Intercom device

Abstract

To provide an interphone device which notifies a visitor of information on an act of storing a photographed image of the visitor and then stores the photographed image.SOLUTION: An interphone device includes an entrance slave unit 1 and a living room master unit 2. The entrance slave unit 1 includes a camera 11 which images a visitor. The living room master unit 2 includes a monitor 21 which displays a photographed image of the camera 11 and a database 26b which records the image. The entrance slave unit 1 includes a human sensor 14 which outputs a detection signal when detecting approach of a person. Meanwhile, the living room master unit 2 includes a storage unit 25 which, upon receiving a call operation, stores a first message for notifying the visitor of information on an act of storing the photographed image of the camera 11. A master unit CPU 26 is configured to: upon receiving a detection signal, control start of imaging of the camera 11; after starting the imaging of the camera 11, cause the entrance slave unit 1 to produce the first message; and then, upon the entrance slave unit 1 receiving call operation, store the photographed image of the camera 11 in the database 26b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an intercom device for allowing a visitor to call a resident. [Background technology]

[0002] Some intercom systems that allow visitors to call residents have a camera installed in the entrance slave unit to capture images of the visitor and a monitor in the main unit in the living room to display the captured image in order to ensure security. For example, in Patent Document 1, imaging begins upon receiving a call operation, and the image is not only displayed on the monitor but also recorded to improve security. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-170644 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] While intercom devices with the function of recording (saving) visitors from a security perspective, such as the technology in Patent Document 1, are becoming increasingly popular, issues regarding personal information protection have become increasingly important in recent years, and there is a view that saving visitors' information without their permission is undesirable.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention has an object to provide an intercom device that, when saving a captured image of a visitor, notifies the visitor before saving the image. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the invention of claim 1 is an intercom device comprising a front door sub-unit with the function of calling the resident and talking to them, and a room main unit with the function of responding to calls from the front door sub-unit, the front door sub-unit being equipped with a camera for capturing images of visitors, and the room main unit being equipped with a monitor for displaying images captured by the camera and an image storage unit for saving images, the front door sub-unit having a human presence sensor that outputs a detection signal when it detects a person approaching, and either the front door sub-unit or the room main unit having an image control unit that receives the detection signal and starts capturing images with the camera, and a message storage unit that stores a first message to notify the visitor that the images captured by the camera will be saved when a call operation is received, the image control unit making the front door sub-unit sound the first message when it starts capturing images, and then when a call operation is performed on the front door sub-unit, starting saving the images captured by the camera in the image storage unit. With this configuration, the visitor is notified that the recording will be saved before the call operation is made, so the recording of the captured images that is carried out after the call operation can be determined to be saved with the visitor's consent. This allows for control that takes into consideration the visitor's personal information, and the saved visitor images can continue to be used to improve security, such as for facial recognition.

[0007] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the configuration described in claim 1, it has a face recognition processing unit that authenticates a person using a face image, and the face recognition processing unit compares the face image of the visitor captured by the camera upon receiving a detection signal with the image stored in the previous image storage unit, and authenticates the visitor if a matching image is found, and the image control unit does not sound the first message or store the image captured by the camera once the face recognition processing unit has authenticated the visitor. With this configuration, if the face recognition processing unit recognizes that the visitor's face matches the face of one or more people stored in the image storage unit, no message will be sounded, allowing the visitor to make a call smoothly. Also, since no images are stored, the image storage unit can be made to require a relatively small capacity.

[0008] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the configuration described in claim 2, the front door unit has a monitor that displays images and an image selection operation unit, while the message storage unit stores a second message that allows the visitor to select an image, and the image control unit displays the saved multiple images on the monitor in response to a call operation and makes the front door unit sound the second message, and then, when the image selection operation unit is operated to select an image, only the selected image continues to be saved in the image storage unit. According to this configuration, the images stored in the image storage unit are images selected by the visitor himself / herself, so that it is possible to reduce the number of stored images and reduce malfunctions during face authentication.

[0009] The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the configuration described in any of claims 1 to 3, the human presence sensor is a ToF sensor, and a detection signal is output when a visitor approaches the entrance unit within a predetermined distance. According to this configuration, a detection signal is not output unless the visitor approaches the entrance slave unit within a predetermined distance, so that when the visitor approaches within a distance that makes it easy to convey a message, an audible message can be sounded, thereby preventing erroneous operation and malfunction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, since the visitor is notified that recording and images will be saved before the call operation is performed, the recording of captured images performed after the call operation can be determined to be saved with the visitor's consent. This allows for control that takes into consideration the visitor's personal information, and the saved visitor images can continue to be used to improve security, such as for facial recognition. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram showing an example of an intercom device according to the present invention, in which individual devices are shown in functional block diagram form. [Figure 2] 10 shows another example of an intercom device, in which each device is shown in a functional block diagram. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of an intercom device according to the present invention, and shows the device in a functional block diagram; In Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a front door slave unit that has the function of calling and talking to residents, and reference numeral 2 denotes a room master unit that has the function of responding to calls from the front door slave unit 1. The front door slave unit 1 is installed outdoors, such as at the entrance, and the room master unit 2 is installed and used indoors, and the two are connected by a transmission line L1.

