JP7519582B2 - Electric lock system and control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electric lock system and a method for controlling an electric lock.

Conventionally, electric lock systems for locking and unlocking doors of facilities are known. Patent Document 1 discloses an electric lock system that is difficult to unlock unintentionally from outside.

JP 2016-056503 A

Some electric lock systems use batteries as their power source. The challenge with such electric lock systems is to prevent the battery from running out, which makes it impossible to lock or unlock the door.

The present invention provides an electronic lock system that can prompt the user to replace the battery when the battery level is low.

An electric lock system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a notification unit that starts notifying the user that the remaining charge of a battery that supplies power to operate the electric lock is low at a first timing, and a control unit that locks or unlocks the electric lock by requiring a first operation from the timing when the battery begins to be used until a second timing that is later than the first timing, and that locks or unlocks the electric lock by requiring a second operation different from the first operation from the second timing onwards.

A control method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a notification step of initiating notification at a first timing that the remaining charge of a battery that supplies power to drive an electric lock is low, and a control step of locking or unlocking the electric lock by requiring a first operation from the timing when the battery is first used to a second timing that is later than the first timing, and locking or unlocking the electric lock by requiring a second operation different from the first operation from the second timing onwards.

A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the control method.

An electronic lock system according to one aspect of the present invention can prompt the user to replace the battery when the remaining battery power is low.

FIG. 1 is an external view of an electric lock system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electric lock system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the electric lock system according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 1 of the electric lock system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 2 of the electric lock system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 3 of the electric lock system according to the embodiment.

The following describes the embodiments in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component placement and connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in an independent claim are described as optional components.

Note that each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a precise illustration. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configurations, and duplicate explanations may be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment)
[composition]
First, the configuration of an electric lock system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is an external view of the electric lock system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the electric lock system according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electric lock system 10 according to the embodiment is a retrofit type system (device) (FIG. 1(b)) that is attached to an existing door 30 (FIG. 1(a)). The electric lock system 10 operates using a battery 17 as a power source, so no wiring work is required and it can be introduced at low cost. The door 30 is, for example, a door installed at an entrance for moving between the inside and outside of a facility, and more specifically, the front door of a detached house or the front door of a private area of an apartment building. The door 30 may also be a door installed within the facility (such as a door installed at the entrance to a room).

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the electric lock system 10 includes an operation reception unit 11, a wireless communication unit 12, an information processing unit 13, a memory unit 14, a drive unit 15, an electric lock 16, a battery 17, a measurement unit 18, and a light emitting unit 19. Each of these components is housed in either a housing 10a attached to the interior side of the door 30 or a housing 10b attached to the exterior side of the door 30. Also shown in Fig. 2 is an authentication medium 20.

The operation reception unit 11 is located on the exterior side of the door 30 and receives user operations. The operation reception unit 11 is realized, for example, by a push button, but may also be realized by a touch panel or the like. When the operation reception unit 11 receives an operation, the wireless communication unit 12, which is in a dormant state (low power consumption state), is started up.

The wireless communication unit 12 is a communication module (communication circuit) that allows the electric lock system 10 to perform short-range wireless communication (wireless communication using a local communication network) with the authentication medium 20. The wireless communication unit 12 receives, for example, authentication information from the authentication medium 20. Specifically, the wireless communication unit 12 is a communication module that supports short-range wireless communication such as an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader, but may also be a communication module that supports communication standards such as BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy).

The information processing unit 13 drives (locks or unlocks) the electric lock 16 when authentication information (also described as predetermined authentication information) that matches the registration information is received by the wireless communication unit 12. Specifically, the information processing unit 13 drives the electric lock 16 via the drive unit 15 by outputting a control signal to the drive unit 15. The information processing unit 13 is realized, for example, by a microcomputer, but may also be realized by a processor.

The information processing unit 13 has, as its functional components, an acquisition unit 13a, a control unit 13b, and a notification unit 13c. The functions of the acquisition unit 13a, the control unit 13b, and the notification unit 13c are realized, for example, by a microcomputer or a processor constituting the information processing unit 13 executing a computer program stored in the storage unit 14. The detailed functions of the acquisition unit 13a, the control unit 13b, and the notification unit 13c will be described later.

