Controlling access to limited physical spaces

Abstract

A system (1) is provided, comprising an electronic lock (12) for controlling access to a restricted physical space (16), a first location source (2), and a second location source (13). The electronic lock (12) is configured to receive an access request from a requesting entity (2), obtain a first location instruction, obtain a second location instruction, obtain at least one set of restricted geographic areas, determine that a first condition is true that the first location instruction points to a location within one of the restricted geographic areas in the set, determine that a second condition is true that the second location instruction points to a location within the same restricted geographic area, determine that a third condition is true that permission is granted based on the access request, and set the electronic lock (12) to an unlocked state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of controlling access to a restricted physical space, and more particularly to controlling access to a restricted physical space based on a first location indication and a second location indication.

Background Art

[0002] Locks and keys have evolved from traditional purely mechanical locks. Recently, electronic locks have become increasingly common. Electronic locks do not require a mechanical key profile for user authentication. Electronic locks can be opened using, for example, an electronic key stored on a special carrier (fob, card, etc.) or on a smartphone. The electronic key and the electronic lock can communicate via, for example, a wireless interface. Such electronic locks offer several benefits, including improved flexibility in access rights management, audit trails, and key management.

[0003] In some cases, access control is also conditional on location, for example, the lock of a shipping container should only be able to be unlocked when it is located within a certain predefined geographical area.

[0004] However, in some situations, an attacker may spoof the location, thereby avoiding the location condition of the access control.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] One objective is to reduce the ability of an attacker to circumvent location-based access control.

[0006] According to a first embodiment, a system is provided comprising an electronic lock for controlling access to a restricted physical space, a first location source, and a second location source. The electronic lock comprises a processor and a memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the processor, include receiving an access request from a requesting entity, obtaining a first location instruction via local communication indicating the location of a first location source, obtaining a second location instruction via local communication indicating the location of a second location source separate from the first location source, obtaining at least one set of restricted geographic areas, and determining that a first condition is true, the first condition being a first The system determines that the first condition is true, that the location instruction refers to a location within a limited geographic area from the set mentioned above; that the second condition is true, that the second location instruction refers to a location within the same limited geographic area as the first location instruction from the set mentioned above; that the second condition is true; that the third condition is true, that permission is granted based on the access request; and that the system sets the electronic lock to the unlocked state.

[0007] The first location source could be an electronic key, and the second location source could be a communication gateway.

[0008] According to a second embodiment, a method is provided for controlling access to a restricted physical space. This method is implemented by an electronic lock. The method includes receiving an access request from a requesting entity; obtaining a first location instruction via local communication that indicates the location of a first location source; obtaining a second location instruction via local communication that indicates the location of a second location source separate from the first location source; obtaining a set of at least one limited geographic area; determining that a first condition is true, wherein the first location instruction points to a location within the limited geographic area of ​​the set; determining that a second condition is true, wherein the second location instruction points to a location within the same limited geographic area as the first location instruction, wherein the set; determining that a third condition is true, wherein permission is granted on the basis of the access request; and setting an electronic lock to an unlocked state.

[0009] Local communication is based on short-range wireless communication.

[0010] Short-range wireless communication may be based on at least one of Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Near Field Communication (NFC), and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

[0011] Determining that the third condition is true may include determining that permission is granted based solely on the access request and locally stored data.

[0012] The primary location source could be a communications gateway.

[0013] The second location source could be an electronic key.

[0014] Obtaining at least one limited set of geographical areas may include obtaining the above set based on an access request.

[0015] Each of the limited geographical areas may be defined in the access request.

[0016] The first location source and the second location source may be based on different localization technologies.

[0017] According to a third aspect, an electronic lock is provided for controlling access to a restricted physical space. The electronic lock comprises a processor and a memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the processor, include receiving an access request from a requesting entity, obtaining a first location instruction via local communication indicating the location of a first location source, obtaining a second location instruction via local communication indicating the location of a second location source separate from the first location source, obtaining at least one set of restricted geographic areas, and determining that a first condition is true, the first condition being a first The system determines that the first condition is true, that the location instruction refers to a location within a limited geographic area from the set mentioned above; that the second condition is true, that the second location instruction refers to a location within the same limited geographic area as the first location instruction from the set mentioned above; that the system determines that the third condition is true, that permission is granted based on the access request; and sets the electronic lock to the unlocked state.

