Smart Lobby Access Control Using Context and Occupancy Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Building management systems (BMS) face challenges in effectively managing and analyzing the increasing amount of data from various devices, particularly in identifying and granting access to individuals entering a building while providing personalized experiences and optimizing environmental conditions.
Innovation Solution
A smart lobby management system that uses sensors and digital twins to detect individuals, retrieve context information, and control access control devices based on security metrics, schedules, and user preferences, while also determining environmental characteristics to generate actions such as directing individuals to alternative entrances or adjusting HVAC systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a building management system collects data from various devices to manage building functions, then the amount of data being produced and collected increases exponentially, but the effective analysis and information management of the collected data becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the building management system into multiple specialized modules: access control module, environmental control module, security module, and data analytics module. Each module processes specific types of data independently, reducing the complexity of managing exponential data growth by dividing the monolithic data management task into manageable segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a centralized data lake and analytics engine as intermediary components between data collection devices and decision-making processes. This intermediary layer aggregates, cleans, and analyzes data from multiple sources before presenting actionable insights, simplifying the complexity of direct data analysis while handling exponential data growth.
2Ease of operation
If the system retrieves and processes context information for each individual entering the building, then personalized user experiences and frictionless access are achieved, but the processing time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-processing and storing context information for individuals in advance of their arrival. User profiles, access permissions, and preferences are established beforehand in a database, allowing the system to quickly retrieve and act on this pre-prepared information when individuals enter the building, minimizing real-time processing requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual security checking and access granting processes with automated biometric recognition systems (facial recognition, fingerprint scanning). This substitution of mechanical/manual operations with automated electronic systems dramatically reduces processing time while maintaining or improving access convenience and personalization.
3Reliability
If the system monitors and controls access control devices based on real-time context information, then security is improved, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by monitoring access control needs only at relevant intervals rather than continuously. Context information is retrieved and access decisions are made event-driven - when an individual approaches an access point or when new context information becomes available - rather than maintaining constant monitoring, reducing energy consumption while maintaining security reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the access control system adaptive and flexible rather than static. Access permissions and security protocols are dynamically adjusted based on real-time context information such as user identity, time of day, location within the building, and security threats. This dynamic approach maintains high security reliability while optimizing energy consumption by activating controls only when and where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to detect an individual who enters into a lobby of a building, retrieve context information corresponding to the individual, update a user profile of the individual to indicate the individual has arrived at the building, and control one or more access control devices to grant the individual access to the building based on the context information.