JP7342505B2 - facsimile machine - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a facsimile machine, and more particularly to volume adjustment of line monitor sound (facsimile communication sound).

In a facsimile machine, the sound on the telephone line (line monitor sound) from the time the dial is dialed until the facsimile machine is connected to the destination facsimile machine can be heard from the speaker.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 03-265352 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-118365

The line monitor sound is useful for the person (operator) who instructed the facsimile transmission to check the connection status to the destination, but for other people it is not useful and is more of a noise. This may cause discomfort.

One way to solve this problem is to reduce the volume of the line monitor sound when the operator is far away from the facsimile machine (that is, when the operator is not in front of the facsimile machine). Conceivable. By leaving the facsimile machine, it is recognized that the operator has no intention of checking the connection status by listening to the line monitor sound. Therefore, if the operator is far away from the facsimile machine, there is no one who requires the line monitor sound, and there is no problem even if the line monitor sound is made low.

The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses that the volume of the warning sound and ringing sound emitted by a facsimile machine is changed depending on the time of day (for example, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the volume is normal, and at other times, the sound volume is changed). However, even if the operator is in front of the facsimile machine, the volume will be low in the middle of the night.

The above-mentioned Patent Document 2 describes that the volume of the monitor sound of the line signal is adjusted according to the height of the operator detected by a detection sensor, but the invention described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 This does not reduce the monitor sound when the operator is away from the facsimile machine.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when it is truly necessary to generate a line monitor sound, the volume of the line monitor sound is ensured at the basic volume, and there is no need to increase the volume of the line monitor sound. Sometimes, the purpose is to reduce the volume of the line monitor sound.

A facsimile device according to one aspect of the present invention is a facsimile device including a facsimile communication section that transmits and receives facsimile messages via a communication line, and in which a line monitor sound generated during facsimile transmission by the facsimile communication section is made an audible sound. an audio output section that outputs a sound, a volume adjustment section that adjusts the volume of the line monitor sound output from the audio output section, and a detection sensor that detects whether or not a person is present in front of the facsimile machine; When the detection sensor detects that the person is present in front of the facsimile machine, the volume control section is controlled to set the volume of the line monitor sound to the basic volume, and the detection sensor detects that the person is present in front of the facsimile machine. If it is detected that the person is not present in front of the device, the volume control section is controlled to set the volume of the line monitor sound to a predetermined first volume lower than the basic volume. A volume control section.

Further, a facsimile device according to an aspect of the present invention is a facsimile device including a facsimile communication unit that transmits and receives facsimile messages via a communication line, and in which the facsimile device is provided with a facsimile communication unit that transmits and receives facsimile messages through a communication line, and in which the facsimile device is provided with a facsimile communication unit that transmits and receives facsimile messages using the facsimile communication unit. an audio output unit that outputs a line monitor sound as an audible sound; a volume control unit that adjusts the volume of the line monitor sound output from the audio output unit; and a person is present in a room in which the facsimile machine is installed. a detection device for detecting whether the person is present in front of the facsimile machine; and if the detection device detects that the person is present in front of the facsimile machine, the volume control unit is controlled to adjust the volume of the line monitor sound to a basic volume. If the detection device detects that no one is present in the room where the facsimile machine is installed, the volume control unit is controlled to change the volume of the line monitor sound from the basic volume. , and a volume control section that sets the volume to a predetermined first volume that is smaller than the basic volume.

