JP4816465B2 - Intercom system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an intercom system.

  Conventionally, it consists of a main unit installed indoors and a sub unit installed outside and transmitting signals to and from the main unit. For example, the slave unit includes an imaging unit that captures an image using, for example, a CCD camera, and the master unit includes a display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit of the slave unit using, for example, a liquid crystal panel. There is one that allows the face of the visitor on the child side to be confirmed on the parent side.

In order to capture the situation around the handset over a wide range, an image pickup unit with a wide-angle lens is generally used. However, when the entire range captured using the wide-angle lens is displayed, the screen has a wide field of view. The visitor's face becomes smaller in the whole. In view of this, there has been provided an image that allows a part of the image to be enlarged and displayed by an operation input to the master unit (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2). According to this configuration, since the image is magnified by electronic data processing, failure is less likely to occur and the driving is less than when the image is magnified by mechanically driving the lens in the imaging unit. There is an advantage that no discomfort due to sound is given to visitors.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-38214 JP-A-6-113304

  However, conventionally, an operation input to the parent device is required every time to perform the enlarged display, and the operation is troublesome.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described reasons, and an object thereof is to provide an intercom system whose operation is simplified.

The invention of claim 1 is an interphone system including a parent device installed indoors and a child device installed outdoors, and the child device includes a communication unit that transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the parent device; An image capturing unit that captures an image using a wide-angle lens and converts the captured image into an image signal transmitted to the parent device via the communication unit, and a call button having a call button that is pressed by a visitor. A call unit that outputs a predetermined call signal to the parent device via the communication unit when the push operation is performed, and the parent device receives an operation input and a communication unit that transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the child device An operation unit, and a display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit of the slave unit using an image signal received from the slave unit via the communication unit, and one of the slave unit and the master unit is imaged The enlarged range that is a part of the range that can be captured and displayed on the display unit is stored A control unit that includes a storage unit and controls the display unit when the call signal is received by the communication unit and starts an enlarged display that displays an enlarged range stored in the storage unit using an image signal The storage unit includes a rewritable nonvolatile memory, and at least one of the parent device and the child device has a setting unit for setting an expansion range, and the control unit of the parent device is enlarged by the setting unit. When the range is set, the enlargement range stored in the storage unit is updated to the set enlargement range, and the operation unit of the master unit enters the setting mode in which the enlargement range is set as the setting means. When switching means for accepting an operation input for instructing transition and return from the setting mode and a selection means for accepting an operation input for selecting an enlarged range during the setting mode, the control unit of the parent device is not in the setting mode To the switching means When an operation input is accepted, the mode shifts to the setting mode. In the setting mode, an image in which the pointer indicating the enlargement range is added to the entire image that can be displayed using the image signal is displayed on the display unit and selected. The pointer is moved according to the operation input to the means, and when the predetermined operation input is accepted by the switching means, the setting mode is restored and the enlarged range stored in the storage unit is updated to the enlarged range indicated by the pointer. characterized in that it.

According to this invention, since the enlarged display is started when the call button of the handset is pressed, the operation is simplified as compared with the case where an operation for starting the enlarged display is required. Furthermore, the expansion range can be flexibly changed. Further, since the set enlargement range is held in the storage unit, it is not necessary to perform the same setting over and over. Furthermore, the enlargement range can be freely selected. In addition, since the enlargement range selected in the setting mode is indicated by a pointer on the image, it is easier to set the enlargement range than when the selected enlargement range is indicated by numerical values such as coordinates.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the slave unit has a setting button, and when the setting button is pressed, the setting unit transmits a predetermined setting signal to the parent device via the communication unit. When the setting signal is received by the communication unit, the control unit of the master unit extracts the moving object from the displayable range using the image signal, and the moving object is included in the enlarged range. Thus, the enlarged range is updated as described above.

