Entrance system

Abstract

To provide an entrance system capable of remotely controlling the operation of equipment connected to the entrance system by using a voice messaging circuit.SOLUTION: An entrance system according to the present invention includes a communication circuit and a control circuit. The communication circuit includes a SIM (SubscriberIdentityModule) and obtains out-of-band DTMF (DualToneMulti-Frequency) signals from the communication terminal and converts the out-of-band DTMF signals into control signals having a format suitable for operation of the control circuit. The control circuit operates the entrance system or operates a device connected to the entrance system based on the control signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an entrance system. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a conventional invention relating to an entrance system is the entrance device described in Patent Document 1. The first entrance device is used in an intercom system for a collective facility where multiple facilities are gathered, and is installed at the entrance of the facility. The first communication unit communicates wirelessly with a common entrance device installed at the common entrance of the collective facility. The second communication unit communicates with a home information panel installed inside the facility. The second communication unit performs intra-facility communication for calls between the first entrance device and the home information panel. The first communication unit and the second communication unit perform intra-facility communication for calls between the common entrance device and the home information panel.

[0003] In this entrance device, a signal for locking and unlocking the electric lock is transmitted from the first entrance device to the common entrance device, thereby locking and unlocking the electric lock. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-109677 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the field of entrance systems, there is a demand for remote control of the operation of devices connected to the entrance system using a voice communication line.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a doorway system that can remotely control the operation of devices connected to the doorway system using a voice communication line. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first form is The entrance system includes a communication circuit and a control circuit, the communication circuit includes a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module), acquires an out-band DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) signal from a communication terminal, and converts the out-band DTMF signal into a control signal having a format suitable for operation of the control circuit; The control circuit operates the entrance system or an appliance connected to the entrance system based on the control signal. It is an entrance system.

[0008] The second form is The control signal is serial data. 1 is a front door system according to a first embodiment;

[0009] The third form is The out-band DTMF signal is a signal conforming to RFC2833 or RFC4733. The entrance system according to the first or second aspect.

[0010] The fourth form is the device connected to the entrance system is a door locking device; The control circuit causes the locking device to lock the door or unlock the door based on the control signal. The entrance system according to any one of the first to third aspects.

[0011] The fifth form is the communication circuit converts the out-band DTMF signal into a DTMF signal of an audio tone, and then converts the DTMF signal of the audio tone into the control signal; The entrance system according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0012] The sixth form is the communication circuit acquires voice data from the communication terminal; The control circuit performs voice analysis on the voice data, and when the voice data contains a keyword, operates the entrance system or operates a device connected to the entrance system. The entrance system according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present disclosure, the operation of devices connected to the entrance system can be remotely controlled using a voice communication line. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the entrance system 1. As shown in FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the communication device 110. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the entrance device 10. As shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an entrance system 301 according to a comparative example. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the entrance device 10a and the communication device 110a. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] (Embodiment) [Entrance System 1 Structure] The structure of an entrance system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the entrance system 1. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a communication device 110. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an entrance device 10.

[0016] The entrance system 1 is an intercom system installed in a multi-unit facility such as an apartment building or condominium. The multi-unit facility has a common entrance and multiple residences. The common entrance is equipped with a door. A person can reach any of the multiple residences by opening the door of the common entrance.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the entrance system 1 includes an entrance device 10 and a communication device 110. As shown in FIG. 2, the communication device 110 includes a communication circuit 111. The communication circuit 111 is housed in a housing (not shown). The communication circuit 111 includes a circuit board 112 and a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) 113. The SIM 113 stores information for making calls and communicating with other mobile phones via a voice communication line. Specifically, the SIM 113 stores the subscriber's telephone number and contract information. In this embodiment, the SIM is a SIM card, which is a chip-type storage medium.

[0018] The circuit board 112 is a board on which the SIM 113 is mounted. The circuit board 112 is provided with an electric circuit for communicating with the entrance device 10 and a plurality of communication terminals 210, which will be described later. Therefore, the circuit board 112 includes an antenna for wirelessly communicating with the plurality of communication terminals 210, which will be described later.

[0019] The communication device 110 described above is installed in a public facility. Since the communication device 110 communicates with a plurality of communication terminals 210, it is installed in a location where radio waves from a base station for mobile phones can easily reach.

[0020] The entrance device 10 is installed near the door of a common entrance. Visitors can communicate with residents of multiple residences by operating the entrance device 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the entrance device 10 includes a control circuit 12, a microphone 18, and a speaker 20.

[0021] The control circuit 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 14 and a voice recognition module 16. The CPU 14 controls the operation of the entrance device 10 and a locking device 50 (described later). The voice recognition module 16 performs voice analysis of a voice signal transmitted from a communication terminal 210 (described later). The voice recognition module 16 is, for example, an RX231 microcomputer manufactured by Renesas Corporation. The RX231 microcomputer can be equipped with a voice recognition engine.

