JP7580258B2 - Intercom device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an intercom device that allows visitors to call residents.

An intercom device allows a visitor to call a resident by pressing a call button on the entrance handset installed at the entrance, which sounds a call on the main unit in the room so that the resident knows that there is a visitor. However, there are also intercom devices that allow the resident to know of the visitor's presence without having to operate the call.
For example, in the intercom system of Patent Document 1, a sensor camera is installed at or near the entrance, and when the sensor camera detects a person, the image captured by the camera is displayed on the parent unit in the living room and an alarm sound is issued by the parent unit in the living room. This operation allows the resident to know the presence of a visitor or person at the entrance even if the child unit at the entrance is not operated.

JP 2009-272819 A

On the other hand, an increasing number of visitors are reluctant to touch the call button on the entrance door unit because they don't know who has operated it.
However, the above-mentioned conventional technology is only capable of detecting the presence of a person, and since no communication path is established between the entrance slave unit and the main unit in the living room, the resident is unable to talk to the visitor.

In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide an intercom device that recognizes when a visitor approaches the entrance sub-unit and initiates a call operation in the main unit of the living room, allowing a call to be made by answering the call, without the visitor having to operate the entrance sub-unit.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 provides an intercom device having a front door sub-unit equipped with a camera for capturing images of visitors and having the function of calling and talking to the resident, and a room master unit equipped with a monitor for displaying the image captured by the camera and having the function of responding to calls from the front door sub-unit, the front door sub-unit having a ToF sensor module that detects a visitor and outputs a first signal when the visitor approaches to the front door sub-unit within a predetermined first distance, and a sub-unit control unit that receives the first signal, sends a call signal to the room master unit, and causes the front door sub-unit to sound a message notifying the visitor that a call is being made, the ToF sensor module outputs a second signal when the visitor approaches to a predetermined second distance farther than the first distance before approaching the first distance, and the sub-unit control unit receives the second signal, starts up the camera to begin capturing images, causes the front door sub-unit to sound a message guiding the visitor in front of the camera, and further transmits the image captured by the camera to the room master unit and displays it on the monitor .
With this configuration, the doorbell will ring when the visitor approaches, so the visitor does not need to perform any operation to ring. Therefore, there is no need to press the call button, and the visitor does not need to feel anxious about touching the button. In addition, the visitor is notified that a call is being made, so they can feel at ease.
Furthermore, when a visitor comes within 10 meters of the entrance slave unit, the camera takes a picture and the image is displayed on the main unit in the living room, so the resident can recognize that someone is at the entrance without having to answer a call, which helps improve security. Also, the visitor is easily identified from the image displayed on the monitor, as it encourages the resident to move in front of the camera.
In addition, ToF sensor is an abbreviation for Time of flight sensor, and is a sensor that measures distance based on the time it takes for an emitted signal to reflect off an object and return. The ToF sensor module is a module that has the function of notifying when an object approaches within a set distance.

The invention of claim 2 relates to an intercom device having a front door sub-unit equipped with a camera for capturing images of visitors and having a function for calling and talking to a resident, and a room master unit equipped with a monitor for displaying images captured by the camera and having a function for responding to calls from the front door sub-unit, the front door sub-unit having a ToF sensor module for detecting a visitor and outputting a first signal when the visitor approaches the front door sub-unit to a predetermined first distance, and a sub-unit control unit for receiving the first signal, transmitting a call signal to the room master unit and causing the front door sub-unit to sound a message informing the visitor that a call is being made, the front door sub-unit having a deep ultraviolet LED for sterilization, and the sub-unit control unit for receiving the first signal, causing the deep ultraviolet LED to emit light and causing the front door sub-unit to sound a message asking the visitor to hold their hand over the deep ultraviolet LED .
With this configuration, the doorbell will ring when the visitor approaches, so the visitor does not need to perform any operation to ring. Therefore, there is no need to press the call button, and the visitor does not need to feel anxious about touching the button. In addition, the visitor is notified that a call is being made, so they can feel at ease.
In addition, the deep ultraviolet LED light can sterilize visitors' hands, allowing residents to welcome visitors with peace of mind.

The invention of claim 3 relates to an intercom device having a front door sub-unit equipped with a camera for capturing images of visitors and having the function of calling and talking to the resident, and a room master unit equipped with a monitor for displaying images captured by the camera and having the function of responding to calls from the front door sub-unit, the front door sub-unit having a ToF sensor module that detects a visitor and outputs a first signal when the visitor approaches the front door sub-unit to a predetermined first distance, and a sub-unit control unit that receives the first signal, transmits a call signal to the room master unit, and causes the front door sub-unit to sound a message informing the visitor that a call is being made, the light source that the ToF sensor module has for measuring distance being a deep ultraviolet LED, and the sub-unit control unit, upon receiving the first signal, causes the front door sub-unit to sound a message requesting the visitor to hold their hand over the deep ultraviolet LED .
With this configuration, the doorbell will ring when the visitor approaches, so the visitor does not need to perform any operation to ring. Therefore, there is no need to press the call button, and the visitor does not need to feel anxious about touching the button. In addition, the visitor is notified that a call is being made, so they can feel at ease.
In addition, because the deep-ultraviolet LED is used to sterilize the hands of visitors, residents can welcome visitors with peace of mind, and because the deep-ultraviolet LED in the ToF sensor module is used for sterilization, there is no need to provide a light source dedicated to sterilization.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the third aspect, the ToF sensor module increases the output of the deep ultraviolet LED in accordance with the output of the first signal.
This configuration makes it possible to make maximum use of the germicidal effect of the deep ultraviolet LED.

