JP2016014254A - Electronic lock - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low-priced electronic lock to be used with a bicycle sharing system, capable of making a short-distance wireless communication with a mobile phone.SOLUTION: An electronic lock 10 has a ring lock 20 added with an electronic module 30. The electronic module 30 includes a driving part 80 having a motor 40 for opening/closing the electronic lock 10, a worm gear 50, a rack gear 60, and a stopper 70 that stops lateral movement of the rack gear 60, a microcomputer part 90 having a short-distance wireless communication chip for sending and receiving a key ID and a password for unlocking the electronic lock 10, and a battery box 100. The configuration of the electronic lock 10 allows a short-distance wireless communication to be made between a mobile phone and the short-distance wireless communication chip.

Description

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is a communication function with a mobile phone used in a bicycle sharing system that can be realized without cost by using a personally owned mobile phone (mainly a smartphone) that has a very high penetration rate. It is related with the electronic lock provided with.

  Bicycles that are used as feet to the nearest station when commuting to and from school, and privately-owned bicycles that are parked around the nearest station occupy a place such as a bicycle parking area until the evening when it is time to return home. It ’s just not producing any value. In addition, in urban areas, bicycle parking lots around stations are in short supply, resulting in serious social problems such as illegally parked bicycles not standing behind and hindering passers-by. Yes.

  In order to solve the above problem, the user has a one-to-one correspondence with an electronic lock such as a key or an infrared remote control by the information linkage between the lock, mobile phone, and rental server installed on the bicycle. In order to make it possible to rent a moving object such as a bicycle without going through the parking lot (so-called “anywhere parking lot”), the wireless, wired, infrared, A lock system that connects with a user by an electromagnetic induction magnetic field or the like to enable unlocking and a technology related to the lock are disclosed (Patent Document 1).

JP2003-232152A

  However, in the method according to Patent Document 1, position information is obtained from an electronic lock installed on a bicycle, and the electronic lock attached to each bicycle has a GPS (Global Positioning System) function. Equipment is required, and electronic locks installed for each bicycle become expensive, resulting in increased manufacturing costs. Furthermore, in the method according to Patent Document 1, the electronic lock itself installed on the bicycle communicates with the server (see Patent Document 1: FIG. 1). In such a mechanism, the electronic lock of the bicycle requires a communication function with the server (= communication using a mobile phone communication function such as 3G), which is not preferable because the manufacturing cost of the electronic lock is further increased.

  The purpose of the present invention is not limited to bicycles left in the bicycle parking lots around the station, and free space around the station, it is possible to effectively utilize the free space such as the storefront of the shopping street, Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive electronic lock that can be realized at a low cost and can be used in an innovative bicycle sharing system that can solve the uneven distribution problem in bicycle sharing.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 of the present application is an electronic lock in which an electronic module is added to a ring lock, and the electronic module includes a motor for opening and closing the electronic lock, a worm gear, a rack gear, and the rack gear. A drive unit composed of a stopper for stopping the left and right movements, a key ID for unlocking the electronic lock, a microcomputer unit equipped with a short-range wireless communication chip for transmitting and receiving a password, and a battery box, A cellular phone and the short-range wireless communication chip are electronic locks that are capable of short-range wireless communication. In addition, in this specification, a ring lock means a commercially available ring lock (general-purpose product) as shown in FIG.

  An electronic lock according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a drive unit including a motor that opens and closes an electronic lock, a worm gear, a rack gear, and a stopper that stops the movement of the rack gear to the left and right, and a key for unlocking the electronic lock. The microcomputer part provided with the near field communication chip for transmitting and receiving ID and a password, and the battery box are provided.

  By modularizing electronic components in this way, a wide variety of ring locks can be handled. Since a ring lock (general-purpose product) that is already available and available at low cost can be used as it is, an electronic lock can be manufactured at low cost.

It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of an electronic lock. It is a figure for demonstrating the mechanism of a drive part. It is a figure for demonstrating the mechanism of a battery box locking.

<Structure of electronic lock>
Hereinafter, the electronic lock 10 according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a view for explaining the structure of an electronic lock 10 according to the present invention. If the electronic lock 10 is manufactured independently from the beginning, it leads to higher cost. Therefore, the electronic lock 30 (the drive unit 80, the microcomputer unit 90, and the battery box 100) is modularized by the electronic module 30 and the existing ring lock ( A general-purpose product) 20 can be easily added to the structure (see FIG. 1).

  The drive unit 80 is an electronic component that operates the locking part of the ring lock 20 when receiving the unlocking signal from the microcomputer unit 90, and controls the function of the lever for unlocking the ring lock 20. The microcomputer unit 90 stores a module for wireless communication with a mobile phone, a program for analyzing a signal from the mobile phone and transmitting an unlock signal to the drive unit 80, a program for measuring the remaining battery level, and a key ID / password. A memory for storing a program to be changed and a key ID / password is provided, and the battery box 100 is an independent power source necessary for operating the microcomputer unit 90 and the drive unit 80.

