JP7736593B2 - Building locking system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a building locking system.

Patent Document 1 discloses a locking device that is installed on a residential door and operates to switch between locked and unlocked states. This locking device locks and unlocks the door in response to a radio signal from a portable transmitter carried by the person using the door. The locking device is connected to a repeater installed in the home using UHF radio waves, and the repeater is connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth (registered trademark), and the locking device switches between locking and unlocking states in response to a signal from the smartphone.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-40163

By the way, if a child is given a terminal device such as a smartphone for unlocking the front door, they can unlock the front door and enter even if they arrive home before an adult. However, if a child is given a terminal device for unlocking the door, there is a possibility that the terminal device may be left behind or dropped, leaving room for improvement in terms of security.

The present invention was made in light of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a building locking system with improved security that allows residents to unlock building entrances using a terminal device carried by them.

A first aspect of a building locking system for achieving the above-mentioned objectives includes: a lock unit located at the entrance of a building for locking and unlocking the entrance door; an acquisition unit located at the entrance of the building together with the lock unit for acquiring key information previously assigned to each terminal device from a terminal device carried by a resident entering the building; authentication information acquisition means for acquiring biometric authentication information of a person attempting to unlock the building entrance; authentication means for biometrically authenticating the person unlocking the door based on the biometric authentication information of each resident stored on the terminal device or associated with the key information of the terminal device, and the biometric authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means; and unlocking control means for, when the lock unit unlocks the door by comparing the key information of the terminal device with pre-registered information, causing the lock unit to unlock the door if the authentication means biometrically authenticates the person carrying the terminal device as the resident carrying the terminal device.

A second aspect of the building locking system includes a lock unit located at the entrance of the building for locking and unlocking the entrance door; an acquisition unit located at the entrance of the building together with the lock unit for acquiring key information previously assigned to each terminal device from a terminal device carried by a resident entering the building; an unlock setting unit for setting an allowed time period during which unlocking is permitted for the key information on the terminal device carried by a specific resident; and an unlock control means for locking the door by the lock unit when the time when the acquisition unit acquired the key information from the terminal device carried by the specific resident is outside the allowed time period set for the key information, when the lock unit unlocks the door by verifying that the key information on the terminal device is pre-registered.

In the building locking systems of the first and second aspects, an acquisition unit is located at the entrance of the building, and a lock unit is located on the entrance door. The lock unit is controlled by an unlocking control means to lock and unlock the entrance door. Residents entering the building carry terminal devices, each of which is assigned key information for identifying the terminal device. The acquisition unit acquires key information from the terminal device carried by the resident attempting to unlock the entrance door.

Here, in the first aspect, the authentication information acquisition means acquires biometric authentication information of a person attempting to unlock an entrance to the building. The authentication means performs authentication using the biometric authentication information of the resident stored in association with the terminal device or the key information of the terminal device, and the biometric authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means. The unlocking control means causes the lock to unlock the door when the key information is verified and the authentication means biometrically authenticates that the person carrying the terminal device (the person attempting to unlock the entrance door) is the resident carrying the terminal device.

As a result, in the first aspect, if a person attempting to unlock the entrance door using a mobile device is a resident carrying that mobile device, the door can be unlocked and the person can enter the building. Furthermore, if a person attempting to unlock the entrance door using a mobile device is not a resident carrying that mobile device, the entrance door will not be unlocked, thereby preventing unnecessary entry into the building and improving security.

In a second aspect, the information setting unit, through operation by a resident manager, sets an unlocking permission time period for the key information on a terminal device carried by a specific resident. The unlocking control means unlocks the door with the lock unit by verifying that the key information on the terminal device is pre-registered. At this time, if the time when the acquisition unit acquires the key information from the terminal device carried by the specific resident is outside the allowed time period set for the key information, the unlocking control means locks the door with the lock unit.

As a result, in the second aspect, the permitted time period is set to coincide with the time a specific resident returns home, allowing the specific resident to unlock the entrance door and enter the room. Furthermore, if a specific resident loses their mobile device, the entrance door will not be unlocked during the permitted time period, preventing the entrance door from being unlocked at a time when the specific resident is not expected to return home, thereby improving security.

A third aspect of the building locking system is the second aspect, and includes an authentication information acquisition means for acquiring biometric authentication information of a person attempting to unlock an entrance to the building, and an authentication means for biometrically authenticating the person attempting to unlock based on the biometric authentication information of the terminal device or each resident stored in association with the key information of the terminal device, and the biometric authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means. The unlocking control means causes the lock unit to unlock the door when the key information is verified and the authentication means biometrically authenticates that the person carrying the terminal device is the resident carrying the terminal device.

In a building locking system of the third aspect, the authentication information acquisition means acquires biometric authentication information of a person attempting to unlock a building entrance, and the authentication means performs authentication using the biometric authentication information of the resident stored in association with the terminal device or the terminal device's key information, and the biometric authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means. The unlocking control means causes the lock to unlock the door when the key information is verified and biometric authentication is confirmed by the authentication means. This prevents the building door from being unlocked even if the terminal device is lost, further improving security.

A fourth aspect of the building locking system is the second or third aspect, wherein when setting the permitted time period, the unlock setting unit generates the key information for the terminal device for which the permitted time period is set and assigns it to the terminal device.