[0013] The entrance sub-unit 1 is equipped with a camera 11 for photographing visitors, a sub-unit image processing unit 12 that processes the image captured by the camera 11 for transmission to the room main unit 2, a sub-unit microphone 13a for making calls, a sub-unit speaker 13b, a call circuit 13 that processes audio signals, a human presence sensor 14 consisting of a ToF sensor that outputs a detection signal when it detects a visitor, a call button 15 that outputs a call signal when pressed, a sub-unit control unit 16 that has a built-in CPU and controls the entrance sub-unit 1, and a sub-unit communication IF 17 that communicates with the room main unit 2.

[0014] The room master unit 2 is equipped with a monitor 21 for displaying captured images, a master unit image processing unit 22 for processing the image signal transmitted from the front door slave unit 1 for display on the monitor 21, a master unit microphone 23a for making calls, a master unit speaker 23b, a call circuit 23 for processing audio, an operation unit 24 for performing various operations, a memory unit 25 for storing messages, etc., a master unit control unit 26 which has a built-in CPU to control the room master unit 2 and which has a face recognition processing unit 26a and its database 26b, and a master unit communication IF 27 which communicates with the front door slave unit 1.

[0015] The operation of the intercom device configured in this manner is as follows. The human presence sensor 14 is always on, and outputs a detection signal when it detects a visitor approaching within a certain distance, such as one meter. This detection signal is sent to the room master unit 2 via the slave unit control unit 16. Upon receiving the detection signal, the room master unit 2 starts up the camera 11 to begin capturing images under the control of the master unit control unit 26. It then starts up the face authentication processing unit 26a and performs authentication processing by referring to the data stored in the database 26b. Authentication is performed by comparing the visitor's facial image captured by the camera 11 with facial images stored in the database 26b to determine whether or not there is a match.

[0016] If there is no matching image after the authentication process, it is determined that the visitor is a first-time visitor. If it is determined that the visitor is a first-time visitor, a first message is sounded from the handset speaker 13b to inform the visitor that an image will be saved, such as "We will be recording your visit to improve the accuracy of facial recognition. Please press the call button if you wish.", which has been previously stored in the memory unit 25 of the room base unit 2.

[0017] When the visitor complies and presses the call button 15, the storage of the captured image begins and the base unit speaker 23b sounds to notify the resident that a visitor has arrived. The captured image is stored in database 26b and is used as a comparison image when authenticating the visitor thereafter. The captured image can also be recorded in memory unit 25, and is recorded by performing a specified operation on operation unit 24.

[0018] When the call button 15 is pressed, it is advisable to sound a message such as "Please remove your mask as we are recording" from the handset speaker 13b, so that a facial image that is easy to distinguish can be saved. In addition, the image captured by the camera 11, which has started capturing images in response to a detection signal, is displayed on the monitor 21 of the room master unit 2.

[0019] When a resident notices the presence of a visitor due to the ringing of the room base unit 2, they can confirm the visitor by watching the monitor 21 through video and audio, and decide whether to register the visitor and allow future visits. If the resident determines from the call or other factors that the visitor is not authorized, the image stored in the database 26b is deleted by the resident, and the person will be treated as a new visitor even if they come again in the future.

[0020] In this way, the visitor is notified that recording (captured images will be saved) will be made before the call operation is made, so the control of saving the captured images that is carried out after the call operation can be determined to be saving with the visitor's consent. This makes it possible to implement control that takes into consideration the visitor's personal information, and the saved images of the visitor can be used to improve security such as facial recognition. Furthermore, by using a ToF sensor as the human presence sensor 14, a detection signal is not output unless the visitor approaches the entrance unit 1 to a specified distance, so that when the visitor approaches within a distance that makes it easy to convey a message, an audible message can be sounded, preventing erroneous operation and malfunction.

[0021] However, when the visitor authentication process is initiated upon receiving the detection signal, if a facial image matching the visitor's face is found in the data registered in database 26b, it is determined that the visitor is not a first-time visitor. In other words, the visitor is authenticated. For authenticated visitors, the first message is not sounded, and recording is not performed. In this way, no message is sent to visitors who have been authenticated by the face authentication processing unit 26a, allowing the visitor to make a call smoothly. Also, since new images are not saved for people who are already registered, the capacity of the database 26b, which is the image saving unit, can be kept relatively small.

[0022] Incidentally, although the configuration is such that persons who are not permitted to visit are deleted from database 26b, it is also possible to, in contrast to the above embodiment, store only images of persons who are not permitted to visit in database 26b, and then, when a saved person visits, recognize this and change the ring tone to a normal ring tone or implement control to not sound the ring tone, and display a caption on monitor 21 indicating that the visitor is not permitted, thereby allowing the resident to identify the person as an unauthorised visitor.

