JP3118970B2 - Communication module selection device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication module selecting apparatus , and more particularly to a communication module selecting apparatus for selecting a communication module capable of effectively utilizing a line from a plurality of communication modules having different functions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, a communication apparatus having a plurality of communication modules and accommodating a plurality of lines, for example, a facsimile apparatus has been proposed. The communication module includes a communication control unit that executes a transmission control procedure, and a modem or a digital transmission control unit.
It is a device that can execute two communication processes. In such a facsimile apparatus, the functions of the communication modules are all the same, and a vacant communication module is selected and used at the start of communication.

[0003] Further, in a communication device having a plurality of communication modules, a technique relating to a communication module selection method when the capabilities of the plurality of communication modules are different from each other is not specified. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-101452 discloses a technique of automatically using a circuit switching method and a packet switching method according to the amount of image information. However, this technique is intended only to simplify the switching method selection operation, and is not intended to effectively use the communication module.

[0004]

In a conventional facsimile apparatus having a plurality of communication modules, there is a problem that the amount of hardware is increased because the communication modules all have the same function. In order to solve this, if communication modules with different functions are provided, the problem is how to select and use communication modules with different functions in order to increase the transmission efficiency of the device. Becomes

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, to effectively utilize modules having different functions without increasing the amount of hardware, and to further improve the transmission efficiency of a communication device. It is to obtain a module selection device .

[0006]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the present invention. In the figure, the communication module 10
0 and 200 have different functions, respectively.
Is connected to the line. Condition detecting means 400
Output communication conditions based on input information from a panel, a scanner, etc., the status of the facsimile machine, etc.
Selects a communication module that meets this communication condition. Then, the selection means 500 controls the switching means 300 to switch between the modem and the line.

As described above, the present invention provides a communication device module selection system including a communication module having a plurality of different functions and a switching means for switching and connecting the communication module and a line. A detection means and a selection means for selecting a communication module from among the plurality of communication modules that matches the communication condition output from the condition detection means are provided.

[0008]

According to such means, the communication module can be used efficiently, and the transmission efficiency of the communication device can be further improved.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The system control unit 1 controls the entire facsimile apparatus and also controls communication module selection. The scanner 2 is for reading an original to be transmitted, and the panel 3 is a circuit for inputting a telephone number and instructions of various functions, and displaying the number, the state of the apparatus, and the like.

The memory 4 is for storing original information read by the scanner 2 and messages received from the line, and also stores programs and various data. The printer 5 is for printing the received message.

Each of the communication control units 6 has a built-in control device for executing a facsimile transmission control procedure, controls the connected modem 7, and can transmit and receive a message independently of other circuits. .

Each of the modems 7 is, for example, 29,
V. It has different modes such as 17 and forms one communication module in combination with the communication control unit 6 connected thereto. The switch 8 is connected to the system controller 1
Is connected to an arbitrary modem 7 and an arbitrary NCU (line control unit) 9, and for example, a switch such as a crossbar switch or a time division bus type switch can be used.

Under control of the system control unit 1, the NCU 9 controls outgoing / incoming calls to / from the line. The bus 12 connects each circuit in the device. The number of lines is arbitrary, and the number of communication modules and NCUs 9 is usually the same as the number of lines. However, a spare device may be provided. In FIG. 2, 2
An example of a line is shown.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a second example of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied. This example is ISDN
This is a line facsimile machine, and the system control unit 1
The scanner 2, panel 3, memory 4, printer 5, and communication control unit 6 are the same as in the example of FIG. However, ISDN is a digital network, and a plurality of lines can be communicated with one subscriber line. Therefore, other parts are different from those in FIG.

In the G4 module, the communication control unit 6 is directly connected to the ISDN line interface unit 13 via the switch 12. Modem 1 of G3 module
1 is used, for example, when communicating with a G3 facsimile apparatus accommodated in ISDN, and creates a G3 standard modulation / demodulation signal. In the case of a modem having an analog interface, although not shown, a CODEC is required in the G3 module or in the ISDN line interface unit 13.

The switch 12 is constituted by, for example, a gate circuit or the like. The ISDN line interface unit 13 is a circuit that interfaces with the ISDN line, and performs processes such as synchronization and demultiplexing.