  According to the present invention, since the enlargement range is automatically determined, the operation is simplified compared to the case where an operation for selecting the enlargement range is required. In addition, since the timing for setting the enlargement range is determined by pressing a setting button provided on the child unit, the user can press the setting button after directly confirming the state around the child unit. In addition, since a person who presses the setting button is recognized as a moving object, it is easy to avoid an erroneous setting in which a moving object other than a visitor such as a dog or a cat or a passerby is used as a reference for the expansion range.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the enlarged display is started when the call button of the slave unit is pressed, the operation is simplified as compared with the case where an operation for starting the enlarged display is required. The Furthermore, the enlargement range can be flexibly changed by the setting means. Further, since the set enlargement range is held in the storage unit, it is not necessary to perform the same setting over and over. The enlargement range can be freely selected by the selection means. In addition, since the enlargement range selected in the setting mode is indicated by a pointer on the image, it is easier to set the enlargement range than when the selected enlargement range is indicated by numerical values such as coordinates.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the enlargement range is automatically determined based on the moving object, the operation is simplified as compared with a case where an operation for selecting the enlargement range is required. In addition, since the timing for setting the enlargement range is determined by pressing a setting button provided on the child unit, the user can press the setting button after directly confirming the state around the child unit. In addition, since a person who presses the setting button is recognized as a moving object, it is easy to avoid an erroneous setting in which a moving object other than a visitor such as a dog or a cat or a passerby is used as a reference for the expansion range.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, between the child unit 1 installed outdoors and the child unit 1 installed indoors and connected to the child unit 1 via the two-wire signal line 3. The base unit 2 is capable of making a call. The power of the child device 1 is supplied from the parent device 2 via, for example, the signal line 3.

  The handset 1 has a communication unit 11 that transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the base unit 2 via the signal line 3, and a call button 12a that is pushed by a visitor, and the call button 12a is pushed. A call for calling between the calling unit 12 that outputs a predetermined calling signal to the parent device 2 via the communication unit 11 and the signal line 3 and the parent device 2 via the communication unit 11 and the signal line 3 An image signal that is an electric signal indicating image data by converting an image captured using the unit 13 and the wide-angle lens into image data that is digital data is transmitted to the base unit 2 via the communication unit 11 and the signal line 3. And an imaging unit 14 for transmission.

  The base unit 2 includes a communication unit 21 that transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the slave unit 1 through the signal line 3, an operation unit 22 that receives an operation input by a user, and the communication unit 21 and the signal line 3. Display unit for converting the image data obtained from the image signal received from the child unit via the signal line 3 and the communication unit 21 into an image and displaying it. 24, and controlling the call unit 23 and the display unit 24 according to the electrical signal received from the slave unit 1 through the signal line 3 and the communication unit 21 and the operation input received by the operation unit 22, respectively. The control part 25 which transmits the control signal for controlling the telephone call part 13 and the imaging part 14 of the subunit | mobile_unit 1 via the communication part 21 and the signal wire | line 3 is provided. The control unit 25 includes, for example, a microcomputer that has a memory in which a program is stored in advance and operates according to the program stored in the memory.

  In each of the slave unit 1 and the master unit 2, the communication units 11 and 21 specifically include, for example, a known impedance matching circuit that matches impedance with the signal line 3. Here, since the image signal, the audio signal, and the control signal are simultaneously transmitted and received through the common signal line 3, in order to avoid the image signal, the audio signal, and the control signal from interfering with each other, at least as the image signal For example, a signal that has undergone a known modulation such as frequency modulation for multiplex transmission is used, and a DC voltage signal that also serves as a power source for the communication unit 23 and the display unit 24 is used as the control signal. The communication unit 21 of the parent device 2 includes a power supply circuit that is controlled by the control unit 25 to generate a control signal, and a demultiplexing circuit that separates the image signal and the audio signal from the electrical signal received from the signal line 3. . The communication part 11 of the subunit | mobile_unit 1 is provided with the receiving circuit which produces | generates the power supply of the telephone call part 13 and the imaging part 14 from a control signal.

