JP7334605B2 - FAX transmission/reception device, FAX transmission/reception control method and control program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a FAX transmission/reception device, a FAX transmission/reception control method, and a control program.

A method of connecting multiple FAX transmission/reception devices (facsimiles) switchably to a telephone line via a FAX switching unit, thereby preventing data transmission/reception from being disabled even if one of the FAX transmission/reception devices fails. is proposed. For example, the FAX switching unit disconnects the signal connector of the FAX transmission/reception device from the telephone line and connects it to the inspection circuit at a predetermined cycle. Then, the FAX switching unit gives a simulated ring signal to the FAX transmission/reception device from a built-in inspection circuit, determines whether or not there is a failure based on the response from the FAX transmission/reception device, and connects the telephone line to another FAX transmission/reception device that has no failure. are connected (Patent Document 1).

In the above-described method, if the FAX transmission/reception device has a plurality of processing functions corresponding to a plurality of encoding methods, and if there is no response from the FAX transmission/reception device in the inspection by the inspection circuit using any one of the plurality of processing functions, , is determined to be faulty. In other words, there is a problem that the FAX transmitting/receiving device is determined to be malfunctioning even when there is a processing function that operates normally.

The disclosed technique has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to improve the fault tolerance of a FAX transmission/reception apparatus having a plurality of processing functions.

In order to solve the above technical problems, a FAX transmission/reception device according to one aspect of the present invention uses a transmission/reception unit that transmits/receives data to/from a communication line, and processes the data received by the transmission/reception unit using one of a plurality of processing functions. a data processing unit that generates processing data by processing, processing data generated by the data processing unit, test data for each of the plurality of processing functions, and expected value data respectively corresponding to the test data a storage unit for storing data, a test control unit for sequentially inputting the test data for each of the plurality of processing functions stored in the storage unit to the data processing unit, and the data processing unit sequentially based on the test data. a failure diagnosis unit that compares the generated processing data with the expected value data stored in the storage unit, and determines whether each of the plurality of processing functions operates normally based on the comparison result; and a function selection unit that selects one of the processing functions determined by the failure diagnosis unit to operate normally as a processing function for data received by the transmission/reception unit.

It is possible to improve the fault tolerance of a FAX transmission/reception device having multiple processing functions.

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a FAX transmission/reception device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of the FAX transmitting/receiving device of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a timing diagram showing another example of the operation of the FAX transmitting/receiving device of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example when a part of the FAX transmitting/receiving device of FIG. 4 fails; 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 4; FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each drawing, the same code|symbol may be attached|subjected to the same component part, and the overlapping description may be abbreviate|omitted. Further, the symbols indicating signals are also used as symbols indicating terminals, signal lines and nodes.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a FAX transmission/reception apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The FAX transmission/reception device 100 shown in FIG. and storage unit 90 .

For example, the line switching control section 20, the test data read control section 30, the multiplexer 50, the data processing section 60, the comparison fault diagnosis section 70, and the function switching control section 80 are realized by hardware (logic circuits). However, at least one of the line switching control section 20, the test data reading control section 30, the multiplexer 50, the data processing section 60, the comparison failure diagnosis section 70, and the function switching control section 80 may be realized by software (control program). good. In this case, the control program is executed by a processor (computer) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) installed in the FAX transmission/reception device 100 to implement a control method for the FAX transmission/reception device 100 .

The FAX modem 10 is an example of a transmission/reception section, and the test data read control section 30 is an example of a test control section. The comparison failure diagnosis section 70 is an example of a failure diagnosis section, and the function switching control section 80 is an example of a function selection section. In the following description, an example in which the FAX transmission/reception device 100 receives data via a telephone line will be described. It has a circuit (not shown) that implements the function.

The FAX modem 10 transmits/receives data to/from a FAX modem of another FAX transmitting/receiving device, which is the source of data, via a telephone line. A telephone line is an example of a communication line. FAX modem 10 outputs an incoming detection pulse DET1 to line switching control section 20 when an incoming call is detected via the telephone line. Further, the FAX modem 10 outputs the reception data RDT1 received via the telephone line after detecting the incoming call to the data processing section 60 via the multiplexer 50 .

