BUILDINGS

Technical field

The present invention relates to a management and control unit for enclosed spaces, of the type adapted to regulate access and use of rooms of a hotel complex or other similar solutions. Background Art

In buildings for communities, such as hotels, residential hotels and administrative buildings for meetings and conventions, it is known to use devices that are capable of minimizing the energy consumption of each enclosed space by disconnecting certain user devices of such enclosed space when it is not being used.

There is growing attention to energy saving and to the diffusion of devices that improve this functionality. In particular, when accessing a room, such access being dependent upon verification of the validity of an appropriately provided key (which can be mechanical or electronic) by means of which the lock is opened, it is then necessary to enable the systems of such room by means of a second device, normally known as "energy saver", which is located inside the room. In particular, this enabling activates the electrical user devices, such as lighting, television, system for heating/conditioning to the temperature preset by the user. When the room is abandoned, the component suitable for enabling is removed from the device known as "energy saver": the electrical user devices are disconnected and the temperature is brought to the "hold" value defined by the system.

In particular, the device known as "energy saver" is constituted by a sort of enclosure that is wired integrally within the electrical/data system of the building (hotel and/or commercial building) inside which it is necessary to insert the component suitable for enabling (which is constituted generally by an electronic card or other equivalent unit). If the lock of the room (of the enclosed space controlled by the "energy saver" device) also is of the electronic type (with an electronic key with electromagnetic coupling or with suitable electrical contacts), the key may constitute the only component: the door is opened by means of the key and the key is then coupled (inside the enclosed space) with the "energy saver" device in order to enable the user devices.

Therefore, the door must be provided with a suitable reader that is capable of coupling with the key in order to receive from it clearance to open the door; a sort of casing, into which the key is to be inserted (or simply associated) to enable user devices must be instead wired to the electrical/data system inside the enclosed space.

The lock of the door and the "energy saver" device, however, are two distinct entities that do not communicate with each other.

Once the door has been opened with an appropriately provided key (the code of which corresponds to the code of the lock) the "energy saver" device does not yet have any information regarding the entry of people into the room until the key is associated with it.

In hotel buildings and commercial buildings, however, service staff is often provided with universal keys that are capable of opening any door (to perform cleaning work and the like), despite not being enabled to start user devices by means of the "energy saver" device.

Therefore, the management of the building does not have an indication as to who is in the room and it is also not possible to assign particular privileges (related to the enabling/disabling of specific user devices) to specific universal keys.

At the same time, installation of the "energy saver" device entails a considerable cost, since it is necessary to provide an electrical connection to the electrical/data network of the building: it is therefore necessary to perform masonry and systems work that are expensive and onerous in terms of inconvenience for staff and users . Another severe problem is that it is impossible to know who is in a given room: if the person that enters merely opens the door with his/her own key, without associating the key with the "energy saver" device, he/she sends no signal to the electrical/data network of the building and therefore is not detected by a control center of the building (if the lock is of the type generally known as "stand-alone"). Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, by providing a management and control unit that is simple to install, without requiring masonry work.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a management and control unit for enclosed spaces with which a control center is constantly informed of the status of its components.

Another object of the invention is to provide a management and control unit for enclosed spaces in which a plurality of different keys can be enabled to different levels of services and user devices.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a management and control unit for enclosed spaces that has a low cost, is relatively simple to provide in practice and is safe in application. This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a management and control unit for enclosed spaces, said enclosed spaces comprising an entry door provided with a suitable lock and at least one system controlled by at least one controlled switch, characterized in that said lock comprises, on the outer side, a first reader of a key, which is functionally associated with an actuator for extracting/retracting the at least one locking element such as a bolt and/or a latch, and on the inner side a control unit provided with a seat for the stable accommodation of said key, with a second reader of said key and a unit for transceiving data to a suitable control center, which controls at least one of the systems of the enclosed space that comprises the door on which said lock is installed. Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the management and control unit for enclosed spaces according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of a management and control unit for enclosed spaces according the invention; Figure 2 is a simplified constructive diagram of the management and control unit for enclosed spaces according to the invention;

Figure 3 is a simplified constructive diagram of an embodiment of a system that comprises management and control units for enclosed spaces according to the invention; Figure 4 is a simplified constructive diagram of another embodiment of a system that comprises management and control units for enclosed spaces according to the invention. Ways of carrying out the invention

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates a management and control unit for enclosed spaces 2.

