Intercom

Abstract

Intercom This intercom for a residence includes a protective visor (110) with a canopy (112) designed to protect an element to be protected from vertically falling raindrops. The visor is mounted projecting from the front face of a metal wall, and the canopy is located above the element to be protected. The visor (110) has at least one portion transparent to electromagnetic waves emitted and received by an antenna. This transparent portion is made of a material with a relative permittivity between 1 and 5. An antenna (43) is integrated within this transparent portion of the visor so that the metal wall does not obstruct wave reception. Fig. 6

Description

Title of the invention: Intercom

[0001] The invention relates to an intercom.

[0002] Known intercoms have a metal casing with a front face exposed to the outside. This metal casing is sufficiently thick to make the intercom robust against certain acts of vandalism. In particular, this metal casing is designed to prevent unauthorized access to the intercom's electronic circuits located behind it.

[0003] This metal panel also has various through-holes to accommodate the different intercom components that must be accessible and usable from the outside. For example, a keypad and a camera lens can be housed in such through-holes. Because they are integrated into these through-holes in the metal panel, these components are directly exposed to the outside. They are therefore subject to the elements and often exposed to sunlight. To protect them, particularly from the weather, a visor is attached to the metal panel just above the opening through which the component to be protected is accessible from the outside.

[0004] These known intercoms also include an antenna to establish an information transmission link with a resident's audio handset via a wireless telecommunications network. It is known to place this antenna outside the intercom housing. Indeed, when located inside the intercom, the metal casing of the intercom acts as a barrier, making it difficult to receive electromagnetic waves. However, placing the antenna outside the intercom housing complicates its manufacture and / or installation. Furthermore, the antenna is then more vulnerable to vandalism because it is easily identifiable and accessible from the outside.

[0005] For example, such a known intercom is disclosed in application CN217508756U. The applicant also knows of a solution which consists of placing the antenna in an external housing that is mechanically independent of the intercom housing and connecting this external housing to the intercom housing by a wired connection. This has the advantage of allowing the antenna to be placed in a location that is difficult to access from the outside. However, this makes the manufacture and installation of the intercom more complex.

[0006] The invention aims to remedy this drawback by proposing an intercom that is simpler to manufacture or install.

[0007] The invention therefore relates to an intercom for a residence comprising:

[0008] - a human-machine interface allowing a visitor to select a resident of the residence and to communicate with the selected resident via a wireless telecommunications network, this human-machine interface comprising the following elements for this purpose:

[0009] - a screen and / or a keyboard to allow a visitor to select a resident present in front of the intercom, and

[0010] - a speaker and a microphone for verbal communication with the resident selected,

[0011] - an antenna for establishing a wireless link between the intercom and an audio handset sound level of the selected resident

[0012] - an electronic control unit comprising a transceiver connected to the antenna and the human-machine interface elements, this electronic control unit being configured for:

[0013] - using the screen and / or keyboard, allow the selection of a resident by the visitor,

[0014] - using the transceiver, antenna, microphone and speaker, to establish voice communication, via the wireless communication network, between the visitor and the audiophone handset of the selected resident,

[0015] - to control the unlocking of a door in response to a unlocking command rust transmitted via the audiophone handset of the selected resident,

[0016] - a metal wall having a front face intended to be turned towards the visitor, the electronic control unit being located behind this metal wall to protect it from acts of vandalism, the front face of this metal wall extending mainly in one plane of the wall,

[0017] - at least one element to be protected against weathering, this element to be protected being received in an opening through the metal wall or located immediately behind such a through opening to allow its use by a person present in front of the intercom,

[0018] - a protective visor comprising a canopy suitable for protecting the element to be protected against raindrops falling vertically, this visor is mounted protruding from the front face of the metal wall, and the canopy is located above the element to be protected.

[0019] in which:

[0020] - the visor comprises at least one portion transparent to electromagnetic waves γ-emitted and received signals by the antenna, this transparent portion being made of a material whose relative permittivity is between 1 and 5, and

[0021] - the antenna is integrated inside this transparent portion of the visor so that the metal wall does not obstruct the reception of the waves.

[0022] Embodiments of this intercom may include one or more of the following features:

[0023] 1) The microphone is also integrated inside this transparent portion of the visor.

[0024] 2) The microphone is received inside a cavity provided in the portion transparent visor and visor has a hole which fluidly connects this cavity to the outside, this hole opening into a region of the outer face of the visor which is protected from raindrops falling vertically when the intercom is mounted on a vertical wall.