  In each of the handset 1 and the base unit 2, the call units 13 and 23 convert the input voice into a voice signal that is an electrical signal, and the voice signal is transmitted via the communication units 11 and 21 and the signal line 3. Transmitting circuit (not shown), a receiving circuit (not shown) for converting a voice signal received via the signal line 3 and the communication units 11 and 21 into voice, a transmitting circuit and a receiving voice An audio signal input from the transmission circuit to the communication units 11 and 21 interposed between the circuit and the communication units 11 and 21 is compared with an audio signal input from the communication units 11 and 21 to the reception circuit. A voice switch (not shown) for switching the direction of the call by attenuating the lower level (ie, volume) and amplifying the higher signal level. More specifically, the transmission circuit includes a microphone that converts voice into a voice signal that is an electrical signal. The receiving circuit has a speaker that converts an audio signal into audio.

  Specifically, the imaging unit 14 of the slave unit 1 includes, for example, an imaging element (not shown) to which an image is input via a wide-angle lens, and a conversion circuit (digital image conversion) that generates image data by converting the output of the imaging element. And a modulation circuit that generates an image signal by modulating the image data output from the conversion circuit for multiplex transmission. As the image sensor, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type or a CMOS type can be used.

  Specifically, the display unit 24 of the master unit 2 displays the image signal transmitted from the liquid crystal panel 24a exposed at the upper end of the front surface of the master unit 2 and the imaging unit 14 of the slave unit 1 as shown in FIG. A driving circuit (not shown) for driving the liquid crystal panel 24a using the demodulated image data to display an image; In addition, after the demodulation of the image signal, a known distortion correction for correcting the image distortion caused by the wide-angle lens in a planar manner is performed. Note that the distortion correction may be performed before modulation in the imaging unit 14 of the slave unit 1.

  Next, a specific operation of the control unit 25 of the parent device 2 will be described. The control unit 25 is normally in a standby mode in which the imaging unit 14 and the call units 13 and 23 are stopped. At this time, when the call button 12 a of the child device 1 is pressed, the calling unit 12 of the child device 1 transmits a call signal to the parent device 2. The call signal is for reducing a potential difference between two lines constituting the signal line 3, for example. In base unit 2, when the call signal is received by communication unit 21, control unit 25 starts imaging unit 14 and display unit 24 while keeping call units 13 and 23 stopped, and performs imaging by imaging unit 14. The system shifts to a call mode in which display by the display unit 24 is performed and starts measuring the waiting time. In the call mode, the display unit 24 displays a predetermined enlarged range EA in a displayable range (hereinafter referred to as “displayable range”) based on image data as shown in FIG. As shown in b), an enlarged display for enlarging and displaying is performed. The user confirms the display on the display unit 24 and determines whether or not to start a call. If the telephone call is not started, if left unattended, the control unit 25 returns to the standby mode when the standby time reaches a predetermined time. When a call is started, a call button 22a that the operation unit 22 has and is exposed at the lower end of the front surface of the base unit 2 is pressed. Then, the control part 25 starts each call part 13 and 23 of the subunit | mobile_unit 1 and the main | base station 2, and transfers to the call mode which enables a call. The enlarged range EA is a range in which the face of the person who pressed the call button 12a is likely to enter, specifically, for example, the upper end portion of the displayable range and the central portion in the left-right direction. In the call mode, when the call button 22a is pressed again, the control unit 25 returns to the standby mode.

  According to the above configuration, since the enlarged display is started in the master unit 2 just by pressing the call button 12a in the slave unit 1, no special operation input for starting the enlarged display is required. The operation is simplified compared to a case where an operation input for starting is separately required.

