Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
Title
ELECTRIC LOCK AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF
Background of the Invention
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to an electric lock and a control
method thereof, and more particularly, to an electric lock being
operated by a portable device and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
[0002] Generally speaking, a conventional electric lock is set with
a default password. A user can input the default password via an input
interface to unlock the electric lock. For example, the input
interface can be a numeric keypad which includes a set of numerical
buttons disposed on an outside of a door, and the default password
can be a set of numbers. When the set of numbers is correctly inputted
via the numeric keypad, the electric lock can be unlocked. However,
when the host of the electric lock performs the unlocking operation,
it is hard to prevent people with bad intentions from obtaining the
default password by peeping and skimming. Alternatively, the
permutation combination of the numerical buttons are limited, people
with bad intentions can crack the default password by trying different
permutation combination of the numerical buttons. Therefore, the
safety of the conventional electric lock needs to be strengthened.
Summary of the Invention
[0003] A purpose of the present invention is to provide an electric
lock and a control method thereof for solving above drawbacks.
[0004] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a control
method for operating an elect= lock by using a portable device
includes the portable device obtaining an encrypted message according
to an encryption function; the portable device transmitting the
encrypted message to the electric lock; the electric lock decrypting
the encrypted message according to a decryption function; and the
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electric lock determining whether to perform an action according
to a decryption result of the encrypted message.
[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention,
an electric lock includes a wireless module, a storage unit, a
lock unit, and a processing unit. The processing unit is
electrically connected to the wireless module, the storage unit
and the lock unit. The electric lock is operated by using a
portable device. The portable device obtains an encrypted message
according to an encryption function, and the portable device
transmits the encrypted message to the electric lock. The
wireless module receives the encrypted message. The processing
unit decrypts the encrypted message according to a decryption
function, and the processing unit determines whether to perform
an action according to a decryption result of the encrypted
message.
[0006] According to the aforementioned embodiments, with the
portable device transmitting the encrypted message to the
electric lock and the electric lock decrypting the encrypted
message, the present invention can prevent people with bad
intentions from obtaining the default password by skimming or
from cracking the default password by trying different
permutation combination of buttons, which is favorable for
enhancing the safety.
[0006a] According to an embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a control method for operating an electric
lock by using a portable device, the control method comprising:
the electric lock transmitting a first wireless signal by
broadcasting, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a lock
unique identification information of the electric lock and a
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time message; the portable device receiving the first wireless
signal by scanning and determining if the lock unique
identification information of the first wireless signal matches
a default lock unique identification information; the portable
device encrypting the time message to obtain an encrypted message
according to an encryption function when the lock unique
identification information matches the default lock unique
identification information; the portable device transmitting a
second wireless signal to the electric lock by broadcasting,
wherein the second wireless signal comprises the encrypted
message and a device unique identification information of the
portable device; the electric lock decrypting the encrypted
message according to a decryption function; and the electric
lock determining whether to perform an unlocking operation
according to a decryption result of the encrypted message.
[0006b]
According to an embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided a control method for operating an electric
lock by using a portable device, the electric lock comprising an
input interface disposed on an outside of a door, and the control
method comprising: inputting a unique code of the portable device
via the input interface; the electric lock determining if the
unique code matches a default code; the electric lock
transmitting a first wireless signal when the unique code matches
the default code, wherein the first wireless signal comprises a
device unique identification information of the portable device;
the portable device having the device unique identification
transmitting a connection request after receiving the first
wireless signal, so as to establish connection with the electric
lock; the portable device obtaining an encrypted message
according to an encryption function; the portable device
transmitting the encrypted message to the electric lock; the
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electric lock decrypting the encrypted message according to a
decryption function; and the electric lock determining whether
to perform an action according to a decryption result of the
encrypted message.
