JP7689042B2 - Locking system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a lock system.

A lock system that uses a combination of biometric authentication means such as facial recognition and an authentication signal from a portable key carried by the user as an authentication means for unlocking the front door 1 is described in Patent Document 1.

In this conventional example, the lock system includes a smart lock device that is operated to lock and unlock using wireless signals, a mobile phone that sends wireless signals to the smart lock device for locking and unlocking, an intercom handset with a camera, and a cloud server with a face authentication unit that authenticates face images acquired by the intercom handset.

Locking and unlocking operations for the smart lock device are performed on the condition that authentication is successful for the facial image acquired by the intercom handset. If authentication is successful for the facial image, the unlocking operation for the smart lock device is permitted, and when a locking/unlocking signal is output from the mobile phone in a permitted state, the smart lock device performs the locking/unlocking operation.

JP 2020-45684 A

However, in the conventional example described above, even after face authentication is established, additional operations on the mobile phone are required, which makes it difficult to use.

The present invention was made to eliminate the above drawbacks and aims to provide a locking system that is easy to use.

According to the present invention, the above object is to
An electric lock 2 for locking and unlocking the door 1;
A portable device 3 carried by a user;
a biometric authentication unit 5 that authenticates biometric authentication information acquired from a biometric authentication information acquisition unit 4, a key authentication unit 6 that authenticates key authentication information output from the portable device 3, a third signal authentication unit 8 that authenticates a third authentication signal input from a third signal input unit 7 that is disposed outside the portable device 3, and a lock control unit 10 that includes a lock operation unit 9 that locks and unlocks the electric lock 2 and controls the electric lock 2;
The portable device 3 is configured to be capable of outputting key authentication information in response to an authentication information output request outputted from the lock control unit 10,
The lock control unit 10 locks and unlocks the electric lock 2 when authentication is established for the key authentication information from the portable device 3 in response to the authentication information output request that is output on the condition that authentication is established in the biometric authentication unit 5, and
When authentication of the key authentication information is not established after authentication of the biometric authentication information is established, an unlocking operation is performed when authentication is established in the third signal authentication unit 8.
Furthermore, the third signal authentication unit 8 is achieved by providing a lock system that outputs an authentication establishment signal when the third signal input unit 7 is operated by a predetermined operating method .

The lock system has a portable device 3 carried by the user, an electric lock 2, and a lock control unit 10 that controls the electric lock 2. The lock control unit 10 has a biometric authentication unit 5 that authenticates the fingerprint, face, vein image, etc. acquired by the biometric authentication information acquisition unit 4, and a key authentication unit 6 that authenticates the key authentication information output by the portable device 3. When authentication is successful in the biometric authentication unit 5, it outputs a request to the portable device 3 to output the key authentication information.

When the lock control unit 10 outputs an authentication information output request, the portable device 3 is configured to be able to output key authentication information as a response signal. When the lock control unit 10 outputs an authentication information output request in the locked state and receives a response signal from the portable device 3, the key authentication unit 6 performs an authentication operation on the key authentication information in the response signal. If authentication is successful, a lock/unlock operation command is output to the lock operation unit 9, and the electric lock 2 is locked or unlocked.

Therefore, in the present invention, when authentication is successful in the biometric authentication unit 5, the key authentication information of the portable device 3 is automatically acquired, and then an authentication operation for this key authentication information is performed. If authentication is successful, the electric lock 2 can be locked or unlocked, so there is no need to take out or operate the portable device 3, improving usability.

In addition, if authentication of the portable device 3 is not successful after biometric authentication is successful, a predetermined third authentication signal is input from a third signal input unit 7 that is different from the portable device 3, and when this third authentication signal is authenticated, the unlocking operation is performed.

As a result, even if the user forgets to carry the portable device 3 or the battery runs out, they will not be locked out. Furthermore, the unlocking operation that occurs when the third authentication signal is authenticated is conditional on authentication being achieved by biometric authentication, ensuring anti-theft performance.