In the fourth aspect of the building locking system, when the unlock setting unit sets an allowed time period, it generates key information for the terminal device for which the allowed time period is set and assigns the generated key information to the corresponding terminal device. This allows the key information for the terminal device to be updated each time an allowed time period is set, further improving security when using key information to unlock entrance doors.

The fifth aspect of the building locking system is any one of the second to fourth aspects, in which the specific resident is a schoolchild.

In a fifth aspect of the building locking system, an allowed time period is set for the key information on a terminal device carried by a schoolchild. By having a terminal device with a set allowed time carried by a minor schoolchild, and setting the allowed time period to the time the child is expected to return home, the child can unlock the door and enter the building when they return home. Furthermore, even if a schoolchild loses their terminal device, the lost terminal device can be prevented from unlocking the building's entrance/exit door, preventing a decrease in security even when a schoolchild carries a terminal device with key information attached.

A sixth aspect of the building locking system is any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which the unlock setting unit sets the permitted time period based on the operation of a management terminal device carried by a manager who is set by one of the residents among the terminal devices.

In the sixth aspect of the building locking system, the unlock setting unit is set based on the operation of a management terminal device carried by a manager who is set among the resident's terminal devices. This allows building security to be centrally managed by the management terminal device.

The seventh aspect of the building locking system is any one of the first to sixth aspects, and includes a notification means that, when the door is unlocked by the terminal device, notifies a management terminal device carried by a manager designated by one of the resident's terminal devices of unlocking information indicating that the door has been unlocked.

In the seventh aspect of the building locking system, when a door is unlocked by a terminal device, the notification means notifies the management terminal device that the building door has been unlocked. This allows the manager to know when the resident has returned home.

The eighth aspect of the building locking system is the seventh aspect, wherein the notification means notifies the management terminal device of unlocking information indicating that the door has been unlocked when the door is unlocked by the terminal device carried by a specific one of the residents.

In the eighth aspect of the building locking system, when a door is unlocked by a specific resident's terminal device, the notification means notifies the management terminal device that the building door has been unlocked. This allows the manager to know when the specific resident has returned home.

The ninth aspect of the building locking system is the seventh or eighth aspect, and includes an imaging means for capturing an image of a person entering through the entrance/exit, and the notification means includes notifying the management terminal device of the image captured by the imaging means.

In the ninth aspect of the building locking system, the imaging means captures an image of a person entering through an entrance, and the notification means notifies the management terminal device of the captured image. This allows the manager to reliably know when a specific resident has returned home, and also makes it possible to determine whether anyone other than the specific resident has entered or left the building.

The building locking system of the first aspect of the present invention has the excellent effect of improving security by performing biometric authentication to determine whether or not the person is a resident in addition to lock information.

Furthermore, according to the second aspect of the building locking system of the present invention, the entrance door for a specific resident is unlocked only during permitted hours, so even if a specific resident loses their mobile device, unnecessary entry into the building can be prevented, improving security.

The building locking system of the third aspect unlocks the entrance door if biometric authentication is successful during permitted hours, further improving security.

The fourth aspect of the building locking system allows the key information on the terminal device to be updated each time an allowed time period is set, further improving security when using key information to unlock entrance doors.

The fifth aspect of the building locking system prevents a loss of security even if a student loses their terminal device, preventing the lost terminal device from unlocking the building's entrance/exit door.

The sixth aspect of the building locking system allows building security to be centrally managed by a management terminal device.

The seventh aspect of the building locking system allows the manager to know when residents have returned home. The eighth aspect of the building locking system allows the manager to know when a specific resident has returned home. The ninth aspect of the building locking system allows the manager to reliably know when a resident or specific resident has returned home, and also has the advantage of being able to know whether anyone other than the resident or specific resident has entered or left the building.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electronic key system according to a first embodiment. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the main components of an electronic key system installed in a house. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for setting an allowed time period for a terminal device in the first embodiment. 1A is a schematic diagram showing an example of permitted and prohibited time periods for unlocking, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing another example of prohibited time periods after entry. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an unlocking process using a terminal device in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electronic key system according to a second embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an unlocking process using a terminal device in the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First Embodiment
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the general configuration of an electronic key system 10 as a locking system for a building according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a general configuration diagram of the electronic key system 10 in a house 12 as a building.

As shown in FIG. 2, the building in which the electronic key system 10 is installed may be, for example, a detached house 12. The building is not limited to the house 12, but may also be a single unit (room) in a multi-family dwelling such as an apartment building.

The residence 12 is equipped with a front door (door, entrance door) 14 at the entrance where residents can enter and exit. By opening the front door 14, residents can enter (return home) and exit (go out). Furthermore, when the front door 14 of the residence 12 is locked, it cannot be opened or closed, and it becomes impossible to enter (break into) the interior (room). The electronic key system 10 locks and unlocks the front door 14 of the residence 12.

The home 12 may be equipped with, for example, a HEMS (Home Energy Management System). The HEMS controller 16 of the HEMS manages the energy of the home 12 by managing and controlling the energy equipment (facilities), including the electrical equipment, of the home 12. A known configuration can be applied to such a HEMS (HEMS controller 16), and detailed description thereof will be omitted in this embodiment.