[0006c]
According to an embodiment of the present invention,
there is provided an electric lock, comprising: a wireless
module; a storage unit; a lock unit; and a processing unit
electrically connected to the wireless module, the storage unit
and the lock unit; wherein the electric lock is operated by using
a portable device; wherein the wireless module transmits a first
wireless signal by broadcasting, and the first wireless signal
comprises a lock unique identification information of the
electric lock and a time message; wherein the portable device
receives the first wireless signal by scanning and determines if
the lock unique identification information of the first wireless
signal matches a default lock unique identification information;
wherein the portable device encrypts the time message to obtain
an encrypted message according to an encryption function when
the lock unique identification information matches the default
lock unique identification information, the portable device
transmits a second wireless signal to the electric lock by
broadcasting, and the second wireless signal comprises the
encrypted message and a device unique identification information
of the portable device; wherein the wireless module receives the
encrypted message, the processing unit decrypts the encrypted
message according to a decryption function, and the processing
unit determines whether to perform an unlocking operation
according to a decryption result of the encrypted message.
[0006d] According to another embodiment of the present
invention, there is provided an electric lock, comprising: a
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wireless module; a storage unit; a lock unit; and a processing
unit electrically connected to the wireless module, the storage
unit and the lock unit; an input interface electrically connected
to the processing unit, the input interface being disposed on an
outside of a door for a user to input a unique code of a portable
device; wherein the processing unit determines if the unique
code matches a default code stored in the storage unit; wherein
the wireless module transmits a first wireless signal when the
unique code matches the default code, and the first wireless
signal comprises a device unique identification information of
the portable device; wherein the portable device having the
device unique identification transmits a connection request
after receiving the first wireless signal, so as to establish
connection with the wireless module; wherein the electric lock
is operated by using the portable device, the portable device
obtains an encrypted message according to an encryption function,
and the portable device transmits the encrypted message to the
electric lock; wherein the wireless module receives the encrypted
message, the processing unit decrypts the encrypted message
according to a decryption function, and the processing unit
determines whether to perform an action according to a decryption
result of the encrypted message.
[0007]
These and other objectives of the present invention
will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the
art after reading the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures
and drawings.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electric lock of the
present invention.
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[0009] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the electric lock
of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric
lock
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receiving an encrypted message according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock
performing an unlocking operation according to a first example of
Fig. 3.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock
communicating with a portable device when performing the unlocking
operation according to a second example of Fig. 3.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock
transmitting a random key and the portable device transmitting the
encrypted message when performing the unlocking operation according
to the second example of Fig. 3.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock
transmitting an encrypted result message when performing the
unlocking operation according to the second example of Fig. 3.
[0015] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method for
operating the electric lock by using the portable device according
to the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a first
example of FIG. 8.
[0017] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a second
example of FIG. 8.
[0018] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock
entering an administrator setting mode according to another
embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock
of FIG. 11 entering a user setting mode.
[0020] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating the portable device
of FIG. 11 in the user setting mode.
[0021] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock
performing the unlocking operation according to a first example of
FIG. 11.
[0022] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock
performing the unlocking operation according to a second example of
FIG. 11.
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[0023] FIG. 16 is another flowchart illustrating a control method for
operating the electric lock by using the portable device according
to the present invention.
Detailed Description
[0024] Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram
of an electric lock 100 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a functional
block diagram of the electric lock 100 of the present invention. As
shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the electric lock 100 includes a wireless
module 110, a storage unit 120, a lock unit 130 and a processing unit
150, wherein the electric lock 100 can selectively include an input
interface 140. The wireless module 110 can be a Bluetooth module or
other wireless communication modules. The storage unit 120 is
configured to store data (such as a device unique identification
information of the portable device, a unique code or a predetermined
administrator password) . The storage unit 120 can be, but is not
limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) , a random access memory (RAM)
or a combination thereof. The lock unit 130 is configured to perform
a locking operation or an unlocking operation for an object (such
as a door) . The lock unit 130 can be a conventional lock mechanism,
which can include a lock tongue, a plate, a transmission mechanism
(including a motor, a gear, etc.) and a clutch mechanism, wherein
the clutch mechanism is coordinated with the plate to allow the
transmission mechanism capable of driving the lock tongue so as to
lock or unlock the door. The input interface 140 is configured to
receive an external input. In the present embodiment, the input
interface 140 includes a key L and a key R, but the present invention
is not limited thereto. In other embodiments of the present invention,
the input interface 140 can further include other input elements of
different kinds, such as a numeric keypad or touch panel. The
processing unit 150 is electrically connected to the wireless module
110, the storage unit 120, the lock unit 130 and the input interface
140, and configured to control operation of the electric lock 100.
