Electric lock system and storage device

Abstract

To provide an electric lock system capable of controlling locking / unlocking of an electric lock in a simple configuration.SOLUTION: An electric lock system 1 comprises: a plurality of electric lock modules 2 respectively provided on a plurality of doors 101; an operating device 3 for executing operation to instruct any one of the plurality of electric lock modules 2 to lock / unlock the door; and a transmission unit 4 for electrically connecting the operating device 3 and the plurality of electric lock modules 2, where each electric lock module 2 includes an opening / closing detection part 21, a locking / unlocking part 22, and an electric lock control part 23, where the operating device 3 includes a receiving part 31 for receiving a locking operation / unlocking operation for the electric lock module 2, and an information processing part 32 for generating an instruction signal and transmitting it to the electric lock module 2, and where the transmission unit 4 enables transmission of any one of opening / closing detection information, operation information and the instruction signal between the operating device 3 and any one of the plurality of electric lock modules 2, and between the plurality of electric lock modules 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electric lock system that associates an electric lock with a door, and a storage device that implements the same.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, so-called "leave-and-pickup" that avoids face-to-face reception has attracted attention. Among them, the demand for delivery boxes that can receive packages even when the recipient is away without face-to-face contact is increasing. For example, an article receiving device has been proposed that includes a plurality of delivery boxes each having an opening / closing door that can be locked with an electric lock, and when a package is delivered to a resident, the electric lock of the opening / closing door of the delivery box is unlocked based on the detection result of a key sensor (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, a storage device composed of a plurality of storage rooms such as a delivery box receives a locking operation / unlocking operation by an operating device and performs locking / unlocking of an electric lock module provided for each door of the storage room. Therefore, association information in which each electric lock and each door are associated in advance with an identifier such as an address is set and stored in an operating device or the like, and the storage device is installed based on the association information.

[0005] However, since such a storage device does not manage association information such as what identifier was stored initially, when it is desired to change the arrangement of the storage rooms in the storage device, increase or decrease the storage rooms, replace the electric locks, etc., it is necessary to analyze the stored association information or re-set the association information and then store it again in the operating device or the like, and the setting work is complicated.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an electric lock system that associates an electric lock with a door based on the opening and closing of the door. **Means for Solving the Problems**

[0007] In view of the above situation, the inventor has conducted intensive studies and as a result, has found that, without previously associating the electric lock with the door, after installing the storage device by utilizing the opening and closing of the door, the electric lock can be associated with the door, leading to the present invention.

[0008] The present invention is an electric lock system comprising a plurality of electric lock modules respectively provided on a plurality of doors, and an operation device that performs an operation for instructing locking / unlocking any one of the plurality of electric lock modules. Each of the electric lock modules includes an opening / closing detection unit that detects the opening and closing of the door, and a locking / unlocking unit that locks / unlocks the door. The operation device includes a reception unit that receives a locking operation / unlocking operation for the electric lock module, and an information processing unit that generates an instruction signal regarding the locking / unlocking of the electric lock module based on at least one of the opening / closing detection information detected by the opening / closing detection unit and the operation information received by the reception unit, and transmits the instruction signal to the electric lock module. The information processing unit includes a correlation setting unit that correlates each of the electric lock modules with each of the doors based on the opening / closing detection information, and an information storage unit that stores correlation information in which each of the electric lock modules is correlated with each of the doors by the correlation setting unit.

[0009] According to such an electric lock system, since the electric lock module is associated with the door based on the opening and closing of the door, it is possible to provide an electric lock system in which the electric lock module and the door do not have to be associated in advance.

[0010] Further, the correlation information preferably includes an identifier by which the correlation setting unit correlates the electric lock module with the door, and the identifier is assigned to the door in the order of door closing / door opening detected by the opening / closing detection unit.

[0011] According to the configuration of such an electric lock system, the electric lock module and the door can be associated with each other only by simple setting operations without performing complicated setting operations such as associating the electric lock module and the door and allocating identifiers as set in advance.

