claims

Claims

1. - Street cabinet, in particular of the telecom or energy type, of generally parallelepiped shape comprising a frame equipped with means for anchoring to the ground, a set of covering walls attached to the frame and at least one door (1, 2) provided with an electromechanical type locking means, controlled by an electronic circuit (21) comprising a radiofrequency communication module (22) with communicating unlocking equipment characterized in that said radiofrequency communication module (22) is an NFC communication module connected to an antenna (22) and in that said electronic circuit (21) comprises a memory for recording a secret algorithm.

2. - Street cabinet according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises an electrical contactor accessible from the outside, transiently controlling the electrical supply of said electronic circuit (21) to power up the electrical and electronic unlocking circuits for a timed period, before returning to standby mode.

3. 3 - Street cabinet according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises one or more parameter sensors including temperature, humidity, door opening and accelerations, and means for periodic radiofrequency transmission of said parameters.

4. 4 - Street cabinet according to claim 1 characterized in that it further comprises an internal support for an identification marking.

5. 5 - Street cabinet according to claim 1 characterized in that said locking means consists of a mechanical lock (20) associated with an electromechanical actuation means controlled by said electronic circuit.

6. 6 - Street cabinet according to the preceding claim characterized in that it comprises a photovoltaic power supply means.

7. 7 - Street cabinet according to the preceding claim characterized in that said mechanical lock drives an electric generator supplying an electric storage means and said electronic circuit.

8. 8 - Street cabinet according to the preceding claim characterized in that it comprises a handle (15) driving a kinetic energy recovery module, making it possible to convert mechanical energy applied to the handle (15) in electrical energy.

9. - Method for controlling a street cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: - a step of identifying an operator from an application downloaded onto a cell phone of the operator controlling the display of an identification page making it possible to control the connection to a supervision server and to recover its opening rights - a step of transmission by said cell phone of a digital message - a step of verification by said electronic circuit (22) of the digital message received by said NFC radiofrequency communication module (21) - an unlocking step in the event of conformity of said digital message.

10. 10 - Method for controlling a street cabinet according to claim 9 characterized in that said step of identifying the operator is executed by a remote server connected to said communicating unlocking equipment.

11. 11 - Method for controlling a street cabinet according to claim 9 characterized in that said unlocking step in the event of conformity of said digital message is timed.

12. 12 - Method for controlling a street cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: - a step of sending a message by an operator sends a message, to the address of a supervisor requesting authorization to open the nearby cabinet - a step of verification by said supervisor of said opening authorization message - a step of transmission either to the operator in the form of a code allowing him then to send to the cabinet a coded message via a message transmitted by NFC, or directly to the cabinet to command the activation of an unlocking procedure.

13. 13 - Method for controlling a street cabinet according to the preceding claim characterized in that said code is calculated dynamically, by said supervisor based on the identifier or coordinates of the cabinet and the time, according to a secret algorithm also recorded in the memory of the electronic circuit of the cabinet.

14. - Method for controlling a street cabinet according to claim 12 or 13 characterized in that it further comprises a step after opening the cabinet, of reading by said operator of the matrix code (28) using the camera of his telephone, and of transmitting the information to the supervisor and / or recording it in the local memory of the telephone to allow the traceability of the openings of the cabinet.