Also in the case of FIG. 3, the number of lines is arbitrary, and a telephone line NCU (line control unit)
It is also possible to accommodate both the N line and the telephone line and share the G3 module with both lines.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a communication module table stored in the memory 4. This table is used for communication module selection processing. Here, an example of an ISDN facsimile apparatus having six communication modules is shown. In the row of each communication module: 1. The ability rank of the module; 2. the function of the module; The state of the module being empty (0) and being used (1) is recorded.

Next, a process of selecting a communication module in the facsimile apparatus as described above will be described. FIG.
Is a flowchart illustrating a first selection process. This processing is performed by the system control unit 1 at the time of starting communication of outgoing or incoming calls of the facsimile apparatus.

In step S10, the module having the highest capability order is extracted from the communication module table. In step S11, it is checked whether or not the taken out module is in use by looking at the status column.

If the module is in use (1), the process proceeds to step S12, where the module having the next highest rank is taken out of the communication module table, and the process proceeds to step S11.
Return to If the retrieved module is empty (0) in step S11, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, the status column of the retrieved module is rewritten to “in use” (1), and the module is switched to the switch 12. ISDN line interface unit 1
3 and starts communication.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a modification of the first selection process.

This example is an example in which the capability order of the communication module is determined by the mounting position, and it is assumed that the capability order is higher in order from the left.

In step S20, it is checked whether the leftmost module is in use, for example, by checking the state of the module. If it is in use, the process proceeds to step S21, and it is checked whether the module on the right side is in use.

If a vacant module is found in step S20 or S21, the process proceeds to step S22, where the status column of the vacant module is rewritten to “in use” (1), and the module is connected to the ISDN line interface unit 13 by the switch 12. Connect and start communication.

By such a process, a module having a high capability is preferentially used, and the transmission efficiency of the entire apparatus is improved. It should be noted that such a selection method can be adopted only at the time of calling, and there is an effect that the line usage fee can be further reduced. In the case of a facsimile with a large amount of reception, if such a selection method is adopted only at the time of an incoming call,
Transmission efficiency can be improved.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the second selection process. This processing is performed by the system control unit 1 when the facsimile apparatus receives a call.

In step S30, it is checked whether the user is operating a panel or the like, or whether a document is set on the scanner 2 or not. If the operation is not being performed, the process proceeds to step S31, and it is checked whether or not there is document data waiting to be transmitted in the memory 4 by referring to a transmission reservation table.

If none of the above two conditions are satisfied, it is determined that there is no scheduled call, and the flow shifts to step S32. The subsequent processing is the same as the selection processing in FIG. However, when either condition is satisfied, it is determined that there is a call schedule, and the process proceeds to step S33.

In step S32, the module having the highest capability order is extracted from the communication module table. Alternatively, in step S33, a module having the second highest capability rank is extracted from the communication module table, and the process proceeds to step S34.

In step S34, it is checked whether the taken out module is in use by checking the status column. If the module is in use (1), the process proceeds to step S35, the module having the next highest rank is taken out of the communication module table, and the process returns to step S34.

If the retrieved module is empty (0) in step S34, the process proceeds to step S36. In step S36, the status column of the retrieved module is rewritten to "in use" (1). Is connected to the ISDN line interface unit 13 by the switch 12 to start communication.

According to such processing, when there is an incoming call, if a call is to be made, a communication module having the highest capability order is reserved for the call, so that the transmission efficiency at the time of the call is improved. improves.

In FIG. 7, the processing in step S33 does not need to select the one having the second ability rank, but may be any other than the one having the highest ability rank. Therefore, for example, it may be selected from the one having the lowest ability rank or the one having the mode that is frequently used.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the third selection process. This processing is performed by the system control unit 1 at the time of calling the facsimile machine.

In the facsimile apparatus, when a document is read from the scanner 2 to the memory 4, the amount of memory used, that is, the data amount of the document is simultaneously written to the memory. In step S40, the system control unit 1
Retrieves the data amount from the memory 4. Step S
At 41, the threshold value also stored in the memory 4 is extracted. This threshold is set in advance by the manufacturer or the user.

In step S42, the data amount is compared with a threshold value. If the data amount is larger than the threshold value,
The process proceeds to step S44. If the data amount is smaller than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S43. The subsequent processing is the same as the processing after step S32 of the second selection processing.

