JP2002064642A - Interphone having communication terminal connection function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an interphone for directly calling a resident while the resident is out according to a specific visitor when the resident is away from home. SOLUTION: The telephone number of a cellular phone 52 of a resident is related to external personal information that has been stored in advance and is stored at a feature storage area 25C of a storage part 25 of a master telephone 20 by the on operation of a telephone number registration switch 23. While an absence and presence selection switch 21 that the master telephone 20 has is set to the absence side and when a call switch 41 is turned on by the visitor, first a feature part is extracted from the actual image of the visitor being acquired by a memory 29 for temporarily acquiring the actual image that is photographed by a camera 42 of a slave telephone 40 at a feature extraction part 33 in a step S41 and is compared with feature part data read from a feature storage area 25C by a judgment part 34. When they match and the correspondent telephone number is present, a corresponding cellular phone 52 is called for enabling call between the slave telephone 40 and the cellular phone 52 via a line control device 35 (steps S43-S47).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an intercom, and more particularly to dealing with an on-going visitor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of intercom, for example, in a slave unit, after a visitor presses a call button, informs that he is out of the office and requests that the visitor leave a message. A message playback / recording function is known which plays back an answering message from a speaker and records a response message of a visitor to the message.

[0003]

However, in the above-described conventional intercom with a message reproducing / recording function, the resident can record only a uniform absence message for all visitors, and furthermore, the absence of the message The visitor's response message to the message can be confirmed only after returning home. In order to avoid such a problem, a line control device connected to a public communication line is provided in the intercom, and the interphone is transferred to a resident's mobile phone so that a call can be made between the intercom slave and the mobile phone. Something is possible. However, in such an intercom with a mobile phone transfer function, residents on the go
A problem arises in that the call is made uniformly by the ring tone of the mobile phone irrespective of the visitor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide an intercom capable of making a direct telephone call with a resident who is out of the office in response to a specific visitor when he is away. It is in.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an intercom having a communication terminal connection function according to the first aspect, wherein a call can be made with a base unit based on a visitor's operation of the sub unit. A visitor specifying means for specifying a visitor by comparing external personal information of the visitor detected by a sensor provided in the child device with external personal information stored in advance, and absence and staying at home provided in the parent device And a communication terminal identification number recording means capable of recording a communication terminal identification number for connecting to a communication terminal on the go of a resident while associating with a specific visitor, and a public communication line. A line control unit is provided, and the changeover switch provided on the master unit is switched to the absence mode, and when the visitor is specified by the visitor specifying unit, the line control unit Called with the communication terminal identification number recorded in the communication terminal identification number recording means in association with the communication terminal, and when connected to the communication terminal, the audio signal is mutually transmitted between the communication terminal and the slave through the line control unit. The feature is that a telephone call is made possible by transmitting and receiving

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the intercom with the communication terminal connection function according to the first aspect, a video camera is provided in the slave unit, and the visitor specifying means includes a video image taken by the video camera. , A feature extraction unit that extracts the feature by image processing, a feature storage that stores a feature extracted from an image of a specific visitor as external personal information, and a feature extraction unit that extracts the feature. A feature is provided in that a determining unit is provided for comparing the characteristic unit with the characteristic unit stored in the characteristic unit storage unit to specify a visitor.

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the resident can use the communication terminal identification number recording means to connect the communication terminal to the communication terminal outside the resident. Can be recorded in correspondence with a specific visitor. Then, the change-over switch of the absence and home provided in the master unit is set to the absence and the user goes out. Then
If a visitor comes during the absence, it is detected by a sensor provided in the child device. Here, the visitor identification unit compares the detected external personal information of the visitor with external personal information stored in advance, and when the visitor is identified, identifies the communication terminal associated with the visitor. According to the number, the communication terminal of the resident's outside is called, and a call can be made with the child device. Therefore, the resident on the go can make a direct call according to the specific visitor when he is away.

<Invention of claim 2> According to the structure of claim 2, the image of the visitor photographed by the video camera provided in the slave unit is subjected to image processing, and the characteristic portion thereof is extracted.
Then, the visitor can be specified by comparing the characteristic part with the characteristic part stored in advance by the characteristic part storage means.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. The intercom 10 of the present embodiment has a configuration in which a slave unit 40 provided at the entrance and a base unit 20 provided indoors are connected via a communication line (not shown). The child device 40 is provided with a camera 42 for photographing a visitor, a call switch 41, a microphone 43 and a speaker 44, and the parent device 20 is provided with a display 2 for displaying an image photographed by the camera 42 of the child device 40.
6, a key input device 27, a handset 28, an absence / at-home switch 21, a feature registration switch 22, a telephone number registration switch 23, and a reproduction switch 24.

