JP7555482B2 - Entrance door opening/closing control device and system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system, and more specifically, to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system that utilizes a QR code (registered trademark) authentication method to open the entrance door only to women in women's restrooms installed in general buildings such as schools, companies, and government offices, thereby eliminating the psychological anxiety of female users.

In general buildings such as schools, companies, and government offices, men's and women's restrooms are generally operated separately. As shown in Figure 1, restrooms in general buildings are facilities that are set up so that anyone who uses the building, such as managers, employees, and visitors, can use them. Therefore, there are no appropriate means or methods to prevent members of the public or male insiders from constantly entering and exiting the women's restroom without permission during the hours when public access to the building is permitted.

There has been a steady increase in crimes such as men sneaking into women's restrooms during quiet hours and committing crimes against women, or installing hidden cameras and distributing illegally recorded footage, and women using women's restrooms in public buildings are feeling increasingly uneasy. Recently, hidden cameras have become increasingly smaller and concealment technology has improved, which has led to greater anxiety for women using women's restrooms.

Whenever a hidden camera is discovered in a women's restroom or other area, the suspect is identified using nearby CCTV cameras and then tracked and arrested. However, as this is merely a retroactive measure, it is ineffective in alleviating the anxiety felt by women who use women's restrooms.

Therefore, there is a gradually increasing demand for a new type of entrance door opening/closing control device and control system that can control the opening and closing of entrance doors based on the gender of the user entering or exiting a women's restroom installed in a general building such as a school, company, or government office, thereby fundamentally blocking men from entering or exiting the women's restroom and allowing women to use the public facility more comfortably when using the women's restroom.

The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and aims to provide an entrance door opening/closing control device and system that utilizes a QR code-based authentication method to restrict the opening and closing of entrance doors to women only, thereby eliminating the anxiety felt by women using women's restrooms in general buildings.

The present invention also aims to provide an entrance door opening/closing control device and system that can further improve the convenience of women using women's restrooms in general buildings by additionally implementing an application access code on the entrance door that allows a virtual ID issuing application that enables the issuance of a QR code to be downloaded.

The present invention also aims to provide an entrance door opening/closing control device and system that can fundamentally prevent the use of illegal or fake QR codes by including a code that prevents the entrance door from reacting to the QR code generated through a similar application when issuing the QR code.

The present invention also aims to provide an entrance door opening/closing control device and system that is installed in a women's restroom in a general building and that has built-in and operated software that controls the opening and closing of the entrance door in response to QR code reading, allowing the building manager to respond immediately in the event of a similar incident, thereby eliminating the need for an additional management/operation server and thereby providing users with an entrance door opening/closing control service in a more cost-effective manner.

The present invention also aims to provide an entrance door opening/closing control device and system that can prevent illegal use of QR codes to enter and exit women's restrooms in general buildings in advance by limiting the application usage authority to one line per user through the telecommunications company's identity authentication process after downloading the application when granting the authority to use the virtual ID issuing application.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The entrance door opening/closing control device according to one embodiment of the present invention for solving the above technical problems includes a QR code scanner configured to scan a QR code displayed on a user terminal; and a controller equipped with a program for generating an entrance door opening/closing control signal based on reading the QR code scanned by the QR code scanner and controlling the opening/closing of the entrance door in accordance with the generated entrance door opening/closing control signal, and the entrance door opening/closing control device can be installed in at least some of the women's restrooms among a plurality of women's restrooms provided in a building.

In addition, the QR code may be provided to the user terminal from an application operating server by executing a virtual ID issuing application installed on the user terminal, or may be generated on the user terminal when the virtual ID issuing application is executed.

In addition, an application access code may be further implemented in an area of the main body where the QR code scanner is located, and the virtual ID issuance application may be downloaded to the user terminal by connecting to the application access code.

The QR code may also be composed of a secret code, a gender code, and a date/time information code, the secret code including a unique code provided by the application operating server that operates and manages the virtual ID issuing application, and the date/time information code including date information and time information when the QR code was issued.

The controller may be further configured to read the secret code, the gender code, and the date/time information code contained in the QR code scanned by the QR code scanner, and generate an entrance door opening/closing control signal that allows the entrance door to be opened if the read information satisfies an opening condition for the entrance door.