According to the present invention, the camera starts calling when a visitor approaches, so the visitor does not need to perform any call operation. This means there is no need to press the call button, and there is no need to worry about touching the button. In addition, the visitor is notified that a call is being made, so they can feel at ease.

1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an intercom device according to the present invention, in which the constituent devices are shown in a block diagram.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an intercom device according to the present invention, in which 1 is a front door slave unit 1 for calling a resident, and 2 is a room master unit for responding to a call from the front door slave unit 1. The front door slave unit 1 is installed outdoors, such as at the front door, and the room master unit 2 is installed and used indoors, and the two are connected by a transmission line L1.

The entrance sub-unit 1 is equipped with a camera 11 that captures images of visitors, a sub-unit image processing unit 12 that processes the images captured by the camera 11, an LED 13 for night-time photography, a microphone (sub-unit microphone) 14 for making calls, and a speaker (sub-unit speaker) 15, a call circuit 16 that processes audio signals, a ToF sensor module 17, a sub-unit CPU 18 that controls the entrance sub-unit 1, and a sub-unit communication IF 19 that communicates with the room main unit 2.
The slave unit CPU 18 not only controls the entire entrance slave unit 1, but also receives a signal output by the ToF sensor module 17 and performs preset control.

The ToF sensor module 17 includes a deep ultraviolet LED 17a that emits light to measure distance, a light receiving unit 17b that receives reflected light from the deep ultraviolet LED 17a, an LED control unit 17c that controls the deep ultraviolet LED 17a, a distance measurement unit 17d that measures distance from the reflected light, a threshold memory unit 17e that stores distance, and a ToF control unit 17f. It monitors approaching people, and when the person approaches the distance set in the threshold memory unit 17e, the ToF control unit 17f outputs a predetermined signal to the child device CPU.

Specifically, two distances are set here, for example, 3 meters as the first distance and 10 meters as the second distance, and this information is registered in the threshold memory unit 17e. The ToF control unit 17f outputs a predetermined signal corresponding to the distance based on this registered distance information.

The room master unit 2 is equipped with a monitor 21 that displays the image captured by the camera 11, a master unit image processing unit 22 that processes the image signal transmitted from the front door sub-unit 1, a microphone (master unit microphone) 23 for making calls, a speaker (master unit speaker) 24, a call circuit 25 that processes audio signals, an operation unit 26 that performs various operations, a memory unit 27 that stores messages, etc., a master unit CPU 28 that controls the room master unit 2, and a master unit communication IF 29 that communicates with the front door sub-unit 1.

The operation of the intercom device configured in this way is as follows. The ToF sensor module 17 is always on, and detects an approaching person, and the distance measurement unit 17d measures the distance. In this way, the approaching object is measured as a person, and when the distance from the person to the entrance slave unit 1 reaches 10 meters, a person detection signal (second signal) is output to the slave unit CPU 18.
Upon receiving this person detection signal, the slave CPU 18 activates the camera 11 and transmits the captured image to the room master unit 2. At the same time, it retrieves a message associated with the person detection signal from the memory unit 27 of the room master unit 2 and causes the slave speaker 15 to sound the message.
For example, a message such as "Please come in front of the camera" is sounded from the handset speaker 15. In the room master unit 2 to which the video signal has been transmitted, the captured video is displayed on the monitor 21.

Thereafter, when the person who received this message comes within 3 meters of the entrance slave unit 1, the ToF control unit 17f recognizes the signal from the distance measurement unit 17d and outputs a visitor confirmation signal (first signal) to the slave unit CPU 18. In addition, in accordance with the output of this visitor confirmation signal, the LED control unit 17c controls the output of the far-ultraviolet LED 17a to be at its maximum value, thereby increasing the amount of ultraviolet light.
Then, upon receiving the visitor confirmation signal, the handset CPU 18 generates a call signal and transmits it to the room master unit 2. At the same time, it retrieves a message associated with the visitor confirmation signal from the memory unit 27 and causes the handset speaker 15 to sound the message.
For example, the message "We are calling you now. Please wait" is sounded from the handset speaker 15, followed by the message "We will disinfect your hands. Please hold your hands up to the blue light."

