JP7742799B2 - Intercom equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to intercom devices such as intercom handsets that are installed, for example, at entrances and operated by visitors to make calls.

Conventionally, intercom sub-units installed at entrances, for example, have sometimes been equipped with a lighting unit on the call button itself to make it easier for visitors to operate the button at night. For example, the intercom sub-unit described in Patent Document 1 has an LED or similar device facing forward located behind the call button as a light source, and a cylindrical light-guiding section extending from the front of the call button toward the light source, making the light emitted by the light source visible from the front of the main body case.

JP 2017-34299 A

However, the lighting unit described in Patent Document 1 has the problem of being structurally complex due to the need to provide a cylindrical light guide, as mentioned above.

The present invention was developed in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an intercom device with a simplified lighting section structure.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is an intercom device having an operating unit that can be operated by pushing it on the front of the main body case, the operating unit being translucent and formed in a box shape that opens to the rear, an LED board with an LED mounted on its rear surface being installed within the operating unit, and a reflective member that reflects the light emitted by the LED is attached so as to cover the LED from the rear, and an opening that communicates with the space that covers the LED is provided at a position on the reflective member facing a predetermined peripheral portion of the operating unit, so that the peripheral portion of the operating unit serves as a lighting unit with the LED as a light source. According to the invention described in claim 1, an LED board with an LED mounted on its rear surface being installed within the operating unit being translucent and formed in a box shape that opens to the rear, an LED board with an LED mounted on its rear surface being installed within the operating unit, and a reflective member that reflects the light emitted by the LED is attached so as to cover the LED from the rear, and an opening that communicates with the space that covers the LED is provided at a position on the reflective member facing a predetermined peripheral portion of the operating unit, so that the peripheral portion of the operating unit serves as a lighting unit with the LED as a light source. Therefore, when configuring the lighting unit, there is no need to provide a cylindrical light guide unit as in the conventional case, and the structure of the lighting unit can be simplified.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in the invention described in claim 1, an operation window is opened on the front of the main body case to expose the operation unit, a reflective wall capable of reflecting light emitted by the LED protrudes rearward from the opening edge of the operation window, the peripheral surface of the operation unit faces the reflective wall, and the gap between the peripheral surface of the operation unit and the reflective wall serves as an indirect lighting unit using the LED as a light source.
According to the invention of claim 2, an operation window is opened on the front surface of the main body case to expose the operation unit, a reflective wall capable of reflecting light emitted by the LED is protruded rearward from the opening edge of the operation window, and the peripheral surface of the operation unit faces the reflective wall, so that the gap between the peripheral surface of the operation unit and the reflective wall serves as an indirect lighting unit using the LED as a light source. Therefore, the lighting unit can be configured by utilizing the gap that previously existed between the operation window and the operation unit, thereby streamlining the structure.

According to this invention, an LED board with an LED mounted on its rear surface is installed inside a translucent, box-shaped operating unit that opens to the rear. A reflective member that reflects the light emitted by the LED is attached to cover the LED from behind. Furthermore, an opening that communicates with the space that covers the LED is provided in the reflective member at a location facing a specific peripheral portion of the operating unit, so that the peripheral portion of the operating unit serves as a lighting unit that uses the LED as a light source. Therefore, there is no need to provide a cylindrical light guide as in conventional lighting units, simplifying the structure of the lighting unit.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the intercom handset from the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the intercom handset from the front side. FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the rear side of the front case. FIG. 10 is a perspective explanatory view showing the front case and the call button in an exploded state from the front side. FIG. 10 is a perspective explanatory view showing the front case and the call button in an exploded state from the rear side. 4A and 4B are perspective explanatory views showing a reflecting member, in which FIG. 4A shows the reflecting member from the front side and FIG. 4B shows the reflecting member from the rear side. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a vertical cross section of a call button portion of an intercom slave unit. FIG.

Below, we will explain in detail the intercom handset, which is one embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the intercom handset 1 from the front. Figure 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing the intercom handset 1 from the front side. Figure 3 is an explanatory perspective view showing the rear side of the front case 2. Figure 4 is an explanatory perspective view showing the front case 2 and call button 8 in a disassembled state from the front side. Figure 5 is an explanatory perspective view showing the front case 2 and call button 8 in a disassembled state from the rear side. Figure 6 is an explanatory perspective view showing the reflective member 25, with (a) shown from the front side and (b) shown from the rear side. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a vertical cross section of the call button 8 portion of the intercom handset 1.

