JP2004092352A - Electronic lock system including portable electronic lock body having article storage case - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic lock system by which the designing of a remote control unit for every portable telephone is not needed, the transmission of information from an electronic lock body to the remote control unit is not needed at all or the transmission of extremely simple information like response information is enough, and the transmission of information to a center via a portable telephony network, whose telecommunication fee is comparatively high, is not needed. <P>SOLUTION: The electronic lock system is structured to comprise the electronic lock body 1a having an article storage case 9, the remote control unit 11, a wireless access point 5, a communication network 6, a center 7, and a database 8a. The electronic lock body 1a is provided with a wireless LAN device 4a for communication with the wireless access point 5, and its CPU 3 determines whether the article storage case 9 is unlocked or not based on the result of the checking of unlocking request information received from the remote control unit 11 against information stored in the database 8a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case for storing a key at an entrance.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A mobile phone, a remote control device connected to an external communication terminal of the mobile phone, an electronic lock body with an article storage case, an electronic lock system including a center and a communication network including a mobile phone network are known. For example, such an electronic lock system is disclosed in the following patent application filed by the present applicant.
[0003]
Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-44032.
[0004]
In such a conventional electronic lock system, when information (lock operation information) about the lock operation of the article storage case of the electronic lock main body is to be transmitted to the center, the electronic lock main body transmits the lock operation information to the remote control device. The remote control device transmits the lock operation information to the mobile phone via an external communication terminal, and the mobile phone transmits the lock operation information to the center using the mobile phone network, and transmits the lock operation information to the center via the telephone network. Or sent by e-mail. That is, the conventional electronic lock system requires a mobile phone and a mobile phone network, and has the following problems.
First, in order to enable communication between a remote control device connected to an external communication terminal of a mobile phone and a mobile phone, it is necessary to design and manufacture a remote control device for each mobile phone so as to be able to communicate therewith. . New models of mobile phones are frequently sold. Further, communication specifications using an external communication terminal are different for each mobile phone maker. Therefore, designing a remote control device for each model of a large number of mobile phones is a great deal of trouble, and the cost for designing and manufacturing the remote control device is very high.
Secondly, the wireless communication means that the lock operation information indicating that the article storage case has been unlocked must be wirelessly transmitted from the electronic lock main body to the remote control device to make the remote control device surely receive the information. Is the complexity of designing and manufacturing. The lock operation information includes important information such as identification number information of the electronic lock main body and ID information of the remote control device. Therefore, the remote control device must include a wireless communication unit (a wireless device or a wireless unit) that can reliably receive the lock operation information. Therefore, the wireless communication means of the remote control device must be designed and manufactured with high reliability and high performance, which has been a factor of high cost.
Third, the communication fee between the mobile phone and the center increases. A mobile phone has a high basic charge, and it is hard to say that a call charge is low. Therefore, the operation cost of the electronic lock system is not absurd.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
An electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case according to the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and has as its object to solve the following problems. .
There is no need to design a remote control device for each mobile phone, and there is no need to transmit any information from the electronic lock main unit to the remote control device, or it is only necessary to transmit very simple information, for example, response information. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic lock system that does not transmit information to a center via a relatively expensive mobile telephone network.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The first invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case as described in claim 1, and is as follows.
The electronic lock system includes a goods storage case having a lock mechanism, a mooring mechanism attached to a door knob, etc., a receiving unit for receiving information from a remote controller, a power supply, and control means. A lock main body, a remote control device storing its own ID information and transmitting unlocking request information to the electronic lock main body, a wireless access point provided at a position communicable with the electronic lock main body, and the wireless access point A communication network including a network node as a network node, a center capable of communicating with the electronic lock main body via the communication network, and a database unit storing information for analyzing the validity of the ID information and the unlock request information. , As constituent elements.
Further, the electronic lock main body includes a wireless device that communicates with the wireless access point. Then, the control means determines whether or not to unlock the article storage case based on a result of comparing the unlock request information received from the remote control device with information stored in the database unit. is there.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case as described in claim 2, and is as follows.
2. An electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case according to claim 1, wherein the unlock request information includes the ID information.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case as described in claim 3, and is as follows.
3. An electronic lock system comprising a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information transmitted by the remote control device and received by the electronic lock main body is based on non-contact communication. Things.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case as described in claim 4, and is as follows.
