Electromechanical Lock Security System Using Cryptographic Keycard Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional electromechanical locks are vulnerable to hacking and unauthorized access as they store access codes, making them susceptible to bypassing and decoding by skilled thieves, and they rely on direct actuation of bolts, which can be tampered with.
Innovation Solution
An electromechanical locking system that uses cryptographically filtered information from authentication factors to actuate moveable locking elements without storing access codes, using a processor to scan keycards, apply functions to detected codes, and instruct actuators to move locking elements to locked or unlocked positions based on valid or invalid codes, preventing direct comparison and reducing vulnerability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If access codes are stored in memory for comparison, then authentication can be performed, but the lock becomes vulnerable to hacking and unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the access code from the lock's memory storage. Instead of storing the access code in the lock, the system uses a keycard that contains authentication data. The lock only stores a cryptographic hash or transformed version of the code, not the actual access code itself, making it useless to thieves who breach the lock.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cryptographic transformation function as an intermediary between the access code and the locking mechanism. The access code is transformed through a one-way function (hashing) before being stored or compared, so that even if the stored data is breached, the original access code cannot be recovered. This intermediary layer protects the authentication system.
2Ease of operation
If the lock stores access codes in memory, then code comparison can determine valid access, but the stored information becomes useful to thieves if breached
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potential harm of storing authentication data into a benefit by using one-way cryptographic functions. The lock stores a transformed version (hash) of the access code that cannot be reversed to obtain the original code. This way, even if the stored information is breached, it becomes useless to attackers, turning the potential vulnerability into a security feature.
3Device complexity
If traditional electromechanical locks use direct bolt actuation, then the locking mechanism is simple, but it can be tampered with and bypassed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional direct mechanical actuation system with an electromechanical system that uses a motor driven by a solenoid. Instead of direct mechanical connection between the key mechanism and bolt, the system uses electrical signals to control a motor, which then actuates the locking mechanism. This substitution adds a layer of security by requiring electrical activation through authenticated codes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enhances security by making unauthorized access more difficult, as even if compromised, the stored information is useless for gaining access, and the lack of stored access codes reduces the risk of hacking and tampering.
Implementation Method 1
The processor may cause the optical sensor to detect the first code that is encoded in an optical pattern of the keycard.
Data Source
AI summary
An electromechanical locking system includes one or more moveable locking elements and one or more actuators configured to move each of the one or more moveable locking elements between positions. The system includes an interface configured to receive information from a keycard, a processor, and a computer-readable storage medium. The processor causes the interface to scan the keycard and detect one or more features of the keycard when the keycard is detected by the interface, identify a first code that corresponds to the detected features of the keycard, apply functions to the first code to yield a second code that represents one of the plurality of positions for each of the one or more moveable locking elements, and cause the actuator to move the one or more movable locking elements to the one or more positions that correspond to the second code.