[0025] 3) The visor also includes at least one lateral side which extends along less 50% of a lateral edge of the element to be protected, the lateral edges of the element to be protected corresponding to the vertical sides of the smallest area rectangle, contained in the plane of the wall, which entirely contains the orthogonal projection of the element to be protected onto the plane of the wall and whose vertical sides extend vertically when the intercom is mounted on a vertical wall.

[0026] 4) The position of the element to be protected relative to the visor satisfies the condition next: d < p * tan(a), where:

[0027] - d is equal to the shortest distance separating the lower horizontal edge from the element to be protected from the orthogonal projection, on the plane of the wall, of the point of the canopy that protrudes most from the plane of the wall, the lower horizontal edge of the element to be protected corresponding to the lower side of the smallest rectangle contained in the plane of the wall, which entirely contains the orthogonal projection of the element to be protected onto the plane of the wall and whose lower side extends horizontally when the intercom is mounted on a vertical wall,

[0028] - p is equal to the shortest distance separating the point of the awning furthest in projection, from the plane of the wall,

[0029] - a is an angle less than 87° and, preferably, less than 86° or 85° or 82°.

[0030] 5) The element to be protected is chosen from the group formed:

[0031] - of the screen and / or keyboard of the human-machine interface,

[0032] - of the human-machine interface speaker,

[0033] - of the microphone of the human-machine interface,

[0034] - of the lens of a camera capable of filming the visitor present in front of the intercom,

[0035] - a lighting device for the person present in front of the intercom, and

[0036] - of a reader capable of reading access rights presented in front of the metal wall and to transmit them to an access control center to authorize and, alternately, prohibit the unlocking of the door.

[0037] 6) The element to be protected is chosen from the group consisting of the interface screen man-machine, keyboard of the human-machine interface, speaker of the human-machine interface, the microphone of the human-machine interface and the camera lens capable of filming the visitor present in front of the intercom.

[0038] 7) The element to be protected is the screen and / or keyboard of the human-machine interface.

[0039] 8) The width of the canopy is greater than or equal to the width of the element to be protected, the width of an element of the intercom, such as the canopy or the element to be protected, being equal to the length of the horizontal side of the smallest area rectangle, contained in the plane of the wall, which entirely contains the orthogonal projection of this element onto the plane of the wall and whose horizontal side extends horizontally when the intercom is mounted on a vertical wall.

[0040] 9)

[0041] - the intercom includes the camera equipped with a lens capable of filming the visitor present in front of the intercom,

[0042] - the electronic control unit is capable of transmitting the images filmed by the camera to the audiophone handset of the selected resident.

[0043] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the drawings in which:

[0044] - Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of an intercom system,

[0045] - [Fig. 2] is a schematic illustration of the different elements of an intercom of the system of [Fig.1],

[0046] - [Fig. 3] is a perspective illustration of a front face of the intercom of the [Fig.2],

[0047] - [Fig. 4] is an illustration of different measurable physical quantities on the intercom of [Fig.2],

[0048] - [Fig. 5] is a partial, perspective illustration of the intercom of the [Fig.2],

[0049] - [Fig. 6] is a cross-sectional illustration of a visor of the intercom of the [Fig.2],

[0050] In these figures, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same elements. In the remainder of this description, the characteristics and functions well known to those skilled in the art are not described in detail.

[0051] In this description, a detailed example of an embodiment is first described in Chapter I with reference to the figures. Then, in Chapter II, variations of this embodiment are introduced. Finally, the advantages of the different embodiments are specified in Chapter III.

[0052] Chapter I: Example of an embodiment

[0053] Figure 1 represents an intercom system 2 for a residence 4. For example, the Residence 4 is a multi-unit dwelling comprising several apartments or units. For illustrative purposes, here, residence 4 includes at least four apartments: 6, 7, 8 and 9.

[0054] Residence 4 is equipped with an access door 12 to the residence.

[0055] System 2 allows access to residence 4 to be authorized and, alternately, prohibited to a visitor.

[0056] For this purpose, each resident of residence 4 is equipped with an audiophone handset connected, via an information transmission network 14, to an intercom 16 located near door 12. Typically, the intercom 16 is located less than 10 m and, most often, less than 5 m or 3 m from door 12.

[0057] To simplify the illustration, only two audio handsets 18, 19 are shown. These handsets are, for example, mobile phones, such as smartphones, connected to the network 14 via a wireless link. Each audio handset in this embodiment includes, in particular, a microphone, a loudspeaker, and a screen.