The residence 12 is also equipped with a broadband router or the like (hereinafter referred to as router 18) that provides communication means, and the router 18 is connected to the Internet (an information and communications network, hereinafter referred to as network 18A) via an optical fiber line or the like (broadband line). The router 18 is a wireless system (referred to as a Wi-Fi connection) that uses the Wi-Fi standard, and forms a LAN (Local Area Network) (home LAN) within the residence 12 in which multiple devices are interconnected via the Wi-Fi connection. The router 18 enables devices within the residence 12, such as the HEMS controller 16, to connect to network 18A, and also enables connection to a cloud (cloud computing) 20 and servers (not shown) that provide various services connected to network 18A.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic key system 10 includes a locking unit 22 as a locking means, and a controller (locking controller) 24 as the device main body that forms the locking control means for controlling locking and unlocking by the locking unit 22. The electronic key system 10 can also be connected to multiple terminal devices 26 used to lock and unlock the front door 14. The terminal devices 26 can be smartphones carried by residents, and the smartphone carried by the resident manager is designated as the mobile terminal (main terminal device) 26A, which serves as the management terminal device. The mobile terminal 26A differs from other smartphones (terminal devices 26) in that it includes a locking management function, which will be described below, enabling centralized locking management.

Furthermore, in the electronic key system 10, the terminal device 26 carried by a specific resident is designated as terminal device (sub-terminal device) 26B, and terminal device 26B differs from smartphones and the like in that it is dedicated to the electronic key system 10.

In the first embodiment, the specific resident carrying the terminal device 26B is a schoolchild or a child under school age (which may include minor residents, elementary school students, and junior high school students), and is also a resident who is recognized by the family as being able to lock and unlock the front door 14 by themselves. Specific residents may also include elderly people who are treated by the family in the same way as schoolchildren when it comes to locking the house 12.

The lock unit 22 includes a lock unit 30 and a communication unit 32 that serves as an acquisition unit. The lock unit 22 is attached to the front door 14 of the house 12, and the lock unit 30 is attached to the front door 14 and operates a lock mechanism using an actuator (not shown) to lock and unlock the front door 14.

The communication unit 32 of the lock unit 22 communicates with pre-set devices using a wireless method. The wireless method applied to the communication unit 32 of the lock unit 22 can be the Wi-Fi standard used for the LAN within the home 12 or the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

The terminal devices 26 (mobile terminal 26A and terminal device 26B) are equipped with communication functions based on the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and each of the terminal devices 26 is capable of communicating with the communication unit 32 of the lock unit 22 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication (communication using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard). In the electronic key system 10, each of the terminal devices 26 uses BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) as the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard.

In the electronic key system 10, an identification code is pre-set and stored in each terminal device 26 as key information, and a digital code is used as the identification code. In the electronic key system 10, each terminal device 26 can be identified using the identification code. The device ID set for each terminal device 26 can be used as the identification code, and a unique code different for each terminal device 26 can be used as the identification code. In the electronic key system 10, the identification code is used to unlock the front door 14 (hereinafter, the identification code is referred to as the digital key).

The communication unit 32 of the lock unit 22 communicates with the terminal device 26 to obtain the digital key stored in the terminal device 26. In addition, the registration unit 42 below of the controller 24 stores a digital key for each terminal device 26, and the digital key stored in the registration unit 42 makes it possible to identify the terminal device 26 and the resident carrying the terminal device 26.

In the electronic key system 10, the controller 24 controls the locking and unlocking of the locking section 30 of the locking unit 22. The locking unit 22 and controller 24 in the electronic key system 10 may be electric and powered by commercial power, or electronic (battery-powered) and powered by a storage battery. In one example, the locking unit 22 and controller 24 are equipped with a storage battery (not shown) and are powered by the commercial power supplied to the house 12. The electronic key system 10 is a hybrid system that operates on commercial power and also runs on the storage battery in the event of a commercial power outage.

In the electronic key system 10, the controller 24 may be connected to the HEMS controller 16, and the connection between the controller 24 and the HEMS controller 16 may be wired or via Wi-Fi via the router 18. By connecting the electronic key system 10 to the HEMS controller 16, it is possible to monitor the operating status (e.g., the locked/unlocked state of the front door 14) on the HEMS controller 16. In addition, in the electronic key system 10, the HEMS controller 16 may also have the functions of the controller 24 described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the controller 24 is formed with a communication unit 34 as a communication means and notification means, a lock operation unit 36 as an unlock control means, an authentication unit 38 as an authentication means, an unlock setting unit 40, a registration unit 42 as a storage means, and an entry management unit 44 as a notification means. The controller 24 includes a microcomputer (not shown) in which a CPU, ROM, RAM, non-volatile storage, and an input/output interface are connected via a bus. In the controller 24, the CPU reads a lock management program stored in the ROM and storage, expands it into RAM, and executes it, thereby realizing the functions of the communication unit 34, lock operation unit 36, authentication unit 38, unlock setting unit 40, and entry management unit 44. In addition, in the controller 24, the function of the registration unit 42 is realized by the storage.

The communication unit 34 is connected to the router 18 via Wi-Fi, and the communication unit 34 can be connected to a terminal device 26 such as a mobile terminal 26A via the router 18 and network 18A.

The locking operation unit 36 is connected to the locking unit 22. The locking operation unit 36 controls the locking unit 30 of the locking unit 22 to lock and unlock the front door 14. At this time, the locking operation unit 36 checks whether the digital key obtained from the terminal device 26 by the communication unit 32 of the locking unit 22 is registered in the registration unit 42 (digital key verification).