[0022] The microphone 18 converts into an analog electric signal the voice of the visitor operating the entrance device 10. The speaker 20 outputs the voice based on the analog electric signal transmitted from the communication terminal 210.

[0023] Each of the plurality of communication terminals 210 is a terminal owned by a resident of the residence. The plurality of communication terminals 210 is, for example, a smartphone. However, the plurality of communication terminals 210 may also be a landline telephone.

[0024] The locking device 50 is a device connected to the entrance system 1. In this embodiment, the locking device 50 is connected to the entrance device 10. The locking device 50 locks and unlocks the door installed at the common entrance based on the control by the entrance device 10.

[0025] [Entrance System 1 Operation] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the entrance system 1. The operation of the entrance system 1 includes three operations: a call operation, a control operation 1, and a control operation 2.

[0026] (1) Call operation In the call operation, a visitor operating the entrance device 10 and a resident operating the communication terminal 210 make a voice call. Specifically, the visitor inputs the resident's room number by operating an input device (not shown) of the entrance device 10. The entrance device 10 stores a table indicating the relationship between the resident's room number and the telephone number of the resident's communication terminal 210 in a storage device (not shown). The CPU 14 then identifies the telephone number of the resident's communication terminal 210 and generates an AT (Attention) command for dialing the telephone number. The CPU 14 then outputs the AT command to the communication circuit 111. As a result, the communication circuit 111 makes a call to the resident's communication terminal 210.

[0027] In response, the resident operates the communication terminal 210, thereby starting a call between the visitor operating the entrance device 10 and the resident operating the communication terminal 210. During the call, voice data is exchanged between the communication device 110 and the communication terminal 210. The voice data is exchanged based on the RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol), for example, using digital voice data encoded using a codec such as G.711.

[0028] When a visitor speaks, the microphone 18 converts the visitor's voice operating the entrance device 10 into an analog electrical signal. The analog electrical signal is input to the communication circuit 111. The communication circuit 111 encodes the analog electrical signal into digital audio data using a codec such as G.711. The communication circuit 111 then transmits the encoded digital audio data to the communication terminal 210 based on RTP. As a result, the communication terminal 210 acquires the digital audio data.

[0029] The communication terminal 210 decodes the digital audio data and outputs the audio through a speaker (not shown), allowing the resident to hear the voice of the visitor.

[0030] When a resident speaks, a microphone (not shown) of the communication terminal 210 decodes the voice of the visitor operating the communication terminal 210 into an analog electrical signal. The analog electrical signal is input to a communication circuit (not shown) of the communication terminal 210. The communication circuit (not shown) of the communication terminal 210 encodes the analog electrical signal into digital audio data using a codec such as G.711. The communication circuit (not shown) of the communication terminal 210 then transmits the encoded digital audio data to the communication device 110 based on RTP. As a result, the communication device 110 acquires the digital audio data.

[0031] The communication device 110 decodes the digital audio data and outputs the audio through the speaker 20. This allows visitors to hear the resident's voice.

[0032] (2) Control action 1 In control operation 1, the resident operates the touch panel of the communication terminal 210 to cause the locking device 50 to unlock the door. More specifically, while making a call, the resident operates the touch panel of the communication terminal 210 to press the "*" button. In this embodiment, the action of pressing the "*" button indicates that the locking device 50 is to unlock the door. The communication terminal 210 generates a DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) signal compliant with RFC4733. The DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) signal indicates "*". The communication terminal 210 then transmits the DTMF signal compliant with RFC4733 to the communication device 110 based on RTP. As a result, the communication circuit 111 acquires an outband DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) signal from the communication terminal 210. The outband DTMF signal is a signal compliant with RFC4733. In this manner, the outband DTMF signal is encoded into an RTP packet and transmitted.

[0033] Next, the communication circuit 111 converts the out-band DTMF signal into a control signal having a format suitable for operation of the control circuit 12. In this embodiment, the control signal is serial data. The communication circuit 111 then outputs the control signal to the CPU 14 of the control circuit 12. The communication method between the communication circuit 111 and the CPU 14 is, for example, UART communication.

[0034] The CPU 14 (control circuit) operates the locking device 50 (a device connected to the entrance system) based on the control signal. Specifically, the program stored in the storage device of the entrance device 10 includes a description that, when the CPU 14 acquires serial data indicating "*", the CPU 14 causes the locking device 50 to unlock the door. Then, the CPU 14 outputs an unlock signal to the locking device 50 to cause the door to be unlocked. As a result, the locking device 50 unlocks the door.

