WO2003028375A1

WO2003028375A1 - Remote-control entrance door system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2003028375A1
Application number: PCT/KR2002/001020
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seung-Woo Hong
Original assignee: Mobiletalk Co., Ltd.; Institute Of Information Technology Assessment
Priority date: 2001-09-27
Filing date: 2002-05-29
Publication date: 2003-04-03
Also published as: KR100459047B1; KR20030028063A

Abstract

TA remote control entrance door system includes a video phone including a speaker, a microphone, a display unit, a going-out setting switching unit, and an entrance door opening/closing button, and being installed inside an entrance door; a door bell means including a speaker, a microphone, a camera, and a call button and being installed outside the entrance door; a controller connected to the video phone and the door bell means, transmitting a call message to a mobile communication terminal of a host when the host goes out, transmitting an image of a visitor shooted by the camera to the mobile communication terminal in response to a host's request, and recognizing an entrance door opening/closing command from the mobile communication terminal to output a control signal for opening or closing the entrance door; and an entrance door opening/closing controller opening or closing the entrance door in response to an entrance door opening or closing signla from the video phone or the controller.

Description

REMOTE-CONTROL ENTRANCE DOOR SYSTEM AND

METHOD

Background of the invention Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a remote-control entrance door system and method using a wireless communication.

Description of Related Art When a visitor pushes a call bell to enter a house or a building, a host

(or supervisor) confirms a visitor's identity or talks with a visitor (or guest) through a video phone though an indoor video phone. After confirm the visitor, the host pushes a key button of the indoor video phone to open an entrance door. However, the conventional video phone can be used only when the host stays indoors. Therefore, when nobody indoors, there is no communication means to connect the visitor to the host. In this case, the visitor has to leave a note or has to visit again.

There has been a need for an apparatus that can notify a visit of a visitor during his/her going out to the host, confirm a visitor's identity, provide a communication between a host and a visitor, and control an entrance door out of doors.

An entrance door apparatus has been developed that a visitor can communicate with a host going out through a wireless phone of the host. However, the entrance door apparatus has problems in that it does not operate well at a distance far from the entrance door due to restriction such as a frequency band of, e.g., 900MHz and a transceiving distance. Even though the host is near to the entrance door and the visitor communicates with the host, the host cannot open or close the entrance door. In addition, the entrance door is impossible to confirm an image of the visitor at a remote distance.

In efforts to overcome the problems described above, Korean Patent Application No. 2001-3862 discloses a video phone door including a radio frequency (RF) module for a cellular phone having an innate phone number allocated thereto. The RF module contacts a host's cellular phone to notify a visit of the visitor and transmit an image signal to the host's cellular phone, and also provides a voice-communication between the host and the visitor. The entrance door is remote-controlled by the host's cellular phone.

However, since the video phone of Korean Patent Application No. 2001- 3862 uses the RF module which is a short-distance communication means other than a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or a local area network (LAN), like the wireless phone of a frequency band of 900MHz, the video phone has a restriction to a communication distance. Even though the RF module is used in the cellular phone and a personal communication system (PCS) which are a mobile communication means and it is stated that an image signal of the visitor shooted by a camera installed on the entrance door is transmitted to the cellular phone, an compression method of an image signal, a wireless transmission method and a configuration of a cellular phone to display the image (a conventional cellular phone or PCS can display only an image data having the same format as provided by the mobile communication company and a web document by a specific protocol such as a wireless application protocol (WAP) and a ME) are not described in detail, and thus it is almost impossible to confirm the visitor's identity and a visit of the visitor visited using the video phone.

Actually, a conventional cellular phone or the PCS cannot exchange an image signal between the terminals. In other words, the conventional cellular phone or the conventional PCS provides only a short message service (SMS) service that can exchange a simple text in addition to a voice signal exchange service and does not provide a wireless videophone service. Hence, the video phone of Korean Patent Application no. 2001-3862 is unrealizable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the problems described above, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide an entrance door system and method which can confirm an image of a visitor, provides a voice communication between a host and a visitor, and open or close an entrance door regardless of a communication distance.

