Intercom handset

Abstract

To provide an intercom slave unit capable of easily grasping a state related to sensing operation by a human sensor.SOLUTION: With an intercom slave unit 1, when failure occurs in sensing operation by a human sensor 31 due to, for example, adhesion of dirt to an operation surface 21A, sensing operation by the human sensor 31 is turned off, and lighting LED28, 28 are turned off to stop light emission of a light emitting unit 21D. Further, abnormality notification LED30 is turned on to cause a light guide unit 25 to emit light to report the failure, so that occurrence of the failure in sensing operation by the human sensor 31 is easily grasped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an intercom slave unit that is installed on the wall of an entrance, for example, and that is operated by visitors to make calls. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an intercom master unit that is installed in a living room and responds to calls from an intercom slave unit has been devised that has a built-in human presence sensor, and when a call is made from the intercom slave unit, if the human presence sensor detects the resident, it will automatically respond without the need to operate a call button or the like (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-85665 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is conceivable that the above-mentioned motion sensor could be installed on an intercom slave unit that is installed on the wall of an entrance, for example, and that is operated by visitors, so that the unit automatically initiates a call when it detects a visitor. However, because intercom slave units often do not have a display unit like the intercom master unit, it is difficult to notify the status of the motion sensor's detection operation, and there is a problem that, for example, a malfunction in the motion sensor's detection operation is difficult to notice.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide an intercom handset that can easily grasp the status related to the sensing operation of a human presence sensor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 of the present invention is an intercom handset in which an operation unit that can be operated by pressing is provided on the front of a main body case, and a control unit that controls the operation of the main body case is provided inside the main body case, and the control unit executes a predetermined calling operation when the operation unit is pressed, and a light-emitting unit is provided on the operation unit, and a human sensor and a light-emitting member for illuminating the light-emitting unit are installed at a position behind the operation unit facing the front of the main body case. Furthermore, a sensor board equipped with a human sensor is installed inside the operation unit. The control unit executes a call operation in response to a detection operation by the human presence sensor, and when the detection operation by the human presence sensor is stopped, controls the operation of the light-emitting member to issue an alert. According to the invention described in claim 1, an illuminating unit is provided in the operating unit, and a human presence sensor and an illuminating member for illuminating the illuminating unit are installed at a location behind the operating unit facing the front of the main body case, and the control unit performs a calling operation in response to the detection operation of the human presence sensor, while when the detection operation of the human presence sensor is stopped, it controls the operation of the illuminating member to issue an alert, thereby making it possible to create an intercom handset that makes it easy to know when a malfunction has occurred in the detection operation of the human presence sensor. In addition, since a sensor board equipped with a human presence sensor is installed inside the operating unit, the space inside the main body case can be used effectively, and the human presence sensor can be placed closer to the front of the main body case, improving the reliability of the human presence sensor's sensing operation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, a human presence sensor is installed facing the front of the main body case, and the control unit performs a calling operation in response to the detection operation of the human presence sensor, so that visitors can call the resident without touching the intercom handset. In addition, since a sensor board equipped with a human presence sensor is installed inside the operating unit, the space inside the main body case can be used effectively, and the human presence sensor can be placed closer to the front of the main body case, improving the reliability of the human presence sensor's sensing operation. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the intercom handset from the front side. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the intercom handset in a disassembled state from the front side. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing the intercom handset in a disassembled state from the rear side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective explanatory view showing an operation member and a sensor board from the front side. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective explanatory view showing the operating member from the rear side. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are explanatory perspective views showing the mounting frame, in which FIG. 1A shows the mounting frame from the front side and FIG. 1B shows the mounting frame from the rear side. [Figure 7] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a vertical cross section of a portion near a calling unit of the intercom slave unit. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective explanatory view showing a state in which the sensor board is attached to the operation member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An intercom slave unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an explanatory perspective view of the intercom handset 1 shown from the front side. FIG. 2 is an explanatory perspective view of the intercom handset 1 in a disassembled state shown from the front side. FIG. 3 is an explanatory perspective view of the intercom handset 1 in a disassembled state shown from the rear side. FIG. 4 is an explanatory perspective view of the operating member 11 and sensor board 13 shown from the front side. FIG. 5 is an explanatory perspective view of the operating member 11 shown from the rear side. FIG. 6 is an explanatory perspective view of the mounting frame 14, with (a) shown from the front side and (b) shown from the rear side. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a vertical cross section of a portion near the calling unit 10 of the intercom handset 1. FIG. 8 is an explanatory perspective view showing the sensor board 13 attached to the operating member 11.