[0035] (3) Control action 2 In control operation 2, the resident inputs a keyword into the communication terminal 210 by voice, causing the locking device 50 to unlock the door. More specifically, the resident generates the keyword while making a call. The keyword is, for example, "open sesame." In response, the communication terminal 210 transmits digital voice data encoded by a codec such as G.711 to the communication device 110 based on the Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP). In response, the communication circuit 111 acquires the digital voice data from the communication terminal 210. The communication circuit 111 decodes (converts) the digital voice data into an analog electrical signal and outputs the analog electrical signal to the voice recognition module 16 of the control circuit 12.

[0036] Next, the voice recognition module 16 of the control circuit 12 performs voice analysis of the analog voice signal to determine whether the digital voice data contains a keyword. The keyword is "open sesame." If the digital voice data contains the keyword, the control circuit 12 activates the locking device 50 (a device connected to the entrance system). Specifically, the program stored in the storage device of the entrance device 10 includes a description that causes the CPU 14 to cause the locking device 50 to unlock the door if the digital voice data contains the keyword. Therefore, the CPU 14 outputs an unlock signal to the locking device 50 to unlock the door. As a result, the locking device 50 unlocks the door.

[0037] [effect] In the entrance system 1 described above, the communication circuit 111 acquires an out-band DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) signal from the communication terminal 210 and converts the out-band DTMF signal into a control signal having a format suitable for operation of the control circuit 12. Then, the control circuit 12 operates the device connected to the entrance system 1 based on the control signal. This allows the entrance system 1 to remotely control the operation of the locking device 50 (the device connected to the entrance system) using a voice communication line.

[0038] According to the entrance system 1, even if the communication standard of the voice communication line is changed, the operation of the locking device 50 can be remotely controlled using the voice communication line. The following describes a comparative example. Figure 4 is a block diagram of an entrance system 301 according to the comparative example.

[0039] The entrance system 301 includes an entrance device 310 and a smartphone 410. In the entrance system 301, the communication terminal 210 generates a DTMF signal conforming to RFC4733 and transmits the DTMF signal conforming to RFC4733 to the smartphone 410 based on RTP. However, a base station (not shown) converts the DTMF signal conforming to RFC4733 into a DTMF signal of audio tone. The smartphone 410 acquires the DTMF signal of audio tone.

[0040] The entrance device 310 and the smartphone 410 are connected via Bluetooth (registered trademark). The entrance device 310 acquires a DTMF signal of an audio tone from the smartphone 410, and causes the locking device 50 to unlock the door based on the DTMF signal of the audio tone.

[0041] The entrance system 301 described above is designed on the assumption that the base station converts RFC4733-compliant DTMF signals into audio tone DTMF signals. However, if the communication standards for voice communication lines change in the future, the base station may no longer convert RFC4733-compliant DTMF signals into audio tone DTMF signals. In this case, the entrance system 301 will no longer be able to remotely control the operation of the locking device 50.

[0042] Meanwhile, in the entrance system 1, the communication circuit 111 acquires an out-band dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) signal from the communication terminal 210 and converts the out-band DTMF signal into a control signal having a format suitable for operation of the control circuit 12. In this embodiment, the out-band DTMF signal is a DTMF signal that complies with RFC4733. The control circuit 12 then operates the locking device 50 based on the control signal. This allows the control circuit 12 to operate the locking device 50 even if the base station does not convert the RFC4733-compliant DTMF signal into an audio tone DTMF signal. Therefore, the entrance system 1 can remotely control the operation of the locking device 50 using an audio communication line, even if the communication standard of the audio communication line is changed.

[0043] The entrance system 301 includes a smartphone 410. On the other hand, the entrance system 1 includes a communication circuit 111 including a SIM 113 instead of the smartphone 410. While the smartphone 410 requires software updates, the communication circuit 111 does not require software updates. Therefore, maintenance of the entrance system 1 is reduced.

[0044] The entrance system 301 is equipped with a smartphone 410. There are various models of smartphones 410. Furthermore, even for the same model of smartphone 410, there are various versions of smartphones. Therefore, the entrance device 310 needs to be able to communicate with a wide variety of smartphones 410. On the other hand, the entrance system 1 is equipped with a communication circuit 111 including a SIM 113, rather than a smartphone 410. The entrance device 10 and the communication circuit 111 are designed and developed simultaneously. A single communication method between the entrance device 10 and the communication circuit 111 is sufficient. Therefore, the entrance device 10 does not need to be able to communicate with a wide variety of communication circuits 111. This simplifies the structure of the entrance device 10 and the structure of the communication circuit 111, and also simplifies maintenance of the entrance device 10 and the communication circuit 111.