[0018] According to a fourth aspect, a computer program is provided for controlling access to a restricted physical space. This computer program comprises computer program code, which, when executed on an electronic lock, causes the electronic lock to: receive an access request from a requesting entity; obtain a first location instruction via local communication indicating the location of a first location source; obtain a second location instruction via local communication indicating the location of a second location source; obtain a set of at least one limited geographic area; determine that a first condition is true, wherein the first location instruction points to a location within one of the limited geographic areas in the set; determine that a second condition is true, wherein the second location instruction points to a location within the same limited geographic area as the first location instruction in the set; determine that a third condition is true, wherein permission is granted based on the access request; and set the electronic lock to an unlocked state.

[0019] According to the fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided comprising a computer program according to the fourth aspect and computer-readable means having non-temporary memory in which the computer program is stored.

[0020] Generally, all terms used in the claims should be construed in accordance with their ordinary meaning in the art, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "an / a / the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc." should be construed broadly to refer to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless otherwise explicitly stated. None of the steps of any method disclosed herein need to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0021] Next, by way of example, aspects and embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram showing an environment to which the embodiments presented herein can be applied. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram showing a system that can be applied in the environment of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram showing a geographical area used to control access to an electronic lock. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method for controlling access to a restricted physical space. [Figure 5] It is a schematic diagram showing the components of the predicted entry position in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of a computer program product comprising computer-readable means.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0023] Next, aspects of the present disclosure will be described more thoroughly below with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating several embodiments of the present invention. However, these embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting; rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that the present disclosure may be thorough and complete and so as to convey to those skilled in the art the scope of all aspects of the present invention. Similar numbers refer to similar elements throughout the description.

[0024] Embodiments presented herein provide improved security for (movable) electronic locks. In detail, the electronic lock has geofencing conditions that must be realized to unlock it based on two separate location sources located locally of the electronic lock. Furthermore, authentication is applied as an additional condition. The electronic lock is unlocked only when all conditions are true. The geofencing conditions prevent anyone from unlocking the electronic lock when it is moving between two valid geographic areas. By using two separate location sources, the likelihood of an attacker being able to deceive the system into believing that the electronic lock is in a valid geographic area when it is not is significantly lower compared to relying on a single location source.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an environment to which the embodiments presented in this specification can be applied. Access to the physical space 16 is restricted by a physical barrier 15 that can be selectively unlocked and opened. The physical barrier 15 stands between the restricted physical space 16 and the accessible physical space 14. Note that the accessible physical space 14 may itself be a restricted physical space, but with respect to this physical barrier 15, the accessible physical space 14 is accessible. The barrier 15 can be a door, gate, hatch, cabinet door, drawer, window, etc. An electronic lock 12 is provided to control access to the physical space 16 by selectively unlocking the barrier 15. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the restricted physical space 16 is the internal space of a shipping container. However, note that the restricted physical space 16 can be any suitable physical space whose access can be controlled using the movable electronic lock 12.

[0026] The electronic lock 12 can be provided within a structure 17 (such as a side wall or crossbar) that secures the barrier 15, or the electronic lock 12 can be provided within the barrier 15 itself. The electronic lock 12 is controllable to be in a locked state or an unlocked state.

[0027] User 6 carries an electronic key 2. The electronic key 2 can be any preferred form that allows an access control device to communicate (wirelessly or conductively) with the electronic lock 12 to evaluate whether access should be granted. For example, the electronic key 2 can be in the form of a key fob, a key card, a hybrid mechanical / electronic key, or embedded in a smartphone. Depending on the access rights for the electronic key 2, it may be used in the process of unlocking the electronic lock 12. Note that the functions mentioned for the electronic key 2 may also be provided using a communication gateway 13 as optional. The communication gateway 13 allows the electronic lock 12 to communicate with the server 3. The communication gateway 13 can also communicate with the electronic lock 12 via local communication. This allows the server 3 to remotely control the locked / unlocked state of the electronic lock 12.

