JP4167685B2 - Facsimile device, operation control method thereof, and operation control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus that performs facsimile communication using an IP telephone network.

  With the widespread use of IP telephone services, opportunities for facsimile communication using the IP telephone network are increasing. An example of the configuration of facsimile communication using the IP telephone network is shown in FIG. Facsimile devices 90a, 90b,... Are connected to the IP telephone network 92 via media gateways 91a, 91b,. The media gateways 91a, 91b,... Are also called VoIP gateways.

  Analog signal transmission is performed between the facsimile apparatus 90a and the media gateway 91a and between the facsimile apparatus 90b and the media gateway 91b. On the other hand, between the media gateways 91a and 91b via the IP telephone network 92, an analog signal is converted into a digital signal, and then the digital signal is divided into certain units called packets for transmission. For example, the media gateway 91a on the transmission side digitally converts the analog facsimile signal, and then transfers it to the IP telephone network 92 in units of packets. On the other hand, when a packet is transferred, the receiving-side media gateway 91a combines them to restore an analog facsimile signal.

  However, the IP telephone network 92 is naturally different from a conventional public telephone line. For example, transmission sounds, busy sounds, ringing sounds, and the like generated on a public telephone line cannot be heard on an IP telephone network. For this reason, a media gateway that artificially generates these sounds is known (Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-230890 A

  There are other differences between the IP telephone network and conventional public telephone lines. A particularly important difference is that, unlike a conventional public telephone line, an IP telephone network cannot occupy only a transmission path provided for both transmission and reception. That is, in the IP telephone network, another purpose packet such as a call of another person, electronic mail or the Internet is also transferred. And while these utilizations are increasing (that is, traffic is concentrated), packet reception is delayed. In such a case, since the restoration of the analog signal is not processed in real time, the part lacking the packet becomes a silent section.

  When a silent section occurs on the line in facsimile communication using an analog signal, there arises a problem that some images are not reproduced or the communication time becomes redundant because the receiving terminal requests retransmission. In particular, in the case of a facsimile machine requesting retransmission, when the amount of image data is large or the number of pages is large, if the above-mentioned silent section often occurs, the facsimile image cannot be sent easily, and the user performs an operation such as the next communication or telephone call. Cannot be transferred to

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus that can solve various problems caused by a silent section when performing facsimile transmission via an IP telephone network.

  2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the facsimile apparatus includes a transmission / reception means for performing communication using the IP telephone network, and detects a silent section detected by the transmission / reception means during a facsimile transmission. And a control means having a first function for interrupting facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception means when the silent period detected by the silent period detection means exceeds a certain number of times. When a silent period is detected during facsimile transmission and the silent period reaches a certain number of times, the facsimile transmission is interrupted, thereby avoiding various problems caused when the facsimile transmission is continued as it is. The “predetermined number of times” can be arbitrarily selected. For example, the number of continuous silent sections of 20 msec or longer is 10 times.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the facsimile apparatus according to the first aspect further includes operation means for inputting information from the user and outputting the information to the user. Then, when the facsimile transmission is interrupted by the first function, the control means outputs information prompting the user to change the retransmission time via the operation means, and changes the retransmission time from the user. A second function of changing the retransmission time when information is input via the operation means is further provided. When the facsimile transmission is interrupted by the first function, it can be determined that the traffic is concentrated. Therefore, by urging the user to increase the retransmission time, for example, the probability of reliable transmission increases, and the convenience for the user is improved.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the silent section detecting means extracts a frequency component necessary for detecting the silent section from the received signal inputted through the transmitting / receiving means. It consists of a bandpass filter and a silent section detector that generates a logic level signal according to the presence or absence of the frequency component extracted by the bandpass filter.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus of the third aspect, the frequency component is a noise component generated in the communication line during facsimile transmission.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus of the first aspect, the control means has a CPU, and the first function is realized in the CPU by a computer program. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the facsimile apparatus of the first or second aspect, the control means has a CPU, and the first and second functions are realized in the CPU by a computer program.

  8. The operation control method for a facsimile apparatus according to claim 7, comprising: a transmission / reception means for performing communication using an IP telephone network; and a silent section for detecting a silent section generated in the IP telephone network during facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception means. And a means for controlling the operation of the facsimile apparatus comprising the detecting means, wherein a signal corresponding to the silent section detected by the silent section detecting means is input, and the facsimile transmission is transmitted / received when the silent section exceeds a certain number of times. It is characterized by interrupting through the means. This is an operation control method corresponding to the first function described above.