The person (visitor) who receives this message knows that they can wait for the resident's response without calling the entrance unit 1, and knows that they can use the waiting time to disinfect their hands, making effective use of the waiting time.

Meanwhile, the room master unit 2 that receives the call signal sounds a ring tone under the control of the master unit CPU 28. When the resident who receives this ring tone operates the room master unit 2 to answer, a communication path is formed between the entrance slave unit 1 and the room master unit 2, enabling a call between the visitor and the resident. As a result, the resident can talk on the phone while watching the visitor's image displayed on the monitor 21.

In this way, the call operation starts when the visitor approaches the entrance slave unit 1, so the visitor does not need to perform the call operation. Therefore, there is no need to press the call button, and the visitor does not have to feel anxious about touching the button. In addition, the visitor is notified that a call is being made, so he or she can feel at ease.
When the visitor approaches within a second distance such as 10 meters from the entrance slave unit 1, the camera 11 takes an image and the image is displayed on the room master unit 2, so that the resident can recognize that someone is at the entrance without receiving a call, which helps to improve security.
In addition, by encouraging visitors to move in front of the camera 11 using the announcement sound, it becomes easier to identify visitors from the image displayed on the monitor.
In addition, since the deep-ultraviolet LED 17a is used to sterilize the hands of visitors, residents can welcome visitors with peace of mind, and since the deep-ultraviolet LED 17a of the ToF sensor module 17 is used for sterilization, there is no need to provide a light source dedicated to sterilization.
Furthermore, when used for sterilization, the output of the far-ultraviolet LED 17a is maximized, so that the sterilizing effect can be utilized.

In the above embodiment, the ToF sensor module 17 is equipped with the deep ultraviolet LED 17a as a light source for measuring the distance to a person, but the distance may be measured using a near infrared LED. In that case, a deep ultraviolet LED dedicated to disinfection may be installed and emitted in accordance with the transmission of a call signal.
In addition, although the person is detected at two stages, the second distance (10 meters) and the first distance (3 meters), it is also possible to detect only the first distance. In this case, the transmission of the captured image by the camera 11 may be started in accordance with the transmission of the call signal.

1: Entrance slave unit, 2: Room master unit, 11: Camera, 17: ToF sensor module, 17a: Deep UV LED, 18: Slave unit CPU (slave unit control unit), 21: Monitor, 27: Memory unit, 28: Master unit CPU.

Claims (4)

An intercom system having a door slave unit equipped with a camera for capturing images of visitors and a function for calling and speaking with a resident, and a room master unit equipped with a monitor for displaying images captured by the camera and a function for responding to calls from the door slave unit,
The entrance unit includes a ToF sensor module that detects a visitor and outputs a first signal when the visitor approaches the entrance unit within a predetermined first distance;
a slave unit control unit that receives the first signal, transmits a call signal to the room master unit, and causes the entrance slave unit to sound a message notifying a visitor that a call is being made,
the ToF sensor module outputs a second signal when the visitor approaches a second predetermined distance farther than the first distance before approaching the first distance;
The intercom device is characterized in that, upon receiving the second signal, the handset control unit starts the camera to begin capturing images, and also causes the entrance handset to sound a message guiding the user to the camera, and further transmits the image captured by the camera to the room master unit to display it on the monitor . An intercom system having a door slave unit equipped with a camera for capturing images of visitors and a function for calling and speaking with a resident, and a room master unit equipped with a monitor for displaying images captured by the camera and a function for responding to calls from the door slave unit,
The entrance unit includes a ToF sensor module that detects a visitor and outputs a first signal when the visitor approaches the entrance unit within a predetermined first distance;
a slave unit control unit that receives the first signal, transmits a call signal to the room master unit, and causes the entrance slave unit to sound a message notifying a visitor that a call is being made, the entrance slave unit being equipped with a deep ultraviolet LED for sterilization,
When the child device control unit receives the first signal, the child device control unit causes the deep ultraviolet LED to emit light,
The intercom device is characterized in that a message is sent from the entrance slave unit by having the user hold their hand over the deep ultraviolet LED . An intercom system having a door slave unit equipped with a camera for capturing images of visitors and a function for calling and speaking with a resident, and a room master unit equipped with a monitor for displaying images captured by the camera and a function for responding to calls from the door slave unit,
The entrance unit includes a ToF sensor module that detects a visitor and outputs a first signal when the visitor approaches the entrance unit within a predetermined first distance;
a slave unit control unit that receives the first signal, transmits a call signal to the room master unit, and causes the entrance slave unit to sound a message notifying a visitor that a call is being made,
The light source of the ToF sensor module for distance measurement is a deep ultraviolet LED,
The intercom device is characterized in that, when the handset control unit receives the first signal, it causes the entrance handset to sound a message asking the user to hold their hand over the far-ultraviolet LED . 4. The intercom device according to claim 3 , wherein the ToF sensor module increases an output of the far-ultraviolet LED in accordance with an output of the first signal.

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