The line switching control unit 20 outputs the test code readout trigger signal TRG to the test data readout control unit 30 in response to the incoming detection pulse DET1. After outputting the test code readout trigger signal TRG, the line switching control unit 20 changes the line switching signal SW1 from logical value 0 (low level) to logical value 1 (high level), and sets the operation mode of the FAX transmission/reception device 100 to normal reception. mode to failure diagnosis mode. Further, when the line switching control section 20 receives the diagnosis result signal RSLT from the comparison fault diagnosis section 70 three times during the fault diagnosis mode, the line switching control section 20 changes the logical value of the line switching signal SW1 from logical value 1 to logical value 0, and enters the normal reception mode. return to

The test data read control unit 30 reads the test data TDT (one of TDT1, TDT2, and TDT3) from the storage unit 90 in response to receiving the test code read trigger signal TRG or the diagnosis result signal RSLT, and sequentially outputs the test data TDT to the multiplexer 50 . do. For example, the test data read control unit 30 reads the test data TDT1 and outputs it to the multiplexer 50 in response to the test code read trigger signal TRG.

After that, the test data read controller 30 reads the test data TDT2 and outputs it to the multiplexer 50 in response to the first diagnostic result signal RSLT. Furthermore, the test data read control unit 30 reads the test data TDT3 and outputs it to the multiplexer 50 in response to the second diagnostic result signal RSLT.

The multiplexer 50 outputs the reception data RDT1 received from the FAX modem 10 to the data processing section 60 during the normal operation mode in which the line switching signal SW1 is set to logic value 0. FIG. The multiplexer 50 outputs the test data TDT received from the test data read control section 30 to the data processing section 60 during the failure diagnosis mode in which the line switching signal SW1 is set to the logic value 1. FIG.

During the normal operation mode, the data processing unit 60 processes the received data RDT1 received via the multiplexer 50 using the processing functions FUNC (FUNC1, FUNC2, FUNC3) indicated by the selection signal SEL1, and stores them as processed data DT1. Store in section 90 . In the failure diagnosis mode, the data processing unit 60 processes the test data TDT received via the multiplexer 50 using one of the plurality of processing functions FUNC, and outputs the processed data DT1 to the comparison failure diagnosis unit 70. do.

For example, the data processing section 60 uses one of the three processing functions FUNC (FUNC1, FUNC2, FUNC3) to process the received data RDT1 or the test data TDT. For example, the three processing functions FUNC are encoding/decoding functions according to a FAX encoding/decoding method. For example, the processing function FUNC1 is of the MH (Modified Huffman) method, the processing function FUNC2 is of the MR (Modified Read) method, and the processing function FUNC3 is of the MMR (Modified Modified Read) method. The data processing unit 60 may have processing functions FUNC for four or more encoding/decoding methods, or may have processing functions FUNC other than encoding/decoding methods.

The comparative fault diagnosis unit 70 operates during a fault diagnosis mode in which the line switching signal SW1 is in the logic value 1 period. The comparison failure diagnosis section 70 reads out the expected value data EXP corresponding to the test data TDT read by the test data read control section 30 from the storage section 90 . The comparative failure diagnosis section 70 compares the read expected value data EXP with the processed data DT1, which is the result of processing the test data TDT in the data processing section 60, and outputs the comparison result as a diagnosis result signal RSLT.

If the processed data DT1 and the expected value data EXP match, the comparative failure diagnosis section 70 outputs a diagnosis result signal RSLT indicating that the diagnosis has passed (OK). Diagnosis result signal RSLT indicating a successful diagnosis indicates that data processing unit 60 can operate normally using the corresponding processing function FUNC and can generate processing data DT1.