The reference enclosed spaces 2 for the present invention comprise an entrance door 3 that is provided with a suitable lock 4 and at least one system 5 that is controlled by at least one controlled switch 6.

The generic term "system" 5 defines all the electrical circuits designed for a specific function in the reference enclosed space 2; in particular, reference is made to the television system (constituted by the conductors, by any decoders and players for playing films from generic media), the air treatment system (conditioning, humidification, et cetera), and the lighting and power system. The lock 4 comprises, on the outer side, a first reader 7 of a key 8, which is functionally associated with an actuator 9 for extraction/retraction of at least one locking element 10 such as a bolt and/or a latch.

On the inner side of the lock 4 there is a control unit 11 that is provided with a seat 12 for stable accommodation of the key 8, a second reader 13 of the key 8 and a unit 14 for transceiving data to a suitable control center 15, which controls at least one of the systems 5 of the enclosed space 2, which comprises the door 3 on which the lock 4 is installed.

The idea is to integrate in the lock 4 all the circuit logic that is typical of so-called "energy saver" systems in the internal partition, i.e., in the interspace inside the door, making unnecessary any masonry work that is typical of these systems ("energy saver" systems). In this case, when entering the enclosed space, the key 8 (generally constituted by a card, a transponder or other equivalent apparatus) must be inserted in the specific support (seat 12) provided on the internal surface of the lock 4. As a consequence of this operation, a radio signal is transmitted remotely to an external regulator that handles the administration of the room.

It should be noted conveniently that the transceiver unit 14 is functionally associated also with the first external reader 7: in this manner, the data that are present inside the key 8 (which has for example a microchip or specific components which are programmable or are provided with memory), data that provide opening clearance, can be transmitted to the control center 15 to detect the status of the door 3 and of the key 8 that caused it to change status. In practice, whenever a given key 8 is used to open the door 3, the control center 15 receives a string of data that comprises the status of the door 3, the moment when such status changed, and the code of the key 8 with which such change was requested. This information can be stored to know precisely the timeline of the events related to each door 3. The control unit 11 is conveniently connected also to the first reader 7 and to the corresponding actuator 9 to detect the status of the door 3 and of the key 8 that caused it to change status. This occurs because it is the control unit that prepares (packages) the data string related to the status change to be sent to the control center 15. The key 8 and the first reader 7 are coupled preferably remotely when they are at a distance that does not exceed the predefined maximum reading distance: as already mentioned, the key 8 behaves substantially like a transponder. In any case, the coupling between the key 8 and the reader 7 might also require physical (mechanical) contact between them: it might in fact be necessary to make the electrical contacts of the two components touch each other, or to subordinate the remote reading of the coding of the key 8 to a verification of the shape of the key (as occurs in a normal cylinder of a mechanical lock).

The key 8 therefore comprises, in its most generic conception, suitable components that can be coded and are adapted to provide the first reader 7 with a code for opening the lock 4.

According to an embodiment of particular interest in practice and in application, upstream of each system 5 there is a controller (in particular, it might coincide with the controlled switch 6 or might be a control component of the switch 6): such controller is controlled by the control center 15 and is designed to select the operating mode and the enabling level (a first key 8 might be capable of enabling all the systems of the room 2 and a second key 8 might enable only the power outlets and the lighting without allowing the operation of the conditioning system, of the television set and others).