[0012] Intercom handset 1 comprises a main body case composed of front case 2 disposed at the front and rear case 3 attached to the rear side of front case 2, and a decorative cover 4 attached to the front of the main body case. A lens 9A of camera 9 is exposed at the top front of the main body case, forming an imaging unit 5 for capturing images of the surroundings. A microphone unit 6 for making calls is provided to the right of imaging unit 5. A calling unit 10 is provided below imaging unit 5 so that visitors can call the resident, and a speaker unit 7 for making calls, including a speaker 8 built into the main body case, is provided further below calling unit 10. Intercom handset 1 is installed on the wall of the entrance of a dwelling unit, and when a visitor holds their hand over or presses calling unit 10, imaging unit 5 is activated to begin capturing images of the surroundings, including the visitor, and calls an intercom master unit (not shown) installed in the dwelling unit.

[0013] Here, the calling section 10 of the intercom slave unit 1, which is the main part of the present invention, will be described. The call unit 10 comprises an operating member 11, a sensor board 13 installed inside the operating member 11, a mounting frame 14 for mounting the operating member 11 to the inner surface of the front case 2, and a main board 15 arranged behind the mounting frame 14.

[0014] The operating member 11 includes an operating section 21 that can be pressed by a visitor and an elastic section 22 extending downward from the operating section 21. The operating section 21 is molded like a cover that opens to the rear, with a disk-shaped front surface and a peripheral wall extending rearward from the periphery of the front surface. A synthetic resin panel is attached to the center of the front surface, forming the operating surface 21A operated by the visitor. The outer peripheral edge of the operating surface 21A is translucent and forms a light-emitting section 21D that emits light, as described below. A flange 21B extends radially outward from the rear end of the peripheral wall, and a waterproof wall 21C extends forward from the tip of the flange 21B. The rear surface of the operating surface 21A (inside the operating section 21) is provided with a board installation section 23 for installing the sensor board 13, as well as an operating protrusion 24 that protrudes rearward. The board installation portion 23 is shaped like an elastic claw that extends rearward from the rear surface of the operation surface 21A and then bends back forward, allowing the sensor board 13 to be sandwiched and installed between the tip of the board installation portion 23 and the rear surface of the operation surface 21A. Furthermore, the front surface of the operation unit 21 is provided with a light guide portion 25 for guiding forward light emitted from the abnormality alarm LED 30 mounted on the sensor board 13, and a sensor window 26 for exposing the human presence sensor 31 mounted on the sensor board 13. Meanwhile, the elastic portion 22 is made up of a pair of left and right tongues extending downward from the operation unit 21, and the lower ends of the tongues are provided with elastic support portions 27 that serve as fulcrums when the operation member 11 is pressed in.

[0015] The sensor board 13 is smaller than the operation unit 21 of the operation member 11, and its front surface is equipped with a motion sensor 31 for detecting when a visitor holds their hand in front of the operation surface 21A, and an abnormality notification LED 30 that lights up when the motion sensor 31's sensing operation is stopped. The sensor board 13 is installed in the operation unit 21 with the abnormality notification LED 30 positioned behind the light guide 25 and the motion sensor 31 positioned within the sensor window 26. The main board 15 controls the main operations of the intercom handset 1 (e.g., operations related to calls with the intercom master unit), and is equipped with a switch 29 on the front surface of the main board 15 that is operated by an operation protrusion 24 when the operation member 11 is pressed. Around the switch 29 and behind the light-emitting unit 21D of the operation unit 21, illumination LEDs 28, 28... are installed to illuminate the light-emitting unit 21D. The sensor board 13 is electrically connected to the main board 15.

