JP2624360B2 - Facsimile machine - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting a hold tone and a voice message.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as this type of facsimile apparatus, for example, there is one as shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional facsimile machine.

This facsimile apparatus scans an input document and reads a read data as one-dimensional time-series data. The reading unit 1 includes an image sensor and the like, and a recording unit 2 such as a thermal recording method that prints decompressed data on recording paper. The image processing unit 3 is connected to them. The image processing unit 3
The image processing unit 3 has a function of compressing read data from the reading unit 1 and outputting compressed data, and a function of expanding demodulated data and outputting expanded data. And a communication line 7 via a network control circuit (hereinafter referred to as NCU) 6.

The modem 4 is a circuit that modulates the compressed data and the received facsimile signal, modulates the compressed data and outputs a first transmission signal, and demodulates the facsimile signal to perform image processing on the demodulated data. It comprises a modem main body 4a for outputting to the section 3, and an attenuator 4b for adjusting the signal level of the first transmission signal and outputting a second transmission signal. The NCU 6 is a circuit for connecting / disconnecting and switching the communication line 7, and to this circuit, in addition to the communication line 7, for example, an external telephone 8 and a built-in handset 9 are connected.

An audio transmission circuit 10 is connected to the input side of the adder 5,
Further, a built-in speaker 21 is connected to the output side of the adder 5 via a monitor switch 20. Audio transmission circuit
Reference numeral 10 denotes a recording / reproducing circuit 11 comprising an integrated circuit (hereinafter, referred to as IC) for recording / reproducing a voice message; a backup battery 12 for preventing erasure of a recorded message; And a hold sound generation circuit 13.

Further, the facsimile apparatus is provided with a control unit 30 for controlling the entire apparatus. The control unit 30 includes a central processing unit (hereinafter, referred to as a CPU) for controlling the entire apparatus such as facsimile communication and the like according to stored programs.

 Next, the operation will be described.

First, when transmitting an input document, the input document is set on the reading unit 1. Then, the input document is scanned by the reading unit 1, the read data is read as a one-dimensional time-series signal, and sent to the image processing unit 3. The image processing unit 3 performs one-dimensional or two-dimensional data compression to reduce the amount of data to be transmitted, and outputs compressed data. The modem 4a modulates the compressed data to generate a first transmission signal, the level of the first transmission signal is adjusted by the attenuator 4b, and the second transmission signal is transmitted to the communication line 7 via the adder 5 and the NCU 6 as a second transmission signal. Sent out to

In the receiving operation, the facsimile signal from the communication line 7 is demodulated by the modem 4 via the NCU 6 and then decompressed by the image processing unit 3 into decompressed data. The decompressed data is stored in the recording unit 2
And printed on the recording paper.

Next, the recording / reproducing operation of the audio transmission circuit 10 will be described.

When recording a voice message, the facsimile machine is disconnected from the communication line 7 by the NCU 6, and the handset 9 is connected to the recording / reproducing circuit 11 via the NCU 6. On this occasion,
The drive current is supplied to the handset 9 from the recording / reproducing circuit 11 side or the like. When a voice message is blown in using the handset 9, the voice message is recorded in the recording / playback circuit 11 via the NCU 6. When the recorded voice message is transmitted to the communication line 7 as required, for example, the voice message reproduced by the recording / reproduction circuit 11 is transmitted to the communication line 7 via the adder 5 and the NCU 6.

In a facsimile apparatus having a function of transmitting a hold tone (melody) to the communication line 7, a hold tone generating circuit 13 is provided, and the hold tone output from the circuit 13 is transmitted to the adder 5 and the NCU 6. It is transmitted to the communication line 7 via the communication line 7.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the facsimile apparatus has the following problems.

(A) Since the user needs to record a voice message in the recording / playback circuit 11 each time, the recording operation is troublesome.

(B) The recording / reproducing circuit 11 is composed of an IC for miniaturization, but a backup battery is required to keep the voice message recorded in the recording / reproducing circuit 11 from being lost.
12 is required. Therefore, when the battery 12 is consumed, not only troublesome operations such as battery replacement and important work are required, but also an installation space and a circuit for providing the battery 12 are required. .

