Electric lock system and unlocking method

Abstract

To provide an electric lock system and an unlocking method capable of unlocking when a portable terminal is present in an area near an electric lock.SOLUTION: This electric lock system comprises: a portable terminal that stores a one-time key accessory to received mail; an electric lock provided in a door; a terminal detection unit that detects presence of the portable terminal in an area near the electric lock; and an authentication unit that authenticates an unlocking request from the portable terminal using the one-time key and outputs unlocking permission of the electric lock.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electric lock system and an unlocking method.

Background Art

[0002] An electric lock device that unlocks by wireless communication with a portable terminal that stores an authentication key is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] When the authentication key is a one-time key that can unlock the electric lock device once or at a specified time, there is a security problem that if wireless communication with the electric lock device is possible, the one-time key can be used to unlock the electric lock device anywhere the portable terminal is located.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an electric lock system and an unlocking method that can be unlocked when a portable terminal is present in the vicinity area of the electric lock.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a reception did A portable terminal that stores a one-time key attached to an email, an electric lock provided on a door, a terminal detection unit that detects that the portable terminal is present in the vicinity area of the electric lock, and an authentication unit that authenticates an unlocking request from the portable terminal using the one-time key and outputs an unlocking permission for the electric lock. The system includes a resident's mobile terminal pre-installed with an application program for unlocking and locking the electric lock, and the authentication unit transmits the email containing the one-time key to the mobile terminal based on the operation of the resident's mobile terminal. It is an electric lock system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of electric lock system A. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram showing the external mechanism of electric lock 1. [Figure 3] This is a communication sequence diagram showing the operation of electric lock system A (how to unlock electric lock 1). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] As shown in Figure 1, the electric lock system A according to this embodiment comprises an electric lock 1, a relay device 2, a gateway 3, a router 4, a guest mobile terminal 5, a resident mobile terminal 6, and a server 7 as its components.

[0009] Of the components of electric lock system A, electric lock 1, relay device 2, gateway 3, and router 4 are building equipment fixed within building B. Of electric lock 1, relay device 2, gateway 3, and router 4, relay device 2, gateway 3, and router 4 constitute indoor network C. Guest mobile terminal 5 and resident mobile terminal 6 are portable devices that users can carry and can move freely outside or inside building B.

[0010] The electric lock 1 is installed on the front door D (the entrance to building B) of a building B, such as a typical house. As shown in Figure 2, the electric lock 1 is an external mechanism of building B and includes a handle 1a, a keyhole 1b, and an operating unit 1c. The handle 1a is a component that the user grips when opening and closing the front door D. The keyhole 1b is a mechanical (physical) key insertion hole. The operating unit 1c is a keypad or simple buttons into which the user inputs operating instructions.

[0011] The electric lock 1 is electrically operated for locking and unlocking, and is also capable of short-range communication with the relay device 2, guest mobile terminal 5, and resident mobile terminal 6. The short-range communication between the electric lock 1 and the relay device 2, guest mobile terminal 5, and resident mobile terminal 6 is so-called "Bluetooth (registered trademark)". The electric lock 1 communicates wirelessly (Bluetooth communication) with the relay device 2, guest mobile terminal 5, and resident mobile terminal 6 in accordance with the Bluetooth communication protocol.

[0012] In addition to "Bluetooth®," several other methods are generally known for short-range communication (communication standards), such as "ZigBee®." In this embodiment, "Bluetooth®" is used as the short-range communication method, but other short-range communication methods may be used to construct the electric lock system A as needed.

[0013] When the electric lock 1 communicates with the guest mobile device 5 via Bluetooth, it enters a state where it can accept a one-time key (one-time key acceptance state). The one-time key is an encryption key (password) that allows the electric lock 1 to be unlocked only once or at a specified time. The electric lock 1 notifies the relay device 2 via Bluetooth communication that it is in the one-time key acceptance state. The Bluetooth communication between the electric lock 1 and the guest mobile device 5 indicates that guest E, who is carrying the guest mobile device 5, has come into the vicinity of the electric lock 1.

[0014] The relay device 2 is located inside building B, near the entrance door D. The relay device 2 is a communication device that relays communication between the electric lock 1 and the gateway 3. The relay device 2 communicates with the electric lock 1 using Bluetooth (wireless communication) and with the gateway 3 using a communication method (communication standard) with a longer communication range than Bluetooth communication.