The memory unit 14 is a storage device that stores registration information used to match authentication information, computer programs executed by the information processing unit 13, and the like. The memory unit 14 is realized, for example, by a semiconductor memory.

The drive unit 15 is a drive circuit for driving the electric lock 16. Specifically, the drive unit 15 supplies power from the battery 17 to the electric lock 16 based on a control signal output from the information processing unit 13, thereby driving the electric lock 16.

The electric lock 16 has an electric motor and a transmission mechanism that transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the deadbolt of the door 30. The electric motor is driven by power supplied from the battery 17 via the drive unit 15, and the driving force of the electric motor is transmitted to the deadbolt via the transmission mechanism, causing the deadbolt to move to a locked or unlocked position.

The battery 17 is the power source for the electric lock system 10, and supplies power to the wireless communication unit 12, the information processing unit 13, the memory unit 14, the drive unit 15, the electric lock 16, the measurement unit 18, etc. The battery 17 supplies power to drive the electric lock 16, for example. Specifically, the battery 17 is a primary battery such as a dry cell, but may also be a secondary battery. The battery 17 is housed in a battery housing unit (battery box) provided in at least one of the indoor housing 10a and the outdoor housing 10b.

The measurement unit 18 is a circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit) that measures the remaining charge of the battery 17. For example, the measurement unit 18 is a voltage measurement type circuit that measures the remaining charge of the battery 17 by measuring the voltage across the battery 17, but may be a circuit using another method, such as a coulomb counter method.

The light-emitting unit 19 emits light to notify the user that the remaining charge of the battery 17 is low. The light-emitting unit 19 is located, for example, on the outdoor side of the door 30, but may be located on the indoor side of the door 30. The light-emitting unit 19 may be located on both the outdoor side and the indoor side of the door 30. The light-emitting unit 19 emitting light can be seen from outside the outdoor side housing 10b (or the indoor side housing 10a). The light-emitting unit 19 is realized by a light-emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence).

The authentication medium 20 is a medium that the user possesses in order to lock or unlock the electric lock 16. The authentication medium 20 performs short-range wireless communication with the wireless communication unit 12 and transmits authentication information to the wireless communication unit 12. The authentication medium 20 is, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but may also be an IC (Integrated Circuit) card or other medium having an IC chip.

[basic action]
Next, the basic operation of the electric lock system 10 will be described. Figure 3 is a flow chart of the basic operation of the electric lock system 10. The following basic operation is the operation when unlocking the locked door 30 from the outside of the room, but the same operation is performed when locking the unlocked door 30 from the outside of the room. Therefore, "unlocking" in the following explanation of the basic operation may be read as "locking". When locking or unlocking the door 30 from the inside of the room, the thumb turn 10c (shown in Figure 1 (b)) provided on the housing 10a on the inside of the room is manually operated.

First, the user performs a first operation of pressing the operation acceptance unit 11 once. The operation acceptance unit 11 accepts the first operation (S11). When the operation acceptance unit 11 accepts the first operation, the control unit 13b starts the wireless communication unit 12, which is in a dormant state (S12), and causes the wireless communication unit 12 to attempt communication with the authentication medium 20 (more specifically, short-range wireless communication) (S13).

When the wireless communication unit 12 is able to communicate with the authentication medium 20 as a result of the communication attempt, the wireless communication unit 12 receives the authentication information recorded in the authentication medium 20 from the authentication medium 20 (S14). The control unit 13b determines whether the received authentication information matches the registration information stored in the storage unit 14 (S15). The registration information is, for example, stored (registered) in advance in the storage unit 14 by the user.

When the control unit 13b determines that the authentication information matches the registered information (Yes in S15), it unlocks the electric lock 16 (door 30) (S16). Specifically, the control unit 13b drives the electric lock 16 (electric motor) so that the electric lock 16 is in an unlocked state by outputting a control signal to the drive unit 15. On the other hand, when the control unit 13b determines that the authentication information does not match the registered information (No in S15), it does not unlock the electric lock 16 (door 30).