In the electronic lock system including the portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to claim 1, 2, or 3, the communication network includes the Internet or an IP network. .
[0010]
The fifth invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case as described in claim 5, and is as follows.
An electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the database unit is configured to control the electronic lock main body or the electronic lock main body. The configuration is provided in one or both of the centers.
[0011]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case as described in claim 6, and is as follows.
An electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, or claim 5, wherein the electronic lock main body comprises: The information on the lock operation of the article storage case is transmitted to the center, and the information on the lock operation includes the ID information.
[0012]
A seventh aspect of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problem is an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case as described in claim 7, and is as follows. In the electronic lock system including the portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 4, claim 5, or claim 6, The lock body includes a timing unit, and the information on the lock operation includes information on a time when the article storage case is unlocked.
[0013]
An eighth invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case as described in claim 8, and is as follows.
An electronic device including a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, or claim 7. In the lock system, the communication network includes a wireless LAN, and the access point and the wireless device each include a wireless LAN communication device.
[0014]
The ninth invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case as described in claim 9, and is as follows.
A portable electronic device having the article storage case according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, claim 4, claim 5, claim 6, claim 7, or claim 8. In the electronic lock system including the lock body, the power source is a fuel cell.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case according to the present invention.
The electronic lock main body 1a, which is a side provided with the lock mechanism of the electronic lock system, has a box-like shape and always includes the article storage case 9. The article storage case 9 typically includes an electromagnetic lock mechanism such as a solenoid (not shown), and the electronic lock main body 1a unlocks and sometimes locks the article storage case 9. Electronic (sign) lock or electromagnetic (sign) lock.
The lock mechanism provided in the article storage case 9 is not shown.
When the electronic lock main body (1a, 1z) is installed and used at the entrance door of a vacant room of an apartment house (apartment or apartment), it is usually moored at a plurality of locations in the apartment house. Since the basic configurations of the electronic lock main body 1a and the electronic lock main body 1z are completely the same, the electronic lock main body 1a will be described here in detail.
The electronic lock main body 1a has a mechanism for attaching (mooring) it to a door knob or the like of a front door of an empty room. For example, for this purpose, the electronic lock main body is provided with a shackle 10 or the like. With the shackle 10, the electronic lock main body 1a can be hung on a door knob or the like while the shackle 10 is locked. When the shackle 10 is in the unlocked state, the electronic lock main body 1a can be removed from the door knob, brought to a space, and attached to another place.
The remote control device 11 has its own ID information 12a. That is, the remote control device 11 stores its own unique identification information. Further, remote control device 11 transmits unlock request information. The unlock request information is information including a predetermined code determined by a person skilled in the art. The transmission of the unlock request information from the remote control device 11 to the electronic lock main body 1a may be by wire (contact communication) or wireless (non-contact communication). As an example of wireless transmission, sound waves, ultrasonic waves, light, infrared rays, radio waves (AM, FM, etc.) can be used as a medium.
The electronic lock main body 1a includes a receiving unit 2 for receiving unlock request information. The electronic lock body includes a power supply (battery) and a control unit (CPU 3). The electronic lock main body 1a also includes a wireless device that communicates with the wireless access point 5, for example, a wireless LAN device 4a.
The wireless access point 5 is a node (node) of a communication network 6 such as the Internet, and is a wireless communication device or a wireless communication facility for connecting the electronic lock main body 1a to the communication network 6. The required number of wireless access points 5 are provided at positions where they can communicate with all the electronic lock bodies (1a to 1z). If possible, it is desirable in terms of cost to consider and design the installation position of one wireless access point 5 in one apartment house and one area so that one wireless access point 5 can be installed.
The communication network 6 is a network other than a telephone network, and is typically the Internet or an IP network.
The center 7 is configured to be connected to the communication network 6. That is, although not shown, the center 7 includes a communication device for that purpose. The connection between the center 7 and the communication network 6 may be wired or wireless.
The electronic lock system including the remote control device 11, the electronic lock main bodies (1a, 1z), the wireless access point 5, and the center 7 as components stores information for analyzing the validity of the ID information and the unlock request information. Also includes a database section 8a for performing the operations. The database unit 8a may be provided in the center 7, the electronic lock main body 1a, or both.
