JP7833893B2 - Locking and unlocking devices, building fixtures, and locking and unlocking systems - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to locking and unlocking devices , building components, and locking and unlocking systems .

Conventionally, locking and unlocking devices for locking and unlocking building components such as crescent locks or cam latches are known. The locking and unlocking device described in Patent Document 1 has a locking/unlocking sensor that detects the locking and unlocking of the building component.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-152297

The locking/unlocking device uses dry cell batteries as its power source. Therefore, when the batteries run out, they need to be replaced, which is inconvenient for the user.

This disclosure aims to provide a locking/unlocking device , a door or window, and a locking/unlocking system that do not require the replacement of dry cell batteries.

One aspect of this disclosure is a locking/unlocking device comprising: a locking/unlocking sensor for detecting the locking/unlocking of a door or window installed in an opening of a building; a power supply unit that receives power by wireless power supply from a power supply device; and a control device that operates based on the power received by the power supply unit and performs processing according to the detection result of the locking/unlocking sensor.

This is a schematic diagram of the control system according to this embodiment. This figure shows a locking and unlocking device provided in a door or window according to this embodiment. This is a perspective view of the locking/unlocking device according to this embodiment. This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the functional section of the locking/unlocking device according to this embodiment. This is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the control system according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figure 1, the control system 1 according to this embodiment comprises a communication device 10, one or more power supply devices 20, one or more locking/unlocking devices 30, and a control device 40. For example, the control system 1 controls multiple types of electric devices installed in the user's building 100 via a communication network NW based on information received from one or more locking/unlocking devices 30. The building 100 can be a residence such as an apartment building or a detached house, a hospital, or a facility. In this embodiment, the case where the building 100 is the user's residence will be described as an example.

The communication device 10 is connected to the control device 40 via a communication network NW. The communication device 10 is connected to a plurality of locking/unlocking devices 30. The communication device 10 relays information between the control device 40 and the plurality of locking/unlocking devices 30. The communication device 10 includes, for example, a router and a gateway.

The communication network NW may be a wireless communication transmission path, or a combination of a wireless communication transmission path and a wired communication transmission path. A wireless communication transmission path is, for example, a wireless LAN. The communication network NW may be a mobile communication network such as a cellular network, a wireless packet communication network, the Internet, or a dedicated line, or a combination thereof. For example, the communication network NW may use a Low-power Wide-area Network (LPWAN), or short-range wireless communication standards such as ZigBee®, Wi-Fi®, or BLE.

The power supply device 20 provides wireless power to the locking/unlocking device 30. In this embodiment, wireless power supply refers to power transmission using, for example, an electric field coupling method, an electromagnetic induction method, a radio wave method, or a magnetic field resonance method. The power supply device 20 is installed, for example, within the building 100, but its installation location is not particularly limited. Wireless power supply by the power supply device 20 may be performed continuously, only during a predetermined time period, or when a signal is received.

Multiple locking/unlocking devices 30 are installed in the building 100. As shown in Figure 2, the locking/unlocking devices 30 lock and unlock the doors 110 installed in the openings of the building 100. For example, the locking/unlocking devices 30 are crescent locks. The doors 110 are, for example, sliding windows. However, the doors are not limited to sliding windows; the doors 110 may also be interior doors, etc. The locking/unlocking devices 30 are installed in the doors 110 of each room, such as the kitchen, living room, children's room, and bedroom. The locking/unlocking devices 30 may also be installed in doors 110 in toilets, bathrooms, washrooms, entrances, etc.

The locking/unlocking device 30 is connected to the communication network NW via the communication device 10. The locking/unlocking device 30 transmits information to the control device 40 via the communication network NW.

As shown in Figure 3, the locking/unlocking device 30 comprises a base 31, a handle 32, and a crescent locking mechanism 33.

The base portion 31 is fixed to one frame of the door/window 110. The handle portion 32 is a lever operated by the user. The handle portion 32 is rotatably mounted relative to the base portion 31. The crescent locking mechanism 33 rotates in conjunction with the handle portion 32 and engages with a crescent locking mechanism (not shown) fixed to the other frame of the door/window.

By rotating the handle portion 32, the crescent locking mechanism 33 engages with a crescent locking receiver (not shown). When the crescent locking mechanism 33 engages with the receiver, the door/window 110 is locked. The state in which the crescent locking mechanism 33 is engaged with the receiver is sometimes referred to as the locked state. From the locked state, rotating the handle portion 32 causes the crescent locking mechanism 33 to become disengaged from the receiver, thus unlocking the door/window. The state in which the crescent locking mechanism 33 is disengaged is sometimes referred to as the unlocked state. The handle portion 32 houses a functional unit 32a, including a sensor and electronic components.

The configuration of the functional unit 32a in the locking/unlocking device 30 will be explained using Figure 4. As shown in Figure 4, the functional unit 32a of the locking/unlocking device 30 includes a locking/unlocking sensor 50, a power supply unit 51, a control unit 52, and a wireless communication unit 53.