[0012] In addition, the unlocking and locking unit includes door driving means for changing the posture of the door between a closed door posture and an open door posture, and the door driving means preferably changes the posture of the door to the open door posture according to an instruction signal transmitted from the information processing unit for changing the posture of the door to the open door posture.

[0013] In addition, the unlocking and locking unit includes door driving means for changing the posture of the door between a closed door posture and an open door posture, and the door driving means preferably changes the posture of the door to the closed door posture according to an instruction signal transmitted from the information processing unit for changing the posture of the door to the closed door posture.

[0014] According to the configuration of such an electric lock system, since the postures of all the doors can be aligned by one instruction signal, the opening and closing postures of the doors detected by the opening and closing detection unit are unified, and the electric lock module and the door can be associated with each other based on the opening and closing detection information detected by the opening and closing detection unit.

[0015] In addition, when such an electric lock system is mounted on a storage device including a plurality of storage rooms, since the electric lock module and the door are associated with each other based on the opening and closing of the doors of the storage rooms, it is possible to provide a system in which the electric lock module and the door do not have to be associated with each other in advance.

Effects of the Invention

[0016] Thereby, the present invention can provide an electric lock system for associating an electric lock with a door based on the opening and closing of the door.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

[0018] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each figure, components denoted by the same reference numerals are the same components, and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0019] The electric lock system 1 according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the electric lock system 1 according to the present invention. The electric lock system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of electric lock modules 2, an operation device 3, and a transmission unit 4.

[0020] The electric lock module 2 is provided on the door of a plurality of storage chambers constituting a storage device such as a security box or a coin locker. The electric lock module 2 includes an opening / closing detection unit 21 that detects the opening and closing of the door, a locking / unlocking unit 22 that locks and unlocks the door, and an electric lock control unit 23 that controls the locking / unlocking of the locking / unlocking unit 22.

[0021] The opening / closing detection unit 21 is a sensor that detects the opening and closing of the door. The opening / closing detection unit 21 is, for example, a magnetic sensor (magnet sensor) in which the switch turns on when the door opens, but it may also be a magnetic sensor in which the switch turns off when the door opens, or an optical sensor. As long as it is a mechanism capable of detecting opening and closing, it is not limited to this.

[0022] The locking / unlocking unit 22 is an electric locking mechanism for closing the door. The locking / unlocking unit 22 may be an electric locking mechanism including a deadbolt that moves forward and backward between a locked position and an unlocked position, and a drive motor that drives the forward and backward movement of the deadbolt, and may further include a member such as a latch bolt for temporarily fastening the door.

[0023] The electric lock control unit 23 may be a control circuit that performs control processing for controlling the locking / unlocking unit 22. From the perspective of cost reduction, a control circuit composed of a single-ended type microcomputer is preferable. For example, based on an instruction signal transmitted from the operation device 3 described later, the electric lock control unit 23 drives the drive motor to move the deadbolt from the unlocked position to the locked position, so that the locking / unlocking unit 22 locks the door.

[0024] The operation device 3 includes a reception unit 31 that receives a locking operation / unlocking operation for the electric lock module 2, and an information processing unit 32 that generates an instruction signal regarding the locking / unlocking of a specific electric lock module 2 based on the operation information received by the reception unit 31 and the opening / closing detection information detected by the opening / closing detection unit 21, and transmits the instruction signal to the specific electric lock module 2.

[0025] The reception unit 31 is composed of, for example, a monitor and a plurality of hardware buttons, etc., and receives a locking operation / unlocking operation for which door to lock / unlock. If the reception unit 31 can receive the selection of the door to be locked / unlocked, it may be a touch panel that also serves as an operation for and display of the electric lock module 2. When receiving the locking operation / unlocking operation, the reception unit 31 may be combined with an authentication configuration that can perform knowledge authentication such as input of an ID / password or PIN code, possession authentication for reading an electronic key or contactless IC card, etc., biometric authentication for recognizing physical characteristics such as face or fingerprint, or multi-factor authentication that combines two or more of these authentications. Since the structure of the authentication configuration is an application of well-known technology, further description thereof is omitted.