The electronic key system 10 uses facial authentication as biometric authentication, and the authentication unit 38 that performs facial authentication is connected to a camera 46 that captures images for facial authentication. The camera 46 is located at or near the front door 14, and captures an image of the face of a person standing in front of the front door 14. An intercom camera can be used as this camera 46.

The registration unit 42 stores a digital key for each terminal device 26, associated with the resident carrying that terminal device 26. The registration unit 42 also stores pre-acquired facial authentication information for each resident, associated with the digital key of the resident or the terminal device 26 carried by the resident. The authentication unit 38 performs biometric authentication by comparing the features for biometric authentication obtained from the image captured by the camera 46 with the features in the biometric authentication information stored in the registration unit 42.

The locking operation unit 36 uses a digital key and biometric authentication to unlock the front door 14 when certain conditions are met, such as authentication of the terminal device 26 and the resident carrying the terminal device 26.

When the entry management unit 44 detects that the front door 14 has been unlocked using the terminal device 26, it notifies a pre-set notification destination of the detection result. Furthermore, an indoor camera 48 is installed on the ceiling inside the entrance of the residence 12 as an imaging and notification means. The indoor camera 48 may be, for example, an infrared camera, and captures images of people who open the front door 14 and enter. The indoor camera 48 is connected to the entry management unit 44 of the controller 24. When the unlocked front door 14 is opened, the entry management unit 44 captures images of the people opening the front door 14 and entering the room, and transmits (transfers) the captured images to a pre-set notification destination. The indoor camera 48 captures images continuously or when the front door 14 is opened, and the captured images may be stored in storage such as an HDD (hard disk drive), allowing the indoor camera to function as an indoor security camera.

In the first embodiment, the manager's mobile terminal 26A is set as the destination of entry notifications (unlock notifications) from the entry management unit 44, and the entry management unit 44 sends the entry notification to the mobile terminal 26A. The entry management unit 44 also sends (transfers) images captured by the indoor camera 48 to the mobile terminal 26A. Various well-known methods, such as email or SNS (Social Networking Service), can be used to notify the mobile terminal 26A of the entry management unit 44.

Meanwhile, the unlock setting unit 40 performs various settings using operation keys (not shown) provided on the controller 24 (for example, a keyboard displayed on a touch panel display) or a mobile terminal 26A carried by the administrator.

Here, the electronic key system 10 sets a time limit for when the front door 14 can be unlocked using the terminal 26B carried by a specific resident (child). The electronic key system 10 allows for the setting of an allowed time period, which is a time period during which the front door 14 can be unlocked using the terminal 26B. When the target terminal 26B is specified, the unlock setting unit 40 generates a digital key to be assigned to the specified terminal 26B, assigns the generated digital key to the terminal 26B, and registers it in the registration unit 42 in association with the resident or the terminal 26B. Furthermore, when an allowed start time and an allowed end time are set as the allowed time period, the unlock setting unit 40 associates the set allowed time period with the digital key and registers it in the registration unit 42.

As a result, when the locking operation unit 36 acquires a digital key from the terminal device 26B, it checks whether an allowed time period has been set for the acquired digital key. Furthermore, if an allowed time period has been set for the acquired digital key and the current time (the time the digital key was acquired) is within the allowed time period, the locking operation unit 36 allows the front door 14 to be unlocked.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
In the electronic key system 10, an identification code (digital key) for unlocking the front door 14 is assigned in advance to a terminal device 26 carried by each resident. An unlocking application for use with the electronic key system 10 is also registered (installed) on each terminal device 26, and the resident operates, for example, an unlock button on the terminal device 26 they carry in front of the front door 14 of the residence 12. This causes the lock unit 22 installed on the front door 14 to obtain the digital key from the terminal device 26, and the lock operation unit 36 verifies whether the digital key is a registered digital key. If the digital key is a registered digital key, the front door 14 can be unlocked.

The electronic key system 10 is also provided with an authentication unit 38, which performs facial authentication using images captured by the camera 46, and upon successful authentication, the locking operation unit 36 unlocks the front door 14.

On the other hand, the electronic key system 10 imposes a time limit (time of day restriction) on the terminal 26B carried by a child as a specific resident, restricting unlocking. The time restriction allows the front door 14 to be unlocked during a preset permitted time period. Figure 3 shows a flow chart outlining the process for setting permitted time periods. Figures 4(A) and 4(B) also show schematic diagrams of the permitted time periods that are set.

The electronic key system 10 allows the administrator to set permitted time periods using a mobile terminal 26A carried by the administrator. An application for setting permitted time periods is pre-registered on the mobile terminal 26A, and the permitted time setting process is executed by the controller 24 when the mobile terminal 26A is operated.

The flowchart in Figure 3 is executed when an instruction to start the setup process is given by mobile terminal 26A. In the first step 100, controller 24 checks whether a new setup is being performed. If a new setup is being performed, a positive determination is made in step 100 and the process proceeds to step 102. When the controller 24 proceeds to step 102, it accepts the designation of terminal 26B to be set or the resident (child) carrying terminal 26B.

Next, in step 104, the controller 24 creates a digital key to be assigned to the target terminal 26B, and in step 106 assigns the digital key to terminal 26B. The digital key is assigned to terminal 26B by transferring and storing the digital key in terminal 26B using, for example, a wireless communication method such as a home LAN (Wi-Fi standard) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, or a wired method such as connecting terminal 26B to a connector provided on the controller 24 device body. This assigns the digital key to terminal 26B.