  Thus, by modularizing the electronic component with the electronic module 30, it is possible to deal with a wide variety of ring locks 20. Since the ring lock (general-purpose product) 20 that is already available at low cost can be used as it is, the electronic lock 10 can be manufactured at low cost.

  FIG. 2 is a view for explaining the mechanism of the drive unit 80 incorporated in the electronic module 30 of the electronic lock 10. The drive unit 80 of the electronic lock 10 according to the present invention includes a motor 40, a worm gear 50, a rack gear 60, and a stopper 70. Originally, the worm gear 50 is a mechanism in which a screw gear (worm) and a gear (worm wheel) matched therewith are combined. "Worm" that cut teeth continuously in a spiral manner on a cylinder (helically cut like a screw) and "worm wheel" that cuts arc-shaped teeth on the side of the disc along with this worm "Is a gear system used in combination. However, in this specification, “worm” is referred to as “worm gear 50”.

  The rack gear 60 is a gear in which teeth are linearly arranged in order to convert rotational force into linear motion. Normally, the worm gear 50 and the rack gear 60 are not combined. In general, it is usual to combine a pinion gear with the rack gear 60 as it is called “rack and pinion”.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a mechanism of battery box locking. The electronic lock 10 cannot be unlocked when the battery runs out. For this reason, a battery replacement mechanism is required. However, if the battery box 100 itself does not have a locking function, there is a risk that the electronic lock 10 cannot be used when the battery is removed due to mischief or the like. . Thus, it is conceivable to attach a lock (lock and key) to the battery box 100 itself, but this is not preferable because of cost.

  In order to solve the above problem, as shown in FIG. 3, a mechanism that allows the battery to be replaced only when the lid hook 110 is installed on the back of the lid of the battery box 100 and the ring lock 20 is unlocked. It was. Such a mechanism makes it possible to manufacture the electronic lock 10 at a low cost by using the existing structure of the ring lock 20 and eliminating the need for a lock only for battery replacement.

<Effects of electronic lock>
What is desired to be implemented in the present invention is to move the rack gear 60, which is a part of the drive unit 80 incorporated in the electronic module 30 of the electronic lock 10, to the left and right in order to lock and unlock the bicycle. If the mechanism is a combination of the rack gear 60 and the pinion gear, the gear ratio is low, so when riding a bicycle, the rack gear 60 can be easily moved to the left and right by the rotation of the pinion gear caused by vibration when a slight unevenness on the road is transmitted. It is not preferable because it may move and operate when it is not necessary. On the other hand, the worm gear 50 has a high gear ratio due to its structure, and the amount of movement of the rack gear 60 due to the rotation of the worm gear 50 caused by vibration when a slight unevenness on the road is transmitted is extremely small. 50 was adopted.

  When unlocking the electronic lock according to the present invention, first, the microcomputer unit 90 receives an electrical signal from the mobile phone, and the microcomputer unit 90 analyzes the electrical signal from the mobile phone and sends an unlock signal to the drive unit 80. Send. When receiving the unlock signal from the microcomputer unit 90, the drive unit 80 operates the locking part of the ring lock 20 by the rotation of the motor 40. At this time, the worm gear 50 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the motor 40, and the rack gear 60 moves to the left and right along the rotation center axis of the worm gear 50 in conjunction with the rotation of the worm gear 50. The moved rack gear 60 is structured to be stopped by stoppers 70 installed on the left and right with respect to the moving direction of the rack gear 60 (see FIG. 2A). Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2B, a stopper 70 interlocked with the rotation of the motor 40 is installed on the rotation shaft of the motor 40. The rack gear 60 itself moves to the position of the stopper 70 by the rotation of the worm gear 50, so that the rack gear 60 itself stops the rotation movement of the stopper 70, and the rotation movement of the stopper 70 stops, thereby stopping the rotation of the motor shaft. It may be. If a servo motor is used, the amount of movement of the rack gear 60 can be controlled without the stopper 70, but the servo motor is expensive, which is not preferable from the viewpoint of realizing low cost.

  As a basic design concept, the electronic lock 10 installed on the bicycle is designed so as not to cost as much as possible. Therefore, it is assumed that a key ID or password authentication function is required at a minimum. This authentication function is compatible with the key ID / password stored in the electronic lock 10 for the key ID / password notified from the mobile phone by the short-range wireless communication function (nfc, wifi, Bluetooth, etc.) with the mobile phone. It is a function to check.

  Furthermore, the electronic lock 10 installed on the bicycle can be prevented from having a function of displaying a remaining battery level and a function of sounding a battery exhaustion alarm so as not to increase the cost as much as possible. In such a case, the remaining battery level is measured on the electronic lock 10 side, but information regarding the remaining battery level is the timing at which the mobile phone unlocks (= the timing at which the electronic lock 10 and the mobile phone communicate the key ID and password). Thus, data is transmitted from the electronic lock 10 side to the mobile phone side, the remaining battery level is displayed on the mobile phone side, and an alarm is sounded when the remaining battery level is lower than a certain value. In short, the electronic lock 10 installed on an inexpensive bicycle is realized by the basic idea that the function of the device provided on the bicycle side is scraped off as much as possible.