The device may further include a display for displaying information regarding whether the entrance door can be opened, determined based on the QR code read by the controller.

In addition, an entrance door opening/closing control system according to another embodiment of the present invention for solving the above technical problems may include the entrance door opening/closing control device; and an application operation server communicatively coupled to the entrance door opening/closing control device and configured to provide the QR code to the user terminal and transmit update information of the secret code included in the QR code to the entrance door opening/closing control device.

In addition, the application management server can be additionally configured to grant each user permission to use the application on one line through identity authentication by the telecommunications company at the time of subscription after downloading the virtual ID issuing application.

According to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system according to one embodiment of the present invention, a QR code-based authentication method is used to restrict the opening and closing of entrance doors to women only, eliminating the anxiety felt by women using women's restrooms in general buildings.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an entrance door opening/closing control device and system can further improve the convenience of women who use women's restrooms in general buildings by additionally implementing an application access code on the entrance door that allows a virtual ID issuing application to be downloaded, which enables the issuance of a QR code.

In addition, according to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system according to one embodiment of the present invention, when issuing a QR code, a code that prevents the entrance door from reacting to the QR code generated through a similar application is included, thereby fundamentally preventing the use of illegal or fake QR codes.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an entrance door opening/closing control device and system installed in a women's restroom in a general building operates software that controls the opening and closing of the entrance door in response to reading a QR code, allowing the building manager to respond immediately in the event of an emergency without the need for an additional management/operation server, thereby providing users with an entrance door opening/closing control service in a more cost-effective manner.

In addition, according to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system according to one embodiment of the present invention, when granting permission to use a virtual ID issuing application, the application is downloaded and installed, and then permission to use is granted only to women through identity authentication by the telecommunications company. By checking the permission grant history and limiting the use of one line and application per user, it is possible to prevent illegal use of QR codes that can be used to enter and exit women's restrooms in general buildings in advance.

In order to more fully understand the drawings referred to in the detailed description of the present invention, a brief description of each drawing is provided.

1 is an illustrative diagram for explaining the state of an entrance door (10) of a typical public toilet. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an entrance door opening/closing control system (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an embodiment of controlling the opening and closing of an entrance door based on the presence or absence of QR code authentication according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an embodiment of controlling the opening and closing of an entrance door based on the presence or absence of QR code authentication according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling opening and closing of an entrance door based on QR code authentication according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a detailed configuration of a QR code (30) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. When assigning reference symbols to components in each drawing, identical components are assigned the same symbols as much as possible even if they are displayed in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, if a detailed description of related known configurations or functions is deemed to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Furthermore, although the embodiments of the present invention will be described below, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited or restricted thereto, and may be modified and implemented in various ways by those skilled in the art.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case where the part is "directly connected" to another part, but also the case where the part is "indirectly connected" to another part through another element in between. Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, this does not mean that the part excludes other components, but that the part may further include other components, unless otherwise specified. In addition, when describing components of an embodiment of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are used to distinguish the component from other components, and do not limit the essence, order, or sequence of the components.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of an entrance door opening/closing control system (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2, the entrance door opening/closing control system (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be composed of an entrance door opening/closing control device (100), an application operating server (200), a user terminal (300), a communication network (400), an entrance door (500), and the like.

For reference, in the following specification, a women's restroom installed in a general building such as a school, company, or government office is described as an example of a facility to which the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and entrance door opening/closing control system (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention are applied. However, it is clear that the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and entrance door opening/closing control system (1000) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be applied in the same or substantially the same manner to other facilities in a general building where only women are permitted to enter and men are strictly prohibited from entering, such as nursing rooms and women's changing rooms.

In addition, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and entrance door opening/closing control system (1000) according to the present invention can be more suitably applied to toilets in buildings where a building manager is always present or where immediate response is possible in the event of an emergency, and is also suitable for buildings where general toilets and QR code authentication toilets are operated separately by floor (for example, a five-story building where the first and fifth floors are operated as QR code authentication toilets and the second to fourth floors are operated as general toilets), and buildings where general toilets and QR code authentication toilets are operated separately even on the same floor (for example, a building where the east side toilets are operated as QR code authentication toilets and the west side toilets are operated as general toilets).

Therefore, in situations where it is not possible to use the QR code (for example, due to a malfunction of the smartphone or opening and closing control device), it is possible to contact the building manager on duty (in this case, an additional call button may be provided) or to use a public toilet on another floor or in another location instead of the QR code-authenticated toilet.