The processing unit 150 can be, but is not limited to, a central
processing unit (CPU) .
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' [0025] Please refer to FIG. 3 as well as FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 3
is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock 100 receiving
an encrypted message according to an embodiment of the present
invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the electric lock 100 can be operated
by using a portable device 200. The portable device 200 obtains the
encrypted message according to an encryption function, and transmits
the encrypted message to the electric lock 100. The wireless module
110 of the electric lock 100 receives the encrypted message. The
processing unit 150 decrypts the encrypted message according to a
decryption function, and the processing unit 150 determines whether
to perform an action according to a decryption result of the encrypted
message. For example, each of the electric lock 100 and the portable
device 200 can be installed with an application program AP, and the
encryption function and the decryption function can be built in the
application program AP . The portable device 200 can use the encryption
function of the application program AP to encrypt a message (such
as a time message, an unlock command, etc.) to obtain the encrypted
message, then transmits the encrypted message to the electric lock
100. After the wireless module 110 of the electric lock 100 receiving
the encrypted message, the electric lock 100 can use the decryption
function of the application program AP to decrypt the encrypted
message transmitted by the portable device 200. The encryption
function and the decryption function can be based on, but is not
limited to, an advanced encryption standard (AES) algorithm.
[0026] With the electric lock 100 is operated by the portable device
200, it can prevent people with bad intentions from obtaining the
default password by peeping or from cracking the default password
by trying different permutation combination of buttons, which is
favorable for enhancing the safety. Furthermore, the communicating
messages between the electric lock 100 and the portable device 200
are encrypted messages, which can prevent other portable device from
wirelessly intercepting the communicating messages and performing
an unlocking operation to the electric lock 100, so that the safety
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can be further enhanced.
[0027] Please refer to FIG. 4 as well as FIG. 1 to FIG.3. FIG. 4 is
a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock 100 performing
an unlocking operation according to a first example of Fig. 3.
Specifically, the wireless module 110 can transmit a first wireless
signal by broadcasting. The first wireless signal can include a lock
unique identification information of the electric lock 100 and a time
message. The lock unique identification information can be a
universally unique identifier (UUID) . The time message can be the
time of a real-time clock (RTC) or a clock chip of the electric lock
100 when transmitting the first wireless signal. The portable device
200 can receive the first wireless signal by scanning and determine
if the lock unique identification information of the first wireless
signal matches a default lock unique identification information. The
portable device 200 can encrypt the time message to obtain the
encrypted message according to the encryption function when the lock
unique identification information matches the default lock unique
identification information. The portable device 200 can transmit a
second wireless signal by broadcasting. The second wireless signal
can include the encrypted message and a device unique identification
information of the portable device 200. The device unique
identification information can be a universally unique identifier
(UIJID) . The wireless module 100 can receive the second wireless signal
by scanning. The processing unit 150 can determine if the device unique
identification information of the second wireless signal matches a
default device unique identification information. The default device
unique identification information is stored in the storage unit 120.