In order to achieve the above object, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a remote control entrance door system, comprising: a video phone including a speaker, a microphone, a display unit, a going-out setting switching unit, and an entrance door opening/closing button, and being installed inside an entrance door; a door bell means including a speaker, a microphone, a camera, and a call button and being installed outside the entrance door; a controller connected to the video phone and the door bell means, transmitting a call message to a mobile communication terminal of a host when the host goes out, transmitting an image of a visitor shooted by the camera to the mobile communication terminal in response to a host's request, and recognizing an entrance door opening/closing command from the mobile communication terminal to output a control signal for opening or closing the entrance door; and an entrance door opening/closing controller opening or closing the entrance door in response to an entrance door opening or closing signla from the video phone or the controller. he controller includes a videophone/doorbell means connection interface, an internet connection interface, a message transmitting module, a CDMA communication module, an image signal processing module, a central controller, and a data storing portion.

A wireless internet server program for contacting an internet web browser of the mobile communication terminal is installed in the central controller, wherein the wireless internet server program receives a user request through a mobile communication network between the wireless internet gateway and the mobile communication terminal, and changes a corresponding data to meet a wireless internet standard and transmits the data to the wireless internet gateway through the internet.

The image signal processing module changes an analog image data shooted by the camera of the door bell to a digital image signal, and dithering and compressing (encoding) the digital image signal to be suitable for the mobile communication terminal and and storing the changed image signal. The mobile communication terminal is one of a a personal digital assitant (PDA) for displaying a moving picture file in according with H.263 standard, a wireless application protocol (WAP) terminal for displaying a Wbmp file in accordance with a WAP standard, and a terminal for displaying a 4-gray image (smb) file using a general virtual machine (GVM). Te controller includes a main process including a RAM, a ROM, an auxiliary storing device, a central processing unit (CPU), an input/output device, and a wireless CDMA communication module, embodying an image processing module, a SMS transmitting module, and a central controller in a software form, changing an analog image signal shooted by the camera to a bit-map (bmp) file and storing it when the door bell is pushed, reading an opening/closing state value of the entrance door from the entrance opening/closing controller, and receiving the entrance door opening/closing control signal from the mobile communication terminal to transmit it to the entrance door opening/closing controller; a SMS process producing a short message including at least one of a controller location information incuding an IP address and a URL and a visit fact of the visitor and transmitting the short message to the mobile communication terminal when the going-out setting switch unit is set a going-out mode and there is a call of the visitor; and an image coding process including at lease one of a H263 process, a wbmp process and a smb process, the H263 process encoding (compressing) the bit-map (bmp) file in accordance with the H.263 standard to produce an image file to be output on the PDA, the wbmp process changing the bit-map file to a wbmp file to be output on a terminal using a WAP and storing the wbmp file, the smb process changing the bit-map file to a smb file used in a terminal using a general virtual machine (GVM) and storing the smb file.

An entrance door remote-control method using a system including an entrance door remote-control apparatus, a wireless internet gateway connected to a communication network, and a mobile communication network for connecting a mobile communication terminal of a user to the wireless internet gateway, the method comprising: a) transmitting a short message including a visit fact of a visitor to the mobile communication terminal when there is a call of the visitor in a going-out mode; b) encoding (compressing) an image shooted by a camera to be suitable for the mobile communication terminal through a controller; c) contacting the contact through the wireless internet gateway using the mobile communication terminal of the user who has received the short message to request to transmit the image; d) transmitting the encoded image file including a H263 file, a wbmp file and a smb file to the mobile commincation terminal by the controller and displaying the image of the visitor on the mobile commincation terminal; e) contacting the visitor using a CDMA communication module of the controller to provide a voice-communication between the visitor and the userk when the user wants to talk with the visitor after confirming the image of the visitor; f) contacting a wireless internet server of the controller using a wireless internet service through the mobile communication terminal, and selecting an entrance opening/closing menu to transmit entrance door opening/closing command to the controller when the user wants to control an opening and a closing of the entrance door after confirming the image of the visitor or talking with the visitor; and g) opening or closing the entrance door by transmitting an openg/closing signal from the controller that has received the entrance door opening/closing command to an entrance opening/closing controller.