[0058] Network 14 is a wireless telecommunications network such as a public telephone network. More specifically, typically, network 14 is a wireless wide area network more commonly known as a cellular network or by the acronym WWAN ("Wireless Wide Area Network").

[0059] The intercom 16 allows a visitor standing in front of it to establish an audio conversation with the resident being called. For this purpose, the intercom 16 is connected to the network 14 via an information transmission link 22. This link 22 is also a wireless information transmission link.

[0060] The system 2 includes a locking and, alternately, unlocking mechanism 30 for the door 12. This mechanism 30 is controlled by the intercom 16 in response to the reception of a command to unlock the door 12 transmitted by one of the handsets 18 and 19. Thus, in this embodiment, the intercom 16 also fulfills the functions of an electric door entry system.

[0061] The system 2 also includes a server 32 connected to the intercom 16 via the network 14. For example, this server 32 allows certain intercom 16 functionalities to be configured and controlled remotely. For this purpose, the server 32 is associated with a memory 34 in which various intercom 16 configuration parameters are stored, such as an identifier for each resident associated with the telephone number of that resident's audiophone handset.

[0062] Fig. 2 represents in more detail an example of an implementation of the intercom 16.

[0063] Intercom 16 includes:

[0064] - a human-machine interface 40,

[0065] - a control unit 44 with its own means of authorizing and, alternately, prohibiting access to the residence 4,

[0066] - a control unit 50 capable of controlling the various elements of Intercom 16,

[0067] - a memory 52, and

[0068] - a local bus 54 for transmitting information to connect the different elements of the intercom 16.

[0069] Interface 40 allows:

[0070] - voice communication between a visitor and a resident,

[0071] - the selection of any one of the residents of residence 4, and

[0072] - the acquisition of alphanumeric characters.

[0073] For example, the interface 40 consists of a screen 56, microphones 58, speakers 60, a camera 62 and a keyboard 64.

[0074] The access control unit 44 is connected to an access rights reader 70. In this embodiment, the reader 70 is a transponder key reader. More specifically, the reader 70 is capable of reading the access rights stored in a transponder key 72, and the control unit 44 is configured to compare the access rights read by the reader 70 with pre-recorded access rights 74 stored in memory 52. ​​If the access rights read by the reader 70 match the access rights 74, the control unit 44 authorizes access to residence 4 and, to this end, commands the mechanism 30 to unlock door 12. Door 12 can then be moved to an open position, and the person who presented the key can enter residence 4. Conversely, if the access rights read by the reader 70 do not match the access rights 74, then the control unit 44 does not command the unlocking of door 12, and it remains locked in its closed position.For example, access rights 74 include a list of key identifiers authorized to access the interior of residence 4. The control unit 44 unlocks door 12 only if the key identifier read by reader 70 belongs to this list of authorized key identifiers.

[0075] Memory 52, in addition to access rights 74, also contains call parameters 76 associated with each resident. These call parameters 76 are used to select the resident and to call that selected resident via the link 22. For example, the call parameters associated with each resident are:

[0076] - the name of the resident,

[0077] - the telephone number of his handset.

[0078] Many other call parameters are possible. For example, for each resident, it is possible to specify a second telephone number to dial if the first number is busy or does not answer. These call parameters are programmable.

[0079] Unit 50 controls the operation of each of the elements of the intercom 16. Unit 50 also establishes the link 22 with the handsets 18, 19 and the server 32. For this purpose, Unit 50 includes a transceiver 42 connected to an antenna 43 to establish the link 22 with the network 14. Through this link 22, Unit 50 establishes the audio communication between the visitor and the selected resident's handset. In addition, Unit 50 also manages interactions with the server 32, in particular, to update access rights 74 and programmable parameters 76 stored in memory 52.

[0080] The transceiver 42 is here a transceiver, for example, conforming to at least one of the following standards: the LTE-M standard (“Long-Term Evolution for Machine”), one of the third generation (3G) standards such as the UMTS standard (“Universal Mobile Telecommunications System”), one of the fourth generation (4G) standards such as the LTE-Advanced standard (“Long Term Evolution -Advanced”) and one of the fifth generation (5G) standards.

[0081] The antenna 43 is connected to the transceiver 42 by a wired link not shown in [Fig.2].

[0082] Most of the elements of the intercom 16 such as the control unit 50 and the central unit 44 are made from programmable electronic microprocessors.