The processing unit 150 decrypts the encrypted message to obtain the
time message according to the decryption function when the device
unique identification information matches the default device unique
identification information. The processing unit 150 can determine
whether to perform the unlocking operation according to the time
message and a signal strength value of the second wireless signal
received by the wireless module 110. The signal strength value can
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be a received signal strength indication (RSSI) . Specifically, the
processing unit 150 can control the lock unit 130 to perform the
unlocking operation when the processing unit 150 determines that a
difference between the time message and a time at which the wireless
module 110 receives the second wireless signal is less than a time
threshold value and the signal strength value is greater than a default
strength value.
[0028] According to the above explanation, in the first example, the
electric lock 100 and the portable device 200 communicate with each
other by broadcasting and scanning. The step of requesting connection
from the portable device 200 to the electric lock 100 can be omitted,
which is favorable for saving time and enhancing the efficiency of
unlocking operation. Furthermore, in the first example, the electric
lock 100 determines if the portable device 200 is a default portable
device for unlocking the electric lock 100 by the device unique
identification information of the portable device 200, and the
portable device 200 determines if the electric lock 100 is a default
electric lock to be unlocked by the lock unique identification
information of the electric lock 100. Therefore, it can prevent the
electric lock 100 from being unlocked by a non-default portable device,
which is favorable for enhancing the safety of the electric lock 100.
[0029] Moreover, in the first example, the electric lock 100 uses the
time message being the encrypted message, which can ensure the
uniqueness of the encrypted message, and can prevent the electric
lock 100 being unlocked due to an error message. That is, in the first
example, the processing unit 150 controls the lock unit 130 to perform
the unlocking operation when the following two conditions are
satisfied simultaneously. The first condition is that the difference
between the time message of the first wireless signal and the time
at which the wireless module 110 received the second wireless signal
should be less than the time threshold value. The second condition
is that the signal strength value of the second wireless signal should
be greater than a default strength value. With the first condition,
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the timeliness of the second wireless signal can be enhanced, which
can increase the difficult to crack the encrypted message. With the
=
second condition, the precise timing for performing the unlocking
operation can be well controlled, which means only when a distance
between the portable device 200 and the electric lock 100 is within
a predetermined distance range (when the distance between the portable
device 200 and the electric lock 100 is reduced, the signal strength
value of the second wireless signal is increased) , the processing
unit 150 controls the lock unit 130 to perform the unlocking operation.
Furthermore, in the example, both of the first wireless signal and
the second wireless signal do not include any unlock commands, which
can greatly reduce the chance of malicious intrusion by others.
[0030] Please refer to FIG. 5 as well as FIG. 1 to FIG.3. FIG. 5 is
a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock 100 communicating
with the portable device 200 when performing the unlocking operation
according to a second example of Fig. 3. In the second example, as
mentioned in the related description of Fig. 3, the electric lock
100 can be operated by using the portable device 200. The portable
device 200 obtains the encrypted message according to the encryption
function, and transmits the encrypted message to the electric lock
100. The wireless module 110 of the electric lock 100 receives the
encrypted message. The processing unit 150 decrypts the encrypted
message according to the decryption function, and the processing unit
150 determines whether to perform an action according to the
decryption result of the encrypted message. Other details of FIG.
3 can refer to above and are not repeated herein.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the input interface 140 can be
disposed on an outside of a door (not shown) for a user to input a
unique code of the portable device 200. The unique code can be a
permutation combination formed by the pressing sequence and the
pressing times of the key L and the key R, such as LLRR, but the present
invention is not limited thereto. The unique code can be set according
to the type of the input interface 140, such as a numeric keypad or
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a touch panel. When the user desires to operate the electric lock
100 with the portable device 200, the user needs to input the unique
code of the portable device 200 via the input interface 140. Then
the processing unit 150 determines if the unique code matches a default
code stored in the storage unit 120. The wireless module 110 transmits
a first wireless signal when the unique code matches the default code.
The first wireless signal includes a device unique identification
information of the portable device 200. The portable device 200 having
the device unique identification transmits a connection request after
receiving the first wireless signal, so as to establish connection
with the wireless module 110.
