Smart Lock Power Saving via Event Sensor Wake-Up
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electromechanical locks consume high energy as the processor remains continuously active to receive signals, leading to frequent battery replacements.
Innovation Solution
A lock mechanism that switches to a power-saving off-state when not in use and activates only upon detection of an authorized event, such as a key or movement, using a processor and event sensor to manage the transition between locked and unlocked states while ensuring energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the processor remains continuously active to receive signals, then the lock mechanism can respond to any key signal immediately, but the energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The lock mechanism performs preliminary actions by entering a standby mode where the processor is pre-configured to wake up at specific intervals or upon detecting certain conditions. This allows the system to be prepared for authentication without maintaining continuous active processing, thereby reducing energy consumption while preserving response capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor operates in periodic cycles, switching between active and sleep states. During active periods, it processes authentication signals; during sleep periods, it consumes minimal power. This periodic operation maintains the ability to respond to key signals while significantly reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
2Ease of operation
If the processor is always activated, then authentication can be performed immediately upon key insertion, but frequent battery replacement is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication preparations by pre-loading authentication algorithms and maintaining readiness states that can be quickly activated. When a key is inserted, the system transitions from a low-power state to an active authentication state rapidly, ensuring quick authentication while allowing the processor to remain in power-saving mode during idle periods, thus extending battery life.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor dynamically adjusts its operational state based on system needs, switching between high-performance active mode for authentication and low-power sleep mode during idle periods. This dynamic state management allows the system to provide fast authentication when needed while conserving battery energy during non-operational times, thereby extending overall battery life without compromising authentication speed.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention concerns a lock mechanism (10) configured to switch between a locked state and an unlocked state, the lock mechanism being configured to cooperate with at least one identification key (11) having an identification code (12), the lock mechanism comprising a processor (15) in a power saving off-state, configured to read the identification code (12) of the at least one identification key (11) and determine if the identification code (12) is an authorized code (14) of the lock mechanism when in an activated state, an event sensor (13) configured to switch the processor (15) from the power saving off-state to the activated state if an event is detected by the event sensor (13).