GB2531274A - A co-operative lock system designed to create a greater deterrent than stand-alone locking devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A lock with sensors that detect when an attempt is made to force the lock and trigger an alarm having a transmitter and receiver system within the lock which transmits the signal to equivalent nearby locks. When this signal is received by the adjacent lock, the alarm on that lock is triggered and transmits a signal to other nearby locks and so on. If the alarm is an audible alarm then the tone of the alarm may increase as the alarm signal is relayed outwards thus allowing people to follow the noise to the original alarm. The alarm signal may also be sent to a mobile phone or tablet or sent to a central security base. A global navigation satellite system (GNSS) or global positioning system (GPS) may be used to record the position of the lock. The lock may have a sensor for detecting other emergency situations e.g. a gas leak. This is then also relayed to adjacent locks. Preferably this cluster lock system is used on yachts on moorings or in a marina.

Description

Cluster Locks and their application to stand-alone, remote or integrated security systems This invention relates to a lock fitted with single or multiple sensors, transmitters and receivers that is able to raise an alarm which is then repeated and sounded by adjacent locks of the same type and located in the same or adjacent groups. The system provides a deterrent by employing locks of the same type to extend an alarm as a deterrent over a wider area without requiring additional supporting infrastructure.

When criminals attack a lock it is usually smashed off and discarded. If it contains an alarm capability the alarm can sound. However, in most circumstances this provides little deterrent -e.g. on a yacht it may be thrown over the side, silencing the location immediately; in any other environment it may be dropped in a bucket of water or smashed completely to silence the alarm.

The cluster lock is an intelligent lock system employing multiple alarmed locks to communicate such an attack event to each other and to provide a wider deterrent than a single physical lock or a simple alarmed lock can offer.

An individual lock is fitted with a sensor to detect an attack and transmits this attack information. Other adjacent locks of the same type fitted with the same devices are able to receive this transmission. When an alarm is transmitted it is detected by adjacent locks of the same type which then transmit their own alarm information as well as sounding an alarm. The alarm sound or tone in the next lock may be varied according to the proximity of the lock to the originating alarm. The communications techniques may be wireless (shock, vibration, acoustic, radio waves or optical) or wired (using electric or optical conductors), according to the application.

The system may also employ additional systems to gather suitable data and a) to retain that data in a secure repository and I or b) to relay suitable information to a third party for possible action using standard communications, web-based systems or modern Android, Apple or other applications ("Apps"). In the case of a system that employs an electronic listening solution at the boundary, the locks in the cluster may be set not to transmit an audible alarm, but to relay the attack data to raise the alarm remotely. This allows responders more time to locate the attacker or threat as well as making the attack more visible, thereby increasing the possibility of an attacker being detected.

The device may be any type of lock used to secure one of a group ol assets. It contains a sensor to detect an attack, either physical or otherwise, and a transmitter and receiver. When it recognises an attack the lock transmits a signal that other locks can detect. When the lock has completed its transmission to other locks it may or may not then transmit a loud acoustic signal that is intended to act as a deterrent to the attacker. The next layer of locks in thc community that arc within range and can detect the transmission now transmit their own information that may he received by other locks further out in thc community. Thcse may or may not then also sound an alarm. In this way the alarm works its way out from the core event to provide a wide area alert of the original attack. lithe locks in the cluster are set for deterrent' and sound the alarm then the resulting noise provides a greater deterrent than a single lock. If they are set to catch' then they offer a wider area over which a potential attacker may he detected and apprehended.

The invention further relates to the detection of this inlormation by another receiver that is able to process the data and to relay this to another system for onwards communication to a nearby office, security station or other facility to support the provision of a response to the event.

This invention further relates to the onward transmission of data using other communications techniques to enable an alarm to be raised remotely from the site of the community.

This may he delivered directly to a phone Une or through a web server, or through an AndroidTM or App1eTMstyle smart-phone application.

Figure 1: Lock Architecture The lock architecture is shown in Figure 1. The lock sensor and sensing circuit are permanently listening for abnormally high levels of activity on the mechanism. The sensing circuit is disarmed when the key is uscd. The key may contain an RFID tag, bar-code or other identifier that can be read by the lock when in close proximity to the key. The sensing circuit may be intelligent, and can be programmed in complex variants to detect attack type for onward transmission. In the simple lock it will merely detect higher amplitude attacks where the key is not used. When an attack is detected this information is passed to the transmitter which uses the techniques for onward transmission built into this particular device. The receiver detects this transmission and, when it is completed, it sounds an alarm or not according to the system settings selected.