[0045] Entrance system 301 includes a smartphone 410. Smartphone 410 includes components not used in entrance system 301, such as a camera, battery, display, etc. On the other hand, entrance system 1 includes a communication circuit 111 including a SIM 113, rather than a smartphone 410. Communication circuit 111 does not include components not used in entrance system 1, such as a camera, battery, display, etc. This simplifies the structure of entrance system 1.

[0046] The entrance system 301 includes a smartphone 410. The smartphone 410 includes applications that are not used in the entrance system 301. On the other hand, the entrance system 1 includes a communication circuit 111 that includes a SIM 113, rather than a smartphone 410. The communication circuit 111 does not include applications that are not used in the entrance system 1. This simplifies the software configuration of the entrance system 1. Furthermore, updating the software of the entrance system 1 becomes unnecessary.

[0047] (Variation) The entrance system 1a according to the modified example will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 5 is a block diagram of the entrance device 10a and the communication device 110a.

[0048] The entrance system 1a differs from the entrance system 1 in that the communication circuit 111 further includes a DTMF receiver 22. The DTMF receiver 22 is provided in the entrance device 10a.

[0049] The circuit board 112 receives an RFC4733-compliant DTMF signal from the communication terminal 210. The circuit board 112 (communication circuit) then converts the RFC4733-compliant DTMF signal (outband DTMF signal) into an audio tone DTMF signal. The DTMF receiver 22 (communication circuit) then converts the audio tone DTMF signal into a control signal. The control signal is serial data. The control circuit 12 then operates the locking device 50 based on the control signal.

[0050] The entrance system 1a according to the modified example can also achieve the same effects as the entrance system 1.

[0051] In entrance system 1a, like entrance system 301, circuit board 112 may receive an audio tone DTMF signal. In this case, DTMF receiver 22 converts the audio tone DTMF signal into a control signal. Control circuit 12 then operates locking device 50 based on the control signal. This allows communication terminal 210 to remotely control the operation of locking device 50 (a device connected to the entrance system) even when circuit board 112 receives an audio tone DTMF signal.

[0052] (Other embodiments) The entrance system according to the present invention is not limited to the entrance systems 1 and 1a, and can be modified within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the configuration of the entrance system 1 and the configuration of the entrance system 1a may be combined in any way.

[0053] The out-band DTMF signal may be a signal conforming to RFC2833.

[0054] The control circuit 12 may cause the locking device 50 to lock the door based on the control signal.

[0055] The control circuit 12 may operate the entrance system 1 based on the control signal. The entrance system 1 operates when the entrance device 10 displays information on the display or when the entrance device 10 generates sound from the speaker 20.

[0056] The control circuit 12 may perform a voice analysis of the digital voice data and, if the digital voice data contains a keyword, operate the entrance system 1.

[0057] In the entrance system 1, the entrance device 10 and the communication device 110 are separate devices. However, the entrance device 10 and the communication device 110 may be a single device. In other words, the entrance device 10 and the communication device 110 may be housed in a single housing. Similarly, the entrance device 10a and the communication device 110a may be housed in a single housing.

[0058] In addition, in the entrance system 1, 1a, the SIM 113 may be an eSIM.

[0059] After the CPU 14 causes the locking device 50 to unlock the door, the CPU 14 may cause the locking device 50 to automatically lock the door after a certain period of time has elapsed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1,1a: Entrance system 10, 10a: Entrance device 12: Control circuit 14:CPU 16: Voice recognition module 18: Microphone 20: Speaker 22:DTMF receiver 50: Locking device 110,110a: Communication equipment 111: Communication circuit 112: Circuit board

Claims

1. The entrance system includes a communication circuit and a control circuit, the communication circuit includes a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module), acquires an out-band DTMF (Dual Tone Multi-Frequency) signal from a communication terminal, and converts the out-band DTMF signal into a control signal having a format suitable for operation of the control circuit; The control circuit operates the entrance system or an appliance connected to the entrance system based on the control signal. Entrance system.

2. The control signal is serial data. The entrance system of claim 1.

3. the out-band DTMF signal is a signal conforming to RFC2833 or RFC4733; The entrance system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the device connected to the entrance system is a door locking device; The control circuit causes the locking device to lock the door or unlock the door based on the control signal. The entrance system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. the communication circuit converts the out-band DTMF signal into an audio tone DTMF signal, and then converts the audio tone DTMF signal into the control signal; The entrance system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. the communication circuit acquires voice data from the communication terminal and converts the voice data into an analog electrical signal; the control circuit performs audio analysis of the analog electrical signal, and when the audio data includes a keyword, activates the entrance system or activates a device connected to the entrance system; The entrance system according to claim 1 or 2.

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