Over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device

• US 4,843,461 A
• Filed: 02/06/1987
• Issued: 06/27/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Works Ltd (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tatsumi, Yoshikazu, Hisano, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Groody, James J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Peng, John K.
• Application Number:
  US07/026,368
• Time in Patent Office: 872 Days
• Field of Search: 358/108, 358/113, 358/229, 358/85, 379/53, 379/54
• US Class Current: 348/156
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

An over-door interphone system for telephonic communication between a master station unit inside of a house and a remote station unit outside of an entrance door of the house is provided with a night-vision monitoring device. The night-vision monitoring device has a television camera comprising a solid-state camera sensitive to an infrared light. The solid-state camera is responsible for successfully incorporating the television camera within a less bulky housing of the remote station unit as well as for monitoring the image of a visitor by the camera without being noticed. Also, there can be utilized an illumination device producing an infrared which is hardly perceived by the visitor, ensuring monitoring of the visitor at night without a giving unfavorable impression thereto. The illumination device may be driven to operate for a predetermined period of time starting from the actuation of a calling switch, or a communication interval from the actuation of the calling switch to the hangup of a handset on the master station unit. The illumination device may be also driven in response to the actuation of an illumination operating switch or to a low illuminance level of the object. Thus, the illumination device can be operated with a minimum power requirement. The illumination device is controlled to operate in synchronous with the video signal from the television camera, providing an effective monitoring illumination free from flicker.

Claims

1. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device comprising:

a master station unit located inside of a house;

a remote station unit located outside of an entrance door of the house, said remote station unit being connected to the master station unit for telecommunication between a vistor and a dweller, said remote station unit including

a housing,

a television camera mounted within the housing to comprise an optical unit including a solid state camera sensitive to infrared light and optical lens means disposed in front thereof,

control circuit means mounted adjacent to the optical unit for controlling the optical unit,

call switch means within the housing for calling the master station unit, and

telecommunication means within the housing for telephonic intercommunication between the master and remote station units;

said

master station unit including a video display for monitoring an image of the visitor picked up by said television camera;

an infrared light emitting illumination means located adjacent the remote station unit; and

an illumination control means for providing a driving output to said infrared light emitting illumination means to actuate the same for producing the infrared light intermittently in synchronism with the operation of said television camera after determining that illuminance of an object image is lower than predetermined level.

2. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said television camera has a viewing range which captures a facial image of the visitor at the remote station unit who is in a position with a hand extending onto a push-button said call switch means provided in a front of the housing of the remote station unit.

3. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said illumination control means producing the infrared light after determining that the illuminance of an object image is lower than a predetermined level based upon an image signal output from the television camera.

4. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said infrared light emitting illumination means is accommodated in the housing of the remote station unit.

5. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said infrared light emitting illumination means is electrically and mechanically connected to the remote station unit through a joinder means.

6. An over-door interphone system according to claim 1 wherein said illumination control means actuating the infrared light emitting illumination means to produce the infrared light for a predetermined time period from the actuation of said call switch means.

7. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device comprising:

a master station unit located inside of a house;

a remote station unit located outside of an entrance door of the house, said remote station unit being connected to the master station unit for telecommunication between a vistior and a dweller, said remote station unit including

a housing,

a television camera mounted within the housing to comprise an optical unit including a solid state camera sensitive to infrared light and optical lens means disposed in front thereof,

control circuit means mounted adjacent to the optical unit for controlling the same,

call switch means within the housing for calling the master station unit, and

telecommunication means within the housing for telephonic intercommunication between the master and remote station units;

said master station unit including a video display for monitoring an image of the visitor picked up by said television camera;

an infrared light emitting illumination means;

an illumination operator means mounted on the side of the master station unit for actuating said infrared light emitting illumination means to produce the infrared light upon being operator at the master station unit; and

an illumination control means for actuation upon pick-up of a handset provided on the master station unit to define said illumination operator means in order to actuate said infrared light emitting illumination means to produce the infrared light intermittently in synchronism with the operation of said television camera for a time period starting from the actuation of said call switch means to a hang-up of said handset.

8. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device comprising:

a master station unit located inside of a house;

a remote station unit located outside of an entrance door of the house, said remote station unit being connected to the master station unit for telecommunication between a visitor and a dweller,

said remote station unit including

a housing,

a television camera mounted within the housing to comprise an optical unit including a solid state camera sensitive to infrared light and optical lens means disposed in front thereof,

control circuit means mounted adjacent to the optical unit for controlling the optical unit,

call switch means within the housing for calling the master station unit, and

telecommunication means within the housing for telephonic intercommunication between the master and remote station units;

said master station unit including a video display for monitoring an image of the visitor picked up by said television camera;

an infrared light emitting illumination means located adjacent the remote station unit, said infrared light emitting illumination means being composed of a plurality of infrared light emitting diodes which are arranged in series-parallel combination in which the series circuits of the diodes are connected in parallel relation to each other; and

an illumination control means of which output is connected to the parallel circuit of the series connected diodes.

9. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said illumination control means for producing the infrared light after determining that the illuminance of an object image is lower than a predetermined level based upon an image signal output from the television camera.

10. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said infrared light emitting illumination means is accommodated in the housing of the remote station unit.

11. An over-door interphone system provided with a night-vision monitoring device as set forth in claim 8, wherein said infrared light emitting illumination means is electrically and mechanically connected to the remote station unit through a joinder means.

12. An over-door interphone system according to claim 8, wherein said illumination control means actuating the infrared light emitting illumination means to produce the infrared light for a predetermined time period from the actuation of said call switch means.