In addition, the locking system
A human presence sensor 11 is provided.
The biometric authentication unit 5 starts operating when the human body is detected by the human sensor 11.
The biometric authentication unit 5 can be configured to perform face authentication based on a face image acquired by a camera serving as an information acquisition unit that starts operating when the human body is detected by the human sensor 11 .

When configured in this way, the lock control unit 10 automatically starts capturing images and control using the camera when the motion sensor 11 detects a human body, and performs facial authentication. By adopting facial authentication as the authentication method, the user can simply bring their face close to a position where the camera can capture an image, which is different from fingerprint authentication, which requires the user to place a finger on the sensor, and therefore improves usability.

moreover,
a key authentication information output operation means for outputting key authentication information from the portable device by a user operation;
When the lock control unit 10 is configured to configure a lock system in which, when authentication is not established in the biometric authentication unit 5, the lock operation unit 9 is caused to perform an unlocking operation when authentication is established in the key authentication unit 6 of the key authentication information output by operation to the key authentication information output operation means 12, unlocking authority can be granted even to users whose facial authentication images are not registered, thereby improving usability.

Also,
The third signal authentication unit 8 outputs an authentication establishment signal when the third signal input unit 7 is operated in a predetermined operating method, so that input operation to the third signal input unit 7 is possible without requiring any special access means, and therefore usability is not impaired.Furthermore, the third signal authentication unit 8 establishes authentication only when a predetermined operating method for the third signal input unit is performed, such as a long press, or a combination of a long press and a short press like a Morse code, and therefore does not degrade anti-theft performance.

In this way, by encrypting the input method to the third signal input unit 7, the anti-theft performance is not reduced even if it is placed in a location where a third party can operate it, i.e., on the door 1 or in its surroundings, and furthermore, usability is improved because there is no need to place the third signal input unit 7 in a location unknown to third parties.

In this case, if the key authentication information output operation means 12 that outputs key authentication information from the portable device 3 is used as the third signal input unit 7, the structure can be simplified since there is no need to set up a separate third signal input unit 7.

According to the present invention, when authentication is successful in the biometric authentication unit, the authentication operation of the portable device is automatically performed without the user having to perform any operations, improving usability.

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the lock control system. FIG. 1 shows a door for use with the lock control system. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the lock control system. 13 is a flowchart of a process when a human body is detected. 13 is a flowchart of a portable device authentication process using an authentication operation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lock system is composed of an electric lock 2, a lock control unit 10 that controls the locking and unlocking state of the electric lock 2, and a portable device 3 for remotely controlling the lock control unit 10.

As shown in Figure 2, the electric lock 2 is built into the door 1, and transitions between locked and unlocked states are achieved by operating the locking body with an electric actuator.

The portable device 3 has a communication unit 3a, a lock button 3b as a key authentication information output operation means 12, and an unlock button 3c. The communication unit 3a is made up of an LF receiver 3a1 capable of receiving LF radio waves, a UHF transmitter 3a2 that transmits UHF radio waves, and a control unit 3d that controls these.

In addition to the passive operation of outputting key authentication information (ID information) set for each portable device 3 in response to an authentication information output request (request signal) output from the lock control unit 10 described later, the portable device 3 is also capable of active operation of outputting key authentication information together with a lock/unlock type signal by operating the lock/unlock buttons 3b and 3c. When the LF receiver 3a1 of the communication unit 3a receives a request signal from the lock control unit 10, the control unit 3d determines that its own station is included in the request to output the request signal, and then performs passive operation of outputting key authentication information from the UHF transmitter 3a2.

In response to this, when operation of the lock/unlock buttons 3b and 3c is detected, the control unit 3d executes an active operation to output key authentication information from the UHF transmission unit 3a2.

The lock control unit 10 includes a communication unit 10a, an authentication unit 13, a biometric authentication information acquisition unit 4, a key authentication information output operation means 12, a third signal input unit 7, a human presence sensor 11, a lock operation unit 9, a lock/unlock state detection unit 10b that detects the locked/unlocked state of the electric lock 2, a door state detection unit 10c that detects the open/closed state of the door 1, a display unit 10d for notifying the user of the transition to a locked/unlocked state or displaying necessary operation instructions, a timer unit 10e for measuring the time limit of the control process, and a control unit 10f for controlling each of the above-mentioned units.