  9. The operation control method for a facsimile apparatus according to claim 8, comprising: a transmission / reception means for performing communication using an IP telephone network; and a silent section for detecting a silent period generated in the IP telephone network during facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception means. A method for controlling the operation of a facsimile apparatus comprising a detection means and an operation means for inputting information from a user and outputting information to the user, wherein the operation is performed in a silent section detected by the silent section detection means. When a corresponding signal is input, and this silence interval exceeds a certain number of times, the facsimile transmission is interrupted via the transmission / reception means, and then information prompting the user to change the retransmission time is output via the operation means. When the information for changing the retransmission time is input from the user via the operation means, the retransmission time is changed. This is an operation control method corresponding to the first and second functions described above.

  10. The operation control program for a facsimile apparatus according to claim 9, comprising: a transmission / reception means for performing communication using an IP telephone network; and a silent section for detecting a silent section generated in the IP telephone network during facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception means. A process for inputting a signal corresponding to a silent section detected by a silent section detecting means and a facsimile when the silent section exceeds a certain number of times. This is for causing the computer to execute processing for interrupting transmission via the transmission / reception means. It is an operation control program corresponding to the first function described above.

  11. The operation control program for a facsimile apparatus according to claim 10, comprising: a transmission / reception unit for performing communication using an IP telephone network; and a silent period for detecting a silent period generated in the IP telephone network during facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception unit. A silent section detected by a silent section detecting means for use in a facsimile machine comprising a detecting means, an operation means for inputting information from the user and outputting information to the user, and a computer. Processing for inputting a signal corresponding to the number of times, processing for interrupting facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception means when the silent period exceeds a certain number of times, and information for prompting the user to change the retransmission time thereafter as operating means And a process for changing the retransmission time when the user inputs information for changing the retransmission time via the operation means. It is intended to be executed by the over data. It is an operation control program corresponding to the first and second functions described above.

  The present invention also provides a silent section detecting circuit capable of detecting a silent section that can occur in the IP telephone network during facsimile transmission in a facsimile apparatus that performs communication using the IP telephone network. In a situation where the network is congested and the facsimile is difficult to connect, the facsimile transmission may be interrupted and the user may be prompted to change the retransmission time.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a silent section detecting circuit for detecting a silent section that can occur on a line during facsimile transmission, and a facsimile apparatus that controls the facsimile apparatus and uses the above-described silent section detecting circuit to perform the processing during facsimile transmission. Detects silent intervals that occur on the line, counts silent intervals during transmission, stops communication when the specified value is reached, and displays to prompt the user to change the retransmission time A control unit configured by a CPU that processes the change of the retransmission time upon accepting an operation from the storage unit, and a storage unit for storing facsimile image data, a partner station number, the number of silent intervals during transmission, and the retransmission time; Informing the user that the communication has been interrupted as a result of a silent period exceeding the specified level, prompting the user to change the retransmission time, and accepting settings from the user. And a part may be.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to avoid various problems that occur when facsimile transmission is continued as it is by detecting a silent section during facsimile transmission and interrupting facsimile transmission when the silent section exceeds a certain number of times.

  In other words, the effect of the present invention is that when the facsimile transmission is performed via the IP telephone network, the facsimile apparatus monitors a silent section on the analog communication line, and the IP telephone network is congested and it is difficult to send the facsimile. The facsimile apparatus prompts the user to interrupt the communication and retransmit the facsimile at a different time, so that the user efficiently uses the facsimile or IP telephone according to the state of the analog communication line.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention. Hereinafter, description will be given based on this drawing.

  The “transmission / reception means”, “silent section detection means”, “control means”, “operation means”, and “storage means” in the claims are respectively “network control unit 11, line transformer 12, two-wire to four-wire conversion”. Corresponds to “section 13 and modem section 14”, “silent section detection circuit 15”, “control section 16”, “operation section 18”, and “storage section 17”.

  The network control unit 11 closes and opens the analog communication lines L1 and L2 connected to the facsimile apparatus 10 at the time of facsimile transmission, and closes the analog communication lines L1 and L2 during transmission to perform various operations. An analog signal is transferred, and when the transmission is completed, the analog communication lines L1 and L2 are opened.

  The line transformer 12 performs impedance matching with the analog communication lines L1 and L2 when the analog communication lines L1 and L2 are closed, and at the same time, analog line AC signals between the facsimile apparatus 10 and the analog communication lines L1 and L2. Only pass through.

  The two-wire / four-wire conversion unit 13 superimposes a transmission signal transmitted from the transmission line TX of the modem unit 14 on the two-wire analog communication lines L1 and L2, and on the other hand, the two-wire analog communication line L1, The reception signal from the partner station superimposed on L2 is passed through the reception line RX of the modem unit 14.