[0028] The gateway device 13 may be battery-powered or electrically powered and is located near the electronic lock 12. For example, the gateway device 13 may be located in a secure location. A secure location may be, for example, inside a shipping container, in which case the antenna for the gateway device 13 may be located outside the enclosed shipping container casing secured by the electronic lock 12. Alternatively, the secure location may be a fixed location within a warehouse. The gateway device 13 communicates with the electronic lock 12 via local communication. The gateway device 13 can communicate with the server 3 via a network 7 based on Wi-Fi and / or a cellular network, for example, compliant with one or a combination thereof of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) utilizing a 6th generation (6G) mobile network, a next-generation mobile network (5G), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), or W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiplexing). When the gateway device 13 is battery-powered, communication between the gateway device 13 and the network 7 may be based on a low-power cellular interface such as LTE M (LTE Machine Type Communication) or NBIoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) in order to conserve power in the battery.

[0029] The gateway device 13 functions as a location source for the electronic lock 12, for example, based on an integrated location signal receiver. The location signal receiver may be based on, for example, GPS (Global Positioning System), Galileo, or any other satellite-based location determination. Alternatively or additionally, the location source of the gateway device 13 may be based on cellular network location determination.

[0030] Local communication can be interpreted as communication within the same site, for example, within 100 meters, or within the communication range of a short-range wireless communication interface. For example, short-range wireless communication may be based on one or more of the following: Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Near Field Communication (NFC), and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). Local Wi-Fi may also be used for local communication.

[0031] Optionally, server 3 can communicate with the electronic lock 12, for example, via key 2 and / or communication gateway 13. Communication between server 3 and electronic key 2 or communication gateway 13 may occur via network 7, which may be an Internet Protocol (IP) based network. Network 7 may comprise one or more of the following: a local wireless network, a cellular network, a wired local area network, a wide area network (such as the Internet), etc. Server 3 may support remote unlocking, for example, from a server application or from another user device.

[0032] As will be explained in more detail below, as part of the access control process, the electronic lock 12 evaluates whether an entity (for example, electronic key 2 or server 3) is permitted to unlock the electronic lock 12 based on the access request and location data. If the evaluation is successful, the electronic lock 12 is set to the unlocked state.

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing System 1, which may be applied in the environment of Figure 1. System 1 comprises an electronic lock 12, a communication gateway 13, and an electronic key 2. In this embodiment, the electronic key 2 is a first location source for the electronic lock 12, the gateway device 13 is a second location source for the electronic lock 12, and vice versa.

[0034] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the geographical area used to control access to the electronic lock 12.

[0035] A set is formed that includes all applicable geographical areas 20a-b. In this example, the set includes a first geographical area 20a and a second geographical area 20b. Each geographical area 20a can be defined in any preferred way, for example, using the coordinates of the polygon that encloses the geographical area. Alternatively, each geographical area is defined by a shape (e.g., circle, ellipse, square, rectangle, etc.) that is predefined or explicitly defined for each geographical area, as well as reference coordinates (e.g., the center point or one corner of the shape) and a predefined or explicitly defined size parameter. The external area 21 is defined as any area outside the defined geographical areas 20a-b. For example, the first geographical area 20a could be a first logistics center in a first city, and the second geographical area 20b could be a second logistics center in a second city.

[0036] According to embodiments presented herein, it is a requirement that at least two local location sources of the electronic lock 12 indicate a location within one (and the same) of the predefined geographical areas 20a, 20b.

[0037] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method for controlling access to a restricted physical space, implemented by an electronic lock 12.

[0038] In step 40, receiving an access request, the electronic lock 12 receives an access request 30 from requesting entities 2 and 3. The requesting entity could be, for example, electronic key 2. Alternatively, the requesting entity could be remote server 3, which sends an access request to the electronic lock 12 via gateway 13. As will be described in more detail below, the access request may include a set of geographical areas where the electronic lock 12 must be located in order to be granted access. The access request may take the form of a delegation of the right to unlock the lock.