(C) Since the audio level at the time of reproduction in the recording / reproducing circuit 11 depends on the level of the voice at the time of recording, the recording operation must be performed in consideration of the volume at the time of blowing the voice message. . To solve this problem, a volume control circuit may be provided, but this increases the number of parts and increases the cost.

(D) When transmitting a hold tone, an external hold tone generating circuit 13 is required. For this reason, not only external connection work is required, but also the size and cost of the entire apparatus are increased.

An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile machine which solves the problems of the prior art, such as the complexity of recording work, the increase in size and cost of the device due to the increase in the number of components, and the like.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a facsimile apparatus including a reading unit, a recording unit, an image processing unit,
It includes a modem, a network control circuit, a voice generation circuit, and a control unit.

The reading section reads an input document and outputs read data. The recording unit records the decompressed data on a recording paper. The image processing unit compresses the read data to output compressed data, and expands the demodulated data to generate the extended data and supplies the expanded data to the recording unit. The modem modulates the compressed data and outputs the first transmission signal by passing the audio data, and demodulates a facsimile signal to generate the demodulated data, and provides the demodulated data to the image processing unit. A main body; and an attenuator for adjusting the level of the first transmission signal output from the modem main body and outputting a second transmission signal. The network control circuit performs connection / disconnection between a communication line for transmitting a call signal, the facsimile signal, and the second transmission signal, and the modem.

The voice generating circuit has a non-volatile memory storing voice message and hold tone data. The voice message is read by a first control signal and the hold tone is read by a second control signal. The voice data is generated, and the voice data is provided to the modem main body. The control unit has a function of controlling the reading unit, the recording unit, the image processing unit, the modem, and the network control circuit, and transmits the call signal from the communication line in a manual reception mode and in a non-communication mode. The first control signal is output when the call is received, and the second control signal is output when the paging signal is sent from the communication line in the manual reception mode and during communication, and the first and second control signals are output. And an access means for supplying the control signal to the voice generating circuit.

(Operation) According to the present invention, since the facsimile apparatus is configured as described above, the input document is read by the reading unit, and the read data corresponding to the input document is compressed into compressed data by the image processing unit. The compressed data is modulated by the modem body to generate a first transmission signal. A first transmission signal corresponding to the compressed data is adjusted in level by an attenuator, and
Is generated, and the second transmission signal is transmitted to the communication line via the network control circuit. The facsimile signal sent via the communication line is given to the modem body and demodulated into demodulated data. The demodulated data is expanded into expanded data by the image processing unit. The decompressed data is provided to a recording unit and recorded.

On the other hand, the data of the voice message and the music on hold are stored in the nonvolatile memory of the voice generating circuit. When a call signal is sent from the communication line in the manual reception mode and during non-communication, the first control signal is output from the access means and given to the voice generating circuit. A voice message is read from the non-volatile memory of the voice generation circuit by the first control signal, and voice data of the voice message is supplied to the modem body. In the manual reception mode, when a call signal is sent from the communication line during communication, a second control signal is output from the access means and given to the voice generating circuit. The hold sound is read from the non-volatile memory of the sound generation circuit by the first control signal, and the sound data of the hold sound is supplied to the modem body. The modem main body passes the voice message or the voice data of the hold tone, and provides the same as the first transmission signal to the attenuator. The first transmission signal is adjusted in level by an attenuator to become a second transmission signal, which is transmitted to a communication line via a network control circuit. Thus, the recording operation can be omitted, the circuit configuration can be simplified, and the device can be downsized. Therefore, the above problem can be solved.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a facsimile apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which components common to those in FIG. 2 are denoted by common reference numerals.

In this facsimile apparatus, the recording / reproducing circuit 1 shown in FIG.
1, voice generation circuit 4 instead of battery 12 and hold sound generation circuit 13
In addition to providing 0, a control unit 50 having a different function is provided in place of the control unit 30 in FIG. 2, and the other configuration is the same as that in FIG.