[0032] With the user requiring to manually input the unique code from
an outside of the door, it can prevent the user from mistakenly
performing the unlocking operation inside the door. Moreover, the
portable device 200 which is defaulted to unlock the electric lock
100 has a unique code, it can prevent the electric lock 100 from being
unlocked by a non-default portable device so as to enhance the safety
of the electric lock 100.
[0033] Please refer to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram
illustrating the electric lock 100 transmitting a random key and the
portable device 200 transmitting the encrypted message when
performing the unlocking operation according to the second example
of Fig. 3. After the portable device 200 establishes connection with
the wireless module 110, the processing unit 150 generates a random
key and transmits the random key to the portable device 200 via the
wireless module 100. The portable device 200 can encrypt an action
command with the random key according to the encryption function to
obtain the encrypted message. The electric lock 100 can decrypt the
encrypted message with the random key according to the decryption
function. When the electric lock 100 successfully decrypts the
encrypted message, the electric lock 100 performs an action assigned
in the action command. Specifically, the random key can be generated
by the application program AP installed in the electric lock 100.
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The communicating messages between the electric lock 100 and the
=
s portable device 200 can be encrypted and decrypted via the random
key. The action command can be a unlock command. When the electric
lock 100 successfully decrypts the encrypted message, the processing
unit 150 of the electric lock 100 can control the lock unit 130 to
perform the unlocking operation.
[0034] With using the random key to encrypt and decrypt, it can prevent
other portable device from wirelessly intercepting the communicating
messages and performing the unlocking operation to the electric lock
100, which can enhance the safety. Furthermore, the random key of
each connection between the electric lock 100 and the portable device
200 can be different. It can prevent people with bad intentions from
skimming and copying, so that the safety can be further enhanced.
[0035] Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram
illustrating the electric lock 100 transmitting an encrypted result
message when performing the unlocking operation according to the
second example of Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 7, after the electric lock
100 successfully decrypting the encrypted message and the electric
lock 100 performing the action assigned in the action command, the
processing unit 150 can encrypt an execution result of performing
the action command with the random key according to the encryption
function to obtain an encrypted result message, and control the
wireless module 110 to transmit the encrypted result message to the
portable device 200. The portable device 200 can decrypt the encrypted
result message with the random key according to the decryption
function to read the execution result. Therefore, the electric lock
100 can report to the portable device 200 whether the action command
given by the portable device 200 is successfully performed. For
example, when the action command is a unlock command, the electric
lock 100 can report to the portable device 200 whether the electric
lock 100 is successfully unlocked. Moreover, the portable device 200
can stored the execution result, so as to preserve the operation record
of the electric lock 100.
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[0036] According to the above explanation, in the second example, with
the user requiring to manually input the unique code at an outside
of the door, it can prevent the user from mistakenly performing the
unlocking operation inside the door. Moreover, with the use of the
random key, the safety of the electric lock 100 can be enhanced
significantly.
[0037] Please refer to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a
control method 400 for operating an electric lock by using a portable
device according to the present invention. In FIG. 8, the control
method 400 includes Step 410, Step 420, Step 430 and Step 440.
[0038] In Step 410, the portable device obtains an encrypted message
according to an encryption function. In Step 420, the portable device
transmits the encrypted message to the electric lock. In Step 430,
the electric lock decrypts the encrypted message according to a
decryption function. In Step 440, the electric lock determines whether
to perform an action according to a decryption result of the encrypted
message. Details of Step 410 to Step 440 can refer to the related
description of FIG. 3 and are not repeated herein.
[0039] Please refer to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a
control method 500 of a first example of FIG. 8. In FIG. 9, the control
method 500 includes Step 510, Step 520, Step 530, Step 540, Step 550,
Step 560 and Step 570.
[0040] In Step 510, the electric lock transmits a first wireless signal
by broadcasting, wherein the first wireless signal includes a lock
unique identification information of the electric lock and a time
message.
[0041] In Step 520, the portable device receives the first wireless
signal by scanning and determines if the lock unique identification
information of the first wireless signal matches a default lock unique
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identification information.