[0023] Next, another embodiment of the intercom device will be described. Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of the intercom device of this embodiment, showing the device in a functional block diagram. The description will be made with reference to Fig. 2. 1 above in that it is equipped with a slave unit monitor 18 that displays captured images on the entrance slave unit 1, and a touch panel 19 that is integrated with the slave unit monitor 18 for selecting images. Below, we will omit explanations of the components that are common to Fig. 1 and focus on the differences.

[0024] The operation when a visitor is not authenticated differs from the configuration shown in Figure 1 above, so here we will explain the operation when authentication is not performed, i.e., when a visitor whose facial image is not stored in database 26b arrives. When a face authentication processing unit 26a performs authentication operation upon receiving a detection signal from the human sensor 14 and determines that there is no matching image in the database 26b, the parent unit control unit 26 determines that it is a first-time visitor and makes the entrance slave unit 1 sound a message stored in advance in the memory unit 25.

[0025] At this time, the first message informing the visitor that recording will be made is sounded from the handset speaker 13b. Then, when the call button 15 is pressed, a message such as "Please remove your mask as we will be recording" is sounded, and the recording of the captured image begins. After a certain period of time has passed, when a plurality of images have been stored in the database 26b, the images are displayed on the monitor of the entrance slave unit 1, and a second message is sounded from the slave unit speaker 13b to prompt the visitor to select from the touch panel 19 an image to be continuously stored in the database 26b, saying, "Images will be registered and updated for two years. Please select a bright and clean image."

[0026] When a visitor receives this message and selects one image from the multiple images, that image will continue to be saved, and the other images that were not selected will be deleted. In this way, the image selected by the visitor will be used as the image to authenticate the visitor thereafter. The handset monitor 18 operates independently of the call, and image selection is possible during a call or call, and image selection is possible for a certain period of time even after the call has ended.

[0027] In this way, the image stored in the database 26b is only the selected one image, so that the number of stored images can be reduced and malfunctions during image authentication can be reduced. Furthermore, the visitor can select the image to be saved, and the sound message can inform the visitor of the purpose of acquiring the face image to be registered and the period for which the image will be saved, which is preferable from the viewpoint of protecting personal information.

[0028] If the visitor does not perform an operation to select an image, the number of saved images can be reduced by selecting and saving a predetermined image, such as the first captured image. Although the above embodiment has been described as an example of a detached house, the same effect can be achieved in an apartment building. However, in the case of an apartment building, in order to protect personal information, the same image is not shared among multiple room master units 2, and images of visitors are saved in each room master unit 2. Furthermore, although a ToF sensor is used for the human sensor 14, a widely used pyroelectric infrared sensor may also be used. Furthermore, although the parent unit control unit 26 controls the recording of images captured by the camera 11, an image control unit that controls the captured images may be provided in the front door slave unit 1. In addition, a memory unit 25 that stores messages may also be provided in the front door slave unit 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1·· Entrance sub-unit, 2·· Room main unit, 11·· Camera, 12·· Sub-unit video processing unit, 13b·· Sub-unit speaker, 14·· Motion sensor, 15·· Call button, 16·· Sub-unit control unit, 18·· Sub-unit monitor (monitor), 19·· Touch panel (image selection operation unit), 21·· Monitor, 25·· Memory unit (message memory unit), 26·· Main unit control unit (image control unit), 26a·· Face recognition processing unit, 26b·· Database (image storage unit).

Claims

1. An intercom system having a door slave unit with a function of calling a resident and a room master unit with a function of responding to calls from the door slave unit, the door slave unit being equipped with a camera for capturing images of visitors, and the room master unit being equipped with a monitor for displaying images captured by the camera and an image storage unit for storing images, The entrance slave unit has a human presence sensor that outputs a detection signal when it detects the approach of a person, an image control unit that receives the detection signal and causes the camera in either the entrance slave unit or the room master unit to start capturing images; a message storage unit configured to store a first message for notifying a visitor that an image captured by the camera will be saved when a call operation is received, The image control unit causes the entrance unit to sound the first message when the camera starts capturing images, and then when the entrance unit is operated to make a call, the image capture unit starts saving the images captured by the camera in the image storage unit.

2. A face authentication processing unit is provided to authenticate a person based on a face image, The face authentication processing unit receives the detection signal, compares the face image of the visitor captured by the camera with the image stored in the image storage unit, and authenticates the visitor if a match is found.

2. The intercom device according to claim 1, wherein the image control unit does not sound the first message or store the image captured by the camera when the face authentication processing unit authenticates the visitor.

3. The entrance slave unit has a monitor for displaying images and an image selection operation unit, the message storage unit stores a second message that prompts the visitor to select an image; the image control unit receives the call operation, displays the stored plurality of images on the monitor, and makes the entrance slave unit sound the second message; 3. The intercom device according to claim 2, wherein when the image selection operation unit is subsequently operated to select an image, only the selected image continues to be stored in the image storage unit.

4. 4. The intercom device according to claim 1, wherein the human presence sensor is a Time of Flight (ToF) sensor, and when a visitor approaches the entrance unit within a predetermined distance, the detection signal is output.

Images