The communication unit 10a is composed of a UHF receiving unit 10a1 and an LF transmitting unit 10a2. When the UHF receiving unit 10a1 receives a predetermined signal, if the signal contains ID key authentication information for the portable device 3 and a lock/unlock type signal, the control unit 10f extracts the lock/unlock type signal and outputs it to the key authentication unit 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, an antenna (not shown) is built into the door handle 14 to enable communication with the communication unit 3a of the portable device 3, and a request switch 15 is also placed on the door handle 14 in a position that allows it to be operated from outside the door 1. In this example, the request switch 15 is formed by a push button switch or a capacitance sensor.

The request switch 15 functions as the key authentication information output operation means 12, and when the control unit 10f detects an operation on the request switch 15 as the key authentication information output operation means 12, it outputs a request signal from the LF transmission unit 10a2 and waits for a response from the portable device 3. When the UHF reception unit 10a receives a response signal within a predetermined response time, it extracts the key authentication information and determines whether or not authentication is possible in the key authentication unit 6.

As described above, the authentication unit 13 includes a key authentication unit 6, a biometric authentication unit 5, and a third signal authentication unit 8 for authenticating the access authority of the portable device 3, and each compares the authentication target information with the authentication registration information stored in a memory unit not shown in the figure, and outputs authentication establishment information when they match.

Biometric authentication can be performed using vein authentication, fingerprint authentication, etc., and depending on the type of biometric authentication used, a vein scanner or the like is used for the biometric authentication information acquisition unit 4 to acquire the specified biometric authentication information.

In this example, facial recognition is used for biometric authentication, which can obtain authentication information without the need to touch the biometric authentication information acquisition unit 4, and as shown in Figure 2, a camera 16 is placed on the surface of the door 1 as the biometric authentication information acquisition unit 4.

The third signal authentication unit 8 authenticates the authentication information input from the third signal input unit 7. In this example, the request switch 15 has a function as the third signal input unit 7 in addition to the function as the key authentication information output operation means 12 described above, and continuous operation of the request switch 15 for a predetermined period of time (a long press operation in this example) is treated as a third authentication signal that can be authenticated by the third signal authentication unit 8.

Therefore, when the control unit 10f detects a pressing operation on the request switch 15, the third signal authentication unit 8 starts an authentication operation, and when a predetermined continuous pressing time on the request switch 15 is observed by measuring the pressing operation time with the timing unit 10e, the third signal authentication unit 8 outputs an authentication establishment signal.

In this example, a long press on the request switch 15 is used as an operation that can be authenticated by the third signal authentication unit 8, but other appropriate operations can also be used, such as pulling the door handle 14 for an appropriate period of time, or pulling or pushing in a Morse code pattern.

As shown in FIG. 2, the human presence sensor 11 has a detection unit installed on the surface of the door 1, and when the human presence sensor 11 outputs a human body detection signal, the control unit 10f activates the camera 16 to start the authentication operation in the biometric authentication unit 5, and when authentication in the biometric authentication unit 5 is successful, it automatically generates a request signal and outputs it from the communication unit 10a.

The lock operation unit 9 outputs a lock or unlock drive signal to the electric lock 2 to drive the electric actuator of the electric lock 2 to the lock operation side or the unlock operation side, thereby transitioning the state of the electric lock 2.

The lock control unit 10 also includes a lock/unlock state detection unit 10b that detects the locked/unlocked state of the electric lock 2. When the key authentication information from the portable device 3 is authenticated by the key authentication unit 6 under passive operation, the control unit 10f sets a drive signal to the lock operation unit 9 that reverses the locked/unlocked state detected by the lock/unlock state detection unit 10b, thereby reversing the state of the electric lock 2.

