Intercom system and communication method

• US 10,027,932 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iida, Kouichi, Ashizuka, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): BLANTON, JOHN D
• Application Number:
  US15/001,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20160249022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

There is provided an intercom system which realizes high-quality image display and communication with low cost.

In the intercom system, front door slave unit 300 having an attached camera and master unit 400 are connected to each other through a two-wire cable, and communication between front door slave unit 300 and master unit 400 is performed with transmission and reception of an image signal. Front door slave unit 300 packetizes a control signal, an image signal, and a sound signal of front door slave unit 300, generates an uplink signal, and transmits the generated uplink signal to master unit 400. Master unit 400 packetizes a control signal and a sound signal of master unit 400, generates a downlink signal, and transmits the generated downlink signal to front door slave unit 300. Front door slave unit 300 and master unit 400 perform transmission of the uplink signal and transmission of the downlink signal in a manner of time division duplex using the two-wire cable.

Claims

1. An intercom system comprising:

a front door slave unit which has an attached camera, a microphone and a speaker; and

a master unit which is connected to the front door slave unit through a two-wire cable capable of analog transmission, the master unit having a display, a microphone and a speaker,

wherein the front door slave unit packetizes a slave control signal, an image signal obtained by the camera, and a sound signal obtained by the microphone of the front door slave unit, generates an uplink signal, and transmits the uplink signal that is generated to the master unit,

the master unit packetizes a master control signal and a sound signal obtained by the microphone of the master unit, generates a downlink signal, and transmits the downlink signal that is generated to the front door slave unit, and

the front door slave unit and the master unit perform transmission of the uplink signal and transmission of the downlink signal in a time division duplex manner using the two-wire cable,

wherein, in packetizing for the uplink signal, the front door slave unit generates a single slave control packet from the slave control signal and the sound signal obtained by the microphone of the front door slave unit, and a plurality of image packets from the image signal obtained by the camera during a transmission and reception frame,

wherein, in packetizing for the downlink signal, the master unit generates a single master control packet from the master control signal and the sound signal obtained by the microphone of the master unit during the transmission and reception frame,

wherein the front door slave unit transmits the single slave control packet and the plurality of image packets for the uplink signal during the transmission and reception frame, and

wherein the master unit transmits the single master control packet between the plurality of image packets received from the front door slave unit for the downlink signal during the transmission and reception frame.

2. The intercom system according to claim 1, wherein

the front door slave unit and the master unit perform transmission of the uplink signal and transmission of the downlink signal in a manner of baseband transmission.

3. The intercom system according to claim 1, wherein

the front door slave unit and the master unit perform transmission of the uplink signal or the downlink signal in accordance with transmission control information for regulating time allocation of a transmission section of the uplink signal and a transmission section of the downlink signal in a predetermined period.

4. The intercom system according to claim 3, wherein

at least one of the front door slave unit and the master unit notifies the other of the front door slave unit and the master unit of a timing serving as a reference of the predetermined period.

5. The intercom system according to claim 1, wherein

the front door slave unit generates the uplink signal by generating, at a predetermined interval, a rising signal or a falling signal for a packet, of the slave control packet and the plurality of image packets, using Manchester code, and

the master unit generates the downlink signal by generating, at a predetermined interval, a rising signal or a falling signal for the master control packet, using Manchester code.

6. A communication method of an intercom system, comprising:

causing a front door slave unit having an attached camera, a microphone and a speaker, to packetize a slave control signal, an image signal obtained by the camera, and a sound signal obtained by the microphone of the front door slave unit and to generate an uplink signal;

causing the front door slave unit to transmit the uplink signal that is generated to a master unit which is connected to the front door slave unit through a two-wire cable capable of analog transmission, by using the two-wire cable, the master unit having a display, a microphone and a speaker;

causing the master unit to packetize a master control signal and a sound signal obtained by the microphone of the master unit and to generate a downlink signal; and

causing the master unit to transmit the downlink signal that is generated to the front door slave unit by using the two-wire cable at a timing when the front door slave unit does not transmit the uplink signal,

wherein, in packetizing for the uplink signal, the front door slave unit is caused to generate a single slave control packet from the slave control signal and the sound signal obtained by the microphone of the front door slave unit, and a plurality of image packets from the image signal obtained by the camera during a transmission and reception frame,

wherein, in packetizing for the downlink signal, the master unit is caused to generate a single master control packet from the master control signal and the sound signal obtained by the microphone of the master unit during the transmission and reception frame,

wherein, in transmitting the uplink signal, the front door slave unit is caused to transmit the single slave control packet and the plurality of image packets during the transmission and reception frame, and

wherein, in transmitting the downlink signal, the master unit is caused to transmit the single master control packet between the plurality of image packets received from the front door slave unit during the transmission and reception frame.