The entrance door opening/closing control device (100) is placed at or adjacent to the entrance door (500) of a women's restroom installed in a general building, and can control the opening and closing of the entrance door (500) according to the authentication result of the QR code. For example, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention has an IP (internet protocol) address in a digital format, can operate using a constant power source or a battery power source, and can also be equipped with a rechargeable battery for emergency operation in the event of a power outage.

In addition, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be placed at an appropriate position relative to the entrance door (500) for convenient use by the user, for example, at about the chest height of an adult, and a step can be additionally placed on the ground below the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) for use by children. Alternatively, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to a further embodiment of the present invention can be combined with a sliding means such as a rail and installed to be slidable in the vertical direction, and can be embodied to detect whether a user approaching the entrance door (500) is an adult or a child, and automatically adjust its height by sliding in the vertical direction according to the result.

The entrance door opening/closing control device (100) can be communicatively coupled to the application operation server (200) via a communication network (400) such as LTE or 5G, and for this purpose, a modem (chip) for wireless communication such as LTE or 5G can be embedded, and can be mechanically (see FIG. 3a below) or wirelessly coupled to the entrance door (500) (e.g., connected via Bluetooth, see FIG. 3b below).

Therefore, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can scan a QR code provided to a user terminal (300) from an application operating server (200) or generated by the user terminal (300) and control the opening/closing of the entrance door (500) based on the result of the reading. For reference, the specific operations and procedures for opening or closing the entrance door by authenticating the QR code will be described in more detail below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be composed of a main body (110), a display (120), a QR code scanner (130), an application access code (140), a controller (150), and the like. For reference, the elements (110, 120, 130, 140, 150) of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) shown in FIG. 2 are merely exemplary elements for explaining the functions, operations, and the like of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention, and therefore it is clear that it can further include additional elements (e.g., a power supply unit, a communication unit, an alarm unit, a monitoring unit, and the like).

The main body (110) constitutes the main body of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and can be attached to at least a portion of the entrance door (500) or adjacent to the entrance door (500). The main body (110) can be made of metal or synthetic resin and can be embodied so that the exposed surface has a predetermined color for improved visibility, and its shape can be a rectangular shape as exemplarily shown in FIG. 2, but is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 2, the exposed surface of the main body (110) may be embedded or embodied with a display (120), a QR code scanner (130), an application access code (140), etc., and the controller (150) may be programmably embedded with software that reads the QR code and controls the opening and closing of the entrance door (500) according to the result of the reading. For reference, in FIG. 2, the controller (150) constituting a part of the entrance door opening and closing control device (100) is shown as a block to facilitate understanding of the present invention, but the controller (150) may be embedded as a chip or module inside the entrance door opening and closing control device (100) and may not be visible.

The display (120) can be placed in the upper area of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and can display information regarding whether the entrance door (500) can be opened or closed based on the QR code read by the controller (150), information regarding failure to recognize the QR code, information regarding the expiration of the valid time of the QR code, status information of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100), etc.

For example, depending on the result of the QR code identification by the controller (150), information such as "entry approved" or "entry denied" can be displayed on the display (120), and if there is an equipment abnormality or gender cannot be determined, information such as "recognition failed" can be displayed on the display (120), and if the available time for the QR code has been exceeded, information such as "usage time exceeded" can be displayed on the display (120). Here, the information displayed via the display (120) can be expressed in Chinese, but according to a further embodiment of the present invention, both Chinese and English can be provided for the convenience of foreigners using the toilet.

The display (120) may also be implemented as a touch-sensitive display, allowing the building manager to easily control the Bluetooth communication settings with the entrance door (500), the validity time setting of the QR code, etc., by touching the display (120). Furthermore, according to an additional embodiment of the present invention, various contents (e.g., promotional videos for the building, etc.) that can interest or provide information to the user may be reproduced on the display (120) during the remaining time other than the time when the QR code discrimination result is displayed on the display (120), and such contents may be pre-stored in the memory (not shown) of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and may be updated periodically.

For reference, the display (120) may be implemented as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display, a three-dimensional display (3D display), etc., but is not limited to these.