As shown in FIG. 1, a slave unit 40 is provided with a slave unit image signal processing unit 45 and a slave unit audio signal processing unit 46. The slave unit image signal processing unit 45 processes the image signal from the camera 42 and transmits the processed image signal to the control unit 32 of the master unit 20 and the real image temporary acquisition memory 29. Further, the child device audio signal processing unit 46 processes the audio signal from the microphone 43 and transmits the processed signal to the control unit 32 of the parent device 20,
The audio signal is received from the control unit 32 and is transmitted to the speaker 4.
4 to play.

On the other hand, a storage unit 25 composed of a semiconductor memory is provided in the base unit 20, and includes a recorded image storage area 25A, a recorded voice storage area 25B, and a characteristic storage area 25C. The characteristic storage area 25C constitutes a database including items of pointer address, characteristic part data, name data, and telephone number data. Also,
The image data and voice data in the absence image storage area 25A and the absence voice storage area 25B are stored in the feature storage area 25C in association with the corresponding pointer addresses where the feature data exists. A real image temporary acquisition memory 29 provided separately from the storage unit
Stores one-shot actual image data from the slave unit image signal processing unit 45 for each visitor pressing the call switch 41.

A known handset 28 having a speaker and a microphone is connected to a control unit 32 in the base unit 20 via a base unit audio signal processing unit 31.
8 is supplied to the slave unit audio signal processing unit 46 via the control unit 32 to be reproduced by the speaker 44 of the slave unit 40, and the audio signal of the microphone 43 of the slave unit 40 is To play. As a result, a call can be made between the visitor and the resident using the child device 40 and the parent device 20.

A liquid crystal display 26 is connected to the control unit 32 via a base unit image signal processing unit 30.
The image signal sent to the side can be displayed on the display 26 in real time. As will be clarified in the operation description to be described later, when the answering / home switching switch 21 is switched to the answering side, the image signal from the slave unit 40 is written into the answering image storage area 25A of the storage unit 25, The audio signal from the slave unit 40 is analog /
Digitally converted voice message storage area 25 of storage unit 25
B is written. Further, the control unit 32 is connected to an NCU 35 which is a line control device. NCU35
Is connected to the public communication line 50, and will be clarified in the operation description to be described later.
Call. After the connection, the mobile station 52 demodulates the audio signal from the mobile phone 52 and goes to the remote control 40 via the control unit 32.
Of the slave unit 40, and modulates an audio signal from the microphone 43 of the slave unit 40 and transmits the modulated signal to the communication line 50. Thus, a call can be made between the visitor and the resident using the slave 40 and the mobile phone 52.

The control section 32 includes a feature extracting section 33 and a judging section 34. The feature extracting unit 33 extracts a feature from the one-shot real image data received from the real image temporary acquisition memory 29. Here, as will be clarified in the operation description to be described later, the absence / home switching switch 2
When 1 is switched to the answering machine, the extracted feature data is transmitted to the determination unit 34. Then, the determination unit 34 compares the transmitted feature data with the feature data read from the feature storage area 25C. On the other hand, when the feature registration switch 22 is turned on,
The feature data extracted by the feature extraction unit 33 is stored in the feature storage area 25C corresponding to the automatically assigned pointer address.
Is written to.

Now, the hardware configuration of the present embodiment is as described above. Next, the operation will be described with reference to a flowchart of a program executed by the control unit 32. The description of the operation should clarify the software configuration of the present embodiment. <At Home> First, when the resident is at home, the absence / home switch 21 of the base unit 20 is set to the home side. In this state, when the call switch 41 of the child device 40 is turned on by the visitor, the control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 (home routine) is executed. First, at step S11, a doorbell (not shown) of the base unit 20 rings. Next, an image of the visitor is displayed on the display 26 of the master device 20 (step S12), and thereafter, step S12 is performed.
At 13, it is determined whether the resident has turned off the handset 28 within 10 seconds (hook up the handset and connect the line, the same applies hereinafter). If the user goes off-hook within 10 seconds, a call can be made with the handset 40 (step S14). If on-hook continues after 10 seconds (the state where the handset is taken down and the line is cut off; the same applies hereinafter), or if the call is terminated and the resident returns the handset 28 to the base unit 20 and goes on-hook (step S1)
In 5), the display 26 is turned off and the process ends (step S16).