[0016] The mounting frame 14 is a frame body that is screwed to the rear surface of the front plate of the front case 2, and is provided with a clamping portion 32 in the approximate center in the vertical direction. When the mounting frame 14 is screwed to the front case 2, the clamping portion 32 abuts against the elastic support portion 27 of the operating member 11 from the rear side, sandwiching the elastic support portion 27 between the front plate of the front case 2 and the front plate of the front case 2. A recessed portion recessed rearward is provided above the clamping portion 32, and the space within this recess serves as a storage space 33 that allows the operating member 21 to be pushed rearward. Furthermore, a switch window 34 is provided within the storage space 33, allowing the operating protrusion 24 of the operating member 11 to protrude rearward from the mounting frame 14. Additionally, speaker grilles 35, 35·· are provided below the clamping portion 32, and both the left and right sides of the speaker grilles 35, 35·· protrude forward. When the mounting frame 14 is screwed to the front case 2, an alarm space 37 is formed in front of the speaker grilles 35, 35··. The mounting frame 14 is made of a translucent synthetic resin. A speaker mounting portion 36 for mounting the speakers 8 is provided on the rear surface of the mounting frame 14 so as to surround the speaker grilles 35, 35.... A frame waterproof rib 38 is provided in the accommodation space 33 and protrudes forward, covering the upper part of a portion of the speaker grilles 35, 35....

[0017] Meanwhile, an operation window 40 is provided on the front plate of the front case 2 as a mounting structure for mounting the operation member 11, exposing the operation surface 21A of the operation unit 21. A rearward-protruding case waterproof rib 41 extends along the periphery of the operation window 40 on the rear surface of the front plate of the front case 2, and a button mounting rib 42 for positioning the operation member 11 protrudes rearward further outward from the case waterproof rib 41. When the operation member 11 is mounted to the front case 2, the operation member 11 is positioned inside the button mounting rib 42, and the tip of the waterproof wall 21C of the operation member 11 abuts against the rear surface of the front plate of the front case 2 between the button mounting rib 42 and the case waterproof rib 41, and the tip of the case waterproof rib 41 abuts against the front surface of the flange 21B of the operation member 11. Reference numeral 43 denotes a support rib that supports the elastic support portion 27 of the operation member 11 from below.

[0018] In the intercom handset 1 described above, when a visitor presses operation unit 21 (performs a calling operation) at calling unit 10, elastic portion 22 bends, moving operation unit 21 toward the inside of the main body case, and operation protrusion 24 operates switch 29. Therefore, in response to the calling operation, main board 15 performs a calling operation to call the intercom master unit in the same manner as in the past. Meanwhile, in intercom handset 1, when a visitor holds their hand in front of operation unit 21 at calling unit 10 for a predetermined period of time (for example, two seconds), and the visitor is detected by human presence sensor 31, main board 15 performs a calling operation to call the intercom master unit, just as when operation unit 21 is pressed.

[0019] In addition, in the intercom handset 1, the illumination LEDs 28, 28... are normally turned on to illuminate the light-emitting unit 21D, while the abnormality notification LED 30 is turned off and the light-guiding unit 25 is not illuminated. The illumination of the light-emitting unit 21D caused by the illumination LEDs 28, 28... is used particularly for nighttime lighting. For example, if dirt adheres to the operation surface 21A, the detection operation of the human presence sensor 31 may not function properly. Therefore, when a malfunction occurs in the detection operation of the human presence sensor 31, the main board 15 turns off the detection operation of the human presence sensor 31, turns off the illumination LEDs 28, 28... to stop the light-emitting unit 21D from emitting light, and turns on the abnormality notification LED 30 to illuminate the light-guiding unit 25.

[0020] In the intercom slave unit 1, even when the lighting LEDs 28, 28... are turned off, if the operating member 11 is pressed, the calling operation is performed in the same manner as described above, and the lighting LEDs 28, 28... are turned on and the light-emitting unit 21D is illuminated while the intercom master unit is being called. By illuminating the light-emitting unit 21D when the intercom master unit is being called in this way, the amount of light necessary for imaging by the camera 9 is ensured, particularly at night.

[0021] In the intercom handset 1 having the above configuration, the sensor board 13 on which the motion sensor 31 is mounted is installed so that the motion sensor 31 faces the front of the main body case, and the main board 15 executes a calling operation in response to the detection operation of the motion sensor 31. Therefore, for example, a visitor can call a resident without touching the intercom handset 1 by simply holding their hand in front of the operation unit 21 for a predetermined period of time (for example, two seconds). Furthermore, as with conventional intercom handset 1, the calling operation can also be executed by pressing the operation unit 21, so that the intercom handset 1 can be used even if there is a malfunction in the motion sensor 31, making it easy to use.