The voice generation circuit 40 has a non-volatile memory, for example, a read-only memory (hereinafter, referred to as a ROM), in which data of the voice message 40a and the hold sound 40b are stored in advance, and the voice control circuit 40 stores the data in accordance with a first control signal. The voice message 40a is read out, the hold tone 40b is read out by the second control signal, voice data of the voice message 40a or the hold tone 40b is generated, and the data is output to the attenuator 4b through the modem main body 4a. The audio generation circuit 40 is, for example, a fixed audio
It is composed of IC.

The control unit 50 outputs the first and second control signals in accordance with the stored program to control the reading of the data of the voice message 40a and the hold sound 40b in the voice generation circuit 40 (ie,
In addition to having access means 50a for performing access control),
Readout unit 1, recording unit 2, image processing unit 3, modem 4, NCU
6, and a function of controlling the entire facsimile apparatus such as the monitor switch 20 and the like, and is constituted by a CPU and the like.

The sound generation circuit 40, the access means 50a, and the signal level adjustable attenuator 4b constitute a sound transmission circuit 100.

 Next, the sound transmission operation will be described.

In the automatic reception mode during non-communication, when a facsimile signal is sent from the communication line 7, the facsimile signal is demodulated into demodulated data by the modem 4a via the NCU 6. The demodulated image data is converted into decompressed data by decompression (decoding) by the image processing unit 3, sent to the recording unit 30, and printed on recording paper.

In the manual reception mode during non-communication, when a call signal arrives via the communication line 7, the call signal is sent to the external telephone 8 or the built-in handset 9 via the NCU 6,
A ringing tone sounds. Then, when the external telephone 8 or the built-in handset 9 is lifted, a call with the caller becomes possible via the NCU 6 and the communication line 7. When a facsimile signal is sent from the caller as a result of the call, the user operates an operation panel (not shown) to set the facsimile signal reception mode. Then, under the control of the control unit 50, the communication line 7 and the modem 4 are connected by the NCU 6,
The reception of the facsimile signal is performed in the same manner as described above.

In the manual reception mode, if the facsimile apparatus is communicating with another terminal device or the like, and a call signal arrives via the communication line 7, the control unit 50 sets the hold tone transmission mode. In this hold sound transmission mode, the monitor switch 20 is turned off under the control of the control unit 50, and the modem 4 and the communication line 7 are connected via the NCU 6.
Are connected. Further, the access means 50 in the control unit 50
A second control signal is output from a, and the data of the hold sound 40b is read from the sound generation circuit 40 by the second control signal. The voice data of the hold sound 40b is provided to the modem 40a. The modem body 4a passes the voice data and outputs it as a first transmission signal to the attenuator 4b.
Performs the level adjustment on the first transmission signal and outputs the second transmission signal. This second transmission signal is sent out to the communication circuit line 7 through the NCU 6.

In the hold sound transmission mode, the hold sound output level can be easily adjusted by changing the amount of attenuation of the attenuator 4b without adding another circuit. Further, the output time of the hold sound 40b from the sound generation circuit 40 including the sound IC is limited. Therefore, at the end of the output of the hold sound 40b, the hold sound 40b is transmitted again by the control of the access means 50a or by the self-control in the sound generation circuit 40, so that the hold sound 40b is continuously output like a music box. Can be output.

In the manual reception mode, for example, when going out,
When the voice message sending mode is set by using an operation panel (not shown), if there is an incoming call via the communication line 7, a response is made under the control of the control unit 50. After the response, the first control signal is output from the access means 50a in the control unit 50, and the data of the voice message 40a having the content corresponding to the response content is read from the voice generation circuit 40, and the read voice message 40a Is provided to the modem body 4a. The modem main body 4a outputs the first transmission signal by passing the audio data. The attenuator 4b adjusts the level of the first transmission signal to generate a second transmission signal, and the second transmission signal is transmitted to the communication line 7 through the NCU 6. The output level of the voice message 40a can be easily adjusted by the attenuator 4b.