[0015] The relay device 2 is a terminal detection unit that detects, based on Bluetooth communication between the electric lock 1 and the guest mobile terminal 5, that the guest mobile terminal 5 is in the vicinity of the electric lock 1 and that the guest E, who possesses the guest mobile terminal 5, has come into the vicinity of the electric lock 1.

[0016] The communication method between the relay device 2 and the gateway 3 is wireless communication such as Wi-Fi (Local Area Network), ZigBee, or Bluetooth, or wired communication such as Wired LAN. The relay device 2 communicates with the gateway 3 in accordance with the above communication method. For example, when the relay device 2 receives the lock / unlock status from the electric lock 1 via Bluetooth communication, it transmits the lock / unlock status to the gateway 3 using communication in accordance with the above communication method.

[0017] Gateway 3 is a communication device that acts as a relay to the Internet, a type of computer network. Gateway 3 communicates with relay device 2 using the above communication method and communicates with router 4 using wired LAN compliant wired LAN.

[0018] When Gateway 3 receives information such as the locking / unlocking status of the electric lock 1 from the relay device 2 or the operating status from the building equipment via the above-mentioned communication method, it outputs the operating status information to Router 4 using wired LAN communication. When Gateway 3 receives a request from Router 4 to confirm the operating status of the building equipment, it outputs the confirmation request to the relay device 2 or the building equipment using the above-mentioned communication method.

[0019] Router 4 is a communication device (connection device) that connects Gateway 3 to the Internet (computer network) located outside the building. Router 4 performs wired LAN communication with Gateway 3 in accordance with LAN communication protocols, and also performs communication (Internet communication) with Server 7 in accordance with Internet communication protocols.

[0020] When Router 4 receives information about the operating status of building equipment, such as the locking / unlocking status of the electric lock 1, from Gateway 3 via wired LAN communication, it transmits this operating status information to Server 7 via Internet communication. When Router 4 receives a request from Server 7 to confirm the operating status of building equipment via Internet communication, it outputs the confirmation request to Gateway 3 via wired LAN communication.

[0021] The guest mobile terminal 5 is a mobile communication device carried by guest E who visits building B. The guest mobile terminal 5 has functions for sending and receiving various short messages and e-mails, and functions for performing short-range communications such as Bluetooth communication. The guest mobile terminal 5 can communicate with the server 7 via the Internet and receives an authorization e-mail from the server 7. The authorization e-mail grants guest E the unlocking authority of the electric lock 1 once only using a one-time key or within a specified time period.

[0022] Guest E originally does not have the authority to unlock the electric lock 1. Guest E obtains the unlocking authority of the electric lock 1 using a one-time key by receiving an authorization e-mail on the guest mobile terminal 5 from the server 7. Guest E sets the electric lock 1 to the one-time key reception state by performing Bluetooth communication between the guest mobile terminal 5 and the electric lock 1.

[0023] The resident mobile terminal 6 is a mobile communication device carried by a resident (not shown) of building B. The resident mobile terminal 6 is pre-installed with a dedicated application program (electric lock control app) for remotely locking and unlocking the electric lock 1, and performs locking and unlocking of the electric lock 1 by starting the electric lock control app.

[0024] The electric lock control app is an application program corresponding to the electric lock 1. The electric lock control app is obtained by a pre-registered resident from the server 7 and installed on the resident mobile terminal 6.

[0025] The resident mobile terminal 6 can communicate with the server 7 via the Internet and instructs the server 7 to send an authorization e-mail to the guest mobile terminal 5. When the resident of building B is unable to return to building B for some reason and has to entrust guest E with business inside building B on his / her behalf, the resident instructs the server 7 to send an authorization e-mail to the guest mobile terminal 5.

[0026] Server 7 is a dedicated server located on the internet. As shown in the diagram, Server 7 can communicate freely with Router 4, Guest Mobile Terminal 5, and Resident Mobile Terminal 6 via the internet. Server 7 responds to requests from Resident Mobile Terminal 6 for the granting of unlocking authority for the electric lock 1 using a one-time key (authorization grant request) and sends an authorization grant email to Guest Mobile Terminal 5.

[0027] When the electric lock 1 enters a one-time key acceptance state via Bluetooth communication with the guest mobile terminal 5, the electric lock 1 notifies the router 4 of the one-time key acceptance state via the relay device 2 and gateway 3. The server 7 is an authentication unit that outputs an unlock permission when it receives the one-time key acceptance state of the electric lock 1 from the router 4.