The QR code scanner (130) can be configured to scan the QR code displayed on the user terminal (300). The present invention is characterized in that the opening and closing of the entrance door of the women's restroom is controlled based on QR code authentication, and the user, i.e., the female user, can issue a QR code for entering and exiting the women's restroom in a general building through a predetermined application. Since the QR code issued in this manner serves as a virtual ID card, in the following specification, the application that can issue a QR code for entering and exiting the women's restroom in a general building will be referred to as a "virtual ID card issuing application."

Users can download the virtual ID issuing application through application download services such as the Play Store and App Store. After installing the virtual ID issuing application, users can then authenticate themselves with the telecommunications company when signing up as a member of the application, allowing only female users to be granted permission to use the virtual ID issuing application.

Here, according to a further embodiment of the present invention, the number of times that the permission to use the virtual ID issuing application is granted can be limited. For example, the application management server (200) can grant the permission to use the application for one line per user when proceeding with identity authentication of a telecommunications company at the time of signing up as a member after downloading and installing the virtual ID issuing application. By granting the permission to use the application via only one smartphone to a user who owns multiple smartphones, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use of QR codes through the virtual new ID issuing application in advance.

Furthermore, when a user who owns multiple smartphones wishes to change the smartphone that has been granted permission to use the virtual ID issuance application, the application management server (200) according to a further embodiment of the present invention can be additionally configured to grant permission to use the application to a new smartphone after canceling the permission of the existing smartphone.

Alternatively, according to a further embodiment of the present invention, even if a man downloads and installs a virtual ID issuing application and is granted permission to use the application through identity verification by a telecommunications company, a QR code may not be generated, or even if a QR code is generated for a male user, the QR code may contain male gender information, thereby fundamentally blocking men from entering women's restrooms in public buildings.

Therefore, when a female user wishes to use a women's restroom in a general building, she can have a QR code issued by executing a virtual ID issuing application that she has downloaded in advance and been granted permission to use. Then, she can use the women's restroom in the general building more easily and safely by simply scanning the issued QR code with the QR code scanner (130) provided in the opening/closing control device (100) of the entrance door.

In relation to this, according to a further embodiment of the present invention, an application access code (140) may be further provided in a region of the main body (110) where the QR code scanner (130) is disposed. The application access code (140) may be, for example, a QR code, and may be configured as an Android (registered trademark) QR code (141) and an ISO QR code (142). Even if a user has not previously downloaded the virtual ID issuing application, the user can easily download and use the virtual ID issuing application by connecting to the application access code (140) embodied in the door opening/closing control device (100) disposed in the women's restroom in a general building.

Incidentally, the QR code issued by executing the virtual ID issuing application can contain multiple codes for added security and to prevent misuse, but the specific structure of the QR code will be described in more detail in Figure 5 below.

Software that reads the QR code and controls the opening and closing of the entrance door (500) according to the result can be programmably embedded in the controller (150), and the controller (150) can be embodied as a processor, microprocessor, microcontroller, etc., for example. The controller (150) can generate an entrance door opening/closing control signal based on the result of reading the QR code scanned by the QR code scanner (130), and control the opening and closing of the entrance door (500) based on the generated entrance door opening/closing control signal.

More specifically, the controller (150) (i) can control the opening and closing of the entrance door (500) via a door drive motor (not shown) that is electronically connected to the controller (150) and mechanically connected to the entrance door (500) (e.g., in the case of FIG. 3a), and (ii) can also control the opening and closing of the door lock by being connected to the entrance door (500) embodied in the door lock via short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth) and transmitting an entrance door opening and closing control signal to the entrance door (500) (e.g., in the case of FIG. 3b).

In addition, the controller (150) identifies information contained in a QR code issued through a virtual ID issuing application managed and operated by the application operating server (200) and provided to the user terminal (300), and determines whether the QR code is a QR code issued through a normal virtual ID issuing application, whether the gender of the person who issued the QR code is female, whether the date and time information contained in the QR code satisfies the valid usage time (e.g., 30 seconds, described in detail below), etc., and generates the determination result as an opening/closing control signal for the entrance/exit door.

A series of operations, including the operation of reading the scanned QR code and the operation of controlling the opening and closing of the entrance door (500) based on the read result, can be programmed as software and installed in the controller (150), and the controller (150) can thereby be embodied to automatically perform procedures for controlling the opening and closing of the entrance door of a women's restroom in a general building, and therefore there is no need to have a separate management/operation server for remotely controlling and managing the entrance door opening and closing control device (100).

