Method and system for access control proximity location

• US 20160055692A1
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Sensormatic Electronics LLC (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Trani, James
• Granted Patent: US 9,697,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00317 keyless data carrier having only one limited data transmission range
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00333 and the lock having more than one limited data transmission ranges
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00444 by the key
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00769 with data transmission performed by wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/63 Comprising locating means for detecting the position of the data carrier, i.e. within the vehicle or within a certain distance from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/20 involving the use of a pass
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A system for a frictionless access control automatically identifies users and enables access to restricted areas of a building for example via access points such as locked doors. The system allows access when authorized users are in the vicinity of doors without requiring the users to swipe access keycards (or badges) at keycard terminals located at the doors, as in current systems. The system includes user devices such as key fobs and mobile phones that wirelessly broadcast user information and unique IDs for each of the devices in data packets, which are received by positioning units. The positioning units determine locations of the user devices, and send the packet data and the location data to a verification and tracking system. Preferably, the positioning units include two or more antennas that determine close proximity of users to access points while also allowing the system to continuously monitor the locations of the users.

Claims

1. A security system, comprising:

user devices that transmit wireless signals including packet data, wherein the packet includes user information;

access points that provide access to restricted areas;

positioning units located near the access points that include two or more antennas, wherein each of the positioning units receive the wireless signals from the user devices, and determine locations of the user devices relative to the access points.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the antennas of the positioning units are Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) antennas.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a first antenna of the positioning units is an omnidirectional antenna and a second antenna of the positioning units is a directional antenna.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the positioning units determine the locations of the user devices relative to the access points by comparing attenuation of the wireless signals received between the two or more antennas.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the positioning units include:

a first omnidirectional antenna mounted to an exterior of the positioning units; and

a grounded enclosure including a second omnidirectional antenna to form a directional antenna.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first omnidirectional antenna receives the wireless signals from the user devices when the user devices are located beyond a threshold area of the access points, and the directional antenna receives the wireless signals from the user devices when the user devices are located within a threshold area of the access points.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the verification and tracking system authorizes the user devices by authenticating the user information broadcast by the user devices.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising door controllers that lock and unlock door access points, and wherein the positioning units send signals to the door controllers to unlock the door access points to provide access to the restricted areas of the building.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising door controllers that lock and unlock door access points, and wherein a verification and tracking system sends signals to the door controllers to unlock the door access points to provide access to the restricted areas of the building.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the verification and tracking system sends the signals to the door controllers to unlock the access points in response to the verification and tracking system determining that the user devices are authorized and in response to the positioning units determining that the user devices are located within a threshold area of the access points and remain within the threshold area for at least a lingering threshold value.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the user devices include mobile phones and fobs.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

video cameras that capture video data of users carrying the user devices; and

a video analysis system that accepts the video data from the video cameras over a network, and verifies identities of the users carrying the user devices from the video data.

13. A method for tracking and authorizing user devices in a security system, the method comprising:

the user devices transmitting wireless signals including packet data, wherein the packet data includes user information;

receiving the wireless signals from the user devices via positioning units including two or more antennas;

the positioning units determining locations of the user devices relative to access points, and

providing access to restricted areas via the access points based on the determined locations.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the positioning units determining the locations of the user devices relative to the access points by comparing attenuation of the wireless signals received between the two or more antennas.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the positioning units determining the locations of the user devices relative to the access points by determining a time of flight of the wireless signals received at the two or more antennas.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the positioning units determining the locations of the user devices relative to the access points by using triangulation of the wireless signals received at the two or more antennas.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising the positioning units determining locations of the user devices relative to the access points by using an omnidirectional antenna that receives the wireless signals from the user devices when the user devices are located beyond a threshold area of the access points, and using a directional antenna that receives the wireless signals from the user devices when the user devices are located within a threshold area of the access points.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising the verification and tracking system authorizing the user devices by authenticating the user information associated with the user devices.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein providing access to the restricted areas via access points of the building comprises using door controllers to lock and unlock door access points, and the positioning units sending signals to the door controllers to unlock the door access points.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the verification and tracking system sending the signals to the door controllers to unlock the door access points in response to a verification and tracking system determining that the user devices are authorized and in response to the positioning units determining that the user devices are located within a threshold area of the door access points and also remain within the threshold area for at least a lingering threshold value.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

capturing video data of users carrying the user devices; and

analyzing the video data to verify identities of the users carrying the user devices from the video data.

22. A positioning unit for monitoring wireless user devices relative to an access point of a building, the positioning unit comprising:

an omnidirectional antenna that detects BLE signals from the wireless user device; and

a directional antenna that is used to determine whether the user devices are located within a threshold area of the access point and also remain within the threshold area for at least a lingering threshold value.