Patent Description:
Various mobile devices have been utilized to open locks via an infrared 'beam' to the lock, which provides directionality, or a 'push the button' on the box to wake up the lock for subsequent communication over Bluetooth. With the capability present in Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) to communicate with very low power, new system architectures allow the lock to be 'always on' and sending periodic BTLE advertisements, such as once per second so that the lock may be opened without requiring a wake up procedure. The low power requirements result in many years of battery life.

Adding BTLE always on capability to a lock in addition to physical card readers reduces the overall battery life. Additionally, in order to minimize the impact on the battery life, the advertisement rate for a BTLE device must be slowed down to a point to where the operational current draw is acceptable for a given battery life expectancy (i.e. <NUM> years). The rate at which a connectable device sends BTLE advertisements directly affects the amount of time required to connect to the device because after a person indicates intent to open a lock with their mobile device, the mobile device must wait for the next advertisement before connecting to the device. This leads to a trade-off in performance for how fast the lock opens versus battery life.

Viewed from a first aspect, the invention provides a method of dynamically changing a mode of advertising for an electromechanical lock as defined in claim <NUM>.

Optionally, the pre-set schedule is based on at least one of a temporal variable, time of day, and day of month.

Optionally, the event is at least one of an actuation of the electromechanical lock, a low battery indication, a door open event, and an office mode state.

Optionally, the method may include adjusting the performance setting from the nominal mode in response to building occupancy.

Optionally, the method may include adjusting the performance setting from the nominal mode in response to a mobile device user behavior.

Optionally, the method may include adjusting the performance setting from the nominal mode in response to a check in event.

Viewed from a further aspect, the invention provides an access control system comprising an electromechanical lock operable to transmit advertisements at a nominal rate and at least one other rate different than the nominal rate, wherein the access control system is configured such that the rate is selected in response to a pre-set schedule in accordance with a method as discussed above in connection with the first aspect.

<FIG> schematically illustrates an access control system <NUM>. The system <NUM> generally includes a mobile device <NUM>, a server <NUM>, and a plurality of access controls <NUM>, schematically illustrated as 16a, 16b,. It should be appreciated that, although particular systems are separately defined in the schematic block diagrams, each or any of the systems may be otherwise combined or separated via hardware and/or software.

The mobile device <NUM> is a wireless capable handheld device such as a smartphone, which is operable to communicate with the server <NUM> and the access controls <NUM>. The server <NUM> may provide credentials and other data to the mobile device <NUM>, such as firmware or software updates to be communicated to one or more of the access controls <NUM>. Although the server <NUM> is depicted herein as a single device, it should be appreciated that the server <NUM> may alternatively be embodied as a multiplicity of systems, from which the mobile device <NUM> receives credentials and other data.

The access control system includes an electromechanical lock as at least one access control <NUM>. Each access control <NUM> is a wireless-capable, restricted-access, or restricted-use device such as wireless locks, access control readers for building entry, electronic banking controls, data transfer devices, key dispenser devices, tool dispensing devices, and other restricted-use machines. The mobile device <NUM> submits credentials to the access controls <NUM>, thereby selectively permitting a user to access or activate functions of the access controls <NUM>. A user may, for example, submit a credential to an electromechanical lock to unlock it, and thereby gain access to a restricted area. In another example, a user may submit a credential to an electronic banking control to withdraw funds. In still another example, the user may submit the credential to a unit that dispenses key cards with data associated with or data retrieved from the credential. A mobile device <NUM> may store credentials for one or all or other of the examples noted above, and in addition may store a plurality of credentials for each type of application at the same time. Some credentials may be used for multiple access controls <NUM>. For example, a plurality of electronic locks in a facility may respond to the same credential. Other credentials may be specific to a single access control <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, a block diagram of an example electronic lock system <NUM> includes the access control 16a, the mobile device <NUM>, and the server <NUM>. The access control 16a generally includes a lock actuator <NUM>, a lock controller <NUM>, a lock antenna <NUM>, a lock transceiver <NUM>, a lock processor <NUM>, a lock memory <NUM>, a lock power supply <NUM>, a lock card reader <NUM> and a credential module <NUM>. The access control 16a is responsive to credentials from the mobile device <NUM>, and may, for example, be the lock of a lockbox, a door lock, or a lock core. Although the present disclosure focuses primarily on access control, it should be appreciated that other systems wherein credentials are transmitted from a mobile device to an access control so as to identify the user to an online system or validate user access rights or permissions in an offline system will benefit herefrom. Such systems include virtual or electronic banking systems, machine operation systems, dispensing systems, and data access systems.