The user terminal (300) can be communicatively connected to the application operating server (200) and can store or temporarily store the QR code issued through the virtual ID issuing application. As described above, a user can download the virtual ID issuing application in advance through an application download service such as the Play Store or the App Store using the user terminal (300), or can download the virtual ID issuing application at the entrance door (500) before using the women's restroom in a general building through the application access code (140) attached to the main body (110).

Incidentally, the user terminal (300) may also be referred to as a subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile terminal, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, access terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, user device, or user equipment (UE). An access terminal may be a cellular telephone, a cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) telephone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless connectivity capabilities, a computing device, or other processing device connected to a wireless modem.

Here, the application operating server (200), which is configured to receive a QR code generation request from the user terminal (300) and transmit the QR code to the user terminal (300) in response thereto, can synchronize with the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) in real time, thereby enabling the controller (150) of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) to determine information related to the QR code issued by the application operating server (200). For example, update information of the secret code included in the QR code can be transmitted from the application operating server (200) to the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) in real time, and date and time information can be synchronized in real time based on GPS.

Here, although not explicitly shown in FIG. 2, the application operation server (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a memory unit, and the memory unit may store subscriber information for the virtual ID issuance application, information regarding the issued QR code, etc.

For reference, the memory unit of the application operating server (200) may be embodied as various types of memory devices capable of inputting and outputting information, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a compact flash (CF) card, a secure digital (SD) card, a smart media (SM) card, a multimedia (MMC) card, or a memory stick, as is known to ordinary technicians, or the memory unit may be replaced with a web storage that performs storage functions on the Internet.

Figures 3a and 3b are conceptual diagrams for explaining an embodiment of controlling the opening and closing of an entrance door (500) based on the presence or absence of QR code authentication according to an embodiment of the present invention. A user can issue a QR code for opening a women's restroom in a general building through a virtual ID issuing application, and can request the opening of the entrance door of the women's restroom by scanning the issued QR code with the QR code scanner (130) of the entrance door opening and closing control device (100) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The controller (150) can read the scanned QR code according to the installed software (program) and generate an entrance door opening/closing control signal based on the read QR code, and can use this to control the opening and closing of the entrance door (500) embodied as a sliding door as shown in FIG. 3a. For example, if the QR code authentication fails as shown in FIG. 3a (a), the entrance door (500) can be controlled not to be opened, whereas if the QR code authentication is successful as shown in FIG. 3a (b), the door drive motor can be activated to allow the entrance door (500) to be opened.

Alternatively, the controller (150) can read the scanned QR code according to software (program) installed inside, generate an entrance door opening/closing control signal based on the read QR code, and use this to control the opening/closing of the entrance door (500) embodied in the door lock as shown in FIG. 3b. For example, if the QR code authentication fails as shown in FIG. 3b (a), the entrance door (500) can be controlled not to be opened, whereas if the QR code authentication is successful as shown in FIG. 3b (b), the entrance door (500) can be controlled to be opened based on Bluetooth.

For example, QR code authentication may fail in a variety of cases, such as when the scanned QR code is a counterfeit QR code and not a QR code issued by an authenticated virtual ID issuing application, when the requesting user is not female, or when the valid usage time of the QR code has expired.

The result information obtained by reading the QR code can be displayed to the user via the display (120); (i) if the QR code identification information matches the entrance door opening information, a message such as "Entry/Exit Approved" can be displayed on the display (120); (ii) if the QR code identification information does not match the entrance door opening information, a message such as "Entry/Exit Denied" can be displayed on the display (120); (iii) if the QR code identification information cannot be identified, a message such as "Recognition Failed" can be displayed on the display (120); and (iv) if the QR code identification information exceeds the set usage time, a message such as "Available Time Exceeded" can be displayed on the display (120).

Thus, in addition to or as an alternative to the embodiment in which the result of reading the QR code is visually seen by the user as text, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) may further include a speaker (not shown) through which guidance such as "Entry approved", "Entry rejected", "Recognition failed", "Available time exceeded" may be output as voice, or text display via the display (120) and voice output via the speaker may be simultaneously implemented.