If the processed data DT1 and the expected value data EXP do not match, the comparative failure diagnosis unit 70 outputs a diagnosis result signal RSLT indicating failure (NG) of the diagnosis. Diagnosis result signal RSLT indicating failure of diagnosis indicates that data processing unit 60 cannot operate normally using the corresponding processing function FUNC and cannot generate processing data DT1.

The function switching control section 80 operates during the failure diagnosis mode in which the line switching signal SW1 is in the logic value 1 period. For example, the function switching control unit 80 outputs the selection signal SEL1 for selecting the processing function FUNC1 to the data processing unit 60 based on the change of the line switching signal SW1 to the logic value 1. FIG. After that, function switching control unit 80 outputs selection signal SEL1 for selecting processing function FUNC2 to comparison failure diagnosis unit 70 based on the reception of the first diagnosis result signal RSLT from comparison failure diagnosis unit 70 .

Further, function switching control unit 80 outputs selection signal SEL1 for selecting processing function FUNC3 to comparison failure diagnosis unit 70 on the basis of receiving the second diagnosis result signal RSLT from comparison failure diagnosis unit 70 . Further, when receiving three diagnostic result signals RSLT corresponding to three test data TDT, the function switching control unit 80 selects the processing function FUNC corresponding to any one of the diagnostic result signals RSLT indicating pass. A signal SEL1 is output to the data processing unit 60 . That is, the function switching control unit 80 selects one of the processing functions FUNC determined by the comparison failure diagnosis unit 70 to operate normally, in order to process the reception data RDT1 received by the FAX modem 10 .

The storage unit 90 is allocated, for example, as a non-volatile memory. The storage unit 90 has a storage area (not shown) for storing the processing data DT1 output by the data processing unit 60 during the normal operation mode, a storage area for storing the expected value data EXP1 to EXP3, and test data TDT1 to TDT3. and a storage area for storing In this embodiment, three test data TDT (TDT1, TDT2, TDT3) and three expected value data EXP (EXP1, EXP2, EXP3) correspond to each of the three processing functions FUNC that can be processed by the data processing unit 60. ) are stored in the storage unit 90 .

FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing an example of the operation of the FAX transmission/reception device 100 of FIG. A detailed description of the operation described in FIG. 1 is omitted. The operation shown in FIG. 2 shows an example of a control method for the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100. FIG.

First, when the FAX modem 10 detects an incoming call from the telephone line, it outputs an incoming call detection pulse DET1 (FIG. 2(a)). The line switching control unit 20 generates the test code readout trigger signal TRG based on the incoming detection pulse DET1 (FIG. 2(b)). After generating the test code readout trigger signal TRG, the line switching control unit 20 sets the line switching signal SW1 to high level (FIG. 2(c)). As a result, the FAX transmission/reception device 100 shifts from the normal operation mode to the failure diagnosis mode (FIG. 2(d)). It should be noted that the period of the failure diagnosis mode overlaps with the period of the communication start sequence for determining the encoding/decoding method of the FAX, which is executed from the detection of the incoming call to the reception of the data.

The function switching control section 80 outputs the selection signal SEL11 for selecting the processing function FUNC1 to the data processing section 60 based on the change of the line switching signal SW1 to the high level (FIG. 2(e)). The test data readout control section 30 detects the test code readout trigger signal TRG, reads out the first test data TDT1 from the storage section 90, and outputs it to the data processing section 60 (FIG. 2(f)).

The data processing unit 60 processes the test data TDT1 by the processing function FUNC1 based on the selection signal SEL11, and outputs the processing result as the processing data DT11 to the comparison failure diagnosis unit 70 (FIG. 2(g)). The comparison failure diagnosis unit 70 reads the expected value data EXP1 corresponding to the processing data DT11 from the storage unit 90 and compares it with the processing data DT11 ((h) in FIG. 2). In this example, since the comparison results are the same, the comparative failure diagnosis section 70 outputs a diagnosis result signal RSLT indicating that the diagnosis has passed (OK) (FIG. 2(i)).