The CPU 3, which is the center of the control means of the electronic lock main body 1a, unlocks the article storage case 9 based on the result of comparing the unlock request information received from the remote controller 11 with the information stored in the database unit 8a. Determine whether or not. For example, if the unlocking code unique to the electronic lock main body 1a is stored in the database section 8a and the unlocking request information includes the unlocking permission code, For example, the article storage case 9 is unlocked.
[0016]
The unlock request information transmitted by the remote control device 11 is a command signal requesting the electronic lock main body 1a to unlock the lock mechanism, and is a predetermined code. The predetermined code may be the ID information 12a itself or a code including the ID information 12a. The database section 8a of the electronic lock main body 1a stores as many remote control ID information 12 as necessary. The ID information 12 includes, in addition to the remote control device 11 shown in the figure, a remote control device (not shown) that is permitted to perform unlocking operation by transmitting unlocking request information to the electronic lock main body 1a. ) Unique (each) ID information. Of course, the ID information 12a of the remote control device 11 and the ID information 12 stored in the database unit 8a of the electronic lock main body 1a may be exactly the same.
Upon receiving the ID information 12a, the CPU 3 of the electronic lock main body 1a checks the ID information 12a in the ID information 12 stored in the database unit 8a if the ID information 12a is included in the ID information 12a. To unlock. Alternatively, it recognizes the legitimacy of the remote control device 11 and requests that a predetermined code for unlocking be transmitted again. Of course, the predetermined code for unlocking is assumed to be stored in the database unit 8a.
In this way, by including the ID information of each remote control device in the unlock request information, only the remote control device that has previously registered (stored) the ID information in the database unit 8a performs the unlocking operation of the electronic lock main body 1a. A system configuration that can be used.
Note that, of course, a configuration in which the (each) remote control device does not include the unique ID information and the unlock request information does not include the ID information is also possible. In this case, other remote control devices including the remote control device 11 transmit only a predetermined code for unlocking. Then, a predetermined code for the unlocking is stored in advance in the database unit 8a of the electronic lock main body 1a.
[0017]
The information transmission from the remote control device 11 to the electronic lock main body 1a or the mutual information transmission between the remote control device 11 and the electronic lock main body 1a may be either contact communication or non-contact communication such as wireless communication. . Note that, in the case of contact communication between the two, for example, terminals for the remote control device 11 and the electronic lock main body 1a may be provided respectively, and these terminals may be connected to perform communication between them.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case according to the present invention.
The electronic lock body can be attached to a door of a detached house or a door of an apartment house. For example, the electronic lock main body (1a, 1b, 1c) is also attached to the door knob of the vacant room in the two-story rental house 16 as shown in FIG. be able to.
What kind of business activity is performed, for example, in the case of explaining the electronic lock main body 1b hanging (moored) on the door knob 18, a real estate agent guides a customer who wants to rent or buy the room. The business activities include unlocking the electronic lock main body 1b with a remote control device (not shown), removing the key of the door 17 at the entrance, opening the door 17, and showing the customer inside the room.
Each of the electronic lock bodies (1a, 1b, 1c) can unlock a built-in article storage case (not shown) by an unlocking operation using a designated remote control device. Each of the electronic lock main bodies (1a, 1b, 1c) has a built-in wireless LAN device (not shown), and at least one wireless LAN device 4 (wireless access point) provided at an appropriate place in the rental house 16 is provided. Can be connected. The center 7 and each electronic lock main body (1a, 1b, 1c) can communicate with each other via the Internet 6b. For example, when the electronic lock main body 1c receives unlock request information from the remote controller, the unlock request information can be transferred to the center 7. The server 13 of the center 7 receives the unlock request information, performs code collation using the database unit 8b, determines whether to permit or reject the unlock, and transmits the fact to the electronic lock main body 1c. . The electronic lock main body 1c unlocks the article storage case 9 only when the unlocking permission signal can be received from the center 7.
The database section 8b may be provided in each of the electronic lock main bodies (1a, 1b, 1c), or may be provided in both the center 7 and the electronic lock main bodies (1a, 1b, 1c). The determination as to whether or not to unlock the lock mechanism of the electronic lock main body is made only on the electronic lock main body side, and a system that only transmits the fact (lock operation information) to the center 7 may be used. As described in 1.