[Operation example 1]
Incidentally, since the electric lock system 10 operates using the battery 17 as a power source, if the remaining charge of the battery 17 becomes too low, the electric lock 16 cannot be locked or unlocked from the outside of the room, which is called a dead battery state. Therefore, the electric lock system 10 has a mechanism that prompts the user to replace the battery 17 before the battery runs out. Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 1 of such an electric lock system 10.

The above basic operation is performed for a while after the start of use when new batteries 17 are inserted into the electric lock system 10. In other words, the control unit 13b locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 when the first operation is performed. At this time, the light emitting unit 19 is in an off state.

During this time, the acquisition unit 13a periodically acquires (monitors) the remaining charge of the battery 17 measured by the measurement unit 18. When the remaining charge of the battery 17 decreases and the remaining charge of the battery 17 acquired by the acquisition unit 13a reaches a predetermined remaining charge, the notification unit 13c turns on the light-emitting unit 19.

The first timing shown in FIG. 4 is the timing when the remaining charge of the battery 17 reaches a predetermined remaining charge. In other words, the notification unit 13c starts notifying the user that the remaining charge of the battery 17 is low (by emitting light from the light-emitting unit 19) at the first timing. After the first timing, the light-emitting unit 19 continues to emit light until the battery 17 is replaced or runs out of battery power.

This allows the notification unit 13c to notify the user that the remaining charge of the battery 17 is low and that the battery 17 needs to be replaced. The length of the period from the start of use of the battery 17 to the first timing is, for example, about two years. The specified remaining charge may be appropriately determined empirically or experimentally.

Here, even if such a notification is given by illuminating the light-emitting unit 19, there is a possibility that the battery 17 will not be replaced. Therefore, after the first timing, the acquisition unit 13a acquires (counts) the number of times the electric lock 16 is locked and unlocked (in other words, the number of times it is driven). If the cumulative number of times the electric lock 16 is locked and unlocked reaches a predetermined number starting from the first timing (i.e., the number of times at the first timing is 0) without the battery 17 being replaced, the control unit 13b locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 by requiring a second operation different from the first operation instead of the first operation.

The second timing shown in FIG. 4 is the timing when the number of times the electric lock 16 is locked and unlocked reaches a predetermined number of times starting from the first timing. The second operation is, for example, a long press on the operation reception unit 11. In other words, the second operation is an operation that takes a longer time than the first operation. The predetermined number of times is, for example, about 100 times, but may be determined empirically or experimentally as appropriate.

As described above, in the basic operation, the wireless communication unit 12 is started when the first operation (a normal single press) is accepted, but from the second timing onwards, the wireless communication unit 12 does not start even if the first operation is accepted. In other words, the user cannot lock or unlock the electric lock 16 even if they perform the first operation.

The user would then contact a call center or the like and inform an operator that the electric lock 16 cannot be locked or unlocked. The operator would then respond to the user that the battery 17 needs to be replaced and that the electric lock 16 can be locked and unlocked for the time being if the user performs the second operation (long press on the operation reception unit 11).

In this way, the electric lock system 10 strongly urges the user to replace the battery 17 by changing the requirements for the operation to lock or unlock the electric lock 16, and allows the user to temporarily lock and unlock the electric lock 16 by a second operation until the battery runs out. Note that the requirements for the operation here refer to the requirements for manual operation performed by the user on the same operation reception unit 11 (e.g., the same push button).

If the second operation is a simple operation, the user may become accustomed to locking and unlocking the electric lock 16 with the second operation and continue to lock and unlock the electric lock 16 with the second operation, which may result in the battery running out. The second operation is preferably more cumbersome than the first operation so that the user may find the second operation troublesome and replace the battery 17 with a new one. As described above, the second operation may be, for example, an operation that takes longer to operate than the first operation, but may also be an operation that requires more operations than the first operation (e.g., pressing the button two or more times in succession).