The function switching control unit 80 holds the diagnosis result signal RSLT corresponding to the selection signal SEL11, and outputs the selection signal SEL12 for selecting the next processing function FUNC2 to the data processing unit 60 (FIG. 2(j)). After that, the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100 operates in the same manner as in FIGS. 2(f) to 2(i), and diagnoses whether the processing function FUNC2 operates normally. In this example, the comparative failure diagnosis section 70 detects a match between the processed data DT12 and the expected value data EXP2, and outputs a diagnosis result signal RSLT indicating that the diagnosis has passed (OK) (FIG. 2(k)).

The function switching control unit 80 holds the diagnosis result signal RSLT corresponding to the selection signal SEL12, and outputs the selection signal SEL13 for selecting the next processing function FUNC3 to the data processing unit 60 (FIG. 2(l)). After that, the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100 operates in the same manner as in FIGS. 2(f) to 2(i), and diagnoses whether the processing function FUNC3 operates normally. In this example, the comparative failure diagnosis section 70 detects a match between the processed data DT13 and the expected value data EXP3, and outputs a diagnosis result signal RSLT indicating that the diagnosis has passed (OK) (FIG. 2(m)).

In this manner, the test data read control section 30 sequentially inputs the test data TDT for each of the plurality of processing functions FUNC stored in the storage section 90 to the data processing section 60 . The data processing unit 60 sequentially processes the test data TDT using the processing function FUNC corresponding to the test data TDT to generate the processed data DT. The comparison failure diagnosis unit 70 sequentially compares the processing data DT generated for each test data TDT with the expected value data EXP corresponding to the test data TDT, and diagnoses whether or not each processing function FUNC operates normally. .

The function switching control unit 80 processes the selection signals SEL11 to SEL13 in order to process the reception data RDT1 in the normal operation mode using any of the processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3 for which the diagnosis result of OK has been obtained. Output to the unit 60 (FIG. 2(n)). After receiving the diagnosis result signal RSLT three times, the line switching control unit 20 sets the line switching signal SW1 to low level and returns to the normal reception mode ((o) in FIG. 2). Based on the received selection signals SEL11 to SEL13, the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100 uses one of the processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3 diagnosed as operating normally to carry out the reception processing of the reception data RDT1 (Fig. 2(p)).

In this manner, the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100 starts failure diagnosis of the data processing section 60 with detection of an incoming call as a trigger. The FAX transmission/reception device 100 performs a sequence for confirming the communication standard of the FAX modem 10 of the communication destination FAX transmission/reception device for several seconds after detecting the incoming call. Circuits other than the FAX modem 10 do not operate during the communication standard confirmation sequence.

As a specific example, in the acknowledgment sequence, at the start of communication, the transmitting side transmits a 1100 Hz tone called a CNG (calling tone) signal every 3 seconds, and the receiving side responds with a 2100 Hz signal called a CED (Called Station Identification) signal. do. Furthermore, the confirmation sequence determines the transmission/reception encoding/decoding method to be one of MH, MR, and MMR, and after completion of the confirmation sequence, data transmission/reception is started using the determined encoding/decoding method. .

Here, data processing by the three usable encoding/decoding methods (MH method, MR method, and MMR method in this example) corresponds to data processing using processing functions FUNC1, FUNC2, and FUNC3, respectively. The encoding/decoding scheme (that is, the processing function FUNC) to be used is selected from any of the processing functions FUNC determined to operate normally during the failure diagnosis mode. As a result, it is possible to omit the confirmation sequence of the processing function FUNC determined not to operate normally in the failure diagnosis mode, and to simplify the confirmation sequence compared to the case of executing the confirmation sequence of all the processing functions FUNC. can be done.

Furthermore, by performing the failure diagnosis of the data processing unit 60 during the confirmation sequence in which the devices other than the FAX modem 10 do not operate, it is possible to perform the failure diagnosis of the FAX transmission/reception device 100 before FAX communication is started. Further, in this embodiment, a failure diagnosis is performed immediately before the FAX communication is performed, and the processing function FUNC that operates normally is selected. For this reason, the reliability of the operation of the FAX transmission/reception device 100 is increased compared to the case where the failure diagnosis is performed when the FAX transmission/reception device 100 is powered on, for example, when the time from the failure diagnosis to the execution of the FAX communication is long. can be improved.