The short message includes a text indicating a visit fact of the visitor, and an IP address or a URL allocated to the controller.

The method further includes extracting an entrance door opening/closing state value before or after the entrance door is opend or closed, and transmitting the entrance door opening/closing state value to be dispalyed on the mobile communication terminal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like parts, and in which: FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a remote control entrance door system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a controller according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a software to perform a wireless video phone function;

FIG. 4A, 4B is a flow chart of a ControlThreadProc;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a MoreFrameGet Thread;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process that connects a user datagram protocol (UDP) socket between a controller and a mobile communication terminal to send a short message;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a Listen thread;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of an Encode thread;

FIG. 9A, 9B is a flow chart illustrating a method of confirming a visitor's identity and controlling an entrance door according to the present invention; and FIGs. 10A and 10B show interfaces of the mobile communication terminal output while a remote visitor confirming service and an entrance door remote-control service are performed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFFERED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to preferred embodiments of the present invention, example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a remote control entrance door system according to the present invention. The remote control entrance door system of FIG. 1 includes an entrance door control apparatus 10, a local area network (LAN) 20 to connect the entrance door control apparatus 10 to a communication network 30 such as an internet, a wireless internet gateway 40 connected to the internet 30, and a mobile communication network 50 such as repeater for connecting a mobile communication terminal of a user to the wireless internet gateway 40. The communication network 30 stands for an open type computer network structure which provides a TCP/IP protocol or various services existing in an upper layer thereof, for example, a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), a telnet, a file transfer protocol (FTP), a domain name system (DNS), a simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP), a simple network management protocol (SNMP), a network file service (NFS), and a network information service (NIS).

The wireless internet gateway 40 is located between the mobile communication network 50 and the internet 30, and serves to change a data compatible between the mobile communication network 50 and the internet 30. The wireless internet gateway 40 includes a WAP gateway using a wireless application protocol (WAP) and a ME gateway using a handheld devices markup language (HDML). The wireless internet gateway 40 can receive or output data provided by a controller on an internet through a mobile communication terminal. The entrance door control apparatus 10 includes a controller 100 having a wireless internet server, a video phone 200 connected to the controller

100 and installed inside the entrance door, a door bell means 300 installed outside the entrance door, and an entrance door opening/closing controller 400.

The door bell means 300 includes a camera of shooting an image of a visitor to produce an analog image signal, a microphone, a speaker, and a call button (door bell). The video phone includes a display means such as a thin shoot transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) device of outputting the image signal transmitted from the camera, a speaker, a microphone, an entrance door opening/closing control button for opening or closing the entrance door, and a switching means of setting a going-out mode. The entrance door opening/closing controller 400 leases a locking mechanism of the entrance door by operating a solenoid when receiving a door opening signal and operates a locking mechanism of the entrance door when the entrance door is closed again.

Configurations of the door bell means 300, the video phone and an entrance door opening/closing controller 400 are well-known to skilled person in the art, and thus their description is omitted.

The controller 100 digitalizes the analog image signal transmitted from the camera to be suitable for a mobile communication terminal of a host (or supervisor), and notifies a visit of a visitor (or guest). The controller 100 also transmits the digitalized image to the mobile communication terminal of the host in preferably one-touch method and provides a voice communication between the host and the visitor in response to a host's request. When a door opening signal is transmitted from the mobile communication terminal, the controller 100 recognizes the entrance door opening/closing controller 400 to open the entrance door in response to the door opening signal.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the controller 110 according to the present invention.

The controller 100 includes a video phone/door bell connection interface 110 connected to the door bell means 300 and/or the entrance door opening/closing controller 400, an image signal processing module 120, a message transmitting module 130, a CDMA communication module 140, a data storing portion 150, an internet connection interface 160 of connecting the controller 100 to the internet 30, and a central controller 170 of controlling components of the controller 100.