Figure 3 shows the control flow of the lock control unit 10. First, when the human sensor 11 detects that a person is standing in front of the door 1 and outputs a human body detection signal (step S1), a human body detection process is executed (step S2), and as described below, a face authentication operation and a key authentication operation by the passive operation of the portable device 3 are executed consecutively, and then the portable device authentication process is executed by the authentication operation described below (step S3).

When step S3 is completed, it is determined whether there is a person in front of the door 1, i.e., whether the human body detection output of the human presence sensor 11 is OFF or not (step S4), and if it is detected that it is OFF, the process returns to step S1.

On the other hand, if no human body is detected in step S1, a portable device authentication process is executed (step S5) using the same authentication operations as in step S3, and after completion, the process returns to step S1.

Figure 4 shows the details of the human body detection process. The human body detection process starts with face information acquisition, which is automatically executed when the human body is detected by the human sensor 11, i.e., the camera is started (step 20). Face authentication uses a face image acquired within a preset time as authentication information, and in order to limit the face information acquisition time to a predetermined set time, measurement by a face authentication timer using the timing unit 10e is started following step 20 (step S21). If face authentication is not established within the set time (steps S22, S23), the human body detection process ends and a key authentication operation is performed by active operation of the portable device 3 in Figure 3 (step S5).

In contrast, if face authentication is successful in step S22, the control unit 10f checks the state of the lock/unlock state detection unit 10b, and if the state is locked (step 220), the control unit 10f sets an unlock request signal in the communication unit 10a and outputs it from the LF transmission unit 10a2 (step S221). The unlock request signal may include an unlock command in the request signal itself, or the unlock command may be held as a flag in the lock control unit 10 and only the request signal may be output.

In the present invention, if it is determined in step S220 that the door is locked, i.e., if the purpose is to unlock the door, a third authentication process is provided to prevent lockout due to the battery of the portable device 3 running out or the user forgetting to carry the device, etc. In order to limit the execution time of the third authentication process, an emergency unlock timer is started following step S221 (step S222), and then authentication of the portable device 3 is performed (step S223).

If authentication of the portable device 3 is successful in step S222, the control unit 10f sets an unlock drive signal to the lock operation unit 9, unlocks the electric lock 2, and ends the human body detection process (step S2231).

On the other hand, if authentication of the portable device 3 is not established in step S223, a state transition of the request switch 15 serving as the third signal input unit 7 is detected to determine whether or not a third authentication operation is to be performed. When the third signal authentication unit 8 detects a transition of the request switch 15 from an OFF state to an ON state (step S224), a long press detection timer is started to determine whether the operation on the request switch 15 is a signal that can be authenticated by the third signal authentication unit 8, i.e., whether it is a long press operation for a predetermined period of time (step S225).

When the request switch 15 is pressed continuously for a predetermined time and the long press timer times out (step S226), the third signal authentication unit 8 outputs an authentication establishment signal, and the control unit 10f that receives the authentication establishment signal sets an unlock drive signal to the lock operation unit 9, unlocks the electric lock 2, and ends the human body detection process (step S2231).

If a timeout has not occurred in step S226, a transition from ON to OFF of the request switch is determined to detect the intermediate end of the long press operation (step S227), and if a transition of the request switch is detected, an unlock request signal is sent (step S228).

In contrast, if no transition of the request switch is detected in step S227, the system determines whether the emergency unlock timer set in step S222 has timed out (step S229), and if it is within the set time, the system returns to step S223, and if it has timed out, the human body detection process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S220 that the door is unlocked, a lock request signal is output (step S2201), and the key authentication unit 6 performs authentication of the portable device 3 (step S2202).

If authentication is not successful in step S2202, there is no risk of the user being locked out, as occurs during an unlocking operation, so the human body detection process is terminated without performing authentication operations in the third signal authentication unit 8. If authentication is successful, a locking operation is performed and the human body detection process is terminated (step S2203).

When the above human body detection process is completed, the portable device authentication process is executed using authentication operations.