According to the present invention, when there is a person in front of the facsimile machine (that is, when there is a person who requires the line monitor sound), the volume of the line monitor sound is set to the basic volume, and If there are no people in the area (that is, if there are no people who require the line monitor sound), the volume of the line monitor sound will be lower than the basic volume, so when there are people who require the line monitor sound, , While ensuring the volume of the line monitor sound at the basic volume, it is possible to reduce the volume of the line monitor sound when there is no one who requires the line monitor sound. For this reason, we provide an environment where the operator of the facsimile machine can properly hear the line monitor sound, while eliminating noise and maintaining silence for people other than the operator of the facsimile machine. becomes possible.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a line monitor sound setting process performed by the multifunction peripheral according to the first embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating another form of line monitor sound setting processing performed by the multifunction device according to the first embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating another form of line monitor sound setting processing performed by the multifunction device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of a multifunction peripheral according to a second embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating line monitor sound setting processing performed by the multifunction device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of a multifunction device according to a third embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a line monitor sound setting process performed by a multifunction device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of a multifunction device according to a fourth embodiment. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a line monitor sound setting process performed by a multifunction peripheral according to a fourth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of a multifunction device as a first embodiment of a facsimile device according to the present invention.

A first embodiment of a multifunction peripheral 1 as an embodiment of a facsimile device according to the present invention has a plurality of functions, such as a copy function, a printer function, a scanner function, and a facsimile function. The multifunction device 1 includes a control unit 10, a document feeding section 6, a document reading section 5, an image forming section 12, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 111, a fixing section 13, a paper feeding section 14, an operation section 47, and a facsimile communication section 71. , a network interface section 91, a detection sensor 16, a volume adjustment section 21, and an audio output section 22.

A case where the multifunction device 1 performs a document reading operation will be described. The document reading section 5 optically reads the image of the document conveyed by the document feeding section 6 or the document placed on a contact glass (not shown), and generates image data. The image data generated by the document reading section 5 is stored in an unillustrated image memory or the like.

A case where an image forming operation is performed by the multifunction device 1 will be described. Based on the image data generated by the document reading operation and the image data received from the external device 20 such as a network-connected personal computer, the image forming section 12 generates a recording medium to be fed from the paper feeding section 14. Form a toner image on recording paper. The HDD 111 is a large capacity storage device.

The fixing unit 13 heats and presses the recording paper on which the toner image has been formed by the image forming unit 12 to fix the toner image on the recording paper, and the recording paper that has been subjected to the fixing process is ejected (not shown). Ejected to the tray. The paper feed section 14 includes a paper feed cassette.

The operation unit 47 includes operation buttons and the like provided on the main body of the multifunction device 1, and receives instructions from an operator, such as an instruction to execute an image forming operation, regarding various operations and processes that the multifunction device 1 can perform. The operation unit 47 outputs the received instruction to the control unit 10. The operation unit 47 includes a display unit 473 that displays operation guidance for the operator.

The display section 473 is made of, for example, an LCD, and has a touch panel function. When the operator touches a button or key displayed on the screen on the display section 473 under the control of the control section 100, various operation instructions are input to the operation section 47 using the touch panel function.

The facsimile communication unit 71 includes an encoding/decoding unit (not shown), a modulation/demodulation unit, and an NCU (Network Control Unit), and performs facsimile transmission and reception using the public telephone line network.

The network interface unit 91 is a communication interface including a communication module such as a LAN chip. The network interface section 91 sends and receives various data to and from the external device 20 within the local area or on the Internet.

The detection sensor 16 is installed in front of the multifunction device 1 and detects a person present in front of the multifunction device 1 (within a predetermined short distance from the front of the multifunction device 1, for example, 1 m). The detection sensor 16 is a sensor that detects infrared rays using, for example, a pyroelectric effect, and receives infrared rays generated by human body movements, and detects polarization of a pyroelectric element that occurs in response to changes in the received infrared rays. Convert the signal to a voltage signal. For example, the detection sensor 16 detects that a person is present in front of the multifunction device 1 (a person is approaching the multifunction device 1) when the voltage value of the converted voltage signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. ) is output as a high-level signal as a detection signal. If the voltage value of the converted voltage signal is smaller than a predetermined threshold, the detection sensor 16 outputs a low level signal as a detection signal indicating that no person is present in front of the multifunction device 1.

The volume adjustment section 21 is made of an integrated circuit equipped with an electronic volume, adjusts the volume level of the input audio signal, and outputs it to the audio output section 22 . The audio output unit 22 includes a speaker (not shown), and outputs the audio signal input from the volume adjustment unit 21 as audible sound.

