Facial Access Control With Duress and Tailgating Detection

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing access control systems lack the ability to detect users under duress, provide second security verification, and prevent unauthorized access through tailgating, while maintaining a seamless authentication process.

Innovation Solution

An access control system utilizing facial recognition and skeletal tracking to detect duress, integrated with real-time face redaction, intelligent subject detection, and tailgating prevention, along with mobile device-based second factor authentication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional access control systems use card readers or basic cameras, then the system is simple to operate, but the system lacks the ability to detect duress, prevent tailgating, and provide second factor authentication

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity verification capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines facial recognition technology with skeletal tracking technology into a unified access control system. The facial recognizer processes facial images to identify users, while the skeletal tracker analyzes body movements to detect duress gestures. These two recognition systems are merged to work together, providing both authentication and security monitoring capabilities simultaneously, thereby enhancing reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The access control system is designed to perform multiple functions: facial recognition for user identification, skeletal tracking for duress detection, tailgating prevention through multiple subject detection, and second factor authentication. By making the system universal and multi-functional, it addresses multiple security concerns within a single integrated platform, improving reliability while managing complexity through consolidation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If the system implements multiple security features (duress detection, tailgating prevention, second factor authentication), then security reliability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity verification capabilityVSAvoidauthentication process simplicity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs frictionless access control where the authentication process occurs automatically without requiring active user participation. As users naturally approach the access point, the facial recognizer and skeletal tracker continuously process images to verify identity and detect duress. The system self-Service completes authentication in the background, maintaining ease of operation while implementing multiple security features.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary authentication and security checks before the user actually needs to access the secured area. Facial recognition and skeletal tracking occur as users approach the access point, so that by the time the user reaches the door, authentication is already complete. This preliminary action ensures security requirements are met without adding steps to the user's操作流程.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If the system uses facial recognition with skeletal tracking for frictionless access, then productivity is improved through automated authentication, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring worsens due to complex gesture recognition requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication speedVSAvoidduress detection complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex mechanical or manual security verification methods with optical and computational systems. Instead of requiring manual security checks or physical tokens, the system uses cameras to capture images and computational algorithms (facial recognition and skeletal tracking) to automatically verify identity and detect gestures. This substitution maintains high productivity while managing detection complexity through software-based solutions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary computational layer between the camera input and the security decision. The skeletal tracker serves as an intermediary that processes raw image data, extracts skeletal information, recognizes gestures, and translates them into security-relevant signals. This intermediary approach enables automated duress detection while maintaining productivity by handling complexity in the computational layer rather than requiring direct human analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Measurement precision

If the system implements real-time facial recognition and skeletal tracking, then measurement precision is improved for user identification, but the use of energy worsens due to continuous processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser identification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous processing, the system uses periodic action by triggering facial recognition and skeletal tracking based on detection events. The camera captures images periodically or when motion is detected, and processing is initiated based on these triggers rather than running continuously. This approach maintains measurement precision for user identification while reducing energy consumption by processing only when necessary.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP3797378B1Facial recognition frictionless access control
Publication Date: 2026.04.01 TYCO FIRE & SECURITY GMBH
  • EP3797378B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3797378B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3797378B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An access control system can include a camera that detects an image regarding a subject, a database maintaining information, a facial recognizer that receives the image and identifies a facial feature of the subject based on the received image and the facial information maintained by the database, and a processor to alert security or another user when an authorized user accessing an area of a building is under duress, when an unauthorized user is accessing an area of a building by tailgating after an authorized user, when an authorized user has not provided two-factor authentication, or when an authorized user is in a particular area of the building.