Television door intercom apparatus

• US 20030193563A1
• Filed: 05/22/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aiphone Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Aiphone Company Limited
• Inventors: Suzuki, Tsuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,015,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/156
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

A television door intercom apparatus improves recognition performance for a resident inside a house to recognize a visitor conducting a call operation at the entrance and security in responding to the call. A call detection circuit 31 of a residential master station 2 detects a call when a visitor pushes a call button 11 of a door intercom substation 1, activates a signal generator circuit 32 and causes a master station speaker 39 to output a call sound so that a communication can be exchanged between a substation microphone 16 and a substation speaker 17 of the door intercom substation and a master station microphone 38 and the master station speaker of the residential master station. When a picture monitor 36 of the residential master station displays a picture taken by a camera 13 of the door intercom substation, the residential master station further includes a message transmission circuit 34 activated when the call detection circuit detects the call, for causing the substation speaker to output a message content of a message storage circuit 33 storing in advance a predetermined message.

Claims

1. A television door intercom apparatus of a type in which a call detection circuit (31) of a residential master station (2) detects a push operation of a call button (11) of a door intercom substation (1) by a visitor, activates a signal generator circuit (32) and causes a master station speaker (39) to output a call sound so that a communication can be exchanged between a substation microphone (16) and a substation speaker (17) of said door intercom substation and a master station microphone (38) and said master station speaker (39) of said residential master station, and a picture monitor (36) of said residential master station displays a picture taken by a camera (13) of said door intercom substation, wherein said residential master station includes a message transmission circuit (34) activated when said call detection circuit detects the call, for causing said substation speaker to output a message content of a message storage circuit (33) storing in advance a predetermined message.

2. A television door intercom apparatus of a type in which a call detection circuit (31) of a residential master station (52) detects a push operation of a call button (11) of a door intercom substation (51) by a visitor, activates a signal generator circuit (32) and causes a master station speaker (39) to output a call sound so that a communication can be exchanged between a substation microphone (16) and a substation speaker (17) of said door intercom substation and a master station microphone (38) and said master station speaker (39) of said residential master station, and a picture monitor (36) of said residential master station displays a picture taken by a camera (13) of said door intercom substation, wherein said door intercom substation includes a passive sensor (20) for outputting an out-of-field-of-view-angle signal when the visitor is outside the range of a field-of-view angle of said camera, and said residential master station includes a sensor detection circuit (42) for detecting said out-of-field-of-view-angle signal and a message transmission circuit (34) activated when said call detection circuit detects the call, for causing said substation speaker to output a message content of a message storage circuit (33) storing in advance a predetermined message.

3. A television door intercom apparatus of a type in which a call detection circuit (31) of a residential master station (102) detects a push operation of a call button (11) of a door intercom substation (101) by a visitor, activates a signal generator circuit (32) and causes a master station speaker (39) to output a call sound so that a communication can be exchanged between a substation microphone (16) and a substation speaker (17) of said door intercom substation and a master station microphone (38) and said master station speaker (39) of said residential master station, and a picture monitor (36) of said residential master station displays a picture taken by a camera (13) of said door intercom substation, wherein said residential master station includes a picture amount comparison circuit (43) for outputting an out-of-field-of-view-angle signal representing that the visitor is outside the range of a field-of-view angle of said camera when a picture amount of a picture displayed by said picture monitor is smaller than a predetermined reference picture amount, and a message transmission circuit (34) activated by said out-of-field-of-view-angle signal, for causing said substation speaker to output a message content of a message storage circuit (33) storing in advance a predetermined message.