In step S43, the module having the highest capability order is extracted from the communication module table. Alternatively, in step S43, the module having the second highest capability rank is extracted from the communication module table, and the process proceeds to step S34.

In step S45, it is checked whether or not the taken out module is in use by looking at the status column. If the module is in use (1), the process proceeds to step S46, the module having the next highest rank is taken out of the communication module table, and the process returns to step S45.

If the taken out module is empty (0) in step S45, the process proceeds to step S47. In step S47, the status column of the taken out module is rewritten to "in use" (1). Is connected to the ISDN line interface unit 13 by the switch 12 to start communication.

According to such processing, when a call is made,
A communication module having a higher performance rank can be assigned to a large data amount, and the overall transmission efficiency is improved.

As in the above-described second selection process (step S33 in FIG. 7), the process in step S44 in FIG. 8 does not need to select the one with the second highest rank, and Anything other than a high one is acceptable. Therefore, for example, it may be selected from the one having the lowest ability rank or the one having the mode that is frequently used.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the fourth selection process. This processing is performed by the system control unit 1 at the time of calling the facsimile machine.

Generally, a facsimile apparatus is configured so that various transmission functions can be selected, but some communication modules can execute only a part of the transmission functions. In the example of the communication module table shown in FIG. 4, for example, between super-other devices, the super high image quality mode cannot be executed unless the G4 module is used. In this embodiment, a case where the super high image quality mode is selected will be described.

In step S50, when there is a transmission instruction, the system control unit 1 checks whether or not there is an instruction of a special function from the panel 2, in this case, an instruction of an ultra-high image quality mode. If so, step S51
Move to

In step S51, a special function is extracted from the communication module table. In this case, a module having the highest capability order is taken out of communication modules having an ultra-high image quality mode.

In step S52, it is checked whether the taken out module is in use by checking the status column. If it is in use (1), the process proceeds to step S53, where the module having the next highest capability order is taken out of the communication modules having the super high image quality mode from the communication module table, and the process returns to step S52.

If the taken out module is empty (0) in step S52, the process proceeds to step S54.

In step S50, if there is no instruction for a special function from the panel 2, that is, in this case, no instruction for the super high image quality mode, the process proceeds to step S55. The subsequent processing is the same as the first selection processing (FIG. 5).

In step S55, the module having the highest capability order is extracted from the communication module table. In step S56, it is checked whether or not the taken out module is in use by looking at the status column.

If the module is in use (1), the process proceeds to step S57, and the module having the next highest rank is taken out of the communication module table, and the process returns to step S56. If the retrieved module is empty (0) in step S56, the process proceeds to step S54. In step S54, the status column of the retrieved module is rewritten to “in use” (1), and the module is switched to the switch 12. ISDN line interface unit 1
3 and starts communication.

With this processing, when a call is made,
When a special function is instructed, a communication module having a higher capability order among those having the function is allocated, and the function can be realized and the transmission efficiency can be improved.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the fifth selection process. This processing is performed by the system control unit 1 at the time of calling the facsimile machine.

This embodiment is an embodiment of a selection process when a special function is instructed, similarly to the fourth selection process. In this embodiment, a case where a 4800 bps mode is selected will be described. I do.

In step S60, when there is a transmission instruction, the system control unit 1 checks whether or not there is an instruction of a special function from the panel 2, in this case, an instruction of the 4800 bps mode. Moves to step S61.

In step S61, a special function from the communication module table, in this case, 4800 bp
Of the communication modules having the s mode, the module having the lowest capability order is taken out.

In step S62, it is checked whether the taken out module is in use by checking the status column. If the communication module is in use (1), the process proceeds to step S63, the module having the next lowest capability order is taken out of the communication modules having the 4800 bps mode from the communication module table, and the process returns to step S62.

If the taken out module is empty (0) in step S62, the process proceeds to step S64.

In step S60, if there is no instruction for a special function from panel 2, in this case, no instruction for the 4800 bps mode, the flow shifts to step S65. The subsequent processing is the same as the first selection processing (FIG. 5).

In step S65, the module having the highest capability order is extracted from the communication module table. In step S66, it is checked whether the taken out module is in use by looking at the status column.