FIG. 3 is a timing diagram showing another example of the operation of the FAX transmitting/receiving device 100 of FIG. A detailed description of the same operations as in FIG. 2 will be omitted. The operation in FIG. 3 is the same as that in FIG. 2 except that the failure diagnosis of the processing function FUNC2 based on the test data TDT2 is rejected (NG) (FIG. 3(a)). In this case, the function switching control unit 80 outputs the selection signals SEL11 and SEL13 in order to process the reception data RDT1 in the normal operation mode using either of the processing functions FUNC1 and FUNC3 for which the diagnostic result of OK has been obtained. It outputs to the data processing unit 60 (FIG. 3(b)).

2 and 3, the function switching control unit 80 outputs the selection signal SEL1 corresponding to the processing function FUNC for which the diagnosis result of OK was obtained, but corresponds to the function FUNG for which the diagnosis result of NG was obtained. A selection signal SEL1 may be output. In this case, the data processing unit 60 uses one of the processing functions FUNC corresponding to the selection signal SEL1 other than the selection signal SEL1 received from the function switching control unit 80 to perform reception processing of the reception data RDT1.

As described above, in this embodiment, in the failure diagnosis, it is determined whether or not the processing data DT1 can be normally generated using each of the processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3, rather than determining the failure of the entire FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100. FIG. As a result, if there is at least one processing function FUNC that can normally process the received data RDT1, it can be determined that the FAX transmission/reception device 100 is operable. It can improve endurance.

In the confirmation sequence for determining the processing function FUNC to be used, the confirmation sequence for the processing function FUNC (encoding/decoding method) determined not to operate normally in the failure diagnosis mode can be omitted, thereby simplifying the confirmation sequence. be able to.

By diagnosing the failure of the data processing unit 60 during a confirmation sequence in which only the FAX modem 10 operates based on the detection of an incoming call from the telephone line, the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus can be operated before data reception is started for each incoming call. 100 fault diagnostics can be performed. Further, by performing failure diagnosis during the reception sequence from incoming call to data reception, power consumption can be reduced compared to, for example, returning from an idle state or energy saving mode for failure diagnosis.

Furthermore, since the failure diagnosis is performed immediately before the data receiving operation and the processing function FUNC that operates normally is selected, the failure diagnosis of the FAX transmission/reception device 100 is performed when the FAX transmission/reception device 100 is powered on. Operational reliability can be improved.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus according to the second embodiment of the invention. Elements similar to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

A FAX transmission/reception device 100A shown in FIG. 4 has two FAX modems 10 and 12 for connection to two telephone lines. Further, the FAX transmission/reception apparatus 100A has multiplexers 52, 54, 56, a line switching control section 40, and a data processing section 62 added to the FAX transmission/reception apparatus 100 of FIG. The FAX modems 10 and 12 are examples of transmission/reception units, and the multiplexers 50, 52, 54 and 56 select one of the data processing units 60 and 62 as the output destination of the data received by the FAX modems 10 and 12. This is an example of a part.

FAX modem 10 is connected to telephone line 1 and FAX modem 12 is connected to telephone line 2 . FAX modem 12 , like FAX modem 10 , outputs an incoming call detection pulse DET 2 to line switching control section 20 when an incoming call is detected via telephone line 2 . Further, the FAX modem 12 outputs the reception data RDT2 received via the telephone line 2 after detecting the incoming call to either of the data processing units 60 and 62 via the multiplexer 52 and either of the multiplexers 54 and 56. do.

Multiplexer 52 outputs either received data RDT2 from FAX modem 12 or test data TDT to multiplexers 54 and 56 according to line switching signal SW1. The multiplexer 54 connects one of the outputs of the multiplexers 50 and 52 to the input of the data processing section 60 according to the switching signal SW2. The multiplexer 56 connects one of the outputs of the multiplexers 50 and 52 to the input of the data processing section 62 according to the switching signal SW3.