For reference, FIG. 3a illustrates a configuration in which the entrance door (500) is opened and closed using a sliding method that utilizes a drive motor, and FIG. 3b illustrates a configuration in which the entrance door (500) is opened and closed using a door lock-based opening and closing method. However, this is merely an example for easy understanding of the present invention, and therefore, it is clear that the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to an entrance door (500) having any configuration.

In this way, according to the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) of the present invention, a series of operations including the operation of reading the scanned QR code and the operation of controlling the opening and closing of the entrance door (500) based on the read result are programmed as software and installed in the controller (150), so there is no need to provide an additional management/operation server, and therefore not only can the costs for building the system be significantly reduced, but also this QR code-based entrance door opening/closing control service can be easily applied to most general buildings by simply installing or replacing the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and door locks located in women's restrooms.

Figure 4 is a flowchart to explain a method for controlling the opening and closing of an entrance door to a women's restroom in a general building according to one embodiment of the present invention.

First, a user, i.e., a female user, can download a virtual ID issuing application to safely use a women's restroom in a public building (S410). As already explained, the user can download the virtual ID issuing application in advance via an application download service such as the Play Store or the App Store using the user terminal (300), or can download the virtual ID issuing application at the entrance door (500) before using the women's restroom in the public building through the application access code (140) embodied in the entrance door opening/closing control device (100).

After downloading and installing the virtual ID issuing application, when a user who has been granted permission to use the application through identity authentication executes the application on the user terminal (300), the application operating server (200) generates a QR code for opening the entrance door and transmits the generated QR code to the user terminal (300), which can receive the issued QR code (S420). For reference, according to another embodiment of the present invention, it is also possible for the user terminal (300) itself to generate a QR code for restroom authentication by executing the virtual ID issuing application.

Here, the QR code issued by the application operation server (200) can be shared or transmitted in real time to the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) configured to synchronize with the application operation server (200). For reference, in order to enhance security and prevent abuse, the QR code according to one embodiment of the present invention can include various code information, and a detailed configuration of such a QR code (30) is exemplarily shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, a QR code (30) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be composed of a secret code (31), a gender code (32), and a date/time information code (33).

Among the multiple codes contained in the QR code (30), the secret code (31) is a code for selecting only QR codes issued by an authenticated, i.e. genuine, virtual ID issuing application, and is a code for blocking crimes such as men entering women's restrooms without permission using QR codes generated through fake or similar applications.

For this purpose, the secret code (31) may include a unique code consisting of mixed characters, symbols, etc., which is assigned by the application operating server (200), and password information for such a secret code (31) may be generated and stored only by the application operating server (200), and updated information for the secret code (31) may be transmitted to the entrance door opening/closing control device (100).

Therefore, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) synchronized with the application operating server (200), more specifically the controller (150), can not allow the entrance door (500) to be opened if the QR code scanned by the QR code scanner (130) of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) does not contain such a secret code, or if a secret code is provided, it does not match the secret code generated by the application operating server (200).

For reference, such a secret code (31) included in the QR code issued by the application operating server (200) in response to a QR code generation request from the user terminal (300) can be (i) embodied as a fixed code value, (ii) updated at a predetermined interval (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, etc.), and (iii) implemented as a new secret code every time a QR code is issued.

Furthermore, among the multiple codes included in the QR code (30), the gender code (32) is a code for verifying that the gender of the user to whom the QR code was issued is female. Therefore, if the QR code scanned by the QR code scanner (130) does not include such a gender code, or if the QR code includes a gender code but the corresponding gender is determined to be male, the controller (150) may not allow the entrance door (500) to be opened.

Furthermore, among the multiple codes included in the QR code (30), the date/time information code (33) can be used to determine the validity period for which the issued QR code can be used. For example, the QR code illustrated in FIG. 5 has a date/time information code (33) of "2020.04.01.PM2:34:56", which indicates that the QR code was issued at 2:34:56 PM on April 1, 2020. For reference, the date and time information included in the date/time information code (33) is highly accurate as it is automatically received via GPS, and such date/time information is synchronized between the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and the application operating server (200) (i.e., the date/time information in the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) is the same as the date/time information in the application operating server (200)), so it is possible to fundamentally eliminate the inconvenience to users caused by the time difference between the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) and the application operating server (200).