If it is in use (1), the flow shifts to step S67, takes out the module having the next highest rank from the communication module table, and returns to step S66. If the retrieved module is empty (0) in step S66, the process proceeds to step S64. In step S64, the status column of the retrieved module is rewritten to “in use” (1), and the module is changed to the switch 12. ISDN line interface unit 1
3 and starts communication.

According to such processing, when a call is made,
When a special function is instructed, a communication module having a lower capability rank among those having the function is allocated, and the function is realized, and a communication module having a higher capability need not be selected unnecessarily. , A high-performance communication module can be allocated to other high-performance required communication, and the transmission efficiency is improved as a whole.

Although the five embodiments have been described above,
In an actual facsimile machine, some of these selection methods are combined to perform comprehensive selection processing.

For example, the second selection method (FIG. 7) is adopted for an incoming call, and the third selection method (FIG. 8) is used for an outgoing call.
The fourth selection method (FIG. 9) is used in combination. Alternatively, the fourth selection method (FIG. 9) and the fifth selection method (FIG. 10) may be selectively used depending on the further instructed function.

Further, it may be possible for the user to set and change which combination method is adopted. Then, the selection method most suitable for the usage environment of the user can be adopted, and the effect of improving the transmission efficiency can be further improved.

[0066]

According to the communication module selection device of the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize modules having different functions without increasing the amount of hardware, and to further improve the transmission efficiency of the communication device as a whole. There is.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a first example of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
It is a block diagram of an example of.

FIG. 3 shows a second example of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
It is a block diagram of an example of.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a communication module table.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a first selection process.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a modification of the first selection process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a second selection process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a third selection process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a fourth selection process.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a fifth selection process.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... System control part, 2 ... Scanner, 3 ... Panel, 4 ...
Memory, 5 printer, 6 communication controller, 7 modem,
8 switch, 9 NCU, 10 bus, 11 modem, 12 switch, 13 ISDN line interface unit.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Hideo Kinami, Inventor 3-7-1, Funai, Iwatsuki-shi, Saitama Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. Iwatsuki Office (56) References JP-A 64-16061 (JP, A) JP-A-3-250851 (JP, A) JP-A-1-264054 (JP, A) JP-A-62-30452 (JP, A) JP-A-63-260340 (JP, A) JP-A-4-119068 (JP) JP-A-4-61460 (JP, A) JP-A-63-128860 (JP, A) JP-A-5-183663 (JP, A) JP-A-4-176254 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 1/00-1/00 108 H04N 1/32 H04M 11/00

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A plurality of communication modules having different communication capabilities.
The communication module responds to the communication request and
In the communication module selection device that selects a file, it is determined whether or not there is an outgoing call at the time of the incoming call.
For example, the communication module with the highest communication capability is assigned to the incoming call.
If you plan to call and make a call,
A communication module selecting device , wherein a communication module other than a module is assigned to the incoming call . 2. A communication module selecting apparatus for selecting any one of a plurality of communication modules having different communication capacities, the communication module responding to a communication request and responding to a transmission request having a larger communication data amount. communication module selection unit and selects the higher communication module from the. 3. A communication module selection device for selecting any one of a plurality of communication modules having different communication capacities, the communication module selecting apparatus selecting the communication modules in descending order of communication capacity in response to a communication request. Communication module selection means, and second communication module selection means for selecting a communication module having a higher communication capability in response to a transmission request having a larger amount of communication data in response to the communication request; A communication module selecting device that employs one of the communication module selecting devices, and performs communication using the communication module selected by the adopted communication module selecting device . 4. A plurality of communication modules having different communication capabilities.
The communication module responds to the communication request and
A plurality of communication modules having the communication module selection device for selecting Le, means for determining the presence or absence of a specified transmission function, the designated transmission function
To select the communication module with the highest communication capability
Communication module selection means.
Communication module selection device. 5. A plurality of communication modules having different communication capabilities.
The communication module responds to the communication request and
Determines whether the communication speed is specified at the time of outgoing call in the communication module selection device that selects the file
If the communication speed is specified, the specified communication
Most capable of communication modules that can communicate at high speed
A communication module with a low
If is not specified, the communication module with the highest
A communication module for assigning a call to the outgoing call.
Tool selection device.