Intercom handset 1 has a main body case composed of a front case 2 located at the front, a rear case 3 located at the rear, and a decorative cover 4 attached to cover the front of the front case 2. A camera unit 5 for capturing images of visitors and the surrounding area is located at the top front of the main body case, along with a microphone unit 6 through which the visitor communicates with the resident. A speaker unit 7 is located below the camera unit 5, also through which the visitor communicates with the resident. A call button 8 is also located below the speaker unit 7, which the visitor presses to call the resident. A motion sensor 21 capable of detecting visitors is also located inside the call button 8. When a visitor operates the call button 8 or when a visitor is detected by the motion sensor 21, such as by waving their hand over the call button 8, this intercom handset 1 calls an intercom master unit (not shown) installed in the dwelling and activates the camera unit 5 to capture an image of the visitor.

Here, the lighting structure of the intercom slave unit 1, which is a main part of the present invention, will be described in detail.
The intercom slave 1 is provided with a lighting section that lights up when power is applied to the intercom slave 1 to notify the power-on state of the intercom slave 1, and also notifies visitors of the installation location of the intercom slave 1 (and further the location of the call button 8 on the intercom slave 1) at night, etc. The lighting section is composed of the call button 8, an LED board 20 on which the power-on indicator LED 22 is mounted, a reflective member 25, an operation window 9 for installing the call button 8, etc.

First, regarding the call button 8, the call button 8 is a translucent synthetic resin component comprising a button body 11 with a rectangular box-shaped operating unit 13 that is open at the rear, and an operating cover 12 that is attached to cover the front of the operating unit 13. Furthermore, a pair of plate-shaped arms 14, 14 with their thickness extending in the front-to-rear direction protrude upward from the upper plate of the operating unit 13 on the button body 11, and a screw fastening portion 15 is provided at the upper end of each arm 14 for screwing it to the inner surface of the front case 2. Furthermore, a strip-shaped speaker retainer 16 extending in the left-to-right direction is provided to connect the upper ends of the arms 14, 14. Reference numeral 51 denotes a screw used to screw the button body 11, and therefore the call button 8, to the inner surface of the front case 2.

Furthermore, the periphery of the rear opening of the operating unit 13 is provided with flange-shaped restricting pieces 17 that protrude outward on all four sides. When screwed to the inner surface of the front case 2, these come into contact with the inner surface of the front case 2, preventing the call button 8 from moving forward beyond its normal position. In addition, the front plate of the operating unit 13 is provided with a sensor opening 19 for exposing the motion sensor 21, and on the rear surface of the front plate, on both sides of the sensor opening 19, there are mounting bosses 18, 18 that protrude rearward for screwing in a reflective member 25 (described below).

The LED board 20 has a human presence sensor 21 mounted on its front surface and a power indicator LED 22 mounted on its rear surface. The LED board 20 is housed within the operating unit 13, sandwiched from the front and rear by a reflective member 25 that is screwed to the mounting bosses 18, 18 from its rear and the front plate of the operating unit 13. In this housed state, the front surface of the LED board 20 abuts against the rear surface of the front plate of the operating unit 13, and the human presence sensor 21 protrudes into the sensor opening 19.

The reflective member 25 is made of synthetic resin and reflects light without transmitting it, and includes mounting portions 26, 26 for screwing to the mounting bosses 18, 18, and a reflective portion 27 for reflecting light emitted by the power indicator LED 22. The reflective portion 27 has left and right side portions 27a, 27a, a bottom portion 27b connecting the bottom ends of the left and right side portions 27a, and a back portion 27c spanning the rear ends of the left and right side portions 27a, and is molded like a cover with openings on the front and top. When the reflecting member 25 is screwed to the operating unit 13, the front ends of the left and right side portions 27a, 27a and the front end of the bottom portion 27b abut the rear surface of the LED board 20, and the top ends of the left and right side portions 27a, 27a abut against the top plate of the operating unit 13 (with the top opening 27d of the reflecting member 27 facing the top surface of the operating unit 13), causing the reflecting member 27 to cover the power indicator LED 22. In other words, the power indicator LED 22 is located within the reflecting member 27, and the space within the reflecting member 27 is connected to the outside of the reflecting member 27 via the top opening 27d of the reflecting member 27. Reference numeral 52 denotes a screw used to screw the reflecting member 25 into the operating unit 13.

On the other hand, the front case 2 has an operation window 9 that exposes the operation portion 13 of the call button 8. The opening area of the operation window 9 is made larger (particularly in the vertical direction) than the area of the front of the operation portion 13 to enable the call button 8 to be pressed (i.e., the arms 14, 14 flex with the screw fastening portions 15, 15 as fulcrums, and the operation portion 13 moves toward the inside of the main body case). With the call button 8 installed, a gap 30 is created between the upper edge of the operation window 9 and the top surface of the operation portion 13. Additionally, a reflective wall 9a that protrudes rearward extends along the upper edge of the operation window 9, and with the call button 8 installed, the top surface of the operation portion 13 faces the reflective wall 9a.