[0028] The operation of the electric lock system A according to this embodiment, that is, the method for unlocking the electric lock 1 according to this embodiment, will be explained with reference to the communication sequence diagram in Figure 3.

[0029] In electric lock system A, the electric lock control application on the resident's mobile terminal 6 is first activated (step S1). The resident activates the electric lock control application pre-installed on the resident's mobile terminal 6 by performing a predetermined operation on the resident's mobile terminal 6. By operating the electric lock control application, the resident sends a request to the server 7 to grant permission to guest E.

[0030] The authorization request requests that guest E be granted the authority to unlock electric lock 1 using a one-time key. More specifically, the authorization request requests that an authorization grant email be sent to guest mobile terminal 5, to guest E, who does not inherently possess the authority to unlock electric lock 1. The authorization grant email is either a text message or an email.

[0031] When Server 7 receives a permission grant request, it performs permission verification (Step S2). Permission verification is the process of checking the email addresses of the permission grantor (resident) and the permission recipient (guest E) attached to the permission grant request. If Server 7 accepts the permission grant request as a result of the permission verification, it sends a request response to the permission grant request to the resident's mobile terminal 6. For example, if the permission grantor (resident) is not registered in advance, Server 7 treats the permission grant request as invalid.

[0032] Server 7 continues to grant permissions to guest E. Specifically, Server 7 sends an permission granting email to the email address of guest mobile device 5. Guest E receives the permission granting email on guest mobile device 5 and obtains the permission to unlock electric lock 1.

[0033] Guest E is in a situation where they have been requested by the resident to visit building B in advance, either through a phone call with the resident or by receiving a visit request email from the resident's mobile device 6. Once Guest E is granted temporary permission to unlock electric lock 1 via the authorization email, they begin moving to visit building B and eventually arrive in front of the front door D of building B.

[0034] When guest E moves to the front door D, they use their mobile device 5 to request the electric lock 1 to unlock (step S3). As a result of the unlock request operation, guest mobile device 5 sends an unlock request to electric lock 1 via Bluetooth communication. When electric lock 1 receives an unlock request from guest mobile device 5, it indicates that guest mobile device 5 is in the vicinity of electric lock 1 and that guest E has come into the vicinity of electric lock 1.

[0035] The reception of an unlocking request in the electric lock 1 corresponds to a terminal detection process that detects that the guest mobile terminal 5 is in the vicinity of the electric lock 1. When the electric lock 1 receives an unlocking request from the guest mobile terminal 5, it enters a one-time acceptance state (step S4) and sends a verification instruction to the indoor network C. The verification instruction is then forwarded from the indoor network C to the server 7.

[0036] In detail, the matching instruction is transmitted from relay device 2, which constitutes indoor network C, to gateway 3 via wireless LAN communication, and then from gateway 3 to router 4 via wired LAN communication. Finally, the matching instruction is transmitted from router 4 to server 7 via internet communication.

[0037] When server 7 receives a verification instruction from indoor network C, it enters a waiting state until it receives a verification request from guest mobile terminal 5 (step S5). Guest E sends an unlock request to electric lock 1 using guest mobile terminal 5, and then sends a verification request to server 7 by operating a button provided in the authorization email.

[0038] When server 7 receives a matching instruction from indoor network C in addition to a matching request from guest mobile terminal 5, it performs a matching process (authentication step) (step S6). The matching process (authentication step) is the process of confirming the receipt of both the matching instruction from indoor network C and the matching request from guest mobile terminal 5.

[0039] Once the matching process (authentication process) is complete, server 7 sends an unlocking permission to the indoor network C. The unlocking permission is forwarded from router 4 to relay device 2 via gateway 3. Relay device 2 outputs an unlocking signal based on the unlocking permission to electric lock 1 via Bluetooth communication.

[0040] The electric lock 1 is unlocked when an unlocking signal is input from the relay device 2 (step S7). Based on the unlocking signal, the electric lock 1 changes its state from locked to unlocked, allowing guest E to open and close the front door D. When the electric lock 1 is unlocked, it outputs a response signal to the unlocking signal to the relay device 2.

[0041] The response signal is forwarded from the relay device 2 to the server 7 via the gateway 3 and router 4. The response signal is then forwarded from the server 7 to the guest mobile terminal 5 as a response email. Guest E can confirm that the electric lock 1 has been unlocked by the response email.