[0083] Figure 3 shows the intercom 16 fixed, without any degrees of freedom, to a vertical wall 80 of the residence 4. In this embodiment, the intercom 16 is surface-mounted on the wall 80. Figures 3 to 6 are oriented with respect to an orthogonal coordinate system XYZ, where the Z direction is the vertical direction and the horizontal X direction is parallel to the face of the wall 80. The terms "above," "below," "down," "up," "lower," and "upper" are defined with respect to the Z direction. The terms "front" and "back" are defined with respect to the Y direction. The terms "left" and "right" are defined with respect to the X direction.

[0084] The intercom 16 comprises a substantially parallelepiped-shaped housing 82. In particular, the housing 82 has a front face 84 directly exposed and accessible from outside the residence 4. This front face 84 extends mainly in a vertical plane P. The front face 84 is the front face of a front panel 86 of the housing 82. This panel 86 forms the front facade of the intercom 16 that is directly exposed to the outside of the residence. Such a panel 86 is made of metal so as to resist acts of vandalism. For example, this panel 86 is a metal plate more than 2 mm or 3 mm thick. The metal used to make the panel 86 is typically stainless steel, brass, aluminum, or zamak. Here, the entire housing 82 is made of the same metal as the wall 86 and the housing 82 forms a single block of material.

[0085] Inaccessible elements of the intercom 16 are housed inside the casing 82 of in order to be protected, in particular, by the wall 86. The inaccessible elements are those components of the intercom 16 that do not need to be accessible from outside the housing 82 to function correctly. In particular, these inaccessible elements are not directly accessible from outside the housing 82 via through-holes in the wall 86. Access to the inaccessible elements of the intercom 16 is only possible by opening the housing 82 with special tools. Such access inside the housing 82 is intended solely for maintenance of the intercom 16. This access is therefore intentionally made difficult for persons not authorized to work on the intercom 16. Here, the inaccessible elements of the intercom 16 are the transceiver 42, the access control unit 44, the control unit 50, the memory 52, and the bus 54.

[0086] Conversely, the intercom 16 also includes accessible elements, that is, elements that must remain accessible from outside the housing 2 in order to be used correctly. For this purpose, the wall 86 has through-holes, that is, openings that pass through the entire thickness of the wall 86, and the accessible elements of the intercom 16 are housed in these through-holes or located immediately behind them. Here, the accessible elements of the intercom 16 are the human-machine interface elements 40 and the reader 70. More specifically, the screen 56 and the various keys of the keypad 64 are housed in respective through-holes in the wall 86. More specifically, the keypad 64 comprises:

[0087] - navigation keys 90, 91 usable by a visitor to scroll through the names of residents,

[0088] - a 92 call button to trigger a call to the audiophone handset of the resident whose name was selected using the 90, 91, and keys

[0089] - the keys of a numeric keypad 94 allowing, for example, a blind person to dial a call code from a resident's handset.

[0090] On either side of the numeric keypad 94, the wall 86 has through openings 100 behind which the loudspeakers 60 are located. Here, each of these openings 100 is in the form of a series of through holes contiguous to each other.

[0091] To the right of the numeric keypad 94, the wall 86 also has a through opening 102 in which the lens of the camera 62 is housed.

[0092] The accessible parts of the intercom 16 are likely to be exposed to the elements and, in particular, to rain. They are also likely to be exposed to high-intensity solar radiation. Therefore, the accessible parts of the intercom 16 are designed to be resistant to rain and, if necessary, to solar radiation. However, rain or high-intensity solar radiation This may hinder the use of some of these elements accessible to a visitor. These accessible elements are then referred to in this text as "elements to be protected." The description subsequently focuses on the specific case where the element to be protected is screen 56. Screen 56 is waterproof, meaning that the presence of water droplets on its surface does not damage it. However, the presence of these water droplets on the surface of screen 56 hinders its use because they make the displayed information more difficult to read. Similarly, strong sunlight does not damage screen 56. However, it can make the displayed information more difficult to read.

[0093] To mitigate these drawbacks, the intercom 16 includes a visor 110 mounted projecting from the front face 84. This visor 110 is shaped to protect the screen 56, at a minimum, against raindrops falling vertically. To this end, in this embodiment, the visor 110 includes a canopy 112 and two side panels 114 and 116.

[0094] The canopy 112 is located above the screen 56 and its width Ln2 is greater than the width L56 of the screen 56 and, preferably, greater than 1.05*L56 or 1.1*L56.

