Sensor-Based Door Lock Verification for True Deadbolt Engagement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network-enabled door locks lack a reliable method for verifying the actual locked state, leading to situations where a door may appear locked when it is not, potentially due to accidental or malicious misalignment of the deadbolt and strike plate.
Innovation Solution
A network-enabled door lock system with integrated sensors and cryptographic techniques to verify the mechanical engagement between the deadbolt and strike plate, using asymmetric keys and nonces to ensure secure communication and prevent unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If network-enabled door locks are used to provide remote locking and unlocking functionality, then convenience and accessibility are improved, but reliability of lock status verification deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the strike plate component sends status information back to the deadbolt component, confirming whether the deadbolt is properly received in the strike plate. This feedback loop allows the system to verify the actual locked state rather than merely assuming it based on the deadbolt's extended position, thereby resolving the reliability issue while maintaining remote operation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The strike plate component acts as an intermediary that verifies the engagement between the deadbolt and the door frame. Instead of the deadbolt component directly determining lock status, it relies on the strike plate's confirmation, creating a mediating verification layer that enhances reliability of the lock status indication.
2Reliability
If cryptographic techniques with asymmetric keys and nonces are implemented to ensure secure communication, then security against unauthorized access is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-provisioning each component (deadbolt and strike plate) with unique cryptographic identities and keys during manufacturing or initial setup. This preliminary configuration allows the components to securely authenticate each other using asymmetric cryptography and nonces without requiring complex real-time key exchange protocols, thereby reducing operational complexity while maintaining high security.
3Measurement precision
If sensor-based verification methods are added to confirm door lock status, then measurement precision of lock state is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by having the strike plate component automatically detect and report the presence or absence of the deadbolt through its own sensors and processing capabilities. The strike plate independently verifies the locked state and communicates this information back to the deadbolt component, eliminating the need for separate verification sensors in the deadbolt and reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high measurement precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of implementing a network-enabled secure door lock, comprising obtaining measurements of an environment associated with a door from a variety of sensor types; generating, based at least in part on the measurements, a set of inputs to a machine-learning model; inputting the set of inputs into the machine learning model to determine a status of the door; generating a message that indicates the status of the door; and transmitting the message to a user device.