The second operation may be an operation on an operation reception unit other than the operation reception unit 11. For example, after the second timing, the first operation on the operation reception unit 11 may no longer be able to lock or unlock the electric lock 16, and a second operation on an operation reception unit (such as a touch panel) provided on the authentication medium 20 (in this case, a mobile terminal with a dedicated application program installed) may be required to lock or unlock the electric lock 16. In other words, the first operation and the second operation being different also includes the fact that the operation reception units that accept the first operation and the second operation are different.

[Operation example 2]
In the operation example 1, the light emitting unit 19 starts emitting light at the first timing, and continues emitting light in the same manner after the first timing until the battery 17 is replaced or the battery runs out. However, the light emitting manner of the light emitting unit 19 may be changed at the second timing. Figure 5 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 2 of such an electric lock system 10. In the following explanation of the operation example 2, the differences from the operation example 1 will be mainly explained.

As shown in FIG. 5, in operation example 2, notification unit 13c causes light-emitting unit 19 to emit light in a first mode between the first timing and the second timing. In other words, notification unit 13c issues notification in the first mode between the first timing and the second timing. Furthermore, notification unit 13c causes light-emitting unit 19 to emit light in a second mode after the second timing. In other words, notification unit 13c issues notification in a second mode that is different from the first mode after the second timing.

The second mode is, for example, a mode in which the light emission color is different from that of the first mode, but it may also be a mode in which the blinking cycle is different from that of the first mode, such as the first mode being constant light emission and the second mode being blinking. The first mode and the second mode may be modes in which at least one of a plurality of light emission parameters, such as the light emission color and the blinking cycle, is different from each other.

In this way, the electric lock system 10 can gradually notify the user of the decrease in the remaining charge of the battery 17 by changing the notification mode at the second timing.

When the battery runs out, the electric lock 16 cannot be driven, but the light emitting unit 19 may be able to emit light. In such a case, the notification unit 13c may change the light emitting mode of the light emitting unit 19 to a third mode when the battery runs out. In other words, the notification unit 13c may notify in a third mode, which is different from the first and second modes, when the remaining charge of the battery 17 reaches a level at which the electric lock 16 cannot be driven, after the second time point.

The third aspect may be, for example, an aspect in which the light emission color is different from the first aspect and the second aspect, but the blinking cycle is different from the first aspect and the second aspect. The first aspect, the second aspect, and the third aspect may be aspects in which at least one of a plurality of light emission parameters, such as the light emission color and the blinking cycle, is different from each other.

In this way, the electronic lock system 10 can notify the user that the battery is dead by changing the notification format when the battery is dead.

If the electric lock system 10 is equipped with a sound output unit such as a speaker, the notification unit 13c may notify by sound. In this case, the notification unit 13c may notify by sound instead of by light, or may use both light and sound. For example, the first type of notification may be made by the light emission of the light-emitting unit 19, and the second type of notification may be made by the light emission of the light-emitting unit 19 and the output of sound from the sound output unit.

[Modification of the method for determining the first timing and the second timing]
In operation examples 1 and 2, the first timing is determined by the remaining charge of battery 17, and the second timing is determined by the number of times electric lock 16 is locked and unlocked, but the method of determining the first timing and the second timing is not limited to such a method.

For example, the first timing may be determined by the number of times the electric lock 16 has been locked and unlocked, which is acquired by the acquisition unit 13a. Specifically, the first timing may be the timing at which the acquired number of times the electric lock 16 has been locked and unlocked reaches a first predetermined number, starting from the timing at which the use of the battery 17 begins (the number at the timing at which the use begins is set to 0).

In addition, if the electric lock system 10 includes a clock unit such as a real-time clock, the acquisition unit 13a can acquire the elapsed time from the start of use of the battery 17 measured by the clock unit. In this case, the first timing may be determined by the elapsed time acquired by the acquisition unit 13a. Specifically, the first timing may be the timing at which the acquired elapsed time reaches a first hour from the start of use.