In the lighting structure described above, when the power indicator LED 22 lights up as power is applied to the intercom handset 1, the light emitted from the power indicator LED 22 reflects off the reflector 27, reaches the top surface of the operation unit 13, and after repeatedly reflecting off the top surface of the operation unit 13 and the reflector wall 9a, leaks out of the main body case through the gap 30. In other words, the gap 30 functions as an indirect lighting unit that uses indirect light emitted by the power indicator LED 22 as a light source to indicate the power status of the intercom handset 1 and to indicate the installation location of the intercom handset 1 at night, etc.

With the intercom handset 1 configured as described above, an LED board 20 with a power indicator LED 22 mounted on its rear surface is installed inside the operation unit 13, which is translucent and shaped like a box that opens to the rear. A reflective member 25 with a reflective portion 27 that reflects light emitted by the power indicator LED 22 is attached to cover the power indicator LED 22 from behind. Furthermore, an opening is provided in the reflective member 25 facing the top surface of the operation unit 13, communicating with the space that covers the power indicator LED 22, i.e., the space within the reflective portion 27. This allows the top surface of the operation unit 13 to function as a lighting unit that uses the power indicator LED 22 as a light source. Therefore, there is no need to provide a cylindrical light guide, as in conventional lighting units, simplifying the lighting unit's structure.

In addition, an operation window 9 is provided in the front case 2 to expose the operation unit 13. A reflective wall 9a capable of reflecting light emitted by the power indicator LED 22 protrudes rearward from the upper edge of the operation window 9. The upper surface of the operation unit 13 faces the reflective wall 9a, and the gap 30 between the upper surface of the operation unit 13 and the reflective wall 9a serves as an indirect lighting unit using the power indicator LED 22 as a light source. Therefore, the conventional gap 30 between the operation unit 13 and the operation window 9 can be used to configure the lighting unit, thereby streamlining the structure.

The intercom device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the overall configuration of the intercom device, as well as the configuration of the operating unit and lighting units such as the LED board, can be modified as needed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the top surface of the operating unit is located inside the main body case, but the present invention can also be suitably employed in an intercom device in which the top surface of the operating unit protrudes forward beyond the front surface of the main body case, in which case the gap does not serve as an illumination unit as in the above embodiment.
In addition, in the above embodiment, the operating unit is formed in a rectangular box shape that opens on the rear side, but it can also be formed in a box shape that is circular when viewed from the front and opens on the rear side, and the design of which peripheral portion of the operating unit is used as the lighting portion can be changed as appropriate. That is, for example, the lower surface of a rectangular box-shaped operating unit can be used as the lighting portion, or the upper left corner of the peripheral portion of a circular box-shaped operating unit when viewed from the front can be used as the lighting portion.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the power indicator LED is mounted on the rear surface of the LED board, but the design can be changed as needed to determine what function the LED mounted on the rear surface of the LED board serves, and for example, it is also possible to mount an illumination LED on the rear surface of the LED board, or an error notification LED on the rear surface of the LED board.It is also possible to mount a second LED on the front surface of the LED board, and use the front surface of the operation unit as a second lighting unit.
In addition, in the above embodiment, an intercom handset is described as an example of an intercom device, but there is no problem with other intercom devices such as a collective entrance unit or an intercom master unit as long as they have an operating section that can be operated by pressing it on the front of the main body case.

1. Intercom handset (intercom device), 2. Front case (main body case), 3. Rear case (main body case), 4. Decorative cover (main body case), 8. Call button, 9. Operation window, 9a. Reflective wall, 11. Button body, 13. Operation section, 14. Arm section, 19. Lighting opening, 20. LED board, 22. Power indicator LED (LED), 25. Reflective member, 27. Reflective section, 27d. Opening, 30. Gap.

Claims (2)

An intercom device having an operation unit that can be operated by pressing it on the front surface of a main body case,
the operation unit is translucent and formed in a box shape that opens rearward,
an LED board having an LED mounted on a rear surface thereof is installed within the operation unit, and a reflective member that reflects light emitted by the LED is assembled so as to cover the LED from behind;
Furthermore, an opening communicating with a space covering the LED is provided at a location of the reflecting member facing a predetermined peripheral portion of the operation unit,
The intercom device is characterized in that the peripheral surface portion of the operating portion serves as a lighting portion using the LED as a light source. An operation window for exposing the operation unit is opened on the front surface of the main body case, and a reflective wall capable of reflecting light emitted by the LED is provided to protrude rearward from an opening edge of the operation window;
the peripheral surface of the operation portion faces the reflecting wall,
2. The intercom device according to claim 1, wherein a gap between the peripheral surface of the operation unit and the reflecting wall serves as an indirect lighting unit using the LED as a light source.