The lock 4, according to a preferred but not exclusive embodiment that is capable of giving maximum usefulness to the unit 1 according to the invention, comprises, on the inner side, a keypad for sending information to the control center 15 via the transceiver unit 14. Service staff can therefore send an indication that it has started service or the indication that it has ended service; likewise, the user of the enclosed space 2 can request for the presence of an operator or others according to his/her own requirements.

It is important to stress that the entire unit 1 is accommodated within appropriately provided cavities formed in the door 3: it is therefore sufficient to install the unit 1 on the door 3 and provide a control center 15 that is designed to communicate with each unit 1 in order to have a lock 4 that is controlled by the control center 15 and a system of the "energy saver" type whose management is dependent on the enabling level of the key 8 that is associated with it and on the clearance of the control center 15. To ensure that the control center 15 is associated correctly with the various units I ₅ it is possible to install suitable repeaters 16 that receive the signal from the unit 1 and transmit it to the control center 15 (optionally also dependent on passage through an additional repeater 16). This circuit architecture allows to eliminate entirely any masonry work, since the units 1, the repeater 16 and the control center 15 communicate among each other remotely, without the need for a wired electrical connection.

Conveniently, the controlled switch 6 (and the corresponding controller) might also be arranged downstream of a suitable receiver apparatus 17, which receives a clearance (or denial) signal from the control center 15 after the unit 1 has been connected to the corresponding key 8 (both for opening, external reader 7, and for the functions generically defined as "energy saver", internal reader 13).

The control center 15 can be associated conveniently with a terminal 18 that is provided with an interface for communication with the staff assigned to controlling the enclosed spaces 2 connected to the control center 15. Therefore not only is it possible to store everything that occurs within the enclosed space 2, but it is also possible to monitor it in real time. The operating principle is as follows. The user has a key 8 (card) for accessing the enclosed space 2 with microchip technology (with direct electrical contact or without physical contact, remotely).

The lock 4 is positively powered by batteries 19 (the simple installation of which does not require bringing cables onto the door 3).

The user enters the enclosed space 2 after opening the door 3 by showing the key 8 (card) to the reader 7 located outside the door 3.

The reader 7 sends the data read on the key 8 to the control unit 1 1, which determines the validity of the key 8 according to established criteria (time-dependent validity, geographical validity, ...).

If the key 8 is valid, the control unit 11 activates the actuator 9, opening the door 3, and by means of the unit 14 the opening of the door 3 is reported to the control center 15.

The user enters the enclosed space and inserts the key 8 in the seat 12 located inside the door 3: the key 8 remains in the seat 12 throughout the time for which the user remains in the enclosed space 2. The second reader 13 reads the card data and sends them to the control unit 11 (as an alternative, as a cheaper solution, it might only detect the presence of the key 8, assuming that if it has been inserted within a certain time after the opening of the door 3, the key 8 is the same one that was validated for the last opening). The control unit 11 processes the data of the key 8 and sends the data to the unit 14, which consequently sends them to the control center 15.

The control unit 11 is capable of determining whether the key 8 is inserted or not and of detecting whether the key 8 has been removed by means of the information sent by the reader 13. According to a further solution, it is possible to install, on the inner side of the lock 4, a keypad and a display in order to send or receive signals within the enclosed space 2 on the part of the control center 15. For example, in the case of a chambermaid, it might be possible to send a message when the room is ready or set the temperature of the thermostat or send and receive messages in the room (welcome message, date and time, weather forecast, ...).

Once the key 8 has been validated and the lock 4 is open, the user enters the enclosed space 2 and inserts the key 8 in the seat 12 located inside the door 3. As can be seen in the accompanying figures, the controlled switch 6 or the corresponding controller can be connected to the control center 15 directly with a wired electrical line or by means of a suitable receiver 17: in any case, the operation of the device remains substantially the same.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; all the details may further be replaced with other technically equivalent elements.

In the exemplary embodiments shown, individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, may actually be interchanged with other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary embodiments.

Moreover, it is noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.