The control unit 10 includes a processor, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a dedicated hardware circuit. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 10 includes a control section 100, an operation reception section 101, a line signal acquisition section 102, and a volume control section 103.

The control unit 10 functions as a control section 100, an operation reception section 101, a line signal acquisition section 102, and a volume control section 103 by the operation of the processor according to a control program stored in the HDD 111. However, the control section 100 and the like may be configured by hardware circuits without depending on the operation according to the control program by the control unit 10. Hereinafter, the same applies to each embodiment unless otherwise mentioned.

The control unit 100 controls the overall operation of the multifunction device 1 . The control section 100 includes a document feeding section 6, a document reading section 5, an image forming section 12, an HDD 111, a fixing section 13, a paper feeding section 14, an operation section 47, a facsimile communication section 71, a network interface section 91, a detection sensor 16, and the volume control section 21, and performs driving control of each of these sections. For example, the control unit 100 controls the facsimile communication unit 71 to transmit the document image data obtained by reading by the document reading unit 5 to a user-specified destination that the operation reception unit 101 receives from the user.

The operation reception unit 101 receives operation input from the user via the operation unit 47. The operation reception unit 101 receives instructions from the user via the hard keys included in the operation unit 47, and further receives instructions from the user on the operation screen displayed on the display unit 473 using the touch panel function of the display unit 473. Accepted via.

The line signal acquisition unit 102 acquires from the facsimile communication unit 71 an audio signal (that is, an audio signal on the telephone line) indicating a line monitor sound generated during facsimile transmission performed using the facsimile communication unit 71 . The audio signal acquired by the line signal acquisition unit 102 is output as an audible sound from the audio output unit 22.

The volume control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to adjust the volume of the audio output from the audio output unit 22.

Further, the multifunction device 1 is connected to a room entry/exit management device 31 . The room entry/exit management device 31 is, for example, a known device that collects information from a card reader and manages entry/exit of the room in which the multifunction device 1 is installed. The control unit 100 of the multifunction device 1 obtains information on the number of people staying in the room where the multifunction device 1 is installed (i.e., detection information detected by the card reader) from the room entry/exit control device 31 via the network interface unit 91. do. Note that the room entry/exit management device 31 is an example of a detection device in the claims.

Next, a line monitor sound setting process performed by the multifunction device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a line monitor sound setting process by the multifunction peripheral 1 according to the first embodiment. Note that this process is performed when the operation reception unit 101 receives an instruction to "start facsimile transmission" from the user.

The control unit 100 determines whether a high-level signal is received from the detection sensor 16 as a detection signal indicating that a person is present in front of the multifunction device 1 (S1).

When the control unit 100 determines that the high level signal is received (YES in S1), the volume control unit 103 sets the volume of the line monitor sound to the basic volume BV using the volume adjustment unit 21 (S2 ).

On the other hand, if the control unit 100 determines that a low level signal is received from the detection sensor 16 as a detection signal indicating that no person is present in front of the multifunction device 1 (NO in S1), the The control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to set the volume of the line monitor sound to a predetermined first volume (small volume) smaller than the basic volume BV (S3). After S3 and S4, the process ends. After this, the control unit 100 executes facsimile transmission processing.

According to this, when there is a person in front of the multifunction device 1 (that is, when there is a person who requires the line monitor sound), the volume of the line monitor sound is set to the basic volume, and the multifunction device 1 If there is no person in front (that is, there is no person who requires the line monitor sound), the volume of the line monitor sound is lower than the basic volume, so there is a person who requires the line monitor sound. Sometimes, while maintaining the volume of the line monitor sound at the basic volume, the volume of the line monitor sound can be lowered when there is no one who requires the line monitor sound. Therefore, the operator of the multifunction device 1 is provided with an environment in which he can properly hear the line monitor sound, while the operator of the multifunction device 1 is provided with a quiet environment that eliminates noise. It becomes possible to maintain

Next, another form of line monitor sound setting processing performed by the multifunction device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing another form of line monitor sound setting processing by the multifunction device 1 according to the first embodiment. Note that this process is also performed when the operation reception unit 101 receives an instruction to "start facsimile transmission" from the user.