Upon receiving and authenticating an appropriate credential from the mobile device <NUM> using the credential module <NUM>, or after receiving card data from lock card reader <NUM>, the lock controller <NUM> commands the lock actuator <NUM> to lock or unlock a mechanical or electronic lock. The lock controller <NUM> and the lock actuator <NUM> may be parts of a single electronic or electromechanical lock unit, or may be components sold or installed separately.

The lock transceiver <NUM> is capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from at least the mobile device <NUM>. The lock transceiver <NUM> may, for instance, be a near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi transceiver, or another appropriate wireless transceiver. The lock antenna <NUM> is any antenna appropriate to the lock transceiver <NUM>. The lock processor <NUM> and lock memory <NUM> are, respectively, data processing, and storage devices. The lock processor <NUM> may, for instance, be a microprocessor that can process instructions to validate card data and determine the access rights contained in the card data or to pass messages from a transceiver to a credential module <NUM> and to receive a response indication back from the credential module <NUM> with card data. The lock memory <NUM> may be RAM, EEPROM, or other storage medium where the lock processor <NUM> can read and write data including but not limited to lock configuration options and the lock audit trail. The lock audit trail may be a unified audit trail that includes events initiated by accessing the lock via the lock card reader <NUM> or the mobile device <NUM>. The lock power supply <NUM> is a power source such as line power connection, a power scavenging system, or a battery that powers the lock controller <NUM>. In other embodiments, the lock power supply <NUM> may only power the lock controller <NUM>, with the lock actuator <NUM> powered primarily or entirely by another source, such as user work (e.g. turning a bolt).

The credential module <NUM> is in communication with the lock processor <NUM> and is operable to decrypt and validate a credential to extract virtual card data communicated into the lock controller <NUM> as a "virtual card read. " That is, the access control 16a has essentially two readers, one reader <NUM> to read a physical key card <NUM> and the credential module <NUM> to communicate with the mobile device <NUM> via the lock processor <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM> and antenna <NUM>.

While the figure shows the lock antenna <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM> connected to the processor <NUM>, this is not to limit other embodiments that may have additional antenna <NUM> and transceiver <NUM> connected to the credential module <NUM> directly. The credential module <NUM> may contain a transceiver <NUM> and antenna <NUM> as part of the credential module. Or the credential module <NUM> may have a transceiver <NUM> and antenna <NUM> separately from the processor <NUM> which also has a separate transceiver <NUM> and antenna <NUM> of the same type or different. In some embodiments, the processor <NUM> may route communication received via transceiver <NUM> to the credential module <NUM>. In other embodiments the credential module may communicate directly to the mobile device <NUM> through the transceiver <NUM>.

The mobile device <NUM> generally includes a key antenna <NUM>, a key transceiver <NUM>, a key processor <NUM>, a key memory <NUM>, a GPS receiver <NUM>, an input device <NUM>, an output device <NUM>, and a key power supply <NUM>. The key transceiver <NUM> is a transceiver of a type corresponding to the lock transceiver <NUM>, and the key antenna <NUM> is a corresponding antenna. In some embodiments, the key transceiver <NUM> and the key antenna <NUM> may also be used to communicate with the server <NUM>. In other embodiments, one or more separate transceivers and antennas may be included to communicate with server <NUM>. The key memory <NUM> is of a type to store a plurality of credentials locally on the mobile device <NUM>. In other embodiments, the mobile device <NUM> communicates with the server <NUM> at the same time as it communicates to the access control 16a. This is the online configuration and in this embodiment a mobile credential is retrieved in real time and is passed to the credential module <NUM> without storing first in the key memory <NUM> on the mobile device <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, each access control <NUM> advertises using, for example, Bluetooth low energy (BTLE) which is received by the mobile device <NUM> (step <NUM>). Advertisements from multiple access controls <NUM> can be received because they are all in proximity to the mobile device <NUM>, or they are transmitting at a high enough power that they are within a distance from the mobile device <NUM> to be received.