  The modem unit 14 generates various transmission signals based on the facsimile communication procedure and sends them to the analog communication lines L1 and L2, and also detects and recognizes the received signal from the partner station.

  The silent section detection circuit 15 monitors received signals from the analog communication lines L1 and L2 during facsimile transmission. When a silent section is detected on the analog communication lines L1 and L2, the silent section detection circuit 15 notifies the control unit 16 of the information.

  The control unit 16 is composed mainly of a CPU, and performs overall control of the facsimile apparatus 10 and facsimile communication. When the silent section notification is received from the silent section detection circuit 15, the control section 16 counts the number of occurrences and performs a comparison operation. The result is stored in the storage unit 17. Various functions are realized in the CPU of the control unit 16 by a computer program.

  The storage unit 17 is composed of a readable / writable memory, and includes an area for storing image data used for facsimile transmission, a partner station number, and retransmission time information when a communication error occurs, and a silent section during facsimile transmission. An area for storing the number of occurrences of is generated.

  The operation unit 18 includes a liquid crystal display and a keyboard, and displays a communication state and a notification that prompts the user to operate, and notifies the control unit 16 of information operated by the user.

  In FIG. 1, in order to make the characteristics of the present invention easier to understand, a printing unit and the like provided in a normal facsimile apparatus are omitted.

  FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an example of the silent section detection circuit in FIG. FIG. 3 is a waveform diagram showing the operation of the silent section detection circuit of FIG. Hereinafter, description will be given based on these drawings.

  A configuration and operation for detecting the silent section generated in the analog communication lines L1 and L2 connected to the facsimile apparatus 10 for the silent section detecting circuit 15 described above will be described. The silent section detection circuit 15 includes a band pass filter 20 and a silent section detector 30.

  The band-pass filter 20 is an amplifier / filter circuit including an operational amplifier 21, resistors 22, 23 and capacitors 24, 25, and extracts only a frequency component fm necessary for detecting a silent period from the reception line RX. The detailed configuration of the band-pass filter 20 is such that the reception line RX is connected to the + input terminal of the operational amplifier 21, and a series circuit of a resistor 22 and a capacitor 24 is connected between the − input terminal of the operational amplifier 21 and the ground. A parallel circuit of a resistor 23 and a capacitor 25 is connected between the negative input terminal and the output terminal.

Here, if the combined impedance of the resistor 22 and the capacitor 24 is Z1, and the combined impedance of the resistor 23 and the capacitor 25 is Z2, the amplification factor A of the bandpass filter 20 is
A = Z2 / Z1 + 1 (1)
Given in. Then, assuming that the resistance values of the resistors 22 and 23 are R1 and R2, respectively, the amplification factor Am of the frequency component fm by the bandpass filter 20 is expressed by the following equation (1):
Am≈R2 / R1 + 1 (>> 1) (2)
Given in. That is, the impedances of the resistors 22 and 23 and the capacitors 24 and 25 are set so as to satisfy the expression (2). At this time, the amplification factor A _H of the high-frequency component f _H (>> fm) becomes Z2≈0 in the equation (1).
A _H ≒ 1 (3)
Given in. Further, the amplification factor A _L of the low frequency component f _L (<< fm) becomes Z1≈∞ in the equation (1).
A _L ≒ 1 (4)
Given in. As described above, the band pass filter 20 amplifies only the frequency component fm without amplifying the high frequency component f _H and the low frequency component f _L , and outputs the amplified frequency component fm to the silent section detection unit 30.

  The silent section detection unit 30 is an amplifier / limiter / latch circuit including an operational amplifier 31, resistors 32 to 35, diodes 36, 37, and a D flip-flop 38, and after amplifying the frequency component fm extracted by the band pass filter 20. The voltage level is sampled and output at a constant cycle. The amplifier / limiter portion of the silent section detection unit 30 has the output terminal of the operational amplifier 21 connected to the negative input terminal of the operational amplifier 31 via the resistor 32, and the resistors 34 and 35 are connected between the power supply voltage VDD and the ground. A series circuit is connected, a connection point between the resistor 34 and the resistor 35 is connected to the + input terminal of the operational amplifier 31, and a diode connected in parallel in the opposite direction between the − input terminal and the output terminal of the operational amplifier 31. A parallel circuit of 36 and 37 and the resistor 33 is connected.