[0095] In this text, the width of an element of the intercom 16, such as the canopy 112 or the screen 56, is equal to the length of the horizontal side of the smallest rectangle contained in plane P, which entirely contains the orthogonal projection of this element onto plane P and whose horizontal side extends parallel to the X direction. The lower and upper edges of this element of the intercom 16 correspond to the lower and upper sides, respectively, of this smallest rectangle. The right and left lateral edges of this element correspond to the right and left sides, respectively, of this smallest rectangle.

[0096] Here, to maximize the efficiency of the canopy 112, its position relative to the screen 56 is such that the following condition (1) is satisfied: d < p*tan(a), where:

[0097] - d is equal to the shortest distance separating the lower edge of the screen 56 from the orthogonal projection, onto plane P, of point PS ([Fig.4]) of the canopy 112 which protrudes most from plane P,

[0098] - p is equal to the maximum depth of the canopy 112, that is to say equal to the distance the shortest path separating point PS from plane P,

[0099] - a is an angle less than 87° and, preferably, less than 86° or 85° or 82° or 80° or 78°, and

[0100] - the symbol “*” denotes scalar multiplication.

[0101] The relationship between the distances d, p and the angle a is illustrated in [Fig.4].

[0102] Generally, the angle a is also greater than 45° or 55°.

[0103] Here, the distance p is equal to 25 mm and the angle a is chosen to be 75°. Thus, the screen 56 is located just below canopy 112.

[0104] In this embodiment, the canopy 112 is formed of a parallelepiped-shaped plate inclined downwards to drain the water flowing over this canopy 112 forwards, i.e., away from the front face 84. Here, the depth p of the canopy 56 is therefore constant over its entire width Ln2. Typically, the maximum depth p is between 3 mm and 100 mm and, preferably, between 15 mm and 70 mm. The inclination between the upper face of the canopy 112 and a horizontal plane is, for example, greater than 5° or 10°. This inclination is also generally less than 45°.

[0105] The side members 114 and 116 extend mainly along the left and right lateral edges, respectively, of the screen 56. Preferably, the orthogonal projections of the side members 114 and 116 onto plane P extend downwards from the canopy 112 to a lower limit located below the upper edge of the screen 56. The distance between this lower limit and the upper edge of the screen 56 is greater than 0.5*H56, where H56 is the height of the screen 56. The height H56 is equal to the length of the lateral edge of the screen 56. Here, this distance is located between 0.8*H56 and H56.

[0106] In this embodiment, the depth of the sides 114 and 116 in the Y direction gradually decreases from the canopy 112 towards their lower limit.

[0107] A cavity, not visible in the figures, is provided inside each of the sides 114, 116. One of each of the microphones 58 is housed inside each of these cavities. Each microphone 58 is connected to the control unit 50 via a wired connection that passes through the wall 86. For this purpose, the wall 86 has through holes concealed by the visor 110. In addition, each of these cavities is in fluidic communication with the outside via an opening. In [Fig. 3], these openings are labeled 120 and 122 and are oblong. These openings 120, 122 open into the outer faces of the sides 114, 116 in areas sheltered from raindrops by the visor 110. For this reason, here, the orthogonal projections, on a horizontal plane, of these areas where the openings 120, 122 open are located inside the orthogonal projection, in the same horizontal plane, of the canopy 112.

[0108] The visor 110 also has a cavity 130 ([Fig.6]) to receive a printed circuit board 132 (Figures 5 and 6) on which the various components of the antenna 43 are mounted.

[0109] The visor 110 is attached to the front face 84. Here, it is fixed without any degree of freedom on this front face 84, for example, by means of screws.

[0110] The visor 110 comprises at least one portion transparent to the electromagnetic waves emitted and received by the antenna 43. This transparent portion is made of a material transparent to the electromagnetic waves used to establish the link 22. The relative permittivity of this transparent material is between 1 and 5 at the frequencies of the waves emitted and received by antenna 43. This transparent material is also generally an electrically insulating material, that is, a material whose electrical conductivity at 20°C is less than 10⁵ S / m and, preferably, less than 10⁸ S / m. Here, the transparent material is plastic, and the visor 110 is made entirely of plastic.

[0111] Fig. 5 represents the upper part of the intercom 16 without the visor 110. Fig. 6 represents the same upper part of the intercom 16 with the visor 110 present.

[0112] As can be seen in [Fig.6], the cavity 132 is essentially parallelepiped-shaped and extends mainly in the X direction inside the canopy 112. The visor 110 is without an opening to connect the cavity 132 to the outside.