For example, the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) can set the valid use time of the QR code issued to the user terminal (300). Therefore, the controller (150) can control the opening/closing of the entrance door of a women's restroom in a general building only if the scan is performed within a preset valid time (e.g., 30 seconds) based on the issue date and time information of the QR code (30) contained in the date/time information code (33).

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the effective use time of the QR code can be set by the entrance door opening/closing control device (100), and the building manager can set the effective use time of the QR code through the display (120), as described above. Therefore, the controller (150) can determine whether the time when the QR code is scanned is within a preset effective use time (e.g., 30 seconds) from the time when the QR code is issued, based on the date/time information code (33) contained in the QR code, and can only allow the entrance door (500) to open if it is within the effective use time.

As shown in FIG. 5, the QR code (30) according to one embodiment of the present invention contains only gender information as personal information, thereby minimizing the user's reluctance to provide and leak personal information. The QR code (30) is encrypted by the application management server (200) and transmitted to the user terminal (300), and is decrypted through software installed in the entrance door opening/closing control device (100), thereby further enhancing personal information security.

Returning to FIG. 4 again, the QR code received from the application operating server (200) is displayed on the user terminal (300) and can be scanned (S430) by the QR code scanner (130) of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100). The operation, function, and principle of scanning the QR code are substantially the same as those known in the art, so the specific technology related to QR code scanning will be omitted in this paragraph.

The scanned QR code can be analyzed by the controller (150), and the controller (150) can generate an entrance door opening/closing control signal based on the analyzed QR code (S440), and can control the opening/closing of the entrance door (500) according to the generated entrance door opening/closing control signal (S450).

More specifically, the controller (150) identifies the secret code (31), gender code (32), and date/time information code (33) contained in the received QR code, and allows the entrance door (500) to be opened only if (i) the QR code corresponds to a normal QR code issued via a virtual identity card issuing application through the identified secret code (31), (ii) the gender of the user who issued the QR code corresponds to female, and (iii) the valid time condition (e.g., 30 seconds) is met based on the issuance date and time information of the QR code.

That is, the controller (150) according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by generating an entrance door opening/closing control signal that allows the entrance door (500) to be opened only when all three code conditions included in the QR code are met (i.e., if none of the three code conditions are met, the entrance door (500) is not allowed to be opened). Through this triple confirmation procedure, the psychological stability of female users who use the women's restroom in a general building can be significantly improved.

Here, according to a further embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include a step of determining whether the user terminal (300) that requested the issuance of the QR code is a terminal that has been reported as lost. In order to prevent a man from acquiring and misusing a smartphone lost by a woman, according to a further embodiment of the present invention, the application operating server (200) may additionally check whether the user terminal (300) has been reported as lost. If the user terminal (300) is confirmed to be a terminal that has been reported as lost, the application operating server (200) may additionally generate a phone number and information on the terminal that has been reported as lost in the QR code generated in the corresponding user terminal, and may not allow the entrance door (500) to be opened even if the three conditions of the code are met, that is, (i) the QR code corresponds to a QR code issued by the virtual ID issuing application through the identified secret code (31), (ii) the gender of the user who issued the QR code corresponds to a woman, and (iii) the validity time condition of the QR code is met.

In this case, the application operating server (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention can be additionally connected to an institution such as a police station for communication, and when a request to enter or exit a women's restroom using a user terminal that has been reported as lost is confirmed, the location information of the entrance door opening/closing control device (100) is immediately transmitted to the police station, thereby making a significant contribution to the arrest of potential criminals and the reduction of crime.

As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an entrance door opening/closing control device and system utilizes a QR code-based authentication method to restrict the opening and closing of entrance doors to women only, thereby eliminating the anxiety felt by women using women's restrooms in public buildings.

In addition, according to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the convenience of women using women's restrooms in general buildings can be further improved by further implementing an application access code on the entrance door that allows for downloading a virtual ID issuing application that enables the issuance of a QR code.

In addition, according to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system according to one embodiment of the present invention, when issuing a QR code, a code that prevents the entrance door from reacting to the QR code generated through a similar application is included, thereby fundamentally preventing the use of illegal or fake QR codes.