The control unit 100 receives the information on the number of people staying in the room where the multifunction device 1 is installed from the room entry/exit management device 31. If the control unit 100 determines that the number of people indicated by the information on the number of people staying is 0 (NO in S21), the volume control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to adjust the volume of the line monitor sound to the above level. The first volume (low volume) is set (S23).

On the other hand, if the control unit 100 determines that the number of people indicated by the number of guests information is one or more (YES in S21), the volume control unit 103 causes the volume adjustment unit 21 to adjust the volume of the line monitor sound to the basic level. The volume is set to BV (S22).

According to this, when there is a person in the room where the multifunction device 1 is installed (that is, when there is a person who requires the line monitor sound), the volume of the line monitor sound is set to the basic volume, and If there are no people in the room where the multifunction device 1 is installed (that is, if there is no one who requires the line monitor sound), the line monitor When there are people who need the sound, the volume of the line monitor sound can be maintained at the basic volume, and when there are no people who need the line monitor sound, the volume of the line monitor sound can be lowered. Therefore, the operator of the multifunction device 1 is provided with an environment in which he can properly hear the line monitor sound, while the operator of the multifunction device 1 is provided with a quiet environment that eliminates noise. It becomes possible to maintain

Next, a further form of the line monitor sound setting process by the multifunction device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing another form of line monitor sound setting processing performed by the multifunction device 1 according to the first embodiment. Note that this process is also performed when the operation reception unit 101 receives an instruction to "start facsimile transmission" from the user.

The control unit 100 receives the information on the number of people staying in the room where the multifunction device 1 is installed from the room entry/exit management device 31. If the control unit 100 determines that the number of people indicated by the information on the number of people staying is 0 (NO in S31), the volume control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to adjust the volume of the line monitor sound to the above level. The first volume (low volume) is set (S34).

On the other hand, if the control unit 100 determines that the number of people indicated by the number of guests information is one or more (YES in S31), the control unit 100 further detects from the detection sensor 16 that there is a person in front of the multifunction device 1. It is determined whether a high level signal is received as a detection signal indicating (S32).

Here, if the control unit 100 determines that the high level signal is received (YES in S32), the volume control unit 103 sets the output volume to the basic volume BV using the volume adjustment unit 21 (S33 ).

Further, if the control unit 100 determines that a low level signal is received from the detection sensor 16 as a detection signal indicating that no person is present in front of the multifunction device 1 (NO in S32), the volume The control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to set the volume of the line monitor sound to the first volume (low volume) (S34). After S33 and S34, the process ends. After this, the control unit 100 executes facsimile transmission processing.

According to this embodiment, there is no person in front of the multifunction device 1 detected by the detection sensor 16, that is, in the vicinity of the multifunction device 1, and in the room where the multifunction device 1 is installed. If there is a person in an area that is not detected by the detection sensor 16, that is, if there are only people in the room who do not need to hear the line monitor sound of the multifunction device 1, it is accurately determined that the line monitor sound is not detected by the detection sensor 16. It is possible to lower the volume of the monitor sound, eliminate noise, and maintain silence.

Next, a multifunction device 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of the multifunction device 1 according to the second embodiment. The multifunction device 1 according to the second embodiment includes a character recognition section 105 and a first importance determination section 106 in addition to the configuration of the multifunction device 1 according to the first embodiment.

The control unit 10 is operated by the processor according to the control program stored in the HDD 111, and in addition to the control section 100, the operation reception section 101, the line signal acquisition section 102, and the volume control section 103, the control unit 10 also performs character recognition. It functions as a section 105 and a first importance determination section 106. However, the control section 100 and the like may be configured by hardware circuits without depending on the operation according to the control program by the control unit 10.

In the second embodiment, the HDD 111 includes a keyword storage unit 112 that stores keywords. The keyword storage unit 112 includes, for example, a partial area of the HDD 111. The keyword storage unit 112 is created in the HDD 111 by installing a control program to be described later.

