INTERCOM SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20160249022A1
• Filed: 01/20/2016
• Published: 08/25/2016
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 10,027,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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; and

a master unit which is connected to the front door slave unit having the attached camera through a two-wire cable,

wherein the front door slave unit packetizes a control signal, an image signal, and a sound signal of the front door slave unit, generates an uplink signal, and transmits the generated uplink signal to the master unit,

the master unit packetizes a control signal and a sound signal of the master unit, generates a downlink signal, and transmits the generated downlink signal 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 manner of time division duplex using the two-wire cable.

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. A communication method of an intercom system, comprising:

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

causing the front door slave unit to transmit the generated uplink signal to a master unit which is connected to the front door slave unit through a two-wire cable, by using the two-wire cable;

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

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