GB2459327A

GB2459327A - Anti-tailgating system for a restricted access entrance

Info

Publication number: GB2459327A
Application number: GB0807280A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Anderson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2008-04-22
Filing date: 2008-04-22
Publication date: 2009-10-28
Also published as: GB0807280D0

Abstract

The invention relates to an access control environment and the inherent problem of tailgating. That is more than one person gaining access through a restricted entrance without presenting proper authorisation, by getting in behind a person who opened the restricted entrance with proper authorisation before the door 1 closes and locks. The tailgating or piggybacking detection system comprises an authentication sensor 6, a lock controller 4 and a people counter 2. The authentication sensor 6 may be a card reader or a biometric reader (such as a fingerprint or iris scanner) and is connected to the lock controller 4. The lock controller 4 powers and operates the lock of the door 1 and is connected to a door sensor and the people counter 2. The people counter 2 comprises two parallel pulsed infra-red pencil beams 3 which are used to determine the direction of travel based upon the order in which the beams 3 are broken. A CPU and software in the people counter 2 monitors the state of the beams 3 and communicates with the lock controller 4.

Description

DESCRIPTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWtNGS

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is hereby made to the drawings, in which: FIG. 1 Is a schematic illustration of the basic components of the system of the present Invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram illustrating the operation of the tailgate detection system used in the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides for substantial improvements in non -visual dependant tailgate detection systems that determine when more than the authorised number of persons has passed through a secured door. By the term "secured door" is meant any means for entry from one un-secure area to a secured area, including but not limited to doors, turnstiles, open portals, metal detectors, hallways, ramps and revolving doors.

The system of this invention may include larger doors, double doors, overhead sliding doors and the like.

The system will be understood to Include as many components as are needed tolly function as described below, regardless of the nature of the door of interest.

The tailgating detection system of the present invention includes a plurality of components to determine the number of persons entering through a door or other entry port into an area of Interest such as from an un-secure area to a secured area.

As seen in FIG. 1, a door (1) separates the secure area from the non-secure area. The system uses an authenticating sensor, this could be card reader, keypad, biometric fingerprint sensor or iris scanner, connected to the lock controller (6). The lock controller is also connected to a door sensor (5) capable of detecting whether the door is open or closed and a people counter (2) to count the number of people passing through the door. This is achieved by passing two parallel pencil beams of pulsed infra red across the entrance. The software machine controlling the beams then calculates how many individuals have passed through and the direction of travel. This information is passed to the lock controller in a data stream. The lock controller monitors this data when a request to open the door has been made and the door is opened. This could be as a result of a request to open by a central management server after an authentication request, a successful authentication processed locally at the door, or by a request to exit switch being pressed on the secure side of the door.

When an instruction to open the door as a result of an authentication request is received the lock controller increments a counter c' by 1 and enables timer t'. For the duration t' is running each request to open the door as a result of an authentication request increments c' by one. Each person passing from non-secure to secure side of the door will decrement c' by one. People passing from the secure to non-secure side are ignored.

If at any point during time t' the counter c' readies a value less than zero a tailgate event is said to have occurred and a signal is sent to the central management system, where the appropriate action can be taken.

When a request to open the door is made from a non-authenticated source e.g. a request to exit switch on the secure side of the door is made. Time t' is started, however, counter c' is not incremented by 1.

This will allow passage in the secure to non-secure direction only. Any attempt to enter the restricted zone without authenticating will result in a tailgate alarm.

Time t' ends when the door is in the closed and locked condition, at which point counter c' is reset to zero.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditional access control systems allow access to more than one person through a secure door or gate once the credentials of one authonsed person have been validated. Typically the traditional ACS requires that an individual presents authentication credentials, this can be via a PIN keypad, biometric reader or card reader, at the point of authentication. The Individual Is authenticated and the door is unlocked. A security breach can occur if an un-authorised person then follows through the entrance before the system has secured the entrance again (tailgating).

One example of present day tailgate detection systems is currently manufactured and sold by Kouba Systems, In which a basic tailgate detection system using Model LDA-TG has a local door alarm and doorway mounted sensors to determine an annunciate unauthonzed passage through the door.

A card is used to open the door from the outside secure area side of the door. Exit from the secure area does not require identification or permission. A more advanced system sold by Kouba Systems using Model TG-OS is installed in doorways that are wide enough for two persons to pass through at the same time, such as double doors.

A card or other identification device is required for each side of the double doors. Both systems employ sensors such as optical beam sensors that is triggered when a person walks through the doorway in the entry direction without presenting a valid card, but since the beam is off, there is no way to detect the presence of a second person entering within the window that the beam is off or not set to sound an alarm.

There is no provision monitoring or prohibiting more than one person from entering once an authorized card has been presented to the card reader. The devices claim to function as tailgating detection systems but actually functions as an entry and exit system in which authorized entry is permitted and forced entry or unauthonsed entry is detected and announced via an alarm.

U. S. Patent No. 4,847, 485 to Koelsch and U. S. Patent No. 4,799, 243 to Zepke disclose systems applying arrays of pyroelectric infrared sensors to directionally count people entering or leaving through a passage. The systems disclosed have no provision for interfacing with external access control or other security systems.

There are a number of systems available using CCIV cameras which stream video back to a central management application. The management software has complex image analysis software, which then attempts to sense movement in the image, These systems require an array of CCIV cameras placed at strategic points to capture images of the entrance, which can be cost prohibitive.

It would be of advantage in the art if a true tailgate detection system could be provided that would actually monitorthe traffic at a secure location entry and/or exit location. This system uses a people counter installed in or on the door frame. The people counter is able to distinguish between individuals entering and leaving the restricted area. The people counter is connected to the unit controlling the door operation (lock controller).

Another advantage would be if the true tailgate detection system could detect the direction of travel through the entrance (ingress or egress).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has now been discovered that the above and other advantages of the present invention may be obtained in the following manner. Specifically, the present invention provides a system for automatically detecting tailgating entry to secure areas by a combinalion of access control and personnel count.

The system of this invention counts the number of valid credentials presented over a time interval t'.

Time interval t' starts when the system is in the reset condition and a successful authentication is received and the door is unlocked and opened. Only when the number of valid credentials is less than the number of people passing through the door does the system determine that there has been a tailgating violation.

The system includes an entry authorisation sensor, which may be a key pad for entry of a PIN, a card that is swiped, a badge that can be sensed by the authorisation sensor, a fingerprint or iris reader or other devices that authenticate the credentials of one seeking entry to a secured area, a lock controller -which controls the lock(s) secu ring the entrance, and a people counter to register the number of individuals entering the restricted area. A central management application may also be used.

Once the door is locked and closed again, the system resets itself, waiting for the next valid authorised Entry signal.