Here, the voltage at the negative input terminal of the operational amplifier 31 is Vi, the voltage at the positive input terminal of the operational amplifier 31 is Vt, the voltage at the output terminal of the operational amplifier 31 is Vo, and the forward voltage of the diodes 36 and 37 is Vf. At this time, if Vi <Vt, since Vo> Vt, and Vi≈Vt due to an imaginary short,
Vo = Vf + Vi = Vf + Vt (5)
It becomes. On the other hand, if Vi> Vt, Vo <Vt, and Vi≈Vt due to an imaginary short,
Vo = −Vf + Vi = −Vf + Vt (6)
It becomes. That is, since Vt = constant, the H level signal V _H output from the operational amplifier 31 is expressed by the following equation (5).
V _H = Vt + Vf (7)
It becomes. Further, the L level signal V _L output from the operational amplifier 31 is obtained from the equation (6).
V _L = Vt−Vf (8)
It becomes. As described above, the overvoltage component generated at the time of amplification is limited by the limiter, and is adjusted so that a constant level is always output as long as the silent period does not occur.

  The D flip-flop 38 constitutes a part of the latch circuit of the silent section detection unit 30, the input terminal D is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier 31, the output terminal Q is connected to the control unit 16, and the clock signal is input to the input terminal CLK. Is input. The operation of the D flip-flop 38 is such that when the clock signal is input (that is, when the clock signal rises or falls), if the input terminal D is at the H level, an H level signal is output from the output terminal Q and the input is reversed. If the terminal D is at L level, an L level signal is output from the output terminal Q.

  Thereby, the silent section detection circuit 15 operates as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the facsimile apparatus of FIG. Hereinafter, a description will be given with reference to FIGS. Hereinafter, the analog communication lines L1 and L2 are simply referred to as “lines”.

  FIG. 4 shows a case in which a silent section in the line is detected during facsimile transmission for the facsimile apparatus 10 of the present invention, and when a silent section exceeding a specified value is detected, communication is interrupted and the retransmission time is changed to the user. A series of operations for prompting is shown.

  First, when the facsimile transmission is started, the facsimile apparatus 10 starts a silent section detecting operation at the time when the page transmission is started (steps 101 to 104). Here, the band-pass filter 20 is adjusted so as to avoid the frequency component emitted from the facsimile transmission image signal. For this reason, only the component other than the transmission image signal transmitted by the own station, that is, the noise component generated in the line passes through the bandpass filter 20. The silent section detection unit 30 amplifies the noise component in the line and outputs it after sampling to a certain level, so that it always outputs a constant logic level while detecting the noise component in the line.

  When a silent section occurs on the line, a drop in the signal level that passes through the bandpass filter 20 occurs. Accordingly, the signal amplified by the silent section detection unit 30 is not amplified to a certain level, and as a result of sampling, shows a logical level opposite to the normal level. When the control unit 16 receives the output of the opposite logic level, it determines that a silent section has occurred on the line.

  When detecting the silent section on the line (step 105), the control unit 16 increments a counter indicating the number of silent sections generated in advance in the storage unit 17 (step 108). Subsequently, the control unit 16 performs a counter increment operation every time a silent period occurs during page transmission, and as a result, when the value of the counter being transmitted reaches a predetermined value or more specified in advance, there is no more silence. If a section appears, it is determined that sufficient quality cannot be secured even if facsimile transmission is continued, and facsimile transmission is interrupted (steps 109 and 110).

  Note that the counter value corresponds to the number of silent intervals. The silent section (packet loss) of an IP phone is, for example, about 20 msec at the shortest. Therefore, when the silent section detection circuit 15 detects a continuous silent state of 20 msec or longer, the control unit 16 determines that the silent section has occurred once. When the silent section occurs N times (for example, 10 times) or more during facsimile communication, it is determined that “the state of the facsimile line is bad and communication is difficult as it is” and the communication is interrupted.

  When the number of silent intervals detected during facsimile transmission reaches a specified value or more and the facsimile transmission is interrupted, the control unit 16 notifies the user that the facsimile transmission has been interrupted via the operation unit 18, and the line is connected. A notification is made to urge the user to retransmit after a while due to the reason for being crowded (step 111). Then, when receiving an input for changing the retransmission time from the user via the operation unit 18 during a certain period of time, the control unit 16 stores the input information on the retransmission time in the storage unit 17, The process waits for transmission (steps 112 and 113). At that time, the counter that has been detecting the silent section so far is also cleared (step 107).

  If the user does not receive an input indicating a change in the retransmission time after a certain period of time has passed after the notification for prompting the change in the retransmission time, the control unit 16 follows the predetermined retransmission time. The process waits for retransmission (step 112). At that time, the counter that has been detecting the silent section so far is also cleared (step 107).