The line switching control unit 20 outputs the test code readout trigger signal TRG to the test data readout control unit 30 in response to each of the incoming detection pulses DET1 and DET2, and changes the line switching signal SW1 from logical value 0 (low level) to logical value Change to 1 (high level). The line switching control unit 40 generates switching signals SW2 and SW3 for connecting the outputs of the multiplexers 50 and 52 to the inputs of the data processing units 60 and 62 according to the diagnostic result signal RSLT.

The data processing section 62 has the same functions as the data processing section 60 . During the normal operation mode, the data processing unit 62 processes the received data RDT1 or the received data RDT2 received via the multiplexers 50, 52, 56 using the processing function FUNC indicated by the selection signal SEL2, and obtains the processed data DT2. Stored in the storage unit 90 . For example, the processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3 of the data processing units 60 and 62 are FAX encoding/decoding methods (MH, MR, MMR) like the data processing unit 60 in FIG.

During the failure diagnosis mode, the data processing unit 62 processes the test data TDT received via one of the multiplexers 50 and 52 using one of the plurality of processing functions FUNC, and outputs comparison failure data DT2 as processing data DT2. Output to the diagnostic unit 70 . The storage unit 90 has a storage area for storing the processing data DT2 in addition to the storage unit 90 of FIG.

In this embodiment, during normal operation mode, received data RDT1 can be processed using any of the data processing units 60,62 and received data RDT2 can be processed using any of the data processing units 60,62. can be processed as It is also possible to process the received data RDT1 and RDT2 simultaneously using the data processing units 60 and 62 .

Further, during the failure diagnosis mode, failure diagnosis of the processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3 of the data processing units 60 and 62 can be performed. This allows each data processing unit 60, 62 to process the received data RDT1, RDT2 during the normal operation mode using the processing function FUNC that has passed the diagnosis.

Furthermore, even if one of the data processing units 60 and 62 fails and all the processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3 cannot be used, the other of the data processing units 60 and 62 can be used to process any of the received data RDT1 and RDT2. Receive processing can be performed. At this time, the multiplexers 54 and 56 can cause the other of the data processing units 60 and 62 to alternately process the received data RDT1 and RDT2.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example when part of the FAX transmission/reception device 100A of FIG. 4 fails. In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is determined that all the processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3 of the data processing section 60 are unusable by diagnosis in the failure diagnosis mode.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the reception data RDT1 received by the FAX modem 10 can be transferred to the data processing unit 62 via the multiplexers 50 and 56 for processing, and FAX communication can be continued. . Also, the reception data RDT2 received by the FAX modem 12 can be transferred to the data processing unit 62 via the multiplexers 52 and 56 for processing. By switching the multiplexer 56, both of the reception data RDT1 and RDT2 received by the FAX modems 10 and 12 can be received.

As described above, in the second embodiment, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the above-described first embodiment. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, if one of the six processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3 of the plurality of data processing units 60 and 62 operates normally, it can be determined that the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100A is operable. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the fault tolerance of the FAX transmitting/receiving device 100A. Also, even if one of the data processing units 60 and 62 fails, the other of the data processing units 60 and 62 can be used to receive data.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatuses 100 and 100A of FIGS. 1 and 4. As shown in FIG. For example, since the hardware configurations of the FAX transmission/reception apparatuses 100 and 100A are the same except for the configurations shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the FAX transmission/reception apparatus 100 will be described below.

The FAX transmission/reception device 100 has a CPU 101 , a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 , a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 and an external storage device 104 . The FAX transmission/reception device 100 also has an input interface section 105 , an output interface section 106 and an input/output interface section 107 . For example, CPU 101, ROM 102, RAM 103, external storage device 104, input interface section 105, output interface section 106, input/output interface section 107, and FAX modem 10 (12) are interconnected via bus BUS.