The lock/unlock sensor 50 detects information (hereinafter referred to as "state information") that allows determination of whether the lock/unlock device 30, which locks the door/window frame 110, is in a locked or unlocked state. As an example, the lock/unlock sensor 50 is equipped with an acceleration sensor. The lock/unlock sensor 50 can detect the rotation angle of the handle portion 32 using the acceleration sensor. Based on the rotation angle of the handle portion 32, the lock/unlock sensor 50 can detect whether the lock/unlock device 30 is in a locked or unlocked state. The state information may also be the detection result of the acceleration sensor.

The lock/unlock sensor 50 is not limited to an acceleration sensor; other sensors may be used to detect state information. The lock/unlock sensor 50 may also have a magnetic field sensor. The lock/unlock sensor 50 may detect whether the lock/unlock device 30 is in a locked or unlocked state by detecting the magnetic field of a magnet attached to the door/window frame 110 using the magnetic field sensor. The lock/unlock sensor 50 is not particularly limited as long as it can detect state information using known techniques. The lock/unlock sensor 50 transmits the detected state information to the control unit 52.

The power supply unit 51 receives power wirelessly from the power supply device 20. Figure 4 illustrates an example where the wireless power supply received by the power supply unit 51 is a radio wave-based wireless power supply, such as microwaves. The power supply unit 51 comprises, for example, a power receiving unit 60, a power storage unit 61, and a DC-DC converter 62. The power supply unit 51 may be housed in a dry cell-shaped enclosure. However, it is not limited to this; the power receiving unit 60, rather than the power supply unit 51, may be housed in an enclosure that mimics the shape of a dry cell.

The power receiving unit 60 receives power from the power supply device 20 via wireless power transfer using radio waves. The power receiving unit 60 includes the necessary components for receiving power via wireless power transfer using radio waves, such as an antenna 70 for receiving radio waves, an RF circuit 71 for performing various signal processing, and a resonant circuit 72.

The energy storage unit 61 is connected to the power receiving unit 60 and stores the power received by the power receiving unit 60. The energy storage unit 61 may be a secondary battery.

The DC-DC converter 62 generates a predetermined DC voltage V2 by boosting or lowering the voltage V1 output from the energy storage unit 61. The DC-DC converter 62 supplies the generated DC voltage V2 to at least the lock/unlock sensor 50 and the control unit 52.

The wireless communication unit 53 communicates wirelessly with an external device. The wireless communication unit 53, for example, includes a wireless module 80 with wireless communication capabilities, an RF circuit 81 that performs various signal processing, and an antenna 82 that transmits radio waves. The external device may be the control device 40 or a communication terminal 300 used by the user. In the example shown in Figure 1, the wireless communication unit 53 can transmit information to the control device 40 via the communication device 10. The wireless communication unit 53 can communicate wirelessly with the power supply device 20.

The communication terminal 300 is, for example, a device that the user can carry. The communication terminal 300 may be, for example, a mobile phone, smartphone, tablet, laptop, wearable device, etc. The communication terminal 300 is not particularly limited to whether or not it is portable by the user. For example, the communication terminal 300 may be a computer.

The communication terminal 300 is connected to the control device 40 via the communication network NW. The communication terminal 300 can send and receive information with the control device 40 via the communication network NW. For example, the communication terminal 300 receives status information, which is the detection result of the lock/unlock sensor 50, by communicating with the control device 40. The communication terminal 300 can display the received detection result on a display screen.

The control unit 52 operates based on the power received by the power supply unit 51 and performs processing according to the detection result of the lock/unlock sensor 50. For example, the control unit 52 operates by using the DC voltage V2 from the DC-DC converter 62 as the power supply voltage. The control unit 52 may also transmit the detection result of the lock/unlock sensor 50 from the wireless communication unit 53 to an external device, such as the control device 40.

The control unit 52 may monitor the voltage V1 of the energy storage unit 61. If the voltage V1 of the energy storage unit 61 falls below a predetermined value Vth, the control unit 52 instructs the wireless communication unit 53 to transmit instruction information to the power supply device 20 to initiate wireless power supply. Upon receiving the instruction information from the control unit 52, the power supply device 20 may begin wireless power supply to the locking/unlocking device 30.

The control device 40 is connected to a communication network NW. The control device 40 may be a computer. The control device 40 may be a server device. The control device 40 may be located on the internet or in the cloud. The control device 40 may include at least one physical server. Multiple physical servers configured as the control device 40 are able to communicate with each other by being connected via the communication network NW. The physical server may include at least one virtual server. The virtual server may be a server on a cloud system (cloud server).

The control device 40 is implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted in a drive device. The storage device may consist of, for example, an HDD, flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or RAM (Random Access Memory).

The control device 40 receives status information from each locking/unlocking device 30. The control device 40 can provide this status information to the communication terminal 300.

The operation flow of the control system 1 will be explained using Figure 5. The power supply device 20 starts wireless power supply to one or more locking/unlocking devices 30 (step S101). The locking/unlocking device 30 receives power from the power supply device 20 via wireless power supply at the power receiving unit 60 (step S102). The locking/unlocking device 30 stores the power received at the power receiving unit 60 in the power storage unit 61 (step S103). The locking/unlocking device 30 generates a predetermined voltage V2 from the voltage V1 from the power storage unit 61 using the DC-DC converter 62 (step S104). The voltage V2 generated by the DC-DC converter 62 is supplied to at least the locking/unlocking sensor 50 and the control unit 52 (step S105). The locking/unlocking sensor 50 and the control unit 52 start operation using the voltage V2 as the power supply voltage (step S106).