Similarly, the second timing may be determined based on the remaining charge of the battery 17 acquired by the acquisition unit 13a. Specifically, the second timing may be the timing at which the acquired remaining charge of the battery 17 reaches a second predetermined remaining charge that is less than the first predetermined remaining charge, which is the above-mentioned predetermined remaining charge.

The second timing may also be determined based on the elapsed time acquired by the acquisition unit 13a. Specifically, the second timing may be the timing at which the acquired elapsed time reaches a second time that is longer than the first time from the start of use.

In this way, the first timing and the second timing may each be determined based on the remaining charge of the battery 17, the number of times the electric lock 16 has been locked and unlocked, the elapsed time, or the like.

[Operation example 3]
In the operation examples 1 and 2, the control unit 13b changes the requirements for the operation to lock or unlock the electric lock 16 once in response to the decrease in the remaining charge of the battery 17, but may change the requirements twice. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an operation example 3 of the electric lock system 10. In the following explanation of the operation example 3, the differences from the operation examples 1 and 2 will be mainly explained.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 13b locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 when the first operation is performed between the start of use of the battery 17 and the second timing. This is the same as in operation examples 1 and 2. The control unit 13b locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 when the second operation is performed between the second timing and the third timing. The third timing is a timing after the second timing, and is, for example, a timing when the number of times the electric lock 16 has been locked and unlocked has reached a predetermined number since the second timing. As explained in the above modified example, the third timing may be determined based on the remaining charge of the battery 17 or based on the elapsed time.

After the third timing, the control unit 13b locks, unlocks, or unlocks the electric lock 16 by requiring a third operation, which is different from both the first and second operations, instead of the second operation.

As described above, the second operation may be more cumbersome than the first operation so that the user may find the second operation troublesome and replace the battery 17 with a new one. For the same reason, the third operation may be more cumbersome than the second operation. The third operation may be, for example, an operation that takes longer to operate than the second operation, but is performed more frequently than the second operation.

Such an electric lock system 10 further urges the user to replace the battery 17 by changing the operation required to lock or unlock the electric lock 16 twice, and allows the user to temporarily lock and unlock the electric lock 16 by a third operation until the battery runs out.

The electric lock system 10 may change the operation required to lock or unlock the electric lock 16 three or more times depending on the decrease in the remaining charge of the battery 17. In addition, in the third operation example, the notification mode may be changed in the same way as in the second operation example. That is, the notification unit 13c may change the notification mode (light emission mode of the light-emitting unit 19) at each of the second timing and the third timing, or may change the notification mode when the battery runs out.

[Effects, etc.]
As described above, the electric lock system 10 includes a notification unit 13c that begins notifying at a first timing that the remaining charge of the battery 17 that supplies power to operate the electric lock 16 is low, and a control unit 13b that locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 by requiring a first operation from the timing when use of the battery 17 begins to a second timing that is later than the first timing, and that locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 by requiring a second operation different from the first operation from the second timing onwards.

Such an electric lock system 10 can change the operational requirements for locking or unlocking the electric lock 16 depending on the remaining charge of the battery 17, thereby encouraging the user to replace the battery 17 while allowing the user to temporarily lock or unlock the electric lock 16 using a second operation.

For example, the electric lock system 10 further includes an acquisition unit 13a that acquires the remaining charge of the battery 17 and the number of times the electric lock 16 has been locked and unlocked. The first timing is the timing when the acquired remaining charge of the battery 17 has reached a predetermined remaining charge, and the second timing is the timing when the acquired number of times the electric lock 16 has been locked and unlocked has reached a predetermined number starting from the first timing.

This type of electric lock system 10 can prompt a user who has not replaced the battery 17 even after locking or unlocking the electric lock 16 a specified number of times after being notified that the remaining battery 17 is low to replace the battery 17 by changing the operational requirements.

For example, the electric lock system 10 further includes an acquisition unit 13a that acquires the remaining charge of the battery 17. The first timing is the timing when the acquired remaining charge of the battery 17 reaches a first predetermined remaining charge, and the second timing is the timing when the acquired remaining charge of the battery 17 reaches a second predetermined remaining charge that is less than the first predetermined remaining charge.