[0019]
If the unlock request information transmitted by the remote control device includes the ID information of the remote control device, the electronic lock main body transmits which ID information to the center so that which remote control device attempts to unlock which electronic lock main body. It can be managed and grasped by the center 7 as to whether it has been done.
[0020]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case according to the present invention.
The electronic lock main body 1 may be provided with a timer (clock 19), and the information on the lock operation transmitted to the center 7 may include information on the time when the article storage case 9 is unlocked.
The shackle 10 may be provided with a lock mechanism 15 so that the remote control device 11 can unlock the shackle 10. This point is a matter of design choice by those skilled in the art.
Further, the power supply mounted on the electronic lock main body 1 can be the fuel cell 14. Since the capacity of the fuel cell is larger than that of a battery such as a dry cell, the period for replacing the battery of the electronic lock main body 1 can be extended.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
Since the electronic lock system including the portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to the present invention has the configuration as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
Information transmission from the electronic lock main body to the center does not go through the remote control device as in the past. Information is transmitted from the electronic lock main body to the center via the wireless access point and the communication network.
Further, the remote control device does not need to be connected to the external communication terminal of the mobile phone at all. Therefore, there is no need to design a remote control device for each mobile phone so that communication with the mobile phone is suitable, and there is no need to transmit any information from the electronic lock main body to the remote control device, or to use very simple information, for example, You only need to send the response information.
In addition, there is no transmission of information to the center via a mobile phone network where the communication fee is relatively high.
In an electronic lock system having a mooring mechanism and an electronic lock body having an article storage case as a component of the system, information is transmitted to a center at a low communication cost without using a mobile phone and a telephone network. It became possible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of an electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having an article storage case according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1z Electronic lock main body 2 Receiving unit 2a Transmitting and receiving unit 3 CPU
4, 4a Wireless LAN device 5 Wireless access point 6 Communication network 6b Internet 7 Center 8a, 8b Database unit 9 Article storage case 10 Shackle 11 Remote control device 12, 12a ID information 13 Server 14 Fuel cell 15 Lock mechanism 16 Rental house 17 Door 18 Door knob 19 Clock

Claims (9)

An article storage case equipped with a lock mechanism, a mooring mechanism attached to a door knob or the like, a receiving unit for receiving information from a remote controller, a power supply, and control means, a portable electronic lock body,
A remote control device that stores its own ID information and transmits unlock request information to the electronic lock main body;
A wireless access point provided at a position communicable with the electronic lock body,
A communication network including the wireless access point as a network node;
A center capable of communicating with the electronic lock body via the communication network,
A database unit for storing information for analyzing the validity of the ID information and the unlock request information,
The electronic lock body includes a wireless device that communicates with the wireless access point,
The control unit is configured to determine whether to unlock the article storage case based on a result of comparing the unlock request information received from the remote control device with information stored in the database unit. An electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case. 2. The electronic lock system according to claim 1, wherein the unlock request information includes the ID information. The electronic device including a portable electronic lock body having an article storage case according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information transmitted by the remote control device and received by the electronic lock main body is based on non-contact communication. Locking system. The electronic lock system according to claim 1, wherein the communication network includes the Internet or an IP network, and the electronic lock system includes a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to claim 1. The database unit is provided in one or both of the electronic lock main body and the center, and is provided with the article storage case according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3, or claim 4. Electronic lock system including a simple electronic lock body. 3. The electronic lock body according to claim 1, wherein the electronic lock main body transmits information on a lock operation of the article storage case to the center, and the information on the lock operation includes the ID information. 4. An electronic lock system comprising a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to claim 3, 4, or 5. The said electronic lock main body is provided with the time-measuring means, The information regarding the said lock operation contains the information regarding the time which unlocked the said article storage case, The claim 2, The claim 2, The claim 3, The claim 3, The claim 3, An electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock main body having the article storage case according to any one of claims, 4, 5, and 6. The communication network includes a wireless LAN, and the access point and the wireless device each include a wireless LAN communication device, and the communication network includes a wireless LAN communication device. An electronic lock system comprising a portable electronic lock body having the article storage case according to any one of claims, 6 and 7. The article according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, or 8, wherein the power source is a fuel cell. An electronic lock system including a portable electronic lock body having a storage case.

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