The keyword storage unit 112 stores keywords used to determine the importance of a document to be sent by facsimile, and stores keywords such as "important" and "urgent", for example.

The character recognition unit 105 uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to recognize characters included in the image represented by the document image data obtained by reading by the document reading unit 5.

The first importance determination unit 106 determines the importance of the document from the character string included in the image based on the result of character recognition by the character recognition unit 105. Specifically, if a keyword such as “important” or “urgent” stored in the keyword storage unit 112 is present in the manuscript, the first importance determination unit 106 determines that the manuscript has a high degree of importance. .

The multifunction peripheral 1 according to the second embodiment executes the following line monitor sound setting process in parallel with any of the line monitor sound setting processes shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a line monitor sound setting process by the multifunction device 1 according to the second embodiment. This process is also performed when the operation reception unit 101 receives an instruction to "start facsimile transmission" from the user.

When the control unit 100 causes the document reading unit 5 to read a document (that is, the document to be sent by facsimile) when executing the facsimile transmission process (YES in S41), the character recognition unit 105 causes the document reading unit 5 to read the document (that is, the document to be sent by facsimile). The characters included in the image represented by the original image data obtained by reading the image (that is, the original image to be sent by facsimile) are recognized using known OCR technology or the like (S42).

Thereafter, the first importance determination unit 106 determines the importance of the document to be sent by facsimile from the character string included in the document, based on the result of character recognition by the character recognition unit 105 (S43).

When the first importance determination unit 106 determines that the importance of the document is high (YES in S44), the volume control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to adjust the volume of the line monitor sound to the basic volume. A predetermined second volume (loud volume) larger than the BV is set (S45).

Further, if the first importance level determination unit 106 determines that the importance level of the document is not high (NO in S44), the volume control unit 103 adjusts the volume of the line monitor sound to the volume set at this point. (S46).

As described above, according to the line monitor sound setting process performed by the multifunction device 1 according to the second embodiment, when the importance of the document to be sent by facsimile is high, the volume of the line monitor sound is adjusted to a high volume. .

Note that in the process of setting the line monitor sound by the multifunction device 1 according to the second embodiment, when an operator is present in front of the multifunction device 1, that is, in the process shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control unit 100 , when the high level signal is received from the detection sensor 16 (YES in S1, YES in S32), and the first importance determination unit 106 determines the importance of the document in the process shown in FIG. Only when it is determined that the line monitor sound is high (YES in S44), the volume control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to set the volume of the line monitor sound to the second volume (loud volume), and In the process shown in FIG. 4, if the control unit 100 receives the low level signal from the detection sensor 16 (NO in S1, NO in S32), it determines that the importance of the document is high. Also, the volume control unit 103 may maintain the volume of the line monitor sound at the volume set at this point. In this case, if there is no operator in front of the multifunction device 1 and there is no point in setting the volume of the line monitor sound to the second volume, which is higher than the basic volume BV, It becomes possible to maintain the volume as it is currently set.

Next, a multifunction device 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of the multifunction device 1 according to the third embodiment. The multifunction device 1 according to the third embodiment includes a second importance determination unit 107 in addition to the configuration of the multifunction device 1 according to the first embodiment. Furthermore, the HDD 111 includes an important destination storage section 113.

In addition to the control section 100, the operation reception section 101, the line signal acquisition section 102, and the volume control section 103, the control unit 10 further controls a second It functions as an importance level determination unit 107. However, the control section 100 and the like may be configured by hardware circuits without depending on the operation according to the control program by the control unit 10.

The important destination storage unit 113 stores fax numbers of important facsimile destinations.

The second importance determination unit 107 determines the importance of the destination received by the operation reception unit 101 from the user. Specifically, if the fax number of the user-specified destination that the operation reception unit 101 received from the user is stored in the important destination storage unit 113, the second importance level determination unit 107 determines whether the fax number of the destination is The importance level is determined to be high.