[0026] The information processing unit 32 is a circuit configuration capable of realizing information processing including at least an information acquisition unit 321, an information analysis unit 323, a signal generation unit 325, and a signal transmission unit 327. The information processing unit 32 may be any information processing circuit capable of realizing information processing. From the perspective of cost reduction, an information processing circuit composed of a single-ended microcomputer is preferable. The information acquisition unit 321 acquires the opening / closing detection information detected by the opening / closing detection unit 21 from the opening / closing detection unit 21, and acquires the operation information generated by the locking operation / unlocking operation received by the reception unit 31 from the reception unit 31. The information analysis unit 323 analyzes the opening / closing detection information to identify whether the door is open or closed, and analyzes the operation information to identify which electric lock module 2 provided on which door is to be locked / unlocked. The signal generation unit 325 generates an instruction signal for the electric lock module 2 specified by the information analysis unit 323. The signal transmission unit 327 transmits the instruction signal generated by the signal generation unit 325 to a specific electric lock module 2.

[0027] Also, the reception unit 31 may be a reception device that wirelessly receives the locking operation / unlocking operation received by a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a wireless terminal as operation information. In this case, the mobile terminal or the wireless terminal receives the locking operation / unlocking operation of which door is to be locked / unlocked to generate operation information, and transmits it to the reception unit 31 by various wireless communication methods such as wireless communication using electromagnetic waves such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), NFC (Near Field Communication), infrared communication, and visible light communication.

[0028] The transmission unit 4 is composed of, for example, a connection wiring 41 and a connection port 42. The connection wiring 41 consists of an input / output line, a power line, and a ground line with a three-state configuration, preventing high impedance and enhancing noise resistance performance. The connection port 42 is provided with at least one each on the electric lock module 2 and the operation device 3, enabling easy cascade connection between a plurality of electric lock modules 2 and the operation device 3. As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission unit 4 cascade-connects the information processing unit 32 included in the operation device 3 and the locking / unlocking control unit 23 included in any one of the plurality of electric lock modules 2, and successively cascade-connects from the locking / unlocking control unit 23 to the locking / unlocking control units 23 of the other electric lock modules 2. Note that the electric lock system 1 preferably has a loop structure in which cascade connection is made from the locking / unlocking control unit 23 of the terminal electric lock module 2 to the information processing unit 32, and each piece of information and instruction signal finally returns to the operation device 3 via a plurality of electric lock modules 2.

[0029] The transmission unit 4 electrically connects between the operation device 3 and each electric lock module 2, through which opening / closing detection information, operation information, and instruction signals are transmitted. The transmission speed at this time is a low speed of 10 Kbps or less, preferably 1 Kbps to 500 bps, and more preferably 400 bps or less. By setting the transmission speed to a low speed of 10 Kbps or less, not only can power consumption be reduced, but also the transmission of electrical signals in the control process of locking / unlocking the electric lock and the detection process of opening / closing the door can be stabilized.

[0030] Further, the transmission unit 4 may further include a wireless transceiver that wirelessly transmits and receives opening / closing detection information, operation information, and instruction signals between the operation device 3 and any one of the plurality of electric lock modules 2 or between the plurality of electric lock modules 2.

[0031] The storage device 100 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a storage device 100 composed of a plurality of storage chambers 10 in which the electric lock system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is implemented. The electric lock system 1 according to the present invention is implemented in the storage device 100.

[0032] The electric lock module 2 is provided for each door 101 of each storage compartment 10, and the locking / unlocking unit 22 further includes a door drive unit as a door drive means for changing the posture of the door 101 between a closed door posture and an open door posture. The operation device 3 is cascade-connected to a plurality of electric lock modules 2 and is incorporated in the storage device 100. The storage device 100 is connected to an external power source (not shown) in order to drive the plurality of electric lock modules 2 and the operation device 3. Further, the storage device 100 may be driven by a battery (not shown) provided inside the operation device 3 without being connected to an external power source.