[0042] According to this embodiment, the electric lock 1 can only be unlocked when the guest mobile terminal 5 is in the vicinity of the electric lock 1, that is, when guest E comes into the vicinity of the electric lock 1. According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide an electric lock system A and an unlocking method for the electric lock 1 that can be unlocked when the guest mobile terminal 5 is in the vicinity of the electric lock 1.

[0043] In particular, in this embodiment, since the guest E is granted the right to unlock the electric lock 1 using an authorization email (short message or email), there is no need to install a special application program on the guest mobile terminal 5 to acquire the unlocking authority. According to this embodiment, since short message or email, which are highly versatile functions of the mobile terminal, is used, it is easy to grant the right to unlock the electric lock 1.

[0044] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible. (1) In the above embodiment, the relay device 2 detected that the guest mobile terminal 5 was in the vicinity of the electric lock 1 and that guest E had come into the vicinity of the electric lock 1 based on Bluetooth communication between the electric lock 1 and the guest mobile terminal 5, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The guest mobile terminal 5 may be detected by other means other than Bluetooth communication between the electric lock 1 and the guest mobile terminal 5, for example, based on the operation of the operating unit 1c provided on the electric lock 1.

[0045] When using the operation unit 1c of the electric lock 1, the presence of guest E in the vicinity of the electric lock 1 may be detected by inputting a sequence of numbers known only to guest E. Other possible methods include detecting the location of the guest's mobile terminal 5, reading a one-dimensional or two-dimensional code using a reader additionally provided on the electric lock 1, or using an image authentication device or voice authentication device additionally provided on the electric lock 1, instead of operating the operation unit 1c.

[0046] (2) In the above embodiment, the server 7 is used as the authentication unit, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the indoor network C may be used as the authentication unit instead of the server 7. When the indoor network C is used as the authentication unit, the server 7 sends an email to the guest mobile terminal 5 with a one-time key (matching target one-time key) attached, and then sends the reference one-time key that it holds to the router 4.

[0047] The reference one-time key is transferred, for example, from router 4 via gateway 3 to relay device 2 and held there. Relay device 2 compares the reference one-time key with the one-time key to be matched obtained from electric lock 1 and issues an unlocking permission.

[0048] (3) In the above embodiment, unlock permission was issued according to the communication sequence shown in Figure 3, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the communication sequence from when the guest mobile terminal 5 performs an unlock request operation (step S3) to when the server 7 waits for a response (step S5) is not limited to the communication sequence diagram in Figure 3.

[0049] (4) In the above embodiment, unlocking the electric lock 1 installed on the entrance door D (the entrance to building B) has been described, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The disclosure is also applicable to electric locks installed on doors other than the entrance to building B. [Explanation of symbols]

[0050] A...Electric lock system, B...Building, C...Indoor network, D...Front door, E...Guest, 1...Electric lock, 2...Repeater, 3...Gateway, 4...Router, 5...Guest mobile terminal, 6...Resident mobile terminal, 7...Server

Claims

1. A mobile device that stores the one-time key attached to the received email, An electric lock installed on the door, A terminal detection unit that detects the presence of the aforementioned mobile terminal in the vicinity of the electric lock, An authentication unit that authenticates an unlocking request from the mobile terminal using the one-time key and outputs permission to unlock the electric lock, The system includes a resident's mobile terminal pre-installed with an application program for unlocking and locking the aforementioned electric lock, The authentication unit is an electric lock system that, based on the operation of the resident's mobile terminal, sends the email containing the one-time key to the mobile terminal.

2. The electric lock system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal detection unit detects that the mobile terminal is present in the nearby area by short-range communication with the mobile terminal.

3. The electric lock system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal detection unit detects the presence of the portable terminal in the nearby area by operation of an operation unit attached to the electric lock.

4. The electric lock system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the authentication unit is a server located outside the building.

5. The electric lock system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the authentication unit is an indoor network installed in the building.

6. A mail sending step in which, based on the operation of a resident's mobile terminal that has an application program for unlocking and locking an electric lock pre-installed, an email containing a one-time key is sent to the mobile terminal, When short-range communication becomes possible with the mobile terminal that stores the one-time key attached to the received email, a terminal detection step is performed to detect that the mobile terminal is in the vicinity of the electric lock, An unlocking method comprising: an authentication step of authenticating an unlocking request from the mobile terminal using the one-time key and outputting permission to unlock the electric lock.

Images