The CPU 101 executes an OS and various programs such as a control program for the FAX transmission/reception device 100 to control the overall operation of the FAX transmission/reception device 100 . The ROM 102 holds a basic program, various parameters, etc. for enabling the CPU 101 to execute various programs. The RAM 103 stores various programs executed by the CPU 101 and data used by the programs.

The external storage device 104 is a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like, and stores various programs to be developed in the RAM 103 . Various programs include a control program for the FAX transmission/reception device 100 . For example, the storage unit 90 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 is allocated to the external storage device 104. FIG. If the ROM 102 is a rewritable non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, the storage section 90 may be assigned to the ROM 102 .

The input interface unit 105 is connected to an input device 110 such as keys and various buttons for receiving input from the user of the FAX transmission/reception device 100 . The output interface unit 106 is connected to an output device 112 such as a display device or a printer for displaying display screens generated by various programs executed by the CPU 101 .

A recording medium 130 such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or an SD memory card is connected to the input/output interface unit 107 . For example, the recording medium 130 may store various programs such as a control program for the FAX transmission/reception device 100 . In this case, the program is transferred from the recording medium 130 to the RAM 103 via the input/output interface section 107 .

In the above-described embodiment, an example has been described in which the detection of an incoming call is used as a trigger and the failure diagnosis is performed using the period until data reception is started. However, if the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100, 100A has an energy saving mode (hereinafter referred to as an energy saving mode), failure diagnosis may be performed using recovery from the energy saving mode as a trigger. For example, the energy-saving mode is shifted from the normal operation mode when the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100, 100A is not operated for a predetermined period of time.

For example, returning from the energy saving mode to the normal operation mode is performed based on the operation of the FAX transmission/reception devices 100 and 100A by the user using the FAX transmission/reception devices 100 and 100A. When returning from the energy-saving mode to the normal operation mode, the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus 100, 100A shifts to the failure diagnosis mode before returning to the normal operation mode based on the return pulse indicating return from the energy-saving mode.

For example, the line switching control unit 20 sequentially generates the test code readout trigger signal TRG and the line switching signal SW1 based on a return pulse indicating return from the energy saving mode. Then, in the failure diagnosis mode, the failure diagnosis described above is performed. The fault diagnosis performed based on the return pulse is shown in FIG. 2 by changing the incoming detection pulse DET1 to the return pulse and changing the normal operation mode shown in the upper left of FIG. 2 to the energy saving mode. Line switching control unit 20 generates test code readout trigger signal TRG and line switching based on incoming detection pulse DET1 (or DET2) from FAX modem 10 (or 12) and return pulse from energy saving mode. Signal SW1 is generated sequentially.

This makes it possible to determine whether or not the processing functions FUNC1 to FUNC3 operate normally during idle time when data is not received. Here, the idle time during which data is not received is the period before data reception is started after detection of an incoming call in the normal operation mode and the energy saving mode period during which data is not received. In addition, the FAX transmitting/receiving apparatuses 100 and 100A waste power by performing failure diagnosis when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal operation mode instead of performing the failure diagnosis at a predetermined frequency during the energy saving mode. can be prevented.

Although the present invention has been described above based on each embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the requirements shown in the above embodiments. These points can be changed without impairing the gist of the present invention, and can be determined appropriately according to the application form.

10, 12 FAX modem 20 line switching control unit 30 test data reading control unit 40 line switching control unit 50, 52, 54, 56 multiplexer 60, 62 data processing unit 70 comparison failure diagnosis unit 80 function switching control unit 90 storage unit 100, 100A FAX transmission/reception device 101 CPU
DET1, DET2 Incoming detection pulse DT1, DT2 Processing data EXP Expected value data FUNC Processing function RDT1, RDT2 Received data RSLT Diagnosis result signal SEL1, SEL2 Selection signal SW1 Line switching signal SW2, SW3 Switching signal TDT Test data TRG Test code readout trigger signal