  Since the electronic lock 10 according to the present invention is battery-driven, the battery needs to be replaced. From the viewpoint of preventing mischief such as removal of the battery, the battery box 100 itself also needs some locking mechanism. However, it is not preferable to prepare a lock separately only for battery replacement because the electronic lock 10 is costly. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, in the state where the lid hook 110 is installed on the back of the lid for inserting and removing the battery and the ring lock 20 is locked, the lid hook 110 is hooked on the lid hook installed on the ring lock. The lid for inserting and removing the battery does not open by being caught on the part 120 (moving in conjunction with opening and closing of the ring lock 20, for example, a rod-shaped member as shown in FIG. 3), but the ring lock 20 is unlocked In this case, the lid hook hooking portion 120 hooked on the lid hook 110 is removed, the lid for inserting and removing the battery is opened, and the battery can be replaced.

  With this mechanism alone, when the battery runs out during locking, the battery cannot be replaced. Therefore, a mechanism that can lock and unlock the ring lock 20 is required even when the electronic lock 10 is in the locked state. The electronic lock according to the present invention uses the lock / unlock function of the existing ring lock 20 itself (for example, pressing a personal identification number) even when the electronic key 10 is not functioning due to battery exhaustion. Can be opened and closed. That is, when the battery runs out during locking, the battery can be replaced after unlocking using the locking / unlocking function of the existing ring lock 20. Bicycle electronic lock 10 only performs battery voltage measurement and validity check of an unlocking signal transmitted from a mobile phone as the minimum necessary functions. Thereby, it is not necessary to use an expensive communication module and a high-spec microcomputer, and an inexpensive locking system can be provided.

  Most of the conventional electronic locks 10 for bicycles employ a method of storing user information permitted to be used in the microcomputer of the electronic lock 10. In this method, the information can be stored in the hard disk of the microcomputer of the electronic lock 10. Only a few users can use it. On the other hand, in the electronic lock 10 according to the present invention, the information of authorized users is not stored in the electronic lock 10, but the key ID and the password are stored in a server (server for centralized management), and the bicycle Since the method of sharing the data on the server between the owner and the bicycle user permitted to use is adopted, the number of users can be greatly increased. In addition, it has a mechanism for automatically updating passwords (so-called one-time passwords), improving the security level.

  Furthermore, the bicycle lock management and the bicycle lock management, the electronic lock 10 installed on the bicycle and capable of short-range wireless communication with the mobile phone, and the mobile phone and mobile phone that the bicycle user has individually By using a server that communicates with the server (server for centralized management), a dedicated server installation cost for each bicycle parking lot is not required, and the operation cost can be greatly reduced. With such a system, it is possible to pass the rental bicycle key to the bicycle user securely (securely) at low cost.

According to the present invention, the means of transportation around the station can be expected to increase in addition to buses and taxis, increasing the choice of means of transportation for bicycle users. And if the use of bicycles, which are eco-friendly vehicles that are kind to the earth, will increase, not only will it contribute to the prevention of global warming by reducing CO ₂ , but the range of actions for bicycle users will also expand, contributing greatly to the local economy. I think that it can be expected. In addition, it becomes possible to share personally-owned bicycles placed in bicycle parking lots, etc., and uneven distribution in rotation sharing by using various empty spaces in the streets such as storefronts in shopping streets as well as around the station You will be able to solve the problem.

<Example of electronic lock change>
The configuration of the electronic lock according to the present invention is not limited to the aspect of the above embodiment, and the electronic lock 10, the ring lock 20, the electronic module 30, the motor 40, the worm gear 50, the rack gear 60, the stopper 70, and the drive unit. 80, the microcomputer unit 90, the battery box 100, the lid hook 110, the lid hook hooking portion 120, and the like can be appropriately changed as necessary without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  Since the electronic lock according to the present invention has an excellent effect as described above, it is placed in a bicycle parking lot near the station while a bicycle user used for commuting, attending school, etc. goes to a company or school. It can be suitably used in the field relating to electronic locks used in bicycle sharing systems that effectively utilize bicycles that remain.

10. Electronic lock 20. Ring lock 30. Electronic module 40. Motor 50. Worm gear 60. Rack gear 70. Stopper 80. Drive unit 90. Microcomputer unit 100. Battery box 110. Lid Hook 120 ・ ・ Look hook hook

Claims (1)

An electronic lock with an electronic module added to a ring lock,
The electronic module includes a drive unit including a motor that opens and closes an electronic lock, a worm gear, a rack gear, and a stopper that stops the left and right movements of the rack gear;
It consists of a microcomputer unit with a short-range wireless communication chip for sending and receiving a key ID and password for unlocking the electronic lock, and a battery box,
An electronic lock, wherein a mobile phone and the short-range wireless communication chip can perform short-range wireless communication.

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