Then, in step 108, the controller 24 accepts the permission time period. When the target date, permission start time, and permission end time are set using the mobile terminal 26A, the controller 24 reads the date, permission start time, and permission end time. In step 110, the controller 24 associates the digital key and permission time period with the terminal 26B or the resident carrying the terminal 26B, and registers the digital key, date, and permission time period in the registration unit 42. This allows the electronic key system 10 to grant the terminal 26B carried by the child the authority to unlock the front door 14 only during the permission time period.

For such permitted time periods, the permitted start time is set taking into consideration the time between the end of school and the child's return home, and the permitted end time can be set to a time that corresponds to the time the child will return home if the child makes a detour after school. Also, if the child has plans to attend cram school or other extracurricular activities before returning home, the permitted start time is set to the time when the child is expected to return home after the cram school or extracurricular activities finish, and the permitted end time is set to match the permitted start time.

In addition, the target days may not be set in units of one day, but may be set in units of one week, ten days, or one month, depending on the date, day of the week, and whether or not it is a public holiday, within a preset period. For example, permitted time periods may be set for weekdays (Monday to Friday), Saturdays, and Sundays and public holidays. In this case, permitted time periods can also be set to match children's event schedules, etc.

As a result, as shown in Figure 4 (A), if the permitted start time is 3:00 PM (3:00 PM) and the permitted end time is 5:00 PM (5:00 PM) on the target day (date), the period from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM will be set as the permitted time period, and any time outside the permitted time period will be set as the prohibited time period (non-permitted time period). A digital key is also assigned to terminal 26B, and the digital key, date, and permitted time period are stored in registration unit 42 in association with terminal 26B (or the child carrying terminal 26B).

On the other hand, if the permitted time period is to be changed, the controller 24 makes a negative judgment in step 100 and proceeds to step 112, where it receives information identifying the terminal 26B for which the permitted time period is to be changed. The information identifying the terminal 26B may be a digital key that has already been assigned, information identifying the child carrying the terminal 26B, or information specific to the terminal 26B (e.g., a device ID, etc.).

When the controller 24 receives information identifying the terminal 26B, it proceeds to step 114, where it reads the registered date, time, start time, and end time, and also receives the date, time, permitted start time, or permitted end time to be changed. In the next step 116, the controller 24 changes the date, time, and permitted time period, and in step 118, it associates the changed date, time, and permitted time period with the digital key and registers (updates) them.

As a result, as shown in Figure 4 (B), if the start time is changed from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (4:00 PM) and the end time is changed from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM (6:00 PM), the permitted time period will be set to 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and all other times (hours) will be set as prohibited time periods.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an outline of the unlocking process for the terminal 26B.
5 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals once an allowed time period has been set for any of the terminals 26B, and in the first step 120, it is confirmed whether or not a signal has been received from the terminal 26B. At this time, if a child carrying the terminal 26B approaches the front door 14 and a signal emitted by the terminal 26B is received by the communication unit 32, the controller 24 makes an affirmative determination in step 120 and proceeds to step 122. Note that if a signal emitted by the terminal 26B is not detected, the controller 24 makes a negative determination in step 120 and temporarily terminates the processing.

In step 122, the controller 24 acquires a digital key from the terminal 26B, and in step 124, it checks whether the acquired digital key is a registered digital key. If the acquired digital key is a registered digital key, the controller 24 makes a positive determination in step 124 and proceeds to step 126.

In step 126, the controller 24 reads the permitted time period set for the terminal 26B corresponding to the digital key and checks whether the current time is within the permitted time period. If the current time is within the permitted time period, the controller 24 makes a positive determination in step 126 and proceeds to step 128, where it performs biometric authentication processing.

In the biometric authentication process, the controller 24 authenticates the facial image of the child (or person other than a child) captured by the camera 46 using biometric authentication information stored in association with the digital key (terminal device corresponding to the digital key). If the child is authenticated as a registered child, the controller 24 makes a positive determination in step 130 and proceeds to step 132, where the lock 30 can be operated to unlock the front door 14. This allows the child, upon returning home, to open the front door 14 and enter the room.

Furthermore, when the controller 24 unlocks the front door 14, it notifies the manager (mobile terminal 26A) of the unlocking information in step 134. Furthermore, in step 136, the controller 24 uses the indoor camera 48 to capture images of the front door from inside the house 12 for a predetermined period of time, and then in step 138 transmits the captured images to the manager's mobile terminal 26A.

On the other hand, if the digital key is not registered, the controller 24 makes a negative determination in step 124 and proceeds to step 140. Furthermore, if the current time is not within the permitted time period set for the terminal 26B corresponding to the digital key, the controller 24 makes a negative determination in step 126 and proceeds to step 140. Furthermore, if the person in front of the front door 14 is not authenticated by biometric authentication, the controller 24 makes a negative determination in step 130 and proceeds to step 140.

When the controller 24 proceeds to step 140, it notifies the manager's mobile terminal 26A that the front door 14 was not properly unlocked. In step 142, the controller 24 captures an image of the person in front of the front door 14 using the camera 46 for a predetermined period of time, and in step 144, it transmits the image captured by the camera 46 to the manager's mobile terminal 26A, thereby completing the process.