  When the number of silent sections does not reach the specified value and the facsimile transmission is normally completed, the control unit 16 clears the counter that has detected the silent sections so far and ends the transmission operation (steps 105 to 107). Even if the number of silent intervals does not reach the specified value, if a malfunction occurs in the facsimile communication with the receiver, the control unit 16 clears the counter that has detected the silent interval so far, and is defined in advance. The system waits for retransmission while following the current retransmission time (steps 102 and 107).

  The operations of steps 105 and 108 to 110 correspond to “first function” in the claims, and the operations of steps 111 to 113 correspond to “second function” in the claims.

1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of a silent section detection circuit in FIG. 1. It is a wave form diagram which shows the operation | movement of the silence area detection circuit of FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the facsimile apparatus of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the structure which performs facsimile communication via an IP telephone network.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Facsimile apparatus 11 Network control part 12 Line transformer 13 2 wire | wire 4 wire conversion part 14 Modem part 15 Silent area detection circuit 16 Control part 17 Memory | storage part 18 Operation part 20 Band pass filter 30 Silent area detection part

Claims (10)

In a facsimile apparatus having a transmission / reception means for performing communication using an IP telephone network,
A silent section detecting means for detecting a silent section generated in the IP telephone network during facsimile transmission via the transmitting / receiving means;
Control means having a first function of interrupting the facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception means when the silent period detected by the silence period detection means exceeds a certain number of times;
A facsimile apparatus comprising: It further comprises an operation means for inputting information from a user and outputting information to the user,
When the facsimile transmission is interrupted by the first function, the control means outputs information prompting the user to change the retransmission time via the operation means, and the user re-transmits the re-transmission time. When the information for changing the transmission time is input via the operation means, the information processing apparatus further has a second function of changing the retransmission time.
The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1. The silent section detecting means includes a bandpass filter that extracts a frequency component necessary for detecting a silent section from the received signal input via the transmitting / receiving means, and whether there is a frequency component extracted by the bandpass filter. A silent section detection unit that generates a corresponding logic level signal,
The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The frequency component is a noise component generated in a communication line during the facsimile transmission.
The facsimile apparatus according to claim 3. The control means has a CPU, and the first function is realized in the CPU by a computer program.
The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1. The control means has a CPU, and the first and second functions are realized in the CPU by a computer program.
3. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
Operation of a facsimile apparatus comprising: transmission / reception means for performing communication using an IP telephone network; and silent section detection means for detecting a silent section generated in the IP telephone network during facsimile transmission through the transmission / reception means. A method of controlling
Inputting a signal corresponding to the silent section detected by the silent section detecting means, and interrupting the facsimile transmission via the transmitting / receiving means when the silent section reaches a predetermined number of times,
An operation control method for a facsimile machine. Transmission / reception means for performing communication using the IP telephone network, silent section detection means for detecting a silent section generated in the IP telephone network at the time of facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception means, and input of information from the user And an operation means for outputting information to the user, and a method for controlling the operation of the facsimile machine comprising:
A signal corresponding to the silent section detected by the silent section detecting means is input, and when the silent section exceeds a certain number of times, the facsimile transmission is interrupted via the transmitting / receiving means, and then retransmitted to the user. Information that prompts a change in transmission time is output via the operation means, and the information for changing the retransmission time is input from the user via the operation means, and the retransmission time is changed.
An operation control method for a facsimile machine.
Facsimile device comprising: transmission / reception means for performing communication using an IP telephone network; silent section detection means for detecting a silent section generated in the IP telephone network during facsimile transmission through the transmission / reception means; and a computer. An operation control program used in the apparatus,
A process of inputting a signal corresponding to the silent section detected by the silent section detecting means, and a process of interrupting the facsimile transmission via the transmitting / receiving means when the silent section reaches a predetermined number of times,
A program for controlling the operation of a facsimile machine for causing the computer to execute. Transmission / reception means for performing communication using the IP telephone network, silent section detection means for detecting a silent section generated in the IP telephone network at the time of facsimile transmission via the transmission / reception means, and input of information from the user And an operation control program for use in a facsimile machine provided with an operation means for outputting information to the user and a computer,
A process of inputting a signal corresponding to the silent section detected by the silent section detecting means, a process of interrupting the facsimile transmission via the transmitting / receiving means when the silent section exceeds a certain number of times, and then the user The process of outputting the information prompting the change of the retransmission time to the user via the operation means, and the information to change the retransmission time is input from the user via the operation means, and the retransmission time is changed. Processing to
A program for controlling the operation of a facsimile machine for causing the computer to execute.

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