The video phone/door bell connection interface 110 transmits a data between one of the video phone, the door bell means 300 and the entrance door opening/closing controller 400 and the central controller 170. In more detail, the video phone/door bell connection interface 110 receives an image signal, a call signal and a voice signal from the door bell means 300, a signal indicating whether the switching means is set a going-out mode or not from the video phone, and a signal indicating whether the entrance door is opened or closed from the entrance door opening/closing controller 400, and transmits a voice signal of the host from the central controller 170 to the door bell means 300 and an entrance door opening/closing control signal from the central controller 170 to the entrance door opening/closing controller 400. Preferably, a serial port (9 pins) using a RS232 is used as the video phone/door bell connection interface 110.

The image signal processing module 120 digitalizes the analog image signal of the visitor received from the camera of the door bell means 300 to produce a digital image file such as a bit-map file, and stores the digital image file in the data storing portion150. The image signal processing module 120 compresses the digital image file stored in the data storing portion 150 to produce a file form which can be output on the mobile communication terminal of the host, and stores it in the data storing portion 150. A method of compressing the digital image file will be described below.

When the switching means is set to a going-out mode and the mobile communication terminal of the host receives a call signal, the message transmitting module 130 produces a short message (SM) including a visit fact of the visitor and transmits the short message to the mobile communication terminal of the host through the CDMA module 140. Preferably, the short message includes an IP address allocated to the controller 100 or a uniform resource locator (URL) of the controller 100. For example, the short message has the following form: "There is a visitor. IP is 212.12.1.100" or "There is a visitor. URL is http://www.user.pe.kr". The mobile communication terminal of the host contacts the wireless internet server such as a WAP server and a ME server in one-touch method using the IP address and the URL to receive the digital image file of the visitor.

The CDMA communication module 140 has an innate phone number allocated thereto, and not only transmits a short message to the mobile communication terminal of the host but also provides a voice-communication between the host and the visitor. The CDMA communication module 140 is similar to a communication module of the conventional cellular phone or the conventional PCS, and thus its detail description is omitted.

The data storing portion 150 stores the digitalized and/or compressed digital image file of the image shooted by the camera, and also stores an information of the mobile communication terminal of the host such as a kind and a phone number. The data storing portion 150 is configured by employing a data base management system (DBMS) to a memory device of a conventional computer system such as a RAM, a flash ROM or a hard disk.

The internet connection interface 160 is one of a LAN card, a cable modem, and a ADSL modem, which contact the internet through the LAN or a cable broadcasting, and a modem contacting the internet through the PSTN. However, since it is preferred that the controller 100 has one independent IP address, the internet connection interface 160 is preferably the LAN card, or a cable modem, which are modems using a static IP rather than a modem using a dynamic IP.

The central controller 170 controls all components of the controller 100, and includes a WAP server program or a web server program which provide the wireless internet service through the mobile communication terminal.

The WAP server and the web server can be embodied by using a web server program provided diversely according an operating system such as a DOS, a WINDOWS™, a Linux™, a UNIX, and a Macintosh. The representative web server includes a Website used in Windows, and a CERN, a NCSA, and an APACHE which are used in the TTPS and the UNIX. Preferably, the APACHE is used as the web server.

When the mobile communication terminal receives the short message indicating a visit of the visitor, the host wirelessly contact the internet 30 through the wireless internet gateway 40 using the mobile communication terminal and request to transmit the image signal of the visitor. The wireless internet server program embodied in the central controller 170 packetizes the digital image signal of the visitor stored in the data storing portion 150 and transmits it to the wireless internet gateway 40 through the internet 30. The wireless internet gateway 40 changes the image signal of the TCP/IP form to a form (e.g., WML and HDML) which can be output on the mobile communication terminal, and then transmits it wirelessly to the mobile communication terminal.