Where an attack on this lock is not detected, die receiver may receive notification from an adjacent lock that it has been attacked. hi this case the receiver determines whether the attack was on the immediately adjacent lock, or if this is number two or three or more in the chain from the attacked lock. This deteimines the transmission type and, if selected, the audio tonc is souuded by this alarm using its built-in speaker.

Users may select the pattern and frequency of the alarm audible output to allow them to work together over wider areas to create groups or clusiers of alarms. In this way the users can ensure that there is no confusion over which alarm is the initiating alarm and which are the supporting alarms.

The lock can include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver to enable the transmitter to report its position. The GNSS receiver may be embedded in one or all of the locks, or the lock system may employ another available location source to feed into the lock system (e.g. the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) standard output on a yacht Global Positioning System (GPS) or other GNSS solution-based chart plotter).

An outline of how the cluster system works is shown in Figure 2. A lock is attacked (the initiating alarm) and emits Tone I, as set by the user group. This is detected by the next layer within range, the receiver determines that this is Tone 1 and selects the next tone in the range, Tone 2. This continues out to the limit of tone options in the product pack chosen by the users. In this way. even if the first lock that is attacked is thrown into deep water, the other locks will have detected it and begin sounding their own alarms. Therefore it becomes increasingly difficult to silence or to ignore the alarm set as a waterfall alarm effect is triggered.

Figure 2: Cluster Lock System The use of Tones offers a method of determi fling where the alarm originates. For example, if the tones chosen are ascending through the Tone options (e.g. Tone 1 may be SOOHi. Tone 2 maybe 1kHz and so on) then moving to the lowest audible tone will guide security staff to the source of the alarm.

Where an a'arm has joined the alarming session triggered by the initiating alarm, and then is itself attacked, it will revert to sounding Tone 1. Adjacent alarms that are higher in the order than Tone 2 will carry on transmitting their tone, but those nearest to the new Tone 1 will begin sounding Tone 2 and so on, until the alarm set levels across the two clusters now alarming. This will be the same for any number of clusters within the overall community.

In more sophisticated systems (he alarm maybe propagated by wireless, optical or other means in addition to or instead of the acoustic option in the standard community.

The next claim connects the community to the remote user via a local or wide area network (Figure 3). A monitor listens for alarm activity and, when this is detected, packages that information and relays it to the user group, either over a dedicated local network or across the public wide area network. This includes the use of web servers and modern communications devices such as tablets' aiid smart-phones' to deliver applications to the User. Examples include AndroidTM and AppleTM formats and applications.

Figure 3: Off-Site Alarms A Lock Identity feature may provided in some locks to facilitate identification of the initiating lock. If the initiating identification feature is used in each alarm this allows specific users to be targeted with personal messages to inform them that their lock is under attack.

In order to achieve this functionality the lock may contain sonic or all of the following functions although other functions may he added for more complex systems: 1. Lock mechanism 2. Lock Housing 3. Lock Sensor set 4. Sensing Circuit 5. Transmitter 6. Receiver 7. Processing Block 8. Power 9. Identity Block 10. Acoustic sounder The lock is intended to be deployed singly, as part of a community or as a networked locking system. This community might be, for example, on a single yacht or across a row of yachts on moorings.

Finally. the community concept may he applied to other requirements. For example. personal attack alarms, vehicle alarms, building intruder alarms and so on may be connected in the same way. In this case the system may be joined to the end user or lock owner in a number of ways. This includes the network interface to port data into the network for a sing'e or multiple locks and alarms. It also includes the application that is required at the user or lock owner site to receive and display relevant information and this will be in the form of an application (on a smart-phone or tablet) or a web service or a bespoke display.

Claims 1. A lock having sensors that detect when an attempt is made to force the lock, said sensors triggering a first alarm, a transmitter for transmitting a signal to nearby locks such that their alarms are triggered, and a a receiver for receiving a signal 1mm nearby equivalent locks.

2. A lock according to claim 1 in which the alarm is triggered in adjacent locks which in turn (rigger alarms in adjacent equivalent locks that are further away than the original.

3. A lock according to any preceding claim that provides 205 an output signal to relay the alarm status across a network to the lock owner and/or security or other staff.

4. A lock system comprising a lock as defined in claim 3 and a tablet or smart phone apphcation to notify 210 specific thck owners and/or security or other stafi 5. A lock system according to preceding claims that form a cluster of thcks according to claims I and 2 within the larger community of equivalent locks such that when one lock in the cluster is triggered then only 215 locks in that cluster are triggered.