This type of electric lock system 10 can prompt a user who has been notified that the remaining charge of the battery 17 is low, but who does not replace the battery 17 even when the remaining charge of the battery 17 further decreases, to replace the battery 17 by changing the operational requirements.

For example, the second operation is an operation that takes longer than the first operation.

Such an electric lock system 10 can prompt the user to replace the battery 17 by making a second operation, which takes longer than the first operation, a requirement for locking or unlocking the electric lock 16.

For example, the second operation is an operation that is performed more frequently than the first operation.

Such an electric lock system 10 can prompt the user to replace the battery 17 by making the second operation, which requires more operations than the first operation, a requirement for locking or unlocking the electric lock 16.

For example, the control unit 13b locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 by requiring a second operation from the second timing to a third timing that is later than the second timing, and from the third timing onwards, locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 by requiring a third operation that is different from the first and second operations.

Such an electric lock system 10 can prompt a user who does not replace the battery 17 even after changing the operational requirements for locking or unlocking the electric lock 16 to replace the battery 17 by changing the operational requirements again.

For example, the notification unit 13c notifies the user of a first state between the first timing and the second timing, and notifies the user of a second state that is different from the first state after the second timing.

Such an electronic lock system 10 can provide gradual notification of a decrease in the remaining charge of the battery 17.

For example, the notification unit 13c notifies in a third manner different from the first and second manners when the remaining charge of the battery 17 reaches a level at or after the second timing where the remaining charge of the battery 17 is no longer sufficient to operate the electric lock 16.

Such an electric lock system 10 can notify the user that the electric lock 16 cannot be operated (locked or unlocked) due to a dead battery.

For example, the electric lock system 10 further includes a wireless communication unit 12. The control unit 13b activates the wireless communication unit 12 in a dormant state when a first operation is performed during the period from the start of use of the battery 17 to the second timing, and locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 when the activated wireless communication unit 12 receives specific authentication information from the authentication medium. After the second timing, the control unit 13b activates the wireless communication unit 12 in a dormant state when a second operation is performed, and locks or unlocks the electric lock 16 when the activated wireless communication unit 12 receives specific authentication information from the authentication medium.

Such an electric lock system 10 can lock or unlock the electric lock 16 based on authentication using wireless communication.

The control method of the electric lock 16 executed by a computer such as the electric lock system 10 includes, for example, a notification step of initiating notification at a first timing that the remaining charge of the battery 17 that supplies power to drive the electric lock 16 is low, and a control step of locking or unlocking the electric lock 16 by requiring a first operation from the timing when the battery 17 begins to be used until a second timing that is later than the first timing, and locking or unlocking the electric lock 16 by requiring a second operation different from the first operation from the second timing onwards.

This type of control method changes the operational requirements for locking or unlocking the electric lock 16 depending on the remaining charge of the battery 17, and can prompt the user to replace the battery 17 while allowing the user to temporarily lock or unlock the electric lock 16 using a second operation.

(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, in the above embodiment, the electric lock system is described as being retrofitted to an existing door, but the electric lock system may be pre-installed in the door. Also, the electric lock is not limited to an electric lock applied to a door through which people enter and exit, but may be an electric lock applied to the door of a delivery box, etc.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the requirements for locking and unlocking the electric lock from the outside of the room are changed depending on the remaining battery power, but the requirements for locking and unlocking the electric lock from the inside of the room may be changed. Some electric lock systems have an operation reception unit such as a push button on the inside of the room, and the present invention can also be applied to such electric lock systems.

In the above embodiment, the notification that the battery level is low is given by a light or sound emitted by the electric lock system, but if the authentication medium is a mobile terminal, the notification may be given by a notification screen displayed on the mobile terminal. In this case, the notification unit of the electric lock system causes the wireless communication unit to transmit notification information to the mobile terminal when the wireless communication unit communicates with the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal that receives the notification information displays the notification screen on the display unit.