When the host request to open the entrance door by inputting a button using a dual tone multi frequency (DTMF) or a voice, a door opening signal is transmitted to the video phone/door bell means connection interface 110, thereby opening the entrance door.

Therefore, the central controller 170 preferably includes application programs to perform the above-described functions in addition to the WAP or web server program.

The controller 100 includes a computer system including a RAM, a ROM, an auxiliary storing device such as a hard disk, a central processing unit (CPU), an input/output device (including a serial port), and a wireless CDMA communication module (communication chip). The image processing module, the message transmitting module, the central controller, and the data storing portion can be embodied in software form to be coupled to the hardware.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration of a software to perform a wireless video phone function. The software is divided into three layers: a lower server layer (APACHE layer); a middle layer (PHP layer) and an upper application layer. Software of the application layer includes an ImgGet Server process, a MSGSender process, a H263Converter process, a WbmpConverter process, a DownSvr process, a VMSvr process, and an ImgGetter process.

The ImgGet Server process is a main process. When the visitor pushes a door bell, the ImgGet Server process receives a state value of the entrance door that indicates whether the entrance door is opened or closed, and bring an image shooted by the camera installed on the door bell and stores it. The ImgGet Server process also performs a digitalization that changes the analog image signal from the camera to a bit-map file (bmp) and stores it. In addition, the ImgGet Server process reads the state value of the entrance door from the entrance door opening/closing controller and receives the opening/closing control signal from the mobile communication terminal of the host and transmits it to the entrance door opening/closing controller 400.

When a call button of the door bell is pushed, the ImgGet Server process receives a control code value of "0x01" from the connection interface and transmits a control code value of "0x03" to the video phone 200 and the door bell means 300 to thereby turn on a telephonic communication function between the video phone 200 and the door bell means 300. And, the ImgGet Server process transmits a start message to the H253Converter process and the WbmpConverter process. The start message is set as follows: "#define WM_RESUME_ENCODE WMJJSER+102".

When the telephonic communication between the video phone 200 and the door bell means 300 is finished and a receiver of the video phone 200 hangs up, the ImgGet Server process receives a control code value of "0x04" and transmits a finish message to the H253Converter process and the WbmpConverter process. The finish message is set as follows: "#define WM_SUSPEND_ENCODE WM JSER+101".

The mobile communication terminal of the host transmits a desired control code to the controller 100. For example, the control code has a two-bite value. Assume that "98" denotes a control code that request a state value of the entrance door, "97" denotes a control code that finishes a contact, "00" denotes a control that request to open the entrance door, and "99" denotes a control codes that request to close the entrance door. In this case, an opening and a closing of the entrance door can be controlled by a flow chart of a ControlThreadProc of FIG. 4 .

The ControlThreadProc of FIG. 4 functions to initialize a socket connection between the controller and the mobile communication terminal of the host and an entrance door opening/closing control function, receives a control code from the mobile communication terminal and transmits it to the entrance opening/closing controller 400, and transfers a current state value of the entrance door to the mobile communication terminal.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a MoreFrameGet Thread. The MoreFrameGet Thread collects an image shooted by the camera, digitalizes the image, or change the image to a bmp file and stores it in a corresponding directory (C:/data/bmp).

In FIG. 5, "AnagRGBToDibO" is a method for changing the analog image signal to the bmp file (RGB), "ResizeBmpMen()" is a method for changing a size of the original image to a size suitable for a screen of the mobile communication terminal, and "SaveTrueBmpO" is a method for storing a changed bmp (RGB) data in file.

The MSGSender process is a process to notify a visit of the visitor to the mobile communication terminal when the switching means of the video phone is set to a going out mode.

