| 摘要 |
This invention relates to a lock fitted with single or multiple sensors, transmitters and receivers that is able to raise an alarm which is then repeated and transmitted by adjacent locks of the same type and located in the same or adjacent groups. The system provides a deterrent by employing locks of the same type to extend an alarm as a deterrent over a wider area without requiring additional supporting infrastructure. When criminals attack a lock it is usually smashed off and discarded. If it contains an alarm capability the alarm can transmit. However, in most circumstances this provides little deterrent - e.g. on a yacht it may be thrown over the side, ending the alarm immediately; in any other environment it may be dropped in a bucket of water or smashed completely to stop the alarm signal being transmitted. The cluster lock is an intelligent lock system employing multiple equivalent locks to communicate such an attack event to each other and to provide a wider deterrent than a single physical lock or a simple alarmed lock can offer. An individual lock is fitted with a sensor to detect a tamper and transmits this tamper as an alarm signal. It is also fitted with a receiver to receive said alarms. Other adjacent equivalent locks are able to receive the alarm signal. When an alarm is transmitted it is detected by adjacent equivalent locks which then transmit their own alarm information as well as transmitting an alarm. The alarm signal contains a code or tone which in the next lock may be varied according to the proximity of the lock to the originating alarm. The communications techniques may be wireless (shock, vibration, acoustic, radio waves or optical) or wired (using electric or optical conductors), according to the application. The system may also employ additional systems to gather suitable data and a) to retain that data in a secure repository and / or b) to relay suitable information to a third party for possible action using standard communications, web-based systems or modern smart phone, computer tablet or other applications ("Apps"). In the case of a system that employs a receiver solution at the boundary, the locks in the cluster may be set not to transmit an audible alarm, but to relay the tamper alarm to raise the alarm remotely. This allows responders more time to locate the attacker or threat as well as making the attack more visible, thereby increasing the possibility of an attacker being detected. |