In the above embodiment, the electric lock system obtains authentication information from the authentication medium after the first operation or the like is performed, but the electric lock system may obtain biometric information of the user as authentication information from the user after the first operation or the like is performed. In other words, the electric lock system may lock and unlock the door by biometric authentication. In this case, the biometric information may be facial image information, fingerprint information, voiceprint information, and the like. In addition, if the operation reception unit of the electric lock system includes a numeric keypad, the electric lock system may enable the numeric keypad after the first operation or the like is performed, and obtain the PIN number entered on the numeric keypad as authentication information.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the first operation etc. was an operation for putting the electric lock system into a standby state in which authentication information can be acquired, but the first operation etc. may also be a confirmation operation (decision operation) performed after the authentication information is acquired.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the processing performed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. Also, the order of multiple processes may be changed, and multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

In the above embodiment, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or an integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

In addition, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM. In addition, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

For example, the present invention may be realized as a method for controlling an electric lock executed by a computer, such as the electric lock system of the above-described embodiment. The present invention may also be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the method for controlling an electric lock. The present invention may also be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is recorded.

In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art may conceive, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Electric lock system 12 Wireless communication unit 13a Acquisition unit 13b Control unit 13c Notification unit 16 Electric lock 17 Battery 20 Authentication medium

Claims (10)

a notification unit that starts notifying the user that a remaining charge of a battery that supplies power to drive an electric lock is low at a first timing;
A wireless communication unit;
an electric lock system comprising: a control unit that, from a timing when the battery starts to be used to a second timing that is later than the first timing, activates the wireless communication unit in a dormant state upon a first operation, and locks or unlocks the electric lock when the activated wireless communication unit receives specified authentication information from an authentication medium , and from the second timing onwards , activates the wireless communication unit in a dormant state upon a second operation different from the first operation, and locks or unlocks the electric lock when the activated wireless communication unit receives the specified authentication information from the authentication medium . Further, an acquisition unit is provided for acquiring a remaining charge of the battery and a number of times the electric lock has been locked and unlocked,
the first timing is a timing at which the acquired remaining charge of the battery reaches a predetermined remaining charge,
The electric lock system according to claim 1 , wherein the second timing is a timing at which the acquired number of times of locking and unlocking of the electric lock reaches a predetermined number from the first timing as a starting point. Further, an acquisition unit that acquires a remaining capacity of the battery is provided,
the first timing is a timing at which the acquired remaining charge of the battery reaches a first predetermined remaining charge,
The electric lock system according to claim 1 , wherein the second timing is a timing at which the acquired remaining charge of the battery reaches a second predetermined remaining charge which is lower than the first predetermined remaining charge. The electric lock system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second operation is an operation having a longer operation time than the first operation. The electric lock system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second operation is an operation performed more frequently than the first operation. The control unit is
The electric lock is locked or unlocked in response to the second operation during a period from the second timing to a third timing that is later than the second timing;
The electric lock system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein after the third timing, the electric lock is locked or unlocked upon a third operation different from the first operation and the second operation. The electric lock system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the notification unit provides the notification of a first mode between the first timing and the second timing, and provides the notification of a second mode different from the first mode after the second timing. The electric lock system of claim 7, wherein the notification unit issues the notification in a third manner different from the first manner and the second manner when the remaining charge of the battery reaches a level at which the electric lock can no longer be operated after the second timing. a notification step of initiating a notification that a remaining charge of a battery that supplies power for driving an electric lock is low at a first timing;
and a control step of activating a wireless communication unit in a dormant state upon a first operation during a period from a start timing of use of the battery to a second timing that is later than the first timing, and locking or unlocking the electric lock when the activated wireless communication unit receives predetermined authentication information from an authentication medium , and after the second timing, activating the wireless communication unit in a dormant state upon a second operation different from the first operation , and locking or unlocking the electric lock when the activated wireless communication unit receives the predetermined authentication information from the authentication medium.
Control methods. A program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 9 .

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