Depending on the content of the voice message 40a, the monitor switch 20 is turned on and output from the built-in speaker 21 or the monitor switch 20 is controlled by the control unit 50.
Is turned off, and the external telephone 8 is switched by switching the NCU 6.
Alternatively, it can be output to the built-in handset 9.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the data of the voice message 40a and the hold sound 40b are stored in the voice generation circuit 40 in advance, that is, the voice message 40a and the hold sound 40b are fixed (voice synthesis IC). This eliminates the need for a conventional recording system circuit. Further, since the voice message 40a does not disappear, a backup battery is not required. Therefore, since the recording operation can be omitted, the usability is improved, and further, the circuit size can be reduced and the cost can be reduced by simplifying the circuit configuration.

Further, since the hold sound 40b is also fixed (converted to a voice synthesis IC), an external circuit is not required, and the entire device can be further downsized. Moreover, the voice message 40a and the hold sound 40b
Is transmitted through the attenuator 4b in the modem 4 in the same manner as the first transmission signal corresponding to the input document, so that the transmission level can be adjusted using the existing attenuator 4b without adding a new level adjustment circuit. Adjustments can be made easily. Therefore, usability can be further improved without increasing the circuit configuration.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the voice message 40a and the
The ROM storing the data of 0b may be configured by a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as an EEPROM. Further, various applications are possible such as adding other circuits such as a memory for storing image data and a DMA controller in the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail, according to the present invention, a voice generating circuit that stores voice message and hold tone data in a non-volatile memory, and an access that outputs first and second control signals And a control unit having means for reading the audio generation circuit by the access means.
Not only is the recording system circuit required conventionally unnecessary, but also the voice message is not lost, so that a backup battery is not required. Further, an external circuit as in the related art is not required. Therefore, since the recording operation can be omitted, the usability of the user is improved, and furthermore, the simplification of the circuit configuration and the reduction of the number of parts can reduce the size and cost of the apparatus.

Furthermore, since the voice message or the voice data of the hold tone is passed through the modem main body for modulation and applied to the attenuator, the level attenuator for level adjustment can be used without adding a new level adjusting circuit. It is possible to easily and easily adjust the transmission level of the voice message and the music on hold. Therefore, the usability for the user can be further improved without increasing the circuit configuration.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration block diagram of a facsimile apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of a conventional facsimile apparatus. 1 ... Reading unit, 2 ... Recording unit, 3 ... Image processing unit, 4 ...
... Modem, 4a ... Modem body, 4b ... Attenuator, 6 network control circuit (NCU), 7 ... Communication line, 40 ... Sound generation circuit, 4
0a ... voice message, 40b ... hold tone, 50 ... control unit, 50a ... access means, 100 ... voice transmission circuit.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A reading section for reading an input document and outputting read data; a recording section for recording decompressed data on recording paper; compressing the read data to output compressed data; and decompressing demodulated data. An image processing unit for generating the decompressed data and providing the decompressed data to the recording unit; modulating the compressed data and passing audio data to output a first transmission signal; and demodulating a facsimile signal. A modem for generating the demodulated data and providing the demodulated data to the image processing unit; an attenuator for adjusting a level of the first transmission signal output from the modem and outputting a second transmission signal; A network control circuit that connects / disconnects the modem with a communication line for transmitting a call signal, the facsimile signal, and the second transmission signal; A non-volatile memory storing data of a message and a hold tone, wherein the voice message is read by a first control signal and the hold tone is read by a second control signal to generate the voice data; A voice generation circuit for providing the voice data to the modem main body, and a function of controlling the reading unit, the recording unit, the image processing unit, the modem and the network control circuit, and in a manual reception mode and at the time of non-communication. The first control signal is output when the call signal is transmitted from the communication line, and the second control signal is output when the call signal is transmitted from the communication line in the manual reception mode and during communication. And a control unit having access means for outputting the first and second control signals to the voice generating circuit.