[0039] In step 42 of obtaining a first location instruction, the electronic lock 12 obtains a first location instruction indicating the location of a first location source. The electronic lock 12 obtains the first location instruction via local communication. For example, the first location source may be a communication gateway 13. The first location instruction may be received from the first location source. Since the first location instruction is received via local communication, the first location instruction indicates the location of the electronic lock 12, at least within the range of local communication.

[0040] In step 44 of obtaining a second location instruction, the electronic lock 12 obtains a second location instruction indicating the location of a second location source. The second location source is separate from the first location source. The second location instruction is obtained via local communication. The second location instruction may be received from the second location source. The first and second location sources may be of the same type or different types. For example, the first location source may be a communication gateway 13 and the second location source may be an electronic key 2 (e.g., built into a smartphone), or vice versa. Alternatively, both the first and second location sources may be different instances of the communication gateway 13, or both the first and second location sources may be different instances of the electronic key 2 (e.g., built into their respective smartphones). Since the second location instruction is received via local communication, the second location instruction also indicates the location of the electronic lock 12, at least within the scope of local communication.

[0041] Optionally, the first location instruction and / or the second location instruction are protected by cryptography. This can be achieved using symmetric or asymmetric cryptographic techniques, such as a public key infrastructure (PKI). For example, when a PKI is applied, one or more location instructions may be cryptographically signed using a private key, which may be verified by an electronic lock using the public key corresponding to that private key.

[0042] Local communication may be internal communication within the electronic lock 12 if a location source is available within the electronic lock 12. Alternatively, local communication may be based on short-range wireless communication based on at least one of Bluetooth, BLE, NFC, and RFID. In one embodiment, the range of local communication is at most several tens of meters. This implies that the error limit between the first location indication and the second location indication is at most several tens of meters, since they are provided via local communication. The second location source may be an electronic key 2. When the electronic key 2 is in the form of a smartphone, its location may be determined, for example, based on satellite-based localization and / or cellular network-based localization.

[0043] In one embodiment, the first location source and the second location source are based on different location-finding technologies. For example, the first location source may be based on a GPS receiver, and the second location source may be based on cellular network location-finding. By using different location-finding technologies, it becomes even more difficult for an attacker to deceive the system into believing that it is in a geographic area where the electronic lock is valid when it is not.

[0044] In step 46, which obtains a set of areas, the electronic lock 12 obtains at least one set of limited geographic areas. This set may be pre-stored within the electronic lock 12. Alternatively, the set may be included in an access request. In this case, the set may be cryptographically protected (for example, by cryptographic signature or encryption based on PKI) by a party trusted by the electronic lock 12. The identity of the party may be verified, for example, using the party's public key stored in the electronic lock 12. This party may be, for example, server 3. Thus, each of the limited geographic areas may be defined in an access request, for example, as described above with reference to Figure 3. In other words, an access request may include geographic area data that defines the geographic area where the location should be examined (see below).

[0045] In step 48, conditionally, whether it is a first location in a set of areas, the electronic lock 12 determines whether the first condition is true. The first condition is that the first location indication refers to a location within a limited geographic area of ​​the set. The evaluation of the first condition is optionally based on the error limit of the first location indication. The error limit is obtained based on the precision of the localization technique used and the range of local communication; therefore, the higher the precision of the localization technique, the smaller the error limit, and the smaller the range of local communication, the smaller the error limit. If the first condition is true, the method proceeds to step 50, conditionally, whether it is a second location in the same area. Otherwise, the method terminates.

[0046] In step 50, conditionally, whether it is a second location in the same area, the electronic lock 12 determines whether the second condition is true. The second condition is that the second location indication refers to a location within the same limited geographical area as the first location indication in the set above. In other words, the second condition implies not only that the second location source is within one of the geographical areas in the set above, but also that the second location source is within the same geographical area as the first location source. As described in step 48, conditionally, whether it is the first location in the set of areas above, error limits may apply. If the second condition is true, the method proceeds to step 52, conditionally, whether permission is OK. Otherwise, the method terminates.