[0113] In this embodiment, an "outer" part of the card 132 is received inside the cavity 130 and another "inner" part is received inside the housing 82. The antenna 43 is only mounted on the outer part of the card 132. Thus, the antenna 43 is able to receive electromagnetic waves much more efficiently than if it were housed inside the housing 82 and therefore behind the wall 86.

[0114] The inner part of the card 132 has a wired connection 134 for connecting the antenna 43 to the transceiver 42.

[0115] To house the card 132 partly outside the housing 82 and partly inside, the wall 86 has a through slot located opposite the cavity 130 when the visor 110 is mounted on the wall 86.

[0116] Chapter II: Variants:

[0117] Visor variants:

[0118] The description was made in the specific case where the element to be protected is the screen 56. However, what is described in this text applies to any other accessible element of the intercom 16 that needs to be protected. Thus, the accessible element to be protected may, in particular, be any one of the elements in the following group:

[0119] - screen 56,

[0120] - the 64-key keyboard,

[0121] - the 60 speakers,

[0122] - the microphones 58,

[0123] - the camera lens 62,

[0124] - a lighting device for the person present in front of the intercom,

[0125] - the reader 70 access rights.

[0126] Indeed, the use of each of these elements can be hindered or degraded by the presence, for example, of water droplets on that element or water droplets which obstructs, at least partially, the through-opening behind which it is located.

[0127] The visor can also be shaped to protect not just one accessible element of the intercom but several of the accessible elements of the intercom 16. For example, the visor can be shaped to protect both the screen 56 and the camera lens 62 or both the screen 56 and the speakers 60. In this case, the visor canopy extends over several elements to be protected selected from the group above.

[0128] Alternatively, the antenna 43 is housed inside the side panels 114, 116 of the visor and not inside the canopy 112. Correspondingly, the microphones 58 can be housed inside the canopy 112 instead of being housed in the sides 114, 116.

[0129] In another embodiment, the visor includes not just one antenna but several antennas. For example, in addition to antenna 43, the visor also includes an antenna for establishing a short-range wireless connection such as a connection conforming to the WiFi, Bluetooth or NFC (Near Field Communication) standard.

[0130] Alternatively, the side sides of the visor are shortened and extend along less than 50% of the side edges of the element to be protected.

[0131] In another variant, the visor has only one side panel.

[0132] In a simplified variant, the lateral flanks are omitted.

[0133] The angle a may be greater than 87°. For example, the angle a is chosen to be equal to 88°.

[0134] The visor 110 is not necessarily made entirely of plastic. By For example, alternatively, it may include a portion made of plastic and other portions made of other materials. For instance, if the antenna 43 and the microphones 58 are housed inside the canopy 112, the side panels 114 and 116 may be made of a different material that is not necessarily transparent to electromagnetic waves. Conversely, if the antenna 43 and the microphones 58 are housed in the side panels 114 and 116, the canopy 112 may be made of a different material that is not necessarily transparent to electromagnetic waves.

[0135] Alternatively, the plastic is replaced by another material transparent to the electromagnetic waves emitted and received by the antenna 43. For example, the material used instead of plastic is thermosetting resin or dry wood.

[0136] Intercom variants:

[0137] Other embodiments of the antenna 43 are possible. For example, alternatively, the inner part of the card 132 is omitted so that the card 132 is entirely received inside the cavity 130.

[0138] The intercom may have several screens instead of just one.

[0139] Alternatively, screen 56 is a touchscreen. In this case, at least part of the The keys on the keypad correspond to touch-sensitive areas displayed on the touchscreen. If all the keys on the keypad are formed by touch-sensitive areas on the touchscreen, then the screen and the keypad are one and the same and constitute a single element of the intercom.

[0140] In a simplified embodiment, screen 56 is omitted. In this case, typically, a label holder is integrated into the front panel 84, and the keypad includes a call button associated with each label. When one of these call buttons is pressed, it initiates a call to the audiophone handset of the resident identified by the inscription on the label associated with that call button. In this case, the keypad includes the call buttons but does not include buttons 90 to 92.

[0141] The number of speakers and microphones used may vary. For example, the human-machine interface may have only one speaker and one microphone.

[0142] Alternatively, the microphones 58 are not integrated into the visor 110. Typically, the microphones are then housed immediately behind respective through-openings provided in the metal wall 86. In this case, the element to be protected can also be this or these microphones.

[0143] In a simplified embodiment, the camera is omitted.

[0144] Alternatively, the numeric keypad 94 is omitted. In this case, the keyboard only includes keys 90 to 92, allowing the selection of a particular resident using screen 56.