In this way, the electronic key system 10 grants terminal 26B, carried by a child or other person, the authority to unlock the front door 14 only during the permitted time period by setting permitted time periods during which the terminal 26B is permitted to unlock the front door 14. Furthermore, by setting permitted time periods for terminal 26B, the electronic key system 10 transfers the authority to unlock the front door 14 held by terminal 26B to the administrator's mobile terminal 26A during prohibited time periods outside the permitted time periods. This means that even if a child leaves or loses terminal 26B behind, the authority to unlock terminal 26B is transferred to the administrator (mobile terminal 26A) outside the permitted time periods, preventing the door from being unlocked outside the permitted time periods and achieving high security.

In addition, the electronic key system 10 registers biometric authentication information associated with terminal device 26B, and uses biometric authentication to identify the child (resident) unlocking the front door 14. While it is conceivable to unlock the front door 14 using only biometric authentication, this requires highly accurate biometric authentication to maintain security. Using facial authentication requires capturing high-resolution images, takes time to complete the authentication process, and may result in resident identification not being recognized, making this method less convenient.

In contrast, the electronic key system 10 unlocks the front door 14 by combining the digital key assigned to the terminal device 26B (terminal device 26) with biometric authentication. This prevents the front door 14 from being accidentally unlocked even if the authentication accuracy is low, improving the convenience of the electronic key system 10.

Furthermore, terminal device 26B is configured to communicate with communication unit 32 of lock unit 22 using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) standard, and terminal device 26B uses the BLE standard. This allows the chip in terminal device 26B to be miniaturized, allowing the device itself to be miniaturized, so it can be made about the size of a tag (for example, about the size of an accessory such as a security buzzer or a badge).

Furthermore, by adopting the BLE standard, terminal device 26B can reduce power consumption and can be used for long periods without battery replacement. Furthermore, the BLE standard has a short communication distance (for example, approximately 1 meter), so terminal device 26B can only communicate with the communication unit 32 of the lock unit 22 when it is close to the front door 14. This prevents the electronic key system 10 from being unlocked from a location more than several meters away from the front door 14, improving security. Furthermore, because unlocking using terminal device 26B is only possible when the person attempting to unlock the door is close to the front door 14, biometric authentication can be performed by capturing an image of the person attempting to unlock the door using camera 46, further improving security when unlocking the front door 14.

In addition, when the front door 14 is unlocked using the terminal 26B in the electronic key system 10, the unlocking is notified to the manager's mobile terminal 26A. This allows the manager to know that the child has returned home.

In addition, when the front door 14 is unlocked, the electronic key system 10 uses the indoor camera 48 to capture an image of the front door from inside the entrance and sends the captured image to the mobile terminal 26A. This allows the manager to be sure that the child carrying the terminal 26B has returned home. Furthermore, if the person who enters the room is not the child carrying the terminal 26B, or if someone else enters the room with the child, the manager can determine that a suspicious person (someone other than a child) has entered the residence 12 and can report this to the police, etc.

On the other hand, in the electronic key system 10, if a digital key is not registered, if the time is not within the permitted time period corresponding to the digital key, or if biometric authentication is not successful, the front door 14 remains locked (it is not unlocked). At the same time, the electronic key system 10 sends images captured using the camera 46 to the administrator, allowing the administrator to confirm whether the person attempting to open the front door 14 is a child at home. Furthermore, in the electronic key system 10, by connecting the mobile terminal 26A to the controller 24 via the network 18A, it is possible not only to change the permitted time period for the terminal 26B, but also to unlock the front door 14.

For example, if a person is mistakenly not recognized through biometric authentication, the administrator may unlock the front door 14 by confirming from the image captured by the camera 46 that the person is a child who should have the front door 14 unlocked. This allows the front door 14 to be unlocked and the child to enter even if the person is mistakenly not recognized.

In this type of electronic key system 10, after a child carrying a terminal 26B with a set permitted time period unlocks the front door 14 and enters, the remaining permitted time period can be changed to a prohibited time period. This prevents the front door 14 from being unlocked and locked repeatedly unnecessarily.

In addition, there may be cases where a child returns home and then tries to go out. In such a case, even if the administrator is out, the administrator can operate the mobile terminal 26A to set a new permitted time period and return (grant) the authority to unlock the door. This improves the convenience of using a digital key, as even if the child returns home and then goes out, the front door 14 can be unlocked the next time they return home.

In the first embodiment described above, the unlock setting unit 40 generates a digital key to be assigned to the terminal device 26, and the generated digital key is used to perform the unlocking operation. However, the key information may be an identification code specific to each terminal device, such as a device ID assigned to each terminal device. This eliminates the need to assign key information to the terminal device each time an allowed time period is set, and may eliminate the need for processing steps 102 to 106 in Figure 3, for example.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the second embodiment, the basic configuration is the same as in the first embodiment, and the functional components and processes in the second embodiment that are the same as in the first embodiment are given the same symbols and step numbers as in the first embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

In the first embodiment, an allowed time period was set for the terminal 26B carried by the child, and the front door 14 could be unlocked using the terminal 26B during the allowed time period. However, in the second embodiment, an allowed time period is not set, and a digital key and biometric authentication are used to unlock the front door 14. Figure 6 shows a block diagram of the general configuration of an electronic key system 50 as a building locking system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 7 shows a flow chart of the general unlocking process in the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the electronic key system 50 according to the second embodiment includes a controller (lock controller) 52 as the device main body that constitutes the lock control means for controlling the locking and unlocking of the front door 14 by the lock unit 22. The controller 52 of the electronic key system 50 differs from the controller 24 of the electronic key system 10 in that it includes a lock operation unit 54 instead of the lock operation unit 36 and omits the unlock setting unit 40.