[0033] The storage device 100 receives a locking operation / unlocking operation at the reception unit 31 of the operation device 3, and the electric lock module 2 locks / unlocks the door 101. In order to correspond to the locking operation / unlocking operation received at the reception unit 31, each door 101 and each electric lock module 2 are associated with each other. The storage device 100 does not perform the association between each door 101 and each electric lock module 2 in advance, and an association operation for associating each door 101 and each electric lock module 2 is performed after the storage device 100 is installed.

[0034] The information processing unit 32 in the storage device 100 further includes an association setting unit 322 and an information storage unit 324. The association setting unit 322 associates each electric lock module 2 and each door 101 based on the opening / closing detection information. The information storage unit 324 stores the association information in which each electric lock module 2 and each door 101 are respectively associated. The information storage unit 324 may be implemented by a non-volatile storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) separately from the information processing circuit of the information processing unit 32. From the viewpoint of cost reduction, it is preferably implemented by a single-ended type microcomputer constituting the information processing circuit.

[0035] The association operation is preferably distinguished from the normal operations of the storage device 100, such as the locking and unlocking operations of the electric lock module 2. If the normal operation and the association operation can be distinguished, an activation button for starting the association operation may be provided separately from the reception unit 31, or the reception unit 31 may receive an association start operation for starting the association operation. Further, when the association operation is started by pressing the association button or receiving the association start operation of the reception unit 31, it is preferable to use the above-described authentication configuration in order to distinguish between the operations by the general user and the operations by the installer.

[0036] Regarding the association operation in the storage device 100, an example will be described in which the reception unit 31 receives an association start operation for starting the association operation. In the following, the door 101 may sometimes refer to including the storage room 10 as well. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the association operation in the storage device 100 shown in FIG. 2.

[0037] The reception unit 31 receives the association start operation (step S31). When the information analysis unit 323 analyzes that the operation information acquired by the information acquisition unit 321 in the operation device 3 is the association start operation, the association setting unit 322 determines whether or not the association information has been stored in the information storage unit 324 before receiving the association start operation (step S32). If the association information has already been stored in the information storage unit 324 (step S32 is Y), the association setting unit 322 initializes the information storage unit 324 (step S33), and the signal generation unit 325 generates an instruction signal for setting the posture of all the doors 101 to the open door posture. The signal transmission unit 327 transmits the instruction signal to all the electric lock modules 2 (step S34). If the association information has not been stored in the information storage unit 324 (step S32 is N), the process proceeds directly to step S34. At this time, it is preferable that the association setting unit 322 grasps how many electric lock modules 2 the signal transmission unit 327 has transmitted the instruction signal to.

[0038] When the electric lock module 2 provided on the door 101 acquires an instruction signal, regardless of the posture of the door 101, it drives the door drive unit included in the locking and unlocking unit 22 to change the posture of the door 101 to the door-opening posture. Note that the door 101 may change its posture to the door-opening posture all at once, or may change its posture to the door-opening posture with a time difference.

[0039] For example, when the door 101 in the door-opening posture is manually changed to the door-closing posture, the opening / closing detection unit 21 detects the closing of the door 101 (step S35). The related setting unit 322 associates the electric lock module 2 and the door 101 based on the opening / closing detection information of the door 101 detected by the opening / closing detection unit 21 (step S36). At this time, the electric lock module 2 and the door 101 are associated with each other using an identifier, for example, a room number. The room numbers are assigned in the order in which the doors 101 are closed.

[0040] The information storage unit 324 stores the association information associated by the related setting unit 322 (step S37). The information storage unit 324 stores the association information in which the electric lock module 2 and the door 101 are associated with each other using the room numbers assigned in the order in which the doors 101 are closed.

[0041] The related setting unit 322 determines whether all the electric lock modules 2 and the doors 101 are associated with each other using room numbers (step S38). If all the electric lock modules 2 and the doors 101 are not associated with each other (step S38 is N), the process returns to step S36 and the operation is repeated. If all the electric lock modules 2 and the doors 101 are associated with each other (step S38 is Y), the association operation in the storage device 100 is completed.