  Instead of fixing the enlarged range EA, it may be arbitrarily set by an operation input to the operation unit 22. In this case, a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM is used as a memory serving as a storage unit that the display unit 24 has and stores the enlarged range EA, and is updated each time the enlarged range EA is set. This is desirable because it saves the trouble of repeating the same setting. Specifically, the operation unit 22 includes a switching unit that receives an operation input instructing switching to a setting mode in which the enlarged range EA is set, and a selection unit that receives an operation input that selects the enlarged range EA during the setting mode. Provided. In the setting mode, the control unit 25 controls the display unit 24 to display an image obtained by adding a pointer indicating the range displayed during the enlarged display to the image displaying the entire displayable range. When the user moves the pointer with the selection unit and then operates the switching unit again, the control unit 25 changes the enlarged range EA to the range indicated by the pointer and returns to the mode before the transition to the setting mode. The pointer has, for example, a rectangular shape surrounding the selected enlarged range EA. As the switching means and selection means, for example, setting buttons 22b to 22e provided side by side on the front side of the base unit 2 below the liquid crystal panel 24a can be used. The setting buttons 22b to 22e are called the first switching button 22b, the first selection button 22c, the second selection button 22d, and the second switching button 22e from the right, and a specific example of the operation will be described. First, when the user presses the first switching button 22b, the control unit 25 displays various setting items such as the current time and the zoom position on the liquid crystal panel 24a under the control of the display unit 24, and selects each of the selection buttons 22c, The mode is switched to the item selection mode for accepting selection of setting items by the pressing operation of 22d. When the user selects the zoom position as a setting item in the item selection mode and then presses the first switching button 22b again, the control unit 25 controls the display unit 24 to display the screen SS1 shown in FIG. The zoom position confirmation mode is displayed in which an image in which a rectangular pointer P surrounding the enlarged range EA is added to the entire image of the displayable range is displayed. Then, when the user presses the second switching button 22d in the zoom position confirmation mode, the control unit 25 inputs operation to the selection buttons 22c, 22d and the first switching button 22d as shown in the screens SS2 to SS5. Accordingly, the display unit 24 is controlled to switch to the setting mode in which the pointer P is moved. In the setting mode, the pointer P is moved in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction by pressing the selection buttons 22c and 22d. In the setting mode, whether the moving direction of the pointer by the selection buttons 22c and 22d is the up-down direction as shown in SS2 and SS4 or the left-right direction as shown in SS3 and SS5, every time the first switching button 22b is pressed. It can be switched alternatively. If the user moves the pointer P to a desired position and then presses the second switching button 22e, the control unit 25 returns to the zoom position confirmation mode, and the user performs the first switching in the zoom position confirmation mode. If the button 22b is pressed, the control unit 25 returns to the operation mode before switching to the item selection mode. In the item selection mode, the zoom position confirmation mode, and the setting mode, the control unit 25 displays the functions of the setting buttons 22b to 22e on the lower end of the liquid crystal panel 24a and above the setting buttons 22b to 22e, respectively. In the above specific example, the switching buttons 22b and 22e constitute switching means, and the selection buttons 22c and 22d and the first switching button 22b constitute selection means. According to the above configuration, since the enlarged range EA selected in the setting mode is indicated by the pointer P on the image of the liquid crystal panel 24a, for example, the selected enlarged range EA is enlarged as compared with the case where the selected enlarged range EA is indicated by numerical values such as coordinates. Setting the range EA is easy.

  Alternatively, only the selection unit is provided without providing the setting mode and the switching unit as described above, and the control unit 25 changes the enlarged range EA so that the image on the display unit 24 is scrolled when the selection unit is operated. It is good also as a structure. In this case, it is desirable that the control unit 25 controls the display unit 24 at least during the movement of the enlarged range EA so that the position of the enlarged range EA in the displayable range is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 24a. Specifically, for example, a mark in which a rectangle indicating the enlarged range EA is drawn inside the rectangle indicating the displayable range is displayed in the lower right corner of the liquid crystal panel 24a.

  If any one of the above-described configurations that allows the enlargement range EA to be set by an operation input is adopted, the enlargement range EA can be freely changed.