In the electronic key system 50, a digital key serving as key information is stored in each terminal device 26 carried by the resident (including terminal device 26B carried by children), and a digital key is set for each terminal device 26 and stored in the registration unit 42 of the controller 52. The locking operation unit 54 acquires the digital key from the terminal device 26 (terminal device 26B) by the communication unit 32 of the lock unit 22 communicating with the terminal device 26, and compares the acquired digital key with the digital key stored in the registration unit 42. In this way, the electronic key system 50 checks whether the digital key is registered in the registration unit 42 (digital key comparison).

In addition, in the electronic key system 50, biometric authentication information for identifying a child carrying terminal 26B as a specific resident through biometric authentication (facial authentication) is acquired in advance for the child, and the biometric authentication information is associated with the digital key of terminal 26B and stored in the registration unit 42 of the controller 52. The authentication unit 38 performs biometric authentication of the person (child) attempting to unlock the front door 14 using terminal 26B by comparing the features for biometric authentication obtained from the image captured by camera 46 with the features in the biometric authentication information stored in the registration unit 42.

In this way, in the electronic key system 50, the locking operation unit 54 can unlock the front door 14 by verifying the digital key on the terminal device 26B and by biometric authentication of the child carrying the terminal device 26B. In the second embodiment, biometric authentication is performed on a specific resident, who is a child, carrying the terminal device 26B, but this is not limited to this. The specific resident may also include residents other than children residing in the house 12, or all residents. In this case, biometric authentication information for each resident can be obtained and stored in the registration unit 42, and the digital key on the terminal device 26 can be verified and biometric authentication can be performed for each resident.

Next, as an operation of the second embodiment, an example of unlocking processing using a digital key and biometric authentication in the electronic key system 50 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the electronic key system 50, a digital key for unlocking the front door 14 is assigned to the terminal device 26 carried by each resident, and the digital key stored in the terminal device 26 can be used to unlock the front door 14. The controller 52 of the electronic key system 50 also stores biometric authentication information of the child carrying the terminal device 26B in advance in the registration unit 42. When unlocking the front door 14 using the terminal device 26B, the controller 52 verifies the digital key and performs biometric authentication of the person (child) attempting to unlock the door. The terminal device 26B carried by the child is distinguished from the other terminal devices 26 by the digital key assigned to each of them (not shown in FIG. 7 ).

The flowchart in Figure 7 is repeatedly executed at predetermined time intervals by the controller 52. In the first step 120, the controller 52 checks whether a signal from the terminal 26B has been received using the Bluetooth (registered trademark) function. If a child carrying the terminal 26B stands in front of the front door 14 (by operating the unlock button, not shown) and a signal emitted by the terminal 26B is received by the communication unit 32, the controller 52 makes a positive determination in step 120 and proceeds to step 122. If a signal emitted by the terminal 26B is not detected, the controller 52 makes a negative determination in step 120 and temporarily terminates processing.

In step 122, the controller 52 acquires a digital key from the terminal 26B, and in step 124 verifies whether the acquired digital key is the registered digital key of the terminal 26B. If the acquired digital key is the registered digital key of the terminal 26B, the controller 52 makes a positive determination in step 124 and proceeds to step 128 to perform biometric authentication processing.

In the biometric authentication process, the controller 52 authenticates (recognizes the face) of the child (or a person other than a child) using the facial image captured by the camera 46 and the biometric authentication information stored in association with the digital key (terminal device corresponding to the digital key). If the controller 52 authenticates through biometric authentication that the person attempting to unlock the front door 14 is a registered child, it makes a positive determination in step 130 and proceeds to step 132, where the lock 30 can be operated to unlock the front door 14. As a result, when the child returns home, they can open the front door 14 and enter the room by carrying the terminal device 26B.

On the other hand, when the controller 52 unlocks the front door 14, it notifies the manager (mobile terminal 26A) of the unlocking information in step 134. Furthermore, in step 136, the controller 52 captures images of the front door from inside the house 12 using the indoor camera 48 for a predetermined period of time, and then in step 138 transmits the captured images to the manager's mobile terminal 26A.

If a digital key is not registered, the controller 52 makes a negative determination in step 124 and proceeds to step 140. If the person in front of the front door 14 is not authenticated by biometric authentication, the controller 52 makes a negative determination in step 130 and proceeds to step 140. In step 140, the controller 52 notifies the manager's mobile terminal 26A that the front door 14 was not properly unlocked. In step 142, the controller 52 captures an image of the person in front of the front door 14 with the camera 46 for a predetermined period of time, and in step 144, transmits the image captured by the camera 46 to the manager's mobile terminal 26A, thereby ending the process.

In this way, the electronic key system 50 applies biometric authentication to the child carrying the terminal 26B in addition to the digital key to the terminal 26B carried by the child. This prevents the front door 14 of the residence 12 from being unlocked unnecessarily, even if the child leaves or loses the terminal 26B. In addition to the benefits of the electronic key system 10, the electronic key system 50 also provides the benefit of eliminating the need to set permitted time periods.

In addition, the electronic key system 50 unlocks the front door 14 by combining the digital key assigned to the terminal device 26B with biometric authentication. In this case, the electronic key system 50 can prevent the front door 14 from being accidentally unlocked even if the authentication accuracy is low.