<Registration of feature part as external personal information> When a new feature of a visitor is to be registered, the resident is required to
With the home switch 21 on the home side, the feature registration switch 22 is turned on. Then, the control shown in the flowchart (feature registration routine) of FIG. 4 is executed. First, in step S21, the one-shot actual image stored in the actual image temporary acquisition memory is displayed on the display 26. Next, when the resident inputs the name of the visitor displayed on the display 26 with the key input device 27 (step S22), the characteristic portion is extracted from the one-shot actual image (step S23), and is extracted as external personal information. Is stored in association with the free pointer address in the characteristic storage area 25C of the storage unit 25 (steps S24 to S27).

<Registration of Telephone Number> Now, before the resident goes out, the resident's mobile phone 5 is corresponded to the visiting visitor who is away.
When the telephone number 2 is to be registered, the telephone number registration switch 23 is turned on while the absence / at-home switch 21 is set to the home side. At this time, the control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 (telephone number registration routine) is executed. First, in steps S31 and S32, if there is feature data in the feature storage area 25C, the pointer address NO, name, and telephone number of the mobile phone are displayed in a list on the display 26. Then, by operating the key input device 27 of the resident, the pointer address NO in the list is selected (step S33), and if the telephone number of the mobile phone desired to be transferred is input (step S34), the telephone number data is selected. The information is stored in the feature storage area 25C in association with the pointer address (step S35), and the display 26 is turned off (step S3).
6) End. Thus, the telephone number of the resident's mobile phone can be registered for each resident in response to a specific visitor. Then, if the answering / at-home switch 21 is set to the answering side, the preparation during absence is completed.

<Transfer to Out-of-Home Place During Absence> When the caller 41 is turned on by the visitor in the above-described ready state, the control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 (absence routine) is executed. First, step S41
In, a personal identification check is performed. That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7, first, the feature extraction unit 33 extracts a feature from the one-shot real image acquired from the real image temporary acquisition memory 29 (steps S51 and S5).
2) The determining unit 34 compares the data with the characteristic data as the external personal information read from the characteristic storage area 25C to determine whether or not they match (steps S54 to S56). These steps are executed in the order of the pointer addresses until the characteristic parts match or the characteristic part data stored in the characteristic storage area 25C is exhausted. If they match, the result is "YES", and the match flag is set (step S57). Next, as shown in an absence routine of FIG. 6, if the characteristic parts match (the match flag is set) and there is corresponding telephone number data, "YES" is determined in step S42, and the resident is identified by the telephone number. A call of the mobile phone 52 is started (step S43), and
A message indicating that the call is being made is reproduced on the speaker 44 of the child device 40 (step S44). Here, in step S45, if there is a response from the mobile phone 52,
“YES” is reached, and the communication between the slave unit 40 and the mobile phone 52 becomes possible until the mobile phone 52 is turned on (steps S47 and S49). On the other hand, in step S42, the characteristic portions do not match (the match flag is not set).
Or if there is a phone number registration even if they match,
Alternatively, in step S45, when the call is made but there is no response, a message requesting a message is reproduced from the speaker 44 of the child device 40 (step S46). afterwards,
In step S48, the control shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 (answering machine recording routine) is executed. First, in step S61, counting of a recording / recording timer is started. Next, in step S62, the image data and the audio data from the camera 42 and the microphone 43 of the slave unit 40 are associated with the pointer address corresponding to the matched feature data only when the above-described match flag is set. (Step S63). Next, the image data and the voice data are stored in the absence image storage area 25A and the absence voice storage area 25B of the storage unit 25, respectively (step S64). On the other hand, if there is no set match flag, the association is saved without being associated.
The above-mentioned storage (recording / sound recording) is terminated after continuing for a certain period of time (steps S65 and S66). Therefore, the intercom 10 of the present embodiment can record a message of a visitor even if the mobile phone does not receive a response even when called and has no answering machine function.