[0145] In a simplified version, the keypad has a single call button which, when pressed, allows a resident to be called. The intercom then allows only one resident to be called. For example, this resident is the caretaker of residence 4.

[0146] Other embodiments are possible for the access rights reader 70. For example, the access rights reader can be selected from the group consisting of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag reader, a Bluetooth-compliant transceiver, a near-field transceiver, and a Zigbee-compliant transceiver. A near-field transceiver is a transceiver using near-field communication, more commonly known by the acronym NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0147] The access rights reader is not necessarily a contactless reader. For example, reader 70 can be replaced by a card reader or similar.

[0148] Reader 70 can also be replaced by a biometric reader capable of acquiring biometric data from the person present in front of the reader. In this case, the access rights read correspond to the acquired biometric data. For example, the biometric reader is a fingerprint reader or an iris reader.

[0149] The intercom may also include several readers with different access rights. A Conversely, in a simplified embodiment, the intercom lacks an access rights reader.

[0150] The intercom can also be recessed into a wall. In this case, the inaccessible components of the intercom are housed inside a niche cut into the wall. The front panel then completely blocks the opening of this niche. In such a case, the intercom does not necessarily have a housing but only a front panel that blocks the niche.

[0151] Other Variants:

[0152] Audiophone handsets are not necessarily mobile phones. In fact, an audiophone handset can be any device connected to network 14 and equipped with a human-machine interface enabling voice communication with the visitor. For example, an audiophone handset can also be a computer such as a laptop.

[0153] The intercom system 2 does not necessarily include a server such as server 32. In this case, the functionalities of server 32 are directly integrated into the intercom 16.

[0154] Residence 4 can also be an individual dwelling such as a house or any other place whose access is controlled by means of an intercom.

[0155] Several of the variants described above can be combined in the same embodiment.

[0156] Housing the microphone(s) of the intercom 16 inside a portion of the visor 110 can be implemented independently of housing the antenna 43 inside the same visor.

[0157] Chapter III: Advantages of the embodiments described:

[0158] The fact that the same visor is used both to protect one of the intercom components from the elements and to house and protect the antenna 43 simplifies the intercom's construction. Indeed, it is then unnecessary to provide an additional protrusion on one of the intercom's outer faces to house and protect the antenna. Furthermore, when the antenna 43 is integrated within a portion of the visor 110, this facilitates the reception of electromagnetic waves and thus simplifies and improves the operation of this antenna 43 compared to the case where it was located behind the metal panel 86. This also allows the use of a greater variety of antennas, which also simplifies the intercom's construction. Finally, although located on the outer side of the front face 84, the antenna 43 is particularly well concealed, making attempts at tampering more difficult.Indeed, a vandal cannot easily identify the antenna's position, making attempts to damage it more difficult.

[0159] Integrating the microphone into the visor allows it to be decoupled from the acoustics ticement of the resonance chamber formed by the metal wall 86. This therefore improves its operation.

[0160] The fact that the visor also has side wings helps to improve the protection of the element to be protected against weather and light.

[0161] The fact that the element to be protected is entirely located less than p*tan(a) from the most projecting point of the canopy 112 allows it to be protected more effectively against, in particular, the presence of raindrops on its surface and / or the obstruction of the through opening behind which it is located by raindrops.

[0162] Choosing the element to be protected from among the screen 56, the keypad 64, the microphones 58, the speakers 60 and the camera lens 62 improves the use of the intercom 16 because these elements are those whose use is most likely to be degraded by the presence of water droplets on their surface or by the presence of water droplets which obstruct, at least partially, the through opening behind which they are located.

[0163] Choosing the element to be protected from either the screen 56 or the keypad 64 allows for an increase in the dimensions of the visor 110, thus accommodating a larger antenna on the front face 84 of the intercom. The ability to use a larger antenna without increasing the risk of damage from vandalism simplifies the intercom's construction, as it limits the technical constraints on the possible antenna dimensions.