For this reason, biometric authentication information for facial recognition can be used for multiple parts of the face, using multiple pieces of biometric authentication information acquired from multiple images of the child, such as whether they are wearing a hat or a mask. In other words, the electronic key system 50 can perform biometric authentication using authentication information for only a part of the face, so biometric authentication can be performed regardless of the child's posture or facial condition when they return home (such as dirt, whether they are wearing a mask or a hat), improving convenience.

In the second embodiment, using a child as an example of a resident, the corresponding terminal 26B (terminal device 26) and the child carrying the terminal 26B are identified by matching the digital key, and biometric authentication is performed on the identified child, making it possible to unlock the front door 14. However, it is also possible to identify the target resident (child) by performing biometric authentication before matching the digital key, and then match the digital key to the terminal device 26 (terminal device 26B) carried by the resident (child) identified by biometric authentication.

In other words, biometric authentication can be performed on the person unlocking the front door 14 to determine whether they are a child of the home, and if they are identified as a child of the home, the digital key of terminal device 26B can be verified. In this case, by using both biometric authentication and the digital key of terminal device 26B for authentication, biometric authentication can be simplified (simply matching some pre-set feature values), and security can be effectively improved even if the biometric authentication is not highly accurate.

In addition, in the second embodiment, biometric authentication and a digital key are used, and the front door 14 is unlocked when authentication is confirmed using the biometric authentication information and the digital key. However, for example, if a resident is authenticated using the biometric authentication information but the digital key does not match, an image captured by the camera 46 may be sent to the manager's mobile terminal 26A, allowing the manager to determine whether to unlock the front door 14 from the image captured by the camera 46. This prevents a situation in which a resident forgets their terminal device 26 when they go out, and is unable to unlock the front door 14 when they return, preventing them from entering the house 12.

In the first embodiment described above, the controller 24 is provided with the authentication unit 38, unlock setting unit 40, and registration unit 42, while in the second embodiment, the controller 52 is provided with the authentication unit 38 and registration unit 42. However, functions such as the authentication unit 38, unlock setting unit 40, and registration unit 42 may be provided in the cloud 20 to which the controllers 24, 52 are connected via the network 18A. This reduces the load on the controllers 24, 52, and also improves processing speed and miniaturization.

Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments described above, facial authentication is used as the biometric authentication. However, fingerprint authentication using the door handle, finger vein authentication, or palm vein authentication may also be used as the biometric authentication. Furthermore, various well-known authentication methods such as voiceprint authentication and iris authentication can also be used as the biometric authentication. In this case, the key information assigned to the terminal device 26 (terminal device 26B) is matched with the biometric authentication, so that the front door 14 can be prevented from being unlocked fraudulently even if the authentication accuracy of the biometric authentication is low.

10, 50 Electronic key system (building locking system)
12. Housing (building)
14. Entrance door (building entrance door)
22 Lock unit 24, 52 Controller 26A Portable terminal (management terminal device)
26B Terminal (Terminal device of a specific resident)
32 Communication unit (acquisition unit)
34 Communication unit (notification means)
36, 54 Locking operation unit (locking control means)
38 Authentication unit (authentication means)
40 Unlock setting unit 44 Entry management unit (notification means)
46 Camera (authentication means)
48 Indoor camera (imaging means, notification means)

Claims (8)

a lock unit disposed at an entrance of the building for locking and unlocking the entrance door;
an acquisition unit that is disposed at the entrance of the building together with the lock unit and acquires key information that is assigned in advance to each terminal device from a terminal device carried by a resident entering the building;
an unlock setting unit that sets an unlocking permission time period for the key information of the terminal device carried by a specific resident among the residents;
an unlocking control means for causing the locking unit to lock the door if the time when the acquisition unit acquired the key information from the terminal device carried by the specific resident is outside the permitted time period set for the key information, when the locking unit unlocks the door by verifying that the key information of the terminal device has been registered in advance;
Building locking systems, including: an authentication information acquisition means for acquiring biometric authentication information of a person attempting to unlock an entrance of the building ;
an authentication means for performing biometric authentication of the person unlocking the door based on biometric authentication information of each resident stored in association with the terminal device or the key information of the terminal device, and the biometric authentication information acquired by the authentication information acquisition means;
The building locking system of claim 1, further comprising: a locking control means for unlocking the door using the lock unit when the key information is verified and the authentication means biometrically authenticates that the person carrying the terminal device is the resident carrying the terminal device . A building locking system as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the unlock setting unit, when setting the permitted time period, generates the key information for the terminal device for which the permitted time period is set and assigns it to the terminal device . 4. The building locking system according to claim 1, wherein the specific residents are school children . A building locking system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the unlock setting unit sets the permitted time period based on the operation of a management terminal device carried by an administrator set among the residents among the terminal devices . A building locking system as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, which includes a notification means for, when the door is unlocked by the terminal device, notifying a management terminal device carried by a manager set among the residents of the terminal device of unlocking information indicating that the door has been unlocked. The building locking system of claim 6, wherein the notification means notifies the management terminal device of unlocking information indicating that the door has been unlocked when the door is unlocked by the terminal device carried by a specific one of the residents . an imaging means for imaging a person entering through the entrance;
8. The building locking system according to claim 6, wherein the notification means notifies the management terminal device of the image captured by the imaging means .