When the call button is pushed in a going out mode, the ImgGet Server transfers the following signal to the MSGSender process:

Here, "0x01" denotes a control code that there is a call, "String" is a character string indicating a visitor, and "IP address" is an internet IP address having a form of "xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" allocated to the controller 100. When the MSGSender receives the signal, a short message is transmitted to the mobile communication terminal of the host using a code having the following form: "at*skt*moreq%d,%s, 0113480825, 65491 , %s%s%s%s%s", g_nlndex, cpPhone, g_cplP, cpURL, 0x0b, cpText, CMD_END

Here, when the mobile communication terminal of the host is a common cellular phone using the WAP or the ME, the short message includes an IP address or a URL of the controller, "gjilndex" is a serial number having a value of 1 , cpPhone is a phone number of the mobile communication terminal of the host called from phoneEntry.txt, "g_cplP" is an IP address of the controller, "cpURL" is a place (/php/main.php3) where a program to be executed exists when the cellular phone contacts the controller, "0x0b" is a delimiter wherein a character string to be output on the mobile communication terminal is next thereto, "cpText" is a short message content (e.g., there is a visitor, May 8th, at 3:10), and "CMD_END" is a last character set (Tail value during a ESMS process - \x0d\x0a).

For the sake of the above-described function, it is preferred that a file "PhoneEntry.txt" having a phone number exists under a directory executing the MSGSender. This is used to manage the users. That is, when a non-allowed user tries to contact, a contact of the user is refused.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a process that connects a user datagram protocol (UDP) socket between the controller 100 and the mobile communication terminal to send the short message. Here, a type 1 is to send a short message having a URL that "at*skt*timt has a value of 65491 , and a type 2 is to send a common short message that "at*skt*timt has a value of 65534.

The H263Con verier process reads a bmp file in a directory (c:\data\bmp) and encodes or compresses the bmp file in accordance with a H.263 standard to produce an image file that can be output on a personal digital assistant (PDA). When the mobile communication terminal of the host is the PDA, the H263Converter process is performed to produce and transmit a moving picture suitable for he H.263 standard.

The H263Converter process includes a Listen thread and an Encode thread.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the Listen thread. The Listen thread opens a socket of the wireless internet server program of the controller 100 and goes to a standby state to receive an acceptance signal from a client, i.e., mobile communication terminal of the host. When accepted, the Listen thread stores a global variable (MnCliSock) in an ID of the socket. When the global variable is in use, the Listen thread does not allow a contact from other clients.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the Encode thread. The Encode thread reads a latest file among files in the directory (C:\data\bmp), and encodes the read file in accordance with the H.263. The Encode thread transmits the encoded data to the client. Here, "ConvertHi2True()" is a method for changing a bmp image to a true color, "ResizeQ" is a method for changing a size of an image to 176 or 144, and "StartEncoderO" is a method for performing an encoding in accordance with the H.263.

The WbmpConverter process is a process that changes a bmp file in the directory (C:\data\bmp) to a wbmp image which can be output on the mobile communication terminal using the WAP and stores it in a directory (C:\data\wbmp). The WbmpConverter process includes "ConvertHi2True()" which is a method of changing the bmp image to a true color, "Resize()" which is a method of changing a size of an original image to a size suitable for being output on the cellular phone, "ConvertRGB2Gray()" which is a method of changing a color image to a gray image, and "HistGrayO", "SharpGrayO" and DitherGrayO" which are methods of increasing a resolution of an image.

The ImgGetter process is a process that changes a bmp file in the directory (C:\data\bmp) to a smb file which is used in a mobile communication terminal using a general virtual machine (GVM) and stores it on a corresponding directory (C:\data\smb). The ImgGetter process includes "ConvertRGB2Gray()" which is a method of changing a RGB (bmp) file to a gray type, "ResizeO" which is a method of changing a size of an original image to a size suitable for being output on the mobile communication terminal, "HistGrayO", "SharpGrayO" ^and DitherGrayO" which are methods of increasing a resolution of an image, "ConvertGray2Smb2()" which is a method of changing an original image to a color smb image, "ConvertGray2Smp()" which is a method of changing an original image to a bmb image of 1bpp (black and white image), and "ConvertGray2Smb()" which is a method of changing an original image to a smb image of 1 bpp (black and white image).