[0022] Furthermore, a board installation section 23 is provided inside the operation section 21 (on the rear surface of the operation surface 21A), and the sensor board 13 is installed inside the operation section 21. Therefore, the space inside the main body case can be used effectively, and the human presence sensor 31 can be brought closer to the front surface of the main body case, improving the reliability of the sensing operation of the human presence sensor 31.

[0023] Furthermore, in the intercom handset 1, if a malfunction occurs in the detection operation of the human presence sensor 31, for example due to dirt adhering to the operating surface 21A, the detection operation of the human presence sensor 31 is turned off, the lighting LEDs 28, 28... are turned off to stop the light-emitting section 21D from emitting light, and the abnormality notification LED 30 is turned on to cause the light-guiding section 25 to emit light, thereby notifying the user of this, thereby making it possible to make the intercom handset 1 easy to understand that a malfunction has occurred in the detection operation of the human presence sensor 31. Furthermore, since the abnormality alert LED 30 that notifies the state of the intercom handset 1 is mounted on the sensor board 13, even though the lighting LEDs 28, 28... are installed separately from the abnormality alert LED 30, in a situation where the abnormality alert LED 30 and the lighting LEDs 28, 28... are lit at the same time, the light from both LEDs 28, 30 is less likely to interfere with each other, and the light emitted by the abnormality alert LED 30 is less likely to become blurred. Furthermore, the light-emitting unit 21D, which is used particularly as a night light, is also used to notify the status of the sensing operation by the human presence sensor 31, which allows for rationalization of the configuration, reducing the number of parts and the resulting cost, and making the intercom handset 1 smaller.

[0024] In addition, when the operating member 11 is attached to the front case 2, the operating member 11 is positioned inside the button mounting rib 42, and the tip of the waterproof wall 21C of the operating member 11 abuts against the rear surface of the front plate of the front case 2 between the button mounting rib 42 and the case waterproof rib 41, and the tip of the case waterproof rib 41 abuts against the front surface of the flange 21B of the operating member 11. Therefore, water is less likely to seep into the main body case from around the operating member 21, making the intercom handset 1 highly waterproof.

[0025] The intercom handset of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the overall configuration of the intercom handset as well as the configuration around the calling unit can be modified as needed within the scope of the present invention.

[0026] For example, in the above embodiment, a sensor board equipped with a human presence sensor is installed within the operation unit, but as long as the human presence sensor is located behind the operation unit, the sensor board equipped with the human presence sensor may be installed outside the operation unit, or the human presence sensor may be installed on the main board. In addition, in the above embodiment, both the illumination LED and the abnormality notification LED are used to notify the state related to the detection operation by the human presence sensor, but there is no problem in configuring to notify using only one of them, and the design can be changed as appropriate regarding what light-emitting members are controlled and how they are controlled in relation to the notification of the state related to the detection operation by the human presence sensor. It goes without saying that the design can also be changed as appropriate regarding the position, number, shape, etc. of the light-emitting elements provided in the operation unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0027] 1··Intercom handset, 2··Front case (main body case), 3··Rear case (main body case), 10··Call unit, 11··Operation member, 13··Sensor board, 14··Mounting frame, 15··Main board (control unit), 21··Operation unit, 21D··Light-emitting unit, 22··Elastic part, 23··Board installation part, 24··Operation protrusion, 25··Light-guiding unit (light-emitting unit), 28··Lighting LED (light-emitting member), 30··Error notification LED (light-emitting member), 31··Human presence sensor.

Claims

[Claim 1] An operation unit that can be pressed is provided on the front surface of the main body case, and a control unit that controls the operation of the main body case is provided inside the main body case, The control unit is an intercom slave that executes a predetermined calling operation when the operation unit is pressed, The operation unit is provided with a light emitting unit, a human presence sensor and a light-emitting member for illuminating the light-emitting unit are installed at a location behind the operation unit, facing the front of the main body case, and a sensor board on which the human presence sensor is mounted is installed within the operation unit; The control unit executes the call operation in response to the detection operation of the human presence sensor, and when the detection operation of the human presence sensor is stopped, controls the operation of the light-emitting element to provide an alert.

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