[0047] Step 48, which is conditional on whether it is the first location in the set of areas, and Step 50, which is conditional on whether it is the second location in the same area, collectively implement geofence verification. Since the electronic lock 12 is communicating locally with the location source, the electronic lock 12 is in roughly the same location as the location source.

[0048] In step 52, which is conditional on granting permission, the electronic lock 12 determines whether a third condition is true. The third condition is that permission is granted on the basis of an access request. This decision can be made based solely on the access request and locally stored data, in which case the electronic lock 12 does not need the ability to communicate with an external device for permission. Permission can be verified by verifying that the access request is at least partially cryptographically signed by a party trusted by the electronic lock 12, for which the electronic lock 12 has a pre-stored public key. The access request may be in the form of a delegation of the right of the requesting entity to unlock the lock. If the third condition is true, the method proceeds to step 54, which unlocks the lock. Otherwise, the method terminates.

[0049] It should be noted that the conditional steps 48, 50, and 52 can be applied in any order, as long as all three conditions are found to be true before proceeding to step 54, which unlocks the lock.

[0050] In step 54, which involves unlocking, the electronic lock 12 is set to the unlocked state.

[0051] According to the embodiments presented herein, the electronic lock is unlocked only when all conditions are true. The geofencing conditions prevent someone from unlocking the electronic lock when it is moving between two valid geographic areas. By using two separate location sources, it is extremely unlikely that an attacker could deceive the system into believing the electronic lock is in a valid geographic area when it is not.

[0052] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the components of the predicted entry position 12 in Figure 1. The processor 60 is provided using one or any combination of preferred central processing units (CPUs), graphics processing units (GPUs), multiprocessors, neural processing units (NPUs), microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), etc., which are capable of executing software instructions 67 stored in memory 64, and which can therefore be a computer program product. Alternatively, the processor 60 may be implemented using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc. The processor 60 may be configured to perform the method described above with reference to Figure 4.

[0053] Memory 64 may be any combination of random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 64 may also include non-temporary persistent storage, which may be one or a combination of, for example, magnetic memory, optical memory, solid memory, or even remote-mount memory.

[0054] Furthermore, a data memory 66 is provided for reading and / or storing data during the execution of software instructions in the processor 60. The data memory 66 may be any combination of RAM and / or ROM.

[0055] For example, an I / O interface 62 is provided for communicating with external and / or internal entities using wired communication based on Ethernet, and / or wireless communication, such as Bluetooth, BLE, Wi-Fi, and / or cellular networks, which conform to any one or a combination thereof of 6G mobile networks, 5G mobile networks, LTE, W-CDMA-based UMTS, or any other current or future wireless networks.

[0056] Other components of the electronic lock 12 are omitted in order to avoid obscuring the concepts presented herein.

[0057] Figure 6 shows an example of a computer program product 90 equipped with computer-readable means. On this computer-readable means, the computer program 91 can be stored in non-temporary memory. The computer program can cause a processor to execute methods according to embodiments described herein. In this example, the computer program product 90 is in the form of removable solid memory, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive. As described above, the computer program product can also be embodied in the memory of a device, such as the computer program product 64 in Figure 5. Although the computer program 91 is schematically shown here as a section of removable solid memory, the computer program can be stored in any way suitable for the computer program product, such as other types of removable solid memory, or optical discs such as CDs (Compact Discs), DVDs (Digital Multipurpose Discs), or Blu-ray discs.