<Reproduction of image and voice of visitor> When a resident returns home and wants to check the message of an absent visitor who could not make a direct call or that person's message, first, the absent / at-home switch 21 is turned on at the home side. And the reproduction switch 24 is turned on. Then, the control shown in the flowchart (reproduction routine) of FIG. 9 is executed. First, step S7
In step 1, it is determined whether or not image data and audio data corresponding to the pointer address exist in the absence image storage area 25A or the absence sound storage area 25B. If there is, the pointer address NO, name, and presence / absence of recording are displayed on the display 26 in a list format (step S72). Next, in step S73, an image and a sound corresponding to the pointer address NO selected by the resident using the key input device 27 are reproduced from the display 26 and the speaker of the handset 28 (step S74). When the resident turns on the end key in step S75, the process proceeds to step S76 (step S75). Step S76
Then, the absence image storage area 25A or the absence voice storage area 2
If there is image data or audio data not associated with the pointer address in 5B, it is reproduced on the display 26 and the speaker 44 (step S77). Therefore, according to the intercom 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to confirm, among the absent visitors, those who could not directly talk to the resident outside.

As described above, the intercom 1 of the present embodiment
According to 0, when going out, it is possible to record the telephone number of the resident's mobile phone 52 while associating it with the external personal information (characteristic data, name, etc.) stored in the characteristic storage area 25C of the storage unit 25. It is. When the visitor is identified by comparing the characteristic portion extracted from the video of the away visitor with the characteristic portion as the external personal information, a call is made using the telephone number associated with the visitor. In this case, a call can be made between the slave unit 40 and the mobile phone 52. Therefore, the resident can record the telephone number of his / her mobile phone in association with the specific visitor, and can make a direct call with the specific visitor when he is away, even when he is out. Also, even if a visitor cannot make a direct call, the image and sound of the visitor whose external personal information is registered can be recorded / reproduced in accordance with the visitor. , The user's business can be easily confirmed in association with the visitor.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
In addition to the following, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) In the above-described embodiment, the mobile phone 52 is used as a communication terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the mobile phone can communicate with each other, it is connected to a telephone or a communication line installed outside. It may be a computer. In addition,
In the case of a computer, IP
An address is recorded corresponding to the visitor.

(2) In the above embodiment, the target to be collated to identify the visitor is a feature extracted from an actual image captured by the camera 42. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
As long as it is capable of recognizing an individual, for example, a feature extracted from a human fingerprint, voice or iris may be used. However, as in the above embodiment, when the absence image and audio recording / reproduction means for recording / reproducing the visitor's image and audio to confirm the absence visitor and the response message are used, the collation is performed. If the target is an image or a sound, the camera 42, the microphone 43, or the speaker 44 can be used in common, which is efficient.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, the collation target is a single feature extracted from the image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is extracted from the image and the voice in order to more accurately identify the visitor. There may be more than one, such as making the featured part a collation target.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a parent device and a child device.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the contents of control.

Fig. 3 Flowchart of home routine

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a feature registration routine.

Fig. 5 Flowchart of telephone number registration routine

Fig. 6 Flowchart of the absence routine

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a personal identification check.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an answering machine routine.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a reproduction routine.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Intercom 20 ... Base unit 21 ... Absence / at-home switching switch 23 ... Phone number registration switch 25C ... Feature storage area 28 ... Handset 32 ... Control unit 33 ... Feature extraction unit 34 ... Judgment unit 35 ... NCU (network control unit) Reference numeral 40: slave unit 42: camera 43: microphone 44: speaker 52: mobile phone (communication terminal)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 7/18 H04N 7/18 H

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A device which can communicate with a parent device based on a visitor's operation in a child device, wherein the external personal information of the visitor detected by a sensor provided in the child device is stored in advance. A visitor specifying means for specifying the visitor by collating with the external personal information, an answering / home switch provided in the master unit, and a communication terminal identification for connecting to a communication terminal on the outside of the resident. A communication terminal identification number recording means capable of recording the number while associating the number with a specific visitor; and a line control unit connected to a public communication line, wherein the changeover switch provided in the master unit is absent. Side, and when a visitor is specified by the visitor specifying means, the call is recorded in the communication terminal identification number recording means by the line control unit in association with the visitor. Calling by a communication terminal identification number, and when connected to the communication terminal, mutually transmit and receive voice signals between the communication terminal and the slave unit via the line control unit to enable a call. An intercom with a communication terminal connection function. 2. A video camera is provided in said slave unit,
The visitor specifying unit is a feature unit extracting unit that performs image processing on a video taken by the video camera to extract a feature unit thereof, and a feature unit extracted from a specific visitor image as the external personal information. A storage unit for storing a characteristic unit, and a determination unit for identifying a visitor by comparing the characteristic unit extracted by the characteristic unit extraction unit with the characteristic unit stored in the characteristic unit storage unit. The intercom with a communication terminal connection function according to claim 1.