Each of the multiple of access controls <NUM> dynamically changes its advertising performance in response to the server <NUM> and/or the lock controller <NUM>. That is, the mode of advertising is dynamically changed, i.e. the advertising rate, transmit power, etc., over time such that an overall average power consumption provides for longer battery life, while also providing for peak time periods where the lock performance is increased to facilitate higher user satisfaction.

With reference to <FIG>, in one embodiment, the access control system <NUM> dynamically changes the mode of advertising for at least one of the multiple of access controls <NUM> in response to a pre-set schedule. A method <NUM> of advertisement follows a pre-set schedule for self-modifying the performance dynamically. Initially, a nominal advertisement rate mode is set as a default (step <NUM>). The nominal advertisement rate mode may be, for example, one (<NUM>) advertisement per second that results in a <NUM> year battery life (<FIG>).

Then, in response to a pre-set schedule based on, for example, the time of day, the day of the week, and other temporal metrics, the nominal advertisement rate may be changed (step <NUM>) to a faster rate such as four (<NUM>) advertisements per second, which may be beneficial for lock open response times during check-in times of the day (e.g. 3pm-5pm), or to a slower rate such as one (<NUM>) advertisements every two (<NUM>) second, which may be beneficial during the night for overall lower use of the energy from the batteries <NUM> in the lock <NUM>. The result may be an overall better battery life than nominal, for example <NUM> years (<FIG>), because of energy saved in the batteries <NUM> during times of slower advertising as compared to additional energy used during times of optimal performance. Other variables such as room occupied / not occupied, i.e. when deadbolt is thrown or there is a recent door open/ closed event may further facilitate selection of a particular mode (step <NUM>). That is, a look-up table or other reference may be used by the lock processor <NUM> along with a time component to dynamically change the mode of advertising based on the time or based on other variables that can override the time schedule. Overriding the time schedule can be for a time period based on a configured amount of time after an event. Or the override can persist indefinitely while the access control <NUM> is in a particular state. An example of another variable where the access control <NUM> is in a particular state is when a lock <NUM> deadbolt is closed, the advertising rate can be slower because there is no expectation of being able to open the lock <NUM> while the deadbolt is closed which benefits to saving energy and a longer battery life. When the deadbolt returns to an open state, the regular schedule can be resumed.

For an alternate, non-limiting example of an override by an event, if a lock <NUM> is actuated once, there is some probability that it may be opened again in a short period of time, so for a short time period the advertising rate may be faster after a door open event to benefit how quickly subsequent lock openings can be made. After some amount of time the schedule may be resumed. The example given is a non-limiting example of an event and there are other access control <NUM> or access control system events that may be used to dynamically adjust the advertising mode. Other non-limiting examples of other events includes low battery indications in a lock that slow advertisements to conserve remaining battery capacity, and a door opened state that slows the advertisements if the door is already open or is held open since there is no need to unlock the door to enter the room, and an office mode state where the lock is in an unlocked state and there is no need to unlock the door to enter the room so the advertisements can be slower, and also a blocking mode where the lock may not be opened and is blocked for access so therefore the advertising rate can be slower. These are just a few non-limiting examples of types of states and events that can occur in an access control <NUM> or access control system <NUM> that can override a scheduled advertising mode.

With reference to <FIG>, in another embodiment, the access control system <NUM> includes an adjustable mode of advertising for at least one of the multiple access controls <NUM>. A method <NUM> of advertisement includes an adjustable schedule for an associated access control <NUM>. For example, a remote device <NUM> (<FIG>) such as a set-top box, a thermostat, a controller mounted nearby, and/or a gateway type device connects to an associated access control <NUM> to adjust the mode or schedule of advertising from a nominal mode (step <NUM>) on an as-needed or on-going basis (step <NUM>). The nominal mode (step <NUM>) is when the access control <NUM> is advertising at a nominal or average rate that normally achieves a desired battery life but may not achieve the desired fastest operation time, for example unlocking a door. The method <NUM> facilitates a cloud-based schedule that can be adjusted dynamically to optimize for, for example, guest behavior, building occupancy, etc..