Claims

1. Claims Intercom for a residence including: - a human-machine interface (40) allowing a visitor to select a resident of the residence and to communicate with the selected resident via a wireless telecommunications network, this human-machine interface comprising for this purpose the following elements: - a screen (56) and / or a keyboard (64) to allow the selection of a resident by a visitor present in front of the intercom, and - a loudspeaker (60) and a microphone (58) for communicating verbally with the selected resident, - an antenna (43) for establishing a wireless link (22) between the intercom and an audiophone handset of the selected resident, - an electronic control unit (50) comprising a transceiver (42) connected to the antenna and to the elements of the human-machine interface, this electronic control unit being configured to: - using the screen and / or keyboard, allow the visitor to select a resident, - using the transceiver, antenna, microphone and loudspeaker, establish voice communication, through the wireless communication network, between the visitor and the audiophone handset of the selected resident, - order the unlocking of a door in response to an unlocking command transmitted by the audiophone handset of the selected resident, - a metal wall (86) having a front face (84) intended to be turned towards the visitor, the electronic control unit being located behind this metal wall to protect it from acts of vandalism, the front face of this metal wall extending mainly in a plane (P) of the wall, - at least one element (56) to be protected against bad weather, this element to be protected being received in an opening passing through the metal wall or located immediately behind such a passing opening to allow its use by a person present in front of the intercom, - a protective visor (110) comprising a canopy (112) capable of protect the element to be protected against raindrops falling vertically, this visor being mounted projecting from the front face of the metal wall and the awning being located above the element to be protected, characterized in that: - the visor (110) comprises at least one portion transparent to the electromagnetic waves emitted and received by the antenna, this transparent portion being made of a material whose relative permittivity is between 1 and 5, and - the antenna (43) is integrated inside this transparent portion of the visor so that the metal wall does not obstruct the reception of the waves.

2. An intercom according to claim 1, wherein the microphone (58) is also integrated within this transparent portion of the visor.

3. An intercom according to claim 2, wherein the microphone (58) is received inside a cavity provided in the transparent portion of the visor and the visor has a hole (120, 122) which fluidly connects this cavity to the exterior, this hole opening into a region of the exterior face of the visor which is protected from raindrops which fall vertically when the intercom is mounted on a vertical wall.

4. An intercom according to any preceding claim, wherein the visor (110) also comprises at least one lateral flank (114, 116) which extends along at least 50% of a lateral edge of the element (56) to be protected, the lateral edges of the element to be protected corresponding to the vertical sides of the rectangle of smaller surface area, contained in the plane of the wall, which entirely contains the orthogonal projection of the element to be protected on the plane of the wall and whose vertical sides extend vertically when the intercom is mounted on a vertical wall.

5. Intercom according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the position of the element (56) to be protected relative to the visor (110) satisfies the following condition: d < p * tan(a), where: - d is equal to the shortest distance which separates the horizontal lower edge of the element (56) to be protected from the orthogonal projection, on the plane of the wall, of the point (PS) of the awning (112) most projecting relative to the plane of the wall, the horizontal lower edge of the element to be protected corresponding to the lower side of the rectangle of smallest surface, contained in the plane of the wall, which entirely contains the orthogonal projection of the element to be protected on the plane of the wall and whose lower side extends horizontally when the intercom is mounted on a vertical wall, - p is equal to the shortest distance which separates the point (PS) of the most projecting canopy, from the plane of the wall, - a is an angle less than 87° and, preferably, less than 86° or 85° or 82°.

6. Intercom according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the element to be protected is chosen from the group consisting of: - the screen (56) and / or the keyboard (64) of the human-machine interface, - the speaker (60) of the human-machine interface, - the microphone (58) of the human-machine interface, - the lens of a camera (62) capable of filming the visitor present in front of the intercom, - a device for lighting the person present in front of the intercom, and - a reader (70) capable of reading access rights presented in front of the metal wall and transmitting them to an access control unit (44) to authorize and, alternately, prohibit the unlocking of the door.

7. Intercom according to claim 6, in which the element to be protected is chosen from the group consisting of the screen (56) of the human-machine interface, the keyboard (64) of the human-machine interface, the speaker (60) of the human-machine interface, the microphone (58) of the human-machine interface and the lens of the camera (62) capable of filming the visitor present in front of the intercom.

8. Intercom according to claim 7, in which the element to be protected is the screen (56) and / or the keyboard (64) of the human-machine interface.

9. An intercom according to any preceding claim, wherein the width of the canopy (112) is greater than or equal to the width of the element (56) to be protected, the width of an element of the intercom, such as the canopy or the element to be protected, being equal to the length of the horizontal side of the rectangle of smaller area, contained in the plane of the wall, which entirely contains the orthogonal projection of this element on the plane of the wall and the horizontal side of which extends horizontally when the intercom is mounted on a vertical wall.

10. An intercom according to any preceding claim, wherein: - the intercom includes the camera (62) equipped with the lens capable of filming the visitor present in front of the intercom, - the electronic control unit (50) is capable of transmitting the images filmed by the camera to the audiophone handset of the selected resident.

Images