Wireless power supply from the power supply device 20 may be stopped when the energy storage unit 61 is fully charged. For example, the control unit 52 constantly monitors the voltage V1 of the energy storage unit 61. When the voltage V1 reaches the voltage level indicating a full charge of the energy storage unit 61, the control unit 52 may transmit a stop command to the power supply device 20 to stop wireless power supply.

The locking/unlocking device 30 comprises a locking/unlocking sensor 50, a power supply unit 51, and a control unit 52. The locking/unlocking sensor 50 detects the locking/unlocking of the door/window fixture 110 installed in the opening of the building 100. The power supply unit 51 receives power wirelessly from the power supply device 20. The control unit 52 operates based on the power received by the power supply unit 51 and performs processing according to the detection result of the locking/unlocking sensor 50. Since the locking/unlocking device 30 can operate without using battery power, the need to replace batteries is eliminated.

The locking/unlocking device 30 may further include a wireless communication unit 53 that communicates wirelessly with an external device, such as a control device 40 or a communication terminal 300. In this case, the control unit 52 may use the power received by the power supply unit 51 to transmit the detection result of the locking/unlocking sensor 50 from the wireless communication unit 53 to the external device. The locking/unlocking device 30 can notify the external device whether the door/window 110 is in a locked/unlocked state or an unlocked state.

The power supply unit 51 comprises a power receiving unit 60, a power storage unit 61, and a DC-DC converter 62. The power receiving unit 60 receives power via wireless power transfer. The power storage unit 61 stores the power received by the power receiving unit 60. The DC-DC converter 62 generates a predetermined DC voltage V2 by boosting or lowering the voltage V1 output from the power storage unit 61. The DC-DC converter 62 supplies the generated DC voltage V2 to at least the lock/unlock sensor 50 and the control unit 52. The lock/unlock device 30 can supply a more stable voltage to the lock/unlock sensor 50 and the control unit 52.

The control unit 52 monitors the voltage V1 of the energy storage unit 61. If the control unit 52 detects that the voltage V1 of the energy storage unit 61 falls below a predetermined value Vth, it may instruct the wireless communication unit to transmit instruction information to the power supply device 20 to initiate wireless power transfer. The locking/unlocking device 30 can supply a more stable power supply voltage to the locking/unlocking sensor 50 and the control unit 52.

The embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and other elements that do not depart from the gist of this disclosure.

The power supply unit 51 may be housed in a battery-type enclosure. This allows for wireless power supply without significantly altering the size of the locking/unlocking device 30. However, this is not limited to this configuration; for example, the power receiving unit 60 may also be housed in a battery-type enclosure.

The locking/unlocking device 30 is not limited to a crescent lock; it may also be a thumbturn, a cremone handle, or a cam latch.

20...Power supply unit, 30...Locking/unlocking device, 50...Locking/unlocking sensor, 50...Power supply unit, 52...Control unit, 53...Wireless communication unit, 60...Power receiving unit, 61...Energy storage unit, 62...DC-DC converter

Claims (8)

A locking and unlocking device comprising a handle operated by a user, wherein the operation of the handle locks and unlocks a door or window installed in an opening of a building,
A lock/unlock sensor for detecting the locking and unlocking of the aforementioned door/window ,
A power supply unit that receives power wirelessly from a power supply device,
A control unit that operates based on the power received by the power supply unit and performs processing according to the detection result of the lock/unlock sensor,
Equipped with,
The locking/unlocking sensor, the power supply unit, and the control unit are housed in the handle unit.
The aforementioned power supply unit is
A power receiving unit that receives the power via the aforementioned wireless power transfer,
A power storage unit that stores the power received by the power receiving unit,
Equipped with,
Locking and unlocking device. It is equipped with a wireless communication unit that communicates wirelessly with external devices,
The control unit uses the power received by the power supply unit to transmit the detection result of the lock/unlock sensor from the wireless communication unit to the external device.
The locking and unlocking device according to claim 1. The locking/unlocking device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a DC-DC converter that generates a predetermined DC voltage by boosting or lowering the voltage output from the energy storage unit, and supplies the DC voltage to at least the locking/unlocking sensor and the control unit. The control unit monitors the voltage of the energy storage unit, and if the voltage of the energy storage unit falls below a predetermined value, it transmits instruction information to the power supply device to instruct it to perform wireless power transfer.
The locking and unlocking device according to claim 3. The power supply unit is housed in a dry cell battery-type enclosure.
A locking and unlocking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The power receiving unit is housed in a dry cell-shaped casing.
The locking/unlocking device according to claim 3 or claim 4. A door or window fitting installed in an opening of a building, comprising a locking/unlocking device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6. A locking/unlocking device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 or a door/window according to claim 7,
A power supply device that provides wireless power to the locking/unlocking device,
A locking and unlocking system equipped with the following features.