The DownSvr process is a down server process to download a color image using the GVM service in the mobile communication terminal. The VMSvr process is a server process to download a program that makes a game performed on the cellular phone using the GVM. The DownSvr process and the VMSvr process are embodied in the same way as embodied for the current GVM service, and thus their detail description is omitted. FIG. 9A, 9B is a flow chart illustrating a method of confirming a visitor's identity and controlling an entrance door according to the present invention.

When there is a call of the visitor during a host's going out (step S910), an image of the visitor shooted by the camera is encoded or compressed and stored (step S911 ), and the controller 100 transmits a short message having a visit fact of the visitor and a URL thereof to a mobile communication terminal of the host (step S912). The host who has received the short message contacts the controller 100 using the wireless internet service (step S913). That is, the mobile communication terminal contacts the controller 100 using the wireless internet gateway 40, the internet 30 and the internet connection interface 160. The controller 100 transmits the image file of the visitor to the mobile communication terminal of the host, so that the image file of the visitor is displayed on the mobile communication terminal (step S914). Here, the image file of the visitor transmitted to the mobile communication terminal includes files which can be output on the mobile communication terminal such as MPEG 1 , 2, and 4 files, a H263 file, a Wbmp file, and a smb file.

After confirming the image of the visitor, when the host wants to talk with the visitor (step S915), the mobile communication terminal contacts the CDMA communication module having an innate phone number of the controller 100 (step S916). The controller 100 outputs a received voice through the speaker of the door bell means 300, and transmits a voice of the visitor input through the microphone of the door bell means 300 to the mobile communication terminal, whereby performing a voice communication between the visitor and the host. After confirming the image of the visitor or after finishing a conversation with the visitor (step S917), the host determines whether to open or close the entrance door (step S918). When the host wants to control the entrance door, the host contacts the wireless internet server using the mobile communication terminal and the wireless internet service again (step S919). The controller 100 extracts a state value of the entrance door and transmits it to, thereby displaying it on the mobile communication terminal (step S920). The host selects an entrance door opening/closing menu to transmit a selected command to the controller 100. The controller 100 transmits the opening/closing command to the entrance door opening/closing controller 400, thereby opening or closing the entrance door (step S921 ). Thereafter, the controller can transmit a state value of the entrance door after controlling the entrance door to the mobile communication terminal.

FIGs. 10A and 10B show interfaces of the mobile communication terminal output while a remote visitor confirming service and an entrance door remote-control service are performed.

Referring to FIG. 10A, a short message is output that notifies a visit of the visitor. When a menu "wireless internet connection" is selected, the mobile communication terminal contacts the controller 100 through the wireless internet gateway 40, so that the interfaces of FIG. 10B are output. When a menu "image confirm" is selected, a second upper interface is output. When a menu "calling" is selected, a third upper interface is output and the mobile communication terminal contacts the CDMA module 140 having a phone number of, e.g., 011-348-0825. When a data transmission rate is significantly improved later, a voice communication can be performed in a data processing mode based on a VoIP.

After confirming the image of the visitor or talking with the visitor, when the host contacts the wireless internet server of the controller 100 via the wireless internet gateway 40 to select a menu "entrance door control", a first lower interface is output. When a menu "entrance door control" is selected in this state, a second lower interface is output. An opening and a closing of the entrance door can be controlled in the second lower interface. When a menu

"open" is selected in the second lower interface, a third lower interface is output.