[0042] As a result, in the storage device 100, simply by changing the door 101 in the door-opening posture to the door-closing posture, the electric lock module 2 and the door 101 are associated with each other using an identifier, so it is not necessary to preset the association between the electric lock module 2 and the door 101. The storage device 100 equipped with the electric lock system 1 according to the present invention does not need to perform a confirmation operation to check whether the electric lock module 2 and the door 101 are associated with each other as preset after the storage device 100 is installed.

[0043] Also, even in the case of initial settings when the storage device 100 is installed for the first time, or in the case of change settings such as changing the arrangement of the storage chamber 10 or increasing or decreasing the number of installed storage chambers 10 in the storage device 100, the information storage unit 324 is initialized every time an association operation is performed. Therefore, without checking the content stored in the information storage unit 324 before performing the association operation, the association between the electric lock module 2 and the door 101 can be performed, and both the initial settings and change settings of the storage device 100 can be performed with simple operations.

[0044] Note that the association between the door 101 and the electric lock module 2 uses the change of the door 101 from the open position to the closed position as a trigger, but changing the door 101 from the closed position to the open position may also be used as a trigger for performing the association between the door 101 and the electric lock module 2.

[0045] In the storage device 100, the electric lock system 1 when the door 101 locked by the electric lock module 2 is unlocked by a normal operation and the door 101 is opened will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example when the electric lock system 1 shown in FIG. 1 has the door opened by a normal operation.

[0046] Activate the operating device 3 (step S41). Examples of the operation for activating the operating device 3 include pressing any one of the plurality of hardware buttons constituting the reception unit 31 and approval by authentication as described above. Thereby, the electric lock system 1 is activated.

[0047] Select the storage room 10 to be opened (step S42). The operating device 3 receives, at the reception unit 31, an operation to select the storage room 10 to be opened, for example, an input of the room number which is the position information of the storage room 10. At this time, the information processing unit 32 determines whether the door 101 has already been opened or not based on the opening / closing detection information detected by the opening / closing detection unit 21 on the door 101 with the input room number (step S43). If it has already been opened (step S43 is N), the reception unit 31 of the operating device 3 displays an error or notifies the user to input again, and prompts the user to select the storage room 10 to be opened again. If it has not been opened (step S43 is Y), the information processing unit 32 transmits an instruction signal to unlock the electric lock module 2 provided on the door 101 of the storage room 10 corresponding to the room number.

[0048] The electric lock module 2 acquires the instruction signal from the information processing unit 32 by the electric lock control unit 23, and based on the instruction signal, the electric lock module 2 provided on the door 101 of the storage room 10 is unlocked (step S44).

[0049] When the unlocking part 22 becomes the unlocked state, the door 101 is opened (step S45). The opening / closing detection unit 21 of the electric lock module 2 transmits the fact that the door 101 has been opened as opening / closing detection information to the operating device 3 and completes the process. The above-described operation is merely an example in which the door 101 is opened by normal operation. When the door 101 is locked by normal operation, the operating device 3 also receives a locking operation and the electric lock module 2 performs locking.

[0050] Note that the electric lock system 1 may be provided with a power control unit that enters a sleep state if operations on the operating device 3 or opening / closing of the door 101 are not detected for a certain period. The power control unit puts the plurality of electric lock modules 2 and the operating device 3 into a sleep state while maintaining the unlocking and locking of the plurality of electric lock modules 2. After that, when the power control unit detects an operation on the operating device 3 or opening / closing of the door 101, it releases the sleep state and activates the electric lock system 1.

[0051] Next, in the storage device 100, the door 101 that was locked by the electric lock module 2 is unlocked by an emergency operation, and the electric lock system 1 when the door 101 is opened will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example when the door of the electric lock system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is opened by an emergency operation.

