Electronic lock, locking system, method of operating an electronic lock, computer program product

• US 9,806,689 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2014
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Polak, Piotr, Knubben, Wilhelmus Hubertus Chretien, Meyn, Hauke
• Primary Examiner(s): Yacob, Sisay
• Application Number:
  US14/258,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20140340195A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00634 Power supply for the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00777 by induction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• 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: H03F 2200/03 the amplifier being designed for audio applications
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45528 the FBC comprising one or more passive resistors and being coupled between the LC and the IC
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2203/45588 the IC comprising offset compensating means
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45 Differential amplifiers differential sense amplifiers G11C7/062
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45071 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/301 the gain being continuously variable

Abstract

According to an aspect of the invention, an electronic lock is conceived, being adapted to harvest energy from a radio frequency (RF) connection established between a mobile device and said electronic lock, further being adapted to use the harvested energy for processing an authorization token received via said RF connection from the mobile device, and further being adapted to use the harvested energy for controlling an unlocking switch in dependence on a result of said processing.

Claims

1. An electronic lock,

being adapted to harvest energy from a radio frequency, RF, connection established between a mobile device and said electronic lock,

further being adapted to use the harvested energy for processing an authorization token received from the mobile device via said RF connection,

and further being adapted to use the harvested energy for controlling an unlocking switch in dependence on a result of said processing,

wherein the electronic lock comprises a secure element configured to decrypt the authorization token and to encrypt the decrypted authorization token before transmitting the encrypted authorization token for authorization.

2. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 1,

comprising an energy storage unit, in particular a capacitor, which is adapted to store the harvested energy.

3. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 1,

comprising a secondary antenna which is adapted to harvest the energy from the RF connection.

4. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 1,

being enabled for near field communication, NFC, such that said RF connection may be an NFC connection.

5. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 1,

further being adapted to process the authorization token by transmitting the authorization token to an authorization server via a further RF connection,

further being adapted to control the unlocking switch by enabling the unlocking switch upon or after receipt of a response indicative of a positive verification of the authorization token from the authorization server.

6. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 5,

comprising a low-power RF transceiver which is adapted to establish the further RF connection.

7. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 5,

wherein the secure element is adapted to store the decrypted authorization token, to encrypt the decrypted authorization token before the electronic lock transmits the encrypted authorization token to the authorization server, and to decrypt the response from the authorization server.

8. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 5,

further being adapted to participate in a first authentication process for establishing secure communication with the mobile device,

and further being adapted to participate in a second authentication process for establishing secure communication with the authorization server.

9. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the secure element is adapted to process the authorization token by verifying said authorization token and to enable the unlocking switch upon or after a positive verification of the authorization token.

10. A locking system comprising an electronic lock as claimed in claim 1, a mobile device and an authorization server.

11. The locking system as claimed in claim 10,

wherein the mobile device is adapted to request the authorization token from the authorization server via a separate communication channel.

12. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electronic lock comprises:

a primary antenna configured to communicate with the mobile device for receiving the authorization token; and

a secondary antenna configured to harvest the energy from the RF connection.

15. The electronic lock as claimed in claim 12, wherein the electronic lock further comprises a third antenna configured to transmit the authorization token to an authorization server.

13. A method of operating an electronic lock,

wherein said electronic lock harvests energy from a radio frequency, RF, connection established between a mobile device and said electronic lock,

wherein the electronic lock uses the harvested energy for processing an authorization token received from the mobile device via said RF connection,

wherein the electronic lock uses the harvested energy for controlling an unlocking switch in dependence on a result of said processing, and

wherein the electronic lock decrypts the authorization token and encrypts the decrypted authorization token before transmitting the encrypted authorization token for authorization.

14. A non-transitory computer program product comprising instructions executable by an electronic lock, wherein said instructions, when being executed by said electronic lock, carry out or control steps of a method as claimed in claim 13.