One non-limiting example of method <NUM> using guest behavior, or more generally users of mobile device <NUM> behavior, to dynamically adjust the schedule may include the location of the user relative to access control <NUM> as determined by the current location of the mobile device <NUM> or as determined by the access control system <NUM>. For example, if the mobile device <NUM> is known to be in a proximity to the access control <NUM>, the nominal mode can be changed to a faster rate while the mobile device <NUM> is nearby. Knowing the location of the mobile device <NUM> can be determined by indoor location technologies or other well-known technologies in the art of identifying the position of a mobile device inside or outside a building. The position of the mobile device <NUM> can be sent to the server <NUM> or remote device <NUM> or both so that the schedule can be dynamically changed (step <NUM>). When the mobile device <NUM> is no longer nearby the access control <NUM>, then the schedule may be set to a slower mode to conserve battery life. In addition to the location of the mobile device <NUM> relative to the access control <NUM>, positioning technologies can be used to determine whether the mobile device <NUM> is moving closer or farther away. This can be further used to determine that a person with a mobile device <NUM> is getting close and will be getting closer to an access control and triggering method <NUM> to dynamically change the advertising mode so that when they arrive at the access control it is already operating at a faster rate. This method may also be used when, for example, the mobile device <NUM> is not yet within Bluetooth range of the access control <NUM>.

Another non-limiting example of method <NUM> using other variables such as room reservation, check-in times, check-out times, and/or special events to dynamically adjust the schedule may include selection of a desired mode or re-configuration of a pre-programmed schedule stored in lock memory <NUM>. For example, when a hotel guest checks-in to their room, this event may be registered by server <NUM> and either sent to remote device <NUM> or an adjustment request is sent to remote device <NUM> so that the schedule can be dynamically changed (step <NUM>) before the hotel guest arrives so that the adjusted schedule optimizes for guest performance when using their mobile device <NUM> with the lock <NUM>. After a room has been vacated, and is no longer occupied, then a nominal schedule can be set back into the access control <NUM> by the remote device <NUM> where the adjusted schedule conserves more battery life. Dynamic scheduling facilitates an optimized interaction between the user of the mobile device <NUM> and the access control <NUM> while also optimizing for conserving energy in batteries <NUM> for as long of a battery life as possible.

The elements described and depicted herein, including in flow charts and block diagrams throughout the figures, imply logical boundaries between the elements. However, according to software or hardware engineering practices, the depicted elements and the functions thereof may be implemented on machines through computer executable media having a processor capable of executing program instructions stored thereon as a monolithic software structure, as standalone software modules, or as modules that employ external routines, code, services, and so forth, or any combination of these, and all such implementations may be within the scope of the present disclosure.

The use of the terms "a," "an," "the," and similar references in the context of description (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or specifically contradicted by context. The modifier "about" used in connection with a quantity is inclusive of the stated value and has the meaning dictated by the context (e.g., it includes the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity). All ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the endpoints, and the endpoints are independently combinable with each other.

Although the different non-limiting embodiments have specific illustrated components, the embodiments of this invention are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from any of the non-limiting embodiments in combination with features or components from any of the other non-limiting embodiments.

It should be appreciated that like reference numerals identify corresponding or similar elements throughout the several drawings. It should also be appreciated that although a particular component arrangement is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, other arrangements will benefit herefrom.

Claim 1:
A method of dynamically changing a mode of advertising for an electromechanical lock (<NUM>), the method comprising:
transmitting advertisements via Bluetooth low energy, BTLE, from the electromechanical lock according to a nominal mode; and
changing the nominal mode in response to a pre-set schedule, wherein changing the nominal mode in response to the pre-set schedule includes changing the nominal mode to a slower mode or a faster mode while a state of a variable of the electromechanical lock persists;
wherein the state of the variable is a deadbolt status of the electromechanical lock; and
characterized by overriding the pre-set schedule for a period of time in response to an event.