[0058] The aspects of this disclosure have been described above, primarily with reference to several embodiments. However, as will be immediately apparent to those skilled in the art, embodiments other than those disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, although various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and not limiting, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. System (1), An electronic lock (12) for controlling access to a restricted physical space (16), The first location source (2), The second location source (13) and Equipped with, The aforementioned electronic lock (12) is Processor (60), The memory (64) that stores the instruction (67) and The instruction (67), when executed by the processor, is directed to the electronic lock (12). Receiving an access request from the requesting entity (2), To obtain a first location instruction that indicates the location of the first location source via local communication, To obtain a second location instruction via local communication that indicates the location of the second location source, which is separate from the first location source, To obtain at least one limited set of geographical areas, Determining that the first condition is true, wherein the first condition is that the first location indication refers to a location within a limited geographic area of ​​the set, Determining that a second condition is true, wherein the second condition is that the second location instruction refers to a location within the same limited geographic area as the first location instruction in the set, Determining that the third condition is true, wherein the third condition is that permission is granted on the basis of the access request, The electronic lock (12) is set to the unlocked state. A system (1) that performs the following action.

2. The system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the first location source (2) is an electronic key (2) and the second location source (13) is a communication gateway (13).

3. A method for controlling access to a restricted physical space (16), wherein the method is implemented by an electronic lock (12), and the method is Receiving an access request from the requesting entity (2) (40), (42) Obtaining a first location instruction that indicates the location of a first location source via local communication, (44) Obtaining a second location instruction via local communication that indicates the location of a second location source which is separate from the first location source, To obtain at least one limited set of geographical areas (46), Determining that the first condition is true (48), wherein the first condition is that the first location indication refers to a location within a limited geographic area of ​​the set, Determining that the second condition is true (50), wherein the second condition is that the second location instruction refers to a location in the same limited geographic area as the first location instruction, Determining that the third condition is true (52), wherein the third condition is that permission is granted on the basis of the access request, Setting the aforementioned electronic lock (12) to the unlocked state (54) Methods that include...

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the local communication is based on short-range wireless communication.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the short-range wireless communication is based on at least one of Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Near Field Communication NFC, and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein determining that the third condition is true (52) includes determining that permission is granted based solely on the access request and locally stored data.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the first location source is a communication gateway (13).

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the second location source is an electronic key (2).

9. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 8, wherein obtaining the set of at least one limited geographic area (46) includes obtaining the set on the basis of the access request.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein each of the limited geographical areas is defined in the access request.

11. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein the first location source and the second location source are based on different location identification techniques.

12. An electronic lock (12) for controlling access to a restricted physical space (16), wherein the electronic lock (12) Processor (60), The memory (64) that stores the instruction (67) and The instruction (67), when executed by the processor, is directed to the electronic lock (12). Receiving an access request from the requesting entity (2), To obtain a first location instruction that indicates the location of a first location source via local communication, To obtain a second location instruction via local communication that indicates the location of a second location source which is separate from the first location source, To obtain at least one limited set of geographical areas, Determining that the first condition is true, wherein the first condition is that the first location indication refers to a location within a limited geographic area of ​​the set, Determining that a second condition is true, wherein the second condition is that the second location instruction refers to a location within the same limited geographic area as the first location instruction in the set, Determining that the third condition is true, wherein the third condition is that permission is granted on the basis of the access request, The electronic lock (12) is set to the unlocked state. An electronic lock (12) is used to perform this action.

13. A computer program (67, 91) for controlling access to a restricted physical space (16), wherein the computer program comprises computer program code, and when executed on an electronic lock (12), the electronic lock (12) is configured to: Receiving an access request from the requesting entity (2), To obtain a first location instruction that indicates the location of a first location source via local communication, To obtain a second location instruction that indicates the location of a second location source via local communication, To obtain at least one limited set of geographical areas, Determining that the first condition is true, wherein the first condition is that the first location indication refers to a location within a limited geographic area of ​​the set, Determining that a second condition is true, wherein the second condition is that the second location instruction refers to a location within the same limited geographic area as the first location instruction in the set, Determining that the third condition is true, wherein the third condition is that permission is granted on the basis of the access request, The electronic lock (12) is set to the unlocked state. A computer program (67, 91) that causes the computer to perform the following action.

14. A computer program product (64, 90) comprising the computer program described in claim 13 and computer-readable means having non-temporary memory in which the computer program is stored.

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