[0042] In Step 530, the portable device encrypts the time message to
obtain the encrypted message according to the encryption function
when the lock unique identification information matches the default
lock unique identification information.
[0043] In Step 540, the portable device transmits a second wireless
signal by broadcasting, wherein the second wireless signal includes
the encrypted message and a device unique identification information
of the portable device.
[0044] In Step 550, the electric lock receives the second wireless
signal by scanning and determines if the device unique identification
information of the second wireless signal matches a default device
unique identification information.
[0045] In Step 560, the electric lock decrypts the encrypted message
to obtain the time message according to the decryption function when
the device unique identification information matches the default
device unique identification information.
[0046] In Step 570, the electric lock determines whether to perform
an unlocking operation according to the time message and a signal
strength value of the second wireless signal received by the electric
lock.
[0047] Details of Step 510 to Step 570 can refer to the related
description of FIG. 4 and are not repeated herein.
[0048] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control method 600 of
a second example of FIG. 8. In FIG. 10, the control method 600 includes
Step 610, Step 620, Step 630, Step 640, Step 650, Step 660 and Step
670.
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[0049] In Step 610, a unique code of the portable device is inputted
via an input interface.
[0050] In Step 620, the electric lock determines if the unique code
matches a default code.
[0051] In Step 630, the electric lock transmits a first wireless signal
when the unique code matches the default code, wherein the first
wireless signal includes a device unique identification information
of the portable device.
[0052] In Step 640, the portable device having the device unique
identification transmits a connection request after receiving the
first wireless signal, so as to establish connection with the electric
lock.
[0053] In Step 650, the electric lock generates a random key and
transmits the random key to the portable device after the portable
device establishes connection with the electric lock.
[0054] In Step 660, the portable device encrypts an action command
with the random key according to the encryption function to obtain
the encrypted message.
[0055] In Step 670, the electric lock decrypts the encrypted message
with the random key according to the decryption function, and the
electric lock performs the action command when the electric lock
successfully decrypts the encrypted message.
[0056] Details of Step 610 to Step 670 can refer to the related
description of FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 and are not repeated herein.
[0057] Please refer to FIG. 11 as well as FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 11
is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock 100 entering
an administrator setting mode according to another embodiment of the
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present invention. As shown in figures, a portable device 200 is
operated to communicate with the electric lock 100 by an administrator.
For example, the portable device 200 is installed with an application
program AP and communicates with the electric lock 100 through the
wireless module 110 of the electric lock 100. The administrator is
able to input an administrator password to the application program
AP, and the portable device 200 is utilized for transmitting the
administrator password to electric lock 100. When the processing unit
150 determines that the administrator password transmitted from the
portable device 200 matches the predetermined administrator password
stored in the storage unit 120, the processing unit 150 enters an
administrator setting mode. On the other hand, regardless of whether
the administrator password is inputted from an authenticated/a paired
portable device, or even the administrator password is inputted from
an unspecified portable device, the processing unit 150 is able to
enter the administrator setting mode as long as the processing unit
150 determines that the inputted administrator password matches the
predetermined administrator password, such that the electric lock
100 is convenient in management and reduces issues resulting from
loss of the portable device. In the administrator setting mode, the
administrator is able to utilize the portable device 200 for
controlling the processing unit 150 to randomly generate an
authentication code (or a plurality of authentication codes) . The
number of the authentication codes can depend on the administrator' s
demands. After the authentication code is generated by the processing
unit 150, the processing unit 150 is able to control the wireless
module 110 to transmit the authentication code to the portable device
200. In addition, the processing unit 150 is further able to control
the storage unit 120 to store the authentication code.
[0058] Please refer to FIG.12 as well as FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 12
is a schematic diagram illustrating the electric lock 100 of FIG.