In addition, according to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system according to one embodiment of the present invention, the entrance door opening/closing control device installed in the women's restroom in a general building operates software that controls the opening and closing of the entrance door in response to reading a QR code, and in the event of an emergency, the building manager can respond immediately, eliminating the need for an additional management/operation server, thereby providing users with an entrance door opening/closing control service in a more cost-effective manner.

In addition, according to an entrance door opening/closing control device and system according to one embodiment of the present invention, when granting permission to use a virtual ID issuing application, application usage authority is limited to one line per user through identity authentication by the telecommunications company, thereby preventing illegal use of QR codes that allow access to women's restrooms in general buildings in advance.

However, various embodiments described herein may be implemented using hardware, middleware, microcode, software, and/or combinations thereof. For example, various embodiments may be implemented using one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processor devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions presented herein, or combinations thereof.

Further, for example, various embodiments may be stored or encoded on a computer-readable medium that includes instructions. The instructions stored or encoded on the computer-readable medium may cause a programmable processor or other processor, for example, to perform a method when the instructions are executed. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media, which may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. For example, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage media, magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices.

Such hardware, software, firmware, etc. may be embodied within the same device or within separate devices to support the various operations and functions described herein. Additionally, components, units, modules, components, etc. described herein as "parts" may be embodied together or individually as separate but interoperable logic devices. The depiction of different characteristics for modules, units, etc. is intended to highlight different functional embodiments and does not necessarily mean that they must be realized by separate hardware or software components. Rather, functionality associated with one or more modules or units may be performed by separate hardware or software components or may be integrated within a common or separate hardware or software component.

Although operations are shown in the figures in a particular order, these operations do not have to be performed in the particular order or sequential order shown to achieve desired results, nor do all of the operations shown have to be performed. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. It should be noted that the division of various components in the above-described embodiments should not be construed as requiring such division in all embodiments, and the components described may generally be integrated into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products.

As described above, the drawings and the specification disclose the best mode for carrying out the present invention. Although specific terms are used herein, they are used only for the purpose of describing the present invention, and are not used to limit the meaning or the scope of the present invention described in the claims. Therefore, a person having ordinary skill in the art can make various modifications and equivalent other embodiments. Therefore, the true technical scope of the present invention is defined by the technical ideas of the appended claims.

Claims (5)

As an opening/closing control device (100) for an entrance door,
a QR code scanner (130) configured to scan a QR code displayed on the user terminal (300); and
a controller (150) having a program installed therein for generating an entrance door opening/closing control signal based on the reading of the QR code scanned by the QR code scanner (130) and controlling the opening/closing of the entrance door (500) in accordance with the generated entrance door opening/closing control signal;
The entrance door opening/closing control device (100) is installed in at least some of the women's restrooms among a plurality of women's restrooms provided in a building ,
The QR code is provided to the user terminal (300) by executing a virtual ID issuing application installed in the user terminal (300), and the virtual ID issuing application is downloaded to the user terminal (300) by connecting to an application access code (140) further embodied in an area of the main body (110) where the QR code scanner (130) is located,
After downloading and installing the virtual ID issuing application on the user terminal (300), the application operating server (200) grants each user one line of application usage authority in order to proceed with identity authentication by a telecommunications company,
The entrance door opening/closing control device (100) synchronizes with the application operating server (200) in real time, and the QR code issued by the application operating server (200) is shared or transmitted in real time.
An entrance door opening/closing control device (100). The QR code is composed of a secret code, a gender code, and a date/time information code,
The secret code includes a unique code provided by the application operating server (200) that operates and manages the virtual identity card issuing application, and the date/time information code includes date information and time information when the QR code is issued.
The entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to claim 1 . The controller (150) is further configured to read the secret code, the gender code, and the date/time information code contained in the QR code scanned by the QR code scanner (130), and generate an entrance door opening/closing control signal that allows the entrance door (500) to be opened if the read information satisfies an opening condition of the entrance door.
The entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to claim 2 . The entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to claim 1, further comprising a display (120) for displaying information regarding whether the entrance door (500) can be opened or not, which is determined based on the QR code read by the controller (150). An entrance door opening/closing control device (100) according to claim 1; and
The entrance door opening/closing control system (1000) includes an application operation server (200) communicatively coupled to the entrance door opening/closing control device (100), configured to provide the QR code to the user terminal (300), and to transmit update information of a secret code included in the QR code to the entrance door opening/closing control device (100).

Images