  Further, the enlarged range EA may be automatically determined using a known image processing technique. For example, the slave unit 1 is provided with a setting unit (not shown) that has a setting button and transmits a predetermined setting signal to the parent device 2 via the communication unit 11 when the setting button is pressed. In addition, the control unit 25 determines and monitors the movement of the object in the image in the standby mode, and when the setting signal is received by the communication unit 21, the enlarged range includes the area determined to be the moved object. Select EA and update. If this configuration is adopted, the enlarged range EA is flexibly changed, and it is not necessary to select the enlarged range EA. In addition, since the timing for selecting the enlarged range EA is determined by pressing the setting button provided on the handset 1, the user presses the setting button after directly viewing the situation around the handset 1. In addition, since the user who presses the setting button is recognized as a moving object, a moving object other than a visitor such as a dog or cat or a passerby is set as a reference for the enlarged range EA. Easy to avoid.

  Further, instead of storing the enlarged range EA in the memory of the display unit 24 of the parent device 2, a storage unit for storing the enlarged range EA is provided in the slave unit 1, and the control unit 25 of the parent device 2 is connected via the communication unit 21. The storage unit of the slave unit 1 may be accessed. In this case, the image signal of only the enlarged range EA may be transmitted from the slave unit 1 under the control of the control unit 25 during the period in which only the enlarged range EA is displayed.

It is a schematic structure figure showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the same as the above. (A) and (b) show the same operations as above, (a) shows an example of an image displaying the entire displayable range, and (b) shows an example of an image during enlarged display. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of an operation | movement same as the above when the expansion range is set.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Subunit 2 Parent | base station 11,21 Communication part 12 Calling part 12a Calling button 14 Imaging part 22 Operation part 22b-22e Setting button (The switching means and selection means in a claim)
24 Display unit 24a Liquid crystal panel 25 Control unit EA Enlarged range P Pointer

Claims (2)

An intercom system comprising a main unit installed indoors and a child unit installed outdoors,
The child is
A communication unit that transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the base unit;
An imaging unit that captures an image using a wide-angle lens and converts the captured image into an image signal transmitted to the parent device via the communication unit;
A call unit that has a call button that is pressed by a visitor and that outputs a predetermined call signal to the parent device via the communication unit when the call button is pressed;
The parent machine
A communication unit that transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the slave unit;
An operation unit for receiving operation inputs;
A display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit of the slave unit using an image signal received from the slave unit via the communication unit;
One of the slave unit and the master unit includes a storage unit that stores an enlarged range that is a part of a range that can be captured by the imaging unit and displayed on the display unit
The master unit includes a control unit that controls the display unit when a call signal is received by the communication unit, and starts an enlarged display that displays an enlarged range stored in the storage unit using an image signal .
The storage unit consists of a rewritable nonvolatile memory,
At least one of the master unit and the slave unit has a setting means for setting the expansion range,
The control unit of the base unit updates the enlarged range stored in the storage unit to the set enlarged range when the enlarged range is set by the setting unit,
The operation unit of the base unit has, as setting means, switching means for accepting an operation input for instructing a transition to the setting mode in which the enlargement range is set and returning from the setting mode, and an operation for selecting the enlargement range during the setting mode. Selecting means for receiving input,
The control unit of the master unit shifts to the setting mode when a predetermined operation input is accepted by the switching means when not in the setting mode,
In the setting mode, an image in which a pointer indicating an enlargement range is added to the entire image that can be displayed using an image signal is displayed on the display unit, and the pointer is moved in accordance with an operation input to the selection unit, and switching is performed. An intercom system characterized in that when a predetermined operation input is accepted by the means, the setting mode is restored and the enlarged range stored in the storage unit is updated to the enlarged range indicated by the pointer . The slave unit includes a setting unit as a setting unit that has a setting button and transmits a predetermined setting signal to the parent device via the communication unit when the setting button is pressed.
When the setting signal is received by the communication unit, the control unit of the base unit extracts the moving object from the displayable range using the image signal, and updates the enlargement range so that the moving object is included in the enlargement range. The intercom system according to claim 1 .

Images