[0052] The door 101 of the storage device 100 is opened (step S51). When the door 101 of the storage device 100 is opened by an emergency operation such as forced opening without operating the operation device 3, for example, the opening / closing detection unit 21 detects that the door has been opened, and the dormant electric lock module 2 and the operation device 3 are activated.

[0053] The electric lock module 2 of the opened door 101 transmits to the operation device 3 that the door 101 has been opened as opening / closing detection information by the opening / closing detection unit 21 (step S52).

[0054] When the operation device 3 acquires the opening / closing detection information, the information processing unit 32 determines whether the reception unit 31 has received operation information for opening the door 101 before the door 101 is opened (step S53). If the reception unit 31 has received the operation information for opening the door 101 (step S53 is N), it ends there. If the reception unit 31 has not received the operation information for opening the door 101 (step S53 is Y), the information processing unit 32 transmits to an external device notification information including the room number (location information) and the time when the opening / closing detection information was acquired as information indicating which door 101 was opened by an emergency operation around what time (step S54) and then ends.

[0055] The external device is, for example, a management server of an administrator who manages the storage device 100 or a mobile terminal of a user who uses the storage room 10. When the notification information is transmitted, the management server stores the notification information, or the mobile terminal displays the room number of the storage room 10 included in the notification information and the time when the door 101 was opened on a monitor or the like.

[0056] In the above-described embodiment of the electric lock system 1, although the electric lock module 2 and the operation device 3 were cascade-connected via the transmission unit 4, in other embodiments, they may be parallel-connected via a relay device. The relay device includes a control circuit that groups each storage chamber and controls each unlocking and locking unit 22 for each group.

[0057] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been explained. However, the present invention is not limited to such examples, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0058] In addition, although the storage device 100 was cited as an example in which the electric lock system 1 was implemented, for example, it can also be applied in a case where an electric lock is provided for each door of each guest room such as a hotel.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0059] 1 Electric lock system 2 Electric lock module 3 Operation device 4 Transmission unit 9 Conventional electric lock system 10 Storage chamber 21 Opening / closing detection unit 22 Unlocking / locking unit 23 Electric lock control unit 31 Reception unit 32 Information processing unit 41 Connection wiring 42 Connection port 100 Storage device 101 Door 321 Information acquisition unit 322 Related setting unit 323 Information analysis unit 324 Information storage unit 325 Signal generation unit 327 Signal transmission unit

Claims

1. A plurality of electric lock modules respectively provided on a plurality of doors, and an operation device that performs an operation instructing locking / unlocking of any one of the plurality of electric lock modules, and an electric lock system comprising: each of the electric lock modules includes an opening / closing detection unit that detects opening and closing of the door, and a locking / unlocking unit that locks and unlocks the door, the operation device includes a reception unit that receives a locking operation / unlocking operation for the electric lock module, and an information processing unit that generates an instruction signal regarding locking / unlocking of the electric lock module based on at least one of the opening / closing detection information detected by the opening / closing detection unit and the operation information received by the reception unit, and transmits the instruction signal to the electric lock module, the information processing unit includes a correlation setting unit that correlates each of the electric lock modules with each of the doors based on the opening / closing detection information, and an information storage unit in which correlation information associating each of the electric lock modules with each of the doors by the correlation setting unit is stored, the electric lock system.

2. The correlation information includes an identifier by which the correlation setting unit correlates the electric lock module with the door, the identifier is assigned in the order in which the door is closed / opened, the electric lock system according to claim 1.

3. The locking / unlocking unit includes door driving means for changing the posture of the door between a closed posture and an open posture, the door driving means changes the posture of the door to the open posture by an instruction signal transmitted from the information processing unit for changing the posture of the door to the open posture, the electric lock system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The locking / unlocking unit includes door driving means for changing the posture of the door between a closed posture and an open posture, the door driving means changes the posture of the door to the closed posture by an instruction signal transmitted from the information processing unit for changing the posture of the door to the closed posture, the electric lock system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A storage device comprising a plurality of storage rooms, in which the electric lock system according to claim 1 is implemented.

Images