JP-A-5-207258

Claims (7)

a transmitting/receiving unit that transmits/receives data to/from a communication line;
a data processing unit that generates processed data by processing the data received by the transmitting/receiving unit using one of a plurality of processing functions;
a storage unit for storing processing data generated by the data processing unit, test data for each of the plurality of processing functions, and expected value data respectively corresponding to the test data;
a test control unit that sequentially inputs the test data for each of the plurality of processing functions stored in the storage unit to the data processing unit;
The processing data sequentially generated by the data processing unit based on the test data is compared with the expected value data stored in the storage unit, and each of the plurality of processing functions operates normally based on the comparison result. A failure diagnosis unit that determines whether or not
a function selection unit that selects one of the processing functions determined by the failure diagnosis unit to operate normally as a processing function for data received by the transmission/reception unit;
A FAX transmission/reception device characterized by comprising: The test control unit, the fault diagnosis unit, and the function selection unit operate during a period from when the transmission/reception unit receives an incoming call to when it starts receiving data,
2. The FAX transmission/reception apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data processing section uses the processing function selected by the function selection section to process data received by the transmission/reception section based on the incoming call. each of the plurality of processing functions is an encoding/decoding function for data received via a communication line;
The transmitting/receiving unit selects an encoding/decoding function to be determined with the FAX transmitting/receiving device of the transmission source during a communication start sequence after receiving an incoming call from any of the processing functions selected by the function selection unit. 3. The FAX transmission/reception device according to claim 2. having a normal operation mode and an energy saving mode,
the test control unit, the failure diagnosis unit, and the function selection unit operate when returning from the energy saving mode to the normal operation mode,
2. The FAX according to claim 1, wherein the data processing unit uses the processing function selected by the function selection unit to process data received by the transmission/reception unit during the restored normal operation mode. transmitter and receiver. a plurality of the transmission/reception units that respectively transmit and receive data to and from the plurality of communication lines;
a plurality of data processing units;
a selection unit that sets an output destination of data received by the plurality of transmission/reception units to one of the data processing units;
has
The test control unit and the failure diagnosis unit perform diagnosis to determine whether each of the plurality of processing functions of the plurality of data processing units operates normally, and all of the plurality of processing functions operate. determining that the data processing unit that does not operate is faulty;
The function selection unit selects, as a processing function for data received by the transmission/reception unit, one of the processing functions determined to operate normally in the data processing unit that is not determined to be malfunctioning. The FAX transmission/reception device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A transmitting/receiving unit that transmits/receives data to/from a communication line, a data processing unit that processes the data received by the transmitting/receiving unit using one of a plurality of processing functions to generate processing data, and the data processing unit. A control method for a FAX transmitting/receiving device having a storage unit for storing processing data generated by, test data for each of the plurality of processing functions, and expected value data respectively corresponding to the test data,
sequentially inputting the test data for each of the plurality of processing functions stored in the storage unit to the data processing unit;
comparing the processed data sequentially generated by the data processing unit based on the test data with the expected value data stored in the storage unit;
determining whether each of the plurality of processing functions operates normally based on the comparison result;
A control method for a FAX transmitting/receiving apparatus, comprising: selecting one of processing functions determined to operate normally as a processing function for data received by the transmitting/receiving unit. A transmitting/receiving unit that transmits/receives data to/from a communication line; A data processing unit that generates processed data by processing data received by the transmitting/receiving unit using one of a plurality of processing functions; A control program for a FAX transmitting/receiving device having a storage unit for storing processing data generated by, test data for each of the plurality of processing functions, and expected value data respectively corresponding to the test data,
sequentially inputting the test data for each of the plurality of processing functions stored in the storage unit to the data processing unit;
comparing the processed data sequentially generated by the data processing unit based on the test data with the expected value data stored in the storage unit;
determining whether each of the plurality of processing functions operates normally based on the comparison result;
A control program for causing a computer installed in a FAX transmission/reception device to select one of the processing functions determined to operate normally as a processing function for data received by the transmission/reception unit.

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