11 entering a user setting mode. When the authentication code is
received, the administrator is able to notify a temporary user of
the authentication code by SMS or by e-mail. Afterwards, the temporary
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user is able to set up an unlock setting based on the authentication
code. As shown in FIG. 12, a portable device 300 is operated to
communicate with the electric lock 100 by the temporary user. For
example, the portable device 300 is installed with the application
program AP and is able to communicate with the electric lock 100
through the wireless module 110 of the electric lock 100. The temporary
user is able to input the authentication code to the application
program AP, the portable device 300 is utilized for transmitting the
authentication code to the electric lock 100, such that the processing
unit 150 is able to compare the authentication code transmitted from
the portable device 300 with the authentication code stored in the
storage unit 120. When the processing unit 150 determines that the
authentication code transmitted from the portable device 300 matches
the authentication code stored in the storage unit 120, the processing
unit 150 controls the wireless module 110 to be paired with the
portable device 300 (e.g., in a Bluetooth paring manner) and receives
a device unique identification information of the portable device
300. The device unique identification information of the portable
device 300 can include at least one of a serial number of device,
an international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) and a media access
control (MAC) address. In addition, the processing unit 150 is further
able to control the storage unit 120 to store the device unique
identification information of the portable device 300.
[0059] On the other hand, when the processing unit 150 determines that
the authentication code transmitted from the portable device 300
matches the authentication code stored in the storage unit 120, the
processing unit 150 is able to enter a user setting mode. As shown
in FIG. 13, in the user setting mode, the temporary user is able to
respectively input a user name and an unlock code in a user name column
Cl and an unlock code column C2 of the application program AP. The
unlock code is a sequence of the key L and the key R required for
unlocking the electric lock 100, such as the sequence of LLRR, but
the present invention is not limited thereto. The sequence can be
set up according to the temporary user personal preferences. In
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addition, the unlock code is not limited to the sequence of pressing
the key L and the key R. When the input interface 140 includes a numeric
keypad or a touch panel in other embodiment, the unlock code can be
the sequence of pressing the numeric keys or a gesture of touching
and dragging. Afterwards, the application program AP transmits the
user name and the unlock code inputted by the temporary user to the
electric lock 100. When the processing unit 150 receives the user
name and the unlock code in the user setting mode, the processing
unit 150 is able to control the storage unit 120 to store the user
name and the unlock code. In addition, in the user setting mode, the
processing unit 150 does not generate the authentication code for
avoiding the authority of the temporary user from over expansion.
Moreover, when the authentication code is inputted, the processing
unit 150 is able to tag the authentication code which has been inputted,
so as to prevent the authentication codes from being used repeatedly.
[0060] Please refer to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram
illustrating the electric lock 100 performing the unlocking operation
according to a first example of FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 14, when
the temporary user desires to unlock the electric lock 100, the
portable device 300 is utilized for transmitting a unlock command
to the electric lock 100 through the application program AP by the
temporary user. When the processing unit 150 receives the unlock
command and the wireless module 110 senses the portable device 300
having the device unique identification information within a
predetermined distance, the processing unit 150 is able to control
the lock unit 130 to perform the unlocking operation.
[0061] On the other hand, referring to FIG. 15, FIG. 15 is a schematic
diagram illustrating the electric lock 100 performing the unlocking
operation according to a second example of FIG. 11. As shown in FIG.
15, when the temporary user desires to unlock the electric lock 100,
the temporary user can press the key L and key R of the input interface
140 according the sequence of the unlock code set in advance. When
the processing unit 150 determines that the sequence of the key L
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=
and the key R matches one of the unlock code stored in the storage
unit 120 and when the wireless module 110 senses the portable device
300 having the device unique identification information
(corresponding to the inputted unlock code) within a predetermined
distance, the processing unit 150 is able to control the lock unit
130 to perform the unlocking operation. As such, the temporary user
is able to unlock the electric lock 100 without operation of the
portable device 300.
