Patent ID: 8036593
Filing Date: 2011-10-11
Classification: H04M,H04N

Abstract:
1. An intercom system with an imaging function comprising: an intercom slave having imaging means, audio input means, audio output means and calling means for issuing a call signal; a home gateway device controlling communications connection between devices capable of wired or wireless communications over a local area network; an intercom adapter connected to said intercom slave, and having signal converting means for converting an analog signal provided from said intercom slave into a digital signal transmittable to said local area network side, and converting a signal transmitted from said local area network side into a signal receivable by said intercom slave; an audio terminal being capable of transmission and reception with respect to said home gateway device, and having call responding means for responding to a call signal provided from said intercom slave, and means for audio communications with said intercom slave; and a video terminal capable of transmission and reception with respect to said home gateway device, and having image display means for receiving a video signal from said intercom slave, and displaying an image based on the received video signal, wherein said audio terminal has video terminal selecting means for selecting or deselecting said video terminal, said home gateway device has terminal registering means for registering the audio terminal and the video terminal capable of communications with said intercom slave, when said intercom slave issues the call signal, said home gateway device transmits the call signal to the audio terminal registered in said terminal registering means, and transmits the video signal provided from the intercom slave having issued said call signal to the video terminal registered in said terminal registering means, and when one of said audio terminals receiving said call signal responds to said call signal, said home gateway device stops transmission of said call signal and transmission of the video signal provided from the intercom slave having issued said call signal to the video terminal registered in said terminal registering means, performs control to allow bidirectional communications between the audio terminal having responded to said call signal and the intercom slave having issued said call signal, performs control to allow communications between the video terminal selected by said video terminal selecting means of said audio terminal having responded to said call signal and the intercom slave having issued said call signal, and causes the video terminal selected by said audio terminal to display the image based on the video signal provided from the intercom slave having issued said call signal, wherein the video terminal registered in said terminal registering means and being capable of receiving a radio wave further includes: received wave intensity determining means for determining a reception intensity of each of the video terminals receiving the radio wave emitted from the audio terminal having responded to said call signal, and received wave intensity reporting means for reporting the received wave intensity determined by said received wave intensity determining means to said home gateway device; and when one of said audio terminals responds to the call signal provided from said intercom slave, said home gateway device requests each of the video terminals including said received wave intensity reporting means to provide a report about the received wave intensity determined by said received wave intensity determining means, and said home gateway device handles the video terminal exhibiting the highest received wave intensity among the video terminals providing the reports as the video terminal selected by said video terminal selecting means of the audio terminal having responded to said call signal, performs control to allow communications between said video terminal and the intercom having issued said call signal, and causes the video terminal to display the image based on the video signal provided from the intercom slave having issued said call signal.