Secure and safe access control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11640737-B2
Application number	US-202117398869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 10, 2021
Priority date	Jun 15, 2020
Publication date	May 2, 2023
Grant date	May 2, 2023

Abstract

For secure and safe access control, a method authenticates a user of an equipment unit with a user credential. The method determines an equipment status for the equipment unit. The equipment status includes one of energized and un-energized and one of locked and unlocked. The method determines whether the user is authorized to access the equipment unit with an equipment authorization. The determination that the user is authorized is based on the equipment status. In response to the user being authenticated and authorized to access the equipment unit energized or the user being authorized to access the equipment unit un-energized and the equipment unit being un-energized, the method releases a unit lock for the equipment unit with a unit lock credential and the user credential.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
authenticating, by use of a processor, a user of an equipment unit with a user credential;
determining an equipment status for the equipment unit, the equipment status comprising one of energized and un-energized and one of locked and unlocked;
determining whether the user is authorized to access the equipment unit with an equipment authorization, wherein the determination that the user is authorized is based on the equipment status; and
in response to the user being authenticated and authorized to access the equipment unit energized or the user being authorized to access the equipment unit un-energized and the equipment unit being un-energized, releasing a unit lock for the equipment unit with a unit lock credential and the user credential.

2. The method of claim 1 , the method further determining whether the unit lock credential is authenticated and in response to the unit lock credential being authenticated and the user being authenticated and authorized to access the equipment unit energized or the unit lock credential being authenticated and the user being authorized to access the equipment unit un-energized and the equipment unit being un-energized, releasing the unit lock for the equipment unit with a unit lock credential and the user credential.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unit lock receives power when the equipment unit is disconnected from power.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unit lock receives power that does not exceed 24 Volts Direct Current (DC).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unit lock is GUARDLINK™ compatible.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unit lock receives power via a single pair Ethernet connection that communicates the unit lock credential.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unit lock is safety rated.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unit lock comprises a padlock that locks equipment unit and the unit lock is released by providing a unit lock credential that releases a key to the user.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein a tag reader receives a radio frequency identifier (RFID) comprising the user credential to determine whether the user is authorized to access the equipment unit and the unit lock is released by providing a unit lock credential to the unit lock.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unit lock secures a wireway door and an expansion plate blocks an equipment unit door from opening, wherein the unit lock is released from the wireway door to release the expansion plate and release the equipment unit door.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unit lock is released in response to wirelessly receiving the unit lock credential.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user is authenticated from an engineering workstation that is in communication with the equipment unit via a secure conduit that provides communication security.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user is authenticated from a programmable logic controller that is in communication with the equipment unit via a secure conduit that provides communication security.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the equipment unit is disposed in an access-controlled room and the unit lock is released by providing the user access to the access-controlled room.

15. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising logging the user access in a user access record.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user credential is in a standardized format, the equipment authorization is in a standard format, and the unit lock credential is in a standardized format.

17. An apparatus comprising:
a processor;
a memory storing code executable by the processor to:
authenticate a user of an equipment unit with a user credential;
determine an equipment status for the equipment unit, the equipment status comprising one of energized and un-energized and one of locked and unlocked;
determine whether the user is authorized to access the equipment unit with an equipment authorization, wherein the determination that the user is authorized is based on the equipment status; and
in response to the user being authenticated and authorized to access the equipment unit energized or the user being authorized to access the equipment unit un-energized and the equipment unit being un-energized, release a unit lock for the equipment unit with a unit lock credential and the user credential.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , the processor further determining whether the unit lock credential is authenticated and in response to the unit lock credential being authenticated and the user being authenticated and authorized to access the equipment unit energized or the unit lock credential being authenticated and the user being authorized to access the equipment unit un-energized and the equipment unit being un-energized, releasing the unit lock for the equipment unit with a unit lock credential and the user credential.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the unit lock receives power when the equipment unit is disconnected from power.

20. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therein, the program code readable/executable by a processor to:
authenticate a user of an equipment unit with a user credential;
determine an equipment status for the equipment unit, the equipment status comprising one of energized and un-energized and one of locked and unlocked;
determine whether the user is authorized to access the equipment unit with an equipment authorization, wherein the determination that the user is authorized is based on the equipment status; and
in response to the user being authenticated and authorized to access the equipment unit energized or the user being authorized to access the equipment unit un-energized and the equipment unit being un-energized, release a unit lock for the equipment unit with a unit lock credential and the user credential.

Assignees

• Rockwell Automation Tech Inc

Inventors

• Marques Roberto
• Newbern James K
• Steinweg Calvin C
• Dilgard Robert

Classifications

• G06F21/31 Primary

  User authentication · CPC title

• G06F2221/2141

  Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices · CPC title

• G07C2009/00769

  with data transmission performed by wireless means · CPC title

• G07C9/00896

  specially adapted for particular uses · CPC title

• G07C9/00912

  for safes, strong-rooms, vaults or the like · CPC title