[0062] According to the above arrangement, the administrator of the
electric lock 100 of the present invention can authorize the temporary
user to set up the unlock setting, without changing the password by
the operation of the electric lock 100 in person. In addition, after
the temporary user finishes the unlock setting, the electric lock
100 is able to perform the unlocking operation through the portable
device 300 having the device unique identification information. Since
the device unique identification information of the portable device
300 is unique, it is difficult to crack the unlock setting set by
the temporary user.
[0063] In addition, in the administrator setting mode, the
administrator is able to further set a valid period corresponding
to the authentication code through the application program AP of the
portable device 200. When the temporary user desires to utilize the
portable device 300 to unlock the electric lock 100 over expiration
of the valid period, the processing unit 150 does not control the
lock unit 130 to perform the unlocking operation according to the
device unique identification information of the portable device 300.
[0064] Moreover, in the administrator setting mode, the administrator
is able to further set a limit of usage count corresponding to the
authentication code through the application program AP of the portable
device 200. When a number of times of the portable device 300 used
by the temporary user for unlocking the electric lock 100 exceeds
the limit of usage count, the processing unit 150 does not control
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the lock unit 130 to perform the unlocking operation according to
the device unique identification information of the portable device
300.
[0065] On the other hand, when processing unit 150 controls the lock
unit 130 to perform the unlocking operation, the processing unit 150
can further control the storage unit 120 to store the user name and
an unlock time slot of the portable device 300. The administrator
is able to access an unlocked history of the electric lock 100 by
means of connection between the portable device 200 and the electric
lock 100. Alternatively, the processing unit 150 can upload the
unlocked history of the electric lock 100 to a cloud server, such
that the administrator is able to monitor the unlocked history of
the electric lock 100 easily.
[0066] In the present embodiment, the portable device 200 of the
administrator is different from the portable device 300 of the
temporary user, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
In other embodiments, the portable device 200 of the administrator
can be the same as the portable device 300 of the temporary user.
[0067] Please refer to FIG. 16. FIG. 16 is another flowchart
illustrating a control method 800 for operating an electric lock by
using a portable device according to the present invention. As shown
in FIG. 16, the control method 800 includes Step 810, Step 8620, Step
830, Step 840, Step 850, Step 860 and Step 870.
[0068] In Step 810, the electric lock enters an administrator setting
mode after receiving an administrator password.
[0069] In Step 820, the electric lock generates an authentication code
in the administrator setting mode.
[0070] In Step 830, the electric lock wirelessly receives a first input
from the portable device.
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[0071] In Step 840, the electric lock compares the first input with
the authentication code.
[0072] In Step 850, the electric lock pairs with the portable device
and receives a device unique identification information of the
portable device when the electric lock determines that the first input
matches the authentication code.
[0073] In Step 860, the electric lock stores the device unique
identification information of the portable device.
[0074] In Step 870, the electric lock performs an unlocking operation
when the electric lock receives a second input and senses the portable
device having the device unique identification information within
a predetermined distance.
[0075] On the other hand, the order of the control method of the present
invention is not limited to the order of the above steps. The order
of the above steps can be changed. Moreover, the steps of the control
method of the present invention need not be in the exact order shown.
[0076] In contrast to the prior art, with the portable device
transmitting the encrypted message to the electric lock and the
electric lock decrypting the encrypted message, the present invention
can prevent people with bad intentions from obtaining the default
password by skimming or from cracking the default password by trying
different permutation combination of buttons, which is favorable for
enhancing the safety.
[0077] In contrast to the prior art, an administrator of the electric
lock of the present invention is able to authorize to a temporary
user to set up an unlock setting, such that the administrator does
not have to change password of the electric lock by operation of the
electric lock in person, in order to improve convenience of management
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of the electric lock. In addition, the electric lock of the present
invention performs the unlocking operation according to the device
unique identification information of the portable device, in order
to improve security of usage of the temporary user.
[0078] Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous
modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made
while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above
disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds
of the appended claims.
CA 3028806 2019-01-03