The portable device authentication process using authentication operations is set primarily for the convenience of users who have not registered a face image as a face authentication image. While the above-mentioned human body detection process is executed sequentially without requiring any special operations by the user, except for the third authentication operation, the authentication operation of the portable device 3 is performed by the user's active operation on the portable device 3 or by the user's operation on the key authentication information output operation means 12 (in this example, the request switch 15).

First, when the above-mentioned human body detection process is completed, the control unit 10f monitors the operation of the request switch 15 as the key authentication information output operation means 12 (step S30), and if an operation is performed, a request signal is set in the LF transmission unit 10a2 and the response signal from the portable device 3 is authenticated by the key authentication unit 6 (step S31).

When authentication of the portable device 3 is successful in step S31, the locked/unlocked state is detected from the locked/unlocked state detection unit 10b (step S32), and if it is locked, an unlocking operation is performed (step S33) and this process is terminated. When an unlocked state is detected in step S32, a locking operation is performed (step S34) and this process is terminated.

On the other hand, if operation of the request switch 15 is not detected in step S30, the key authentication information output from the portable device 3 due to an authentication operation (active operation) performed by the user on the portable device 3 is monitored (step S300), and if the UHF receiver 10a1 does not receive key authentication information from the portable device 3, this process is terminated.

If key authentication information is received in step S300, authentication is performed by the key authentication unit 6 (step S301), and if authentication is not successful, this process is terminated. If authentication is successful, the lock/unlock type signal transmitted together with the key authentication information is analyzed (step S302), and if the lock/unlock type signal is an unlock command transmitted by operating the unlock button 3c of the portable device 3, an unlock operation is performed (step S303), and if it is a lock command, a lock operation is performed (step S304), and then this process is terminated.

As described above, if no human body is detected in step S1, i.e., if the user is not around door 1, or if the human sensor 11 fails, the portable device authentication process is executed by the authentication operation as shown in FIG. 3. This process is exactly the same as the process (S3) executed following the human body detection process, so a description of it will be omitted.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Door 2 Electric lock 3 Portable device 4 Biometric authentication information acquisition unit 5 Biometric authentication unit 6 Key authentication unit 7 Third signal input unit 8 Third signal authentication unit 9 Lock operation unit 10 Lock control unit 11 Human presence sensor 12 Key authentication information output operation means

Claims (5)

An electric lock to lock and unlock the door,
A portable device carried by a user;
a biometric authentication unit that authenticates biometric authentication information acquired from a biometric authentication information acquisition unit, a key authentication unit that authenticates key authentication information output from the portable device, a third signal authentication unit that authenticates a third authentication signal input from a third signal input unit disposed outside the portable device, and a lock control unit that includes a lock operation unit that locks and unlocks the electric lock,
the portable device is configured to be capable of outputting key authentication information in response to an authentication information output request outputted from the lock control unit;
the lock control unit causes an electric lock to be locked or unlocked when authentication is established for key authentication information from a portable device in response to the authentication information output request that is output on the condition that authentication is established in the biometric authentication unit;
When authentication of the key authentication information is not established after authentication of the biometric authentication information is established, an unlocking operation is performed when authentication is established in the third signal authentication unit;
Furthermore, the third signal authentication unit outputs an authentication establishment signal when the third signal input unit is operated according to a predetermined operating method . A human presence sensor is provided.
The biometric authentication unit starts operating when the human body is detected by the human sensor,
The lock system according to claim 1 , wherein the biometric authentication unit performs face authentication based on a face image acquired by a camera as a biometric authentication information acquisition unit that starts operation when a human body is detected by the human presence sensor. a key authentication information output operation means for outputting key authentication information from the portable device in response to a user's operation;
The lock system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lock control unit causes the lock operation unit to unlock when authentication is not established in the biometric authentication unit and authentication is established in the key authentication unit of the key authentication information output by operation to the key authentication information output operation means. The lock system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the third signal input unit is disposed on or around the door. The lock system according to claim 4, wherein the third signal input unit is a key authentication information output operation means for outputting key authentication information from the portable device.

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