As described above, using the remote control entrance door system and method, an image of a visitor can be confirmed, a voice communication between a host or a supervisor and a visitor is possible, and an entrance door can be opened or closed regardless of a communication distance, using a mobile communication terminal such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cellular phone and a personal communication system (PCS) through a communication network such as an internet.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A remote control entrance door system, comprising: a video phone including a speaker, a microphone, a display unit, a going-out setting switching unit, and an entrance door opening/closing button, and being installed inside an entrance door; a door bell means including a speaker, a microphone, a camera, and a call button and being installed outside the entrance door; a controller connected to the video phone and the door bell means, transmitting a call message to a mobile communication terminal of a host when the host goes out, transmitting an image of a visitor shooted by the camera to the mobile communication terminal in response to a host's request, and recognizing an entrance door opening/closing command from the mobile communication terminal to output a control signal for opening or closing the entrance door; and an entrance door opening/closing controller opening or closing the entrance door in response to an entrance door opening or closing signla from the video phone or the controller.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a videophone/doorbell means connection interface, an internet connection interface, a message transmitting module, a CDMA communication module, an image signal processing module, a central controller, and a data storing portion.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein a wireless internet server program for contacting an internet web browser of the mobile communication terminal is installed in the central controller, wherein the wireless internet server program receives a user request through a mobile communication network between the wireless internet gateway and the mobile communication terminal, and changes a corresponding data to meet a wireless internet standard and transmits the data to the wireless internet gateway through the internet.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the image signal processing module changes an analog image data shooted by the camera of the door bell to a digital image signal, and dithering and compressing (encoding) the digital image signal to be suitable for the mobile communication terminal and and storing the changed image signal.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the mobile communication terminal is one of a a personal digital assitant (PDA) for displaying a moving picture file in according with H.263 standard, a wireless application protocol (WAP) terminal for displaying a Wbmp file in accordance with a WAP standard, and a terminal for displaying a 4-gray image (smb) file using a general virtual machine (GVM).

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a main process including a RAM, a ROM, an auxiliary storing device, a central processing unit (CPU), an input/output device, and a wireless CDMA communication module, embodying an image processing module, a SMS transmitting module, and a central controller in a software form, changing an analog image signal shooted by the camera to a bit-map (bmp) file and storing it when the door bell is pushed, reading an opening/closing state value of the entrance door from the entrance opening/closing controller, and receiving the entrance door opening/closing control signal from the mobile communication terminal to transmit it to the entrance door opening/closing controller; a SMS process producing a short message including at least one of a controller location information incuding an IP address and a URL and a visit fact of the visitor and transmitting the short message to the mobile communication terminal when the going-out setting switch unit is set a going-out mode and there is a call of the visitor; and an image coding process including at lease one of a H263 process, a wbmp process and a smb process, the H263 process encoding (compressing) the bit-map (bmp) file in accordance with the H.263 standard to produce an image file to be output on the PDA, the wbmp process changing the bit-map file to a wbmp file to be output on a terminal using a WAP and storing the wbmp file, the smb process changing the bit-map file to a smb file used in a terminal using a general virtual machine (GVM) and storing the smb file.

7. An entrance door remote-control method using a system including an entrance door remote-control apparatus, a wireless internet gateway connected to a communication network, and a mobile communication network for connecting a mobile communication terminal of a user to the wireless internet gateway, the method comprising: a) transmitting a short message including a visit fact of a visitor to the mobile communication terminal when there is a call of the visitor in a going-out mode; b) encoding (compressing) an image shooted by a camera to be suitable for the mobile communication terminal through a controller; c) contacting the contact through the wireless internet gateway using the mobile communication terminal of the user who has received the short message to request to transmit the image; d) transmitting the encoded image file including a H263 file, a wbmp file and a smb file to the mobile commincation terminal by the controller and displaying the image of the visitor on the mobile commincation terminal; e) contacting the visitor using a CDMA communication module of the controller to provide a voice-communication between the visitor and the userk when the user wants to talk with the visitor after confirming the image of the visitor; f) contacting a wireless internet server of the controller using a wireless internet service through the mobile communication terminal, and selecting an entrance opening/closing menu to transmit entrance door opening/closing command to the controller when the user wants to control an opening and a closing of the entrance door after confirming the image of the visitor or talking with the visitor; and g) opening or closing the entrance door by transmitting an openg/closing signal from the controller that has received the entrance door opening/closing command to an entrance opening/closing controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the short message includes a text indicating a visit fact of the visitor, and an IP address or a URL allocated to the controller.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising, extracting an entrance door opening/closing state value before or after the entrance door is opend or closed, and transmitting the entrance door opening/closing state value to be dispalyed on the mobile communication terminal.