The multifunction device 1 according to the third embodiment executes the following line monitor sound setting process in parallel with any of the line monitor sound setting processes shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a line monitor sound setting process performed by the multifunction device 1 according to the third embodiment. This process is also performed when the operation reception unit 101 receives an instruction to "start facsimile transmission" from the user.

When the operation reception unit 101 receives an instruction from the user to specify the destination of the facsimile transmission during execution of the facsimile transmission process, the second importance determination unit 107 determines the importance of the specified destination. (S51). When the second importance determination unit 107 determines that the importance of the other party is high (YES in S52), the volume control unit 103 adjusts the volume of the line monitor sound to the second volume higher than the basic volume BV. (loud volume) (S53).

On the other hand, if the second importance level determination unit 107 determines that the importance level of the destination is not high (NO in S52), the volume control unit 103 adjusts the volume of the line monitor sound to the level set at this point. The volume is maintained at the same level (S54).

As described above, according to the line monitor sound setting process performed by the multifunction device 1 according to the third embodiment, when the importance of the destination of facsimile transmission is high, the volume of the line monitor sound is adjusted to a high volume. .

Note that in the process of setting the line monitor sound by the multifunction device 1 according to the third embodiment, when an operator is present in front of the multifunction device 1, that is, in the process shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control unit 100 , when the high level signal is received from the detection sensor 16 (YES in S1, YES in S32), and the second importance determination unit 107 determines that the importance of the other party is high. only (YES in S52), the volume control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to set the volume of the line monitor sound to a predetermined second volume (loud volume) larger than the basic volume BV. In the processing shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, if the control unit 100 receives the above-mentioned low level signal from the detection sensor 16 (NO in S1, NO in S32), the importance of the other party is determined. Even if it is determined that the volume is high, the volume control unit 103 may maintain the volume of the line monitor sound at the volume set at this point.

Next, a multifunction device 1 according to a fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram schematically showing the main internal configuration of the multifunction device 1 according to the fourth embodiment. In addition to the configuration of the multifunction device 1 according to the first to third embodiments, the control unit 10 of the multifunction device 1 according to the fourth embodiment further includes a state monitoring section 109. FIG. 9 shows an example in which a state monitoring unit 109 is provided in addition to the configuration of the multifunction device 1 according to the first embodiment.

The control unit 10 is operated by the processor according to the control program stored in the HDD 111, and in addition to the control section 100, the operation reception section 101, the line signal acquisition section 102, and the volume control section 103, the control unit 10 also performs status monitoring. 109. However, the control section 100 and the like may be configured by hardware circuits without depending on the operation according to the control program by the control unit 10.

The status monitoring unit 109 monitors the status of the multifunction device 1 during facsimile transmission. For example, the occurrence of a transmission error or retry in the multifunction device 1 is monitored.

The multifunction device 1 according to the fourth embodiment executes the following line monitor sound setting process in parallel with any of the line monitor sound setting processes shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, 6, and 8. . FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a line monitor sound setting process performed by the multifunction device 1 according to the fourth embodiment. This process is also performed when the operation reception unit 101 receives an instruction to "start facsimile transmission" from the user.

When executing the facsimile transmission process, if the status monitoring unit 109 obtains a monitoring result indicating that a predetermined condition (for example, a transmission error) has occurred in the multifunction peripheral 1 (YES in S61), the volume control unit 103 ), the volume control section 21 is controlled to set the volume of the line monitor sound to the second volume (loud volume) (S62). In this case, the volume control unit 103 sets the volume of the line monitor sound to the second volume (loud volume) regardless of whether an operator is present in front of the multifunction device 1 or not.

On the other hand, if the status monitoring unit 109 determines that the predetermined condition is not occurring in the multifunction peripheral 1 (NO in S61), the volume control unit 103 controls the volume of the line monitor sound at this point in time. The volume is maintained at the volume set in (S63).

According to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to quickly make the operator and those around him aware that the multifunction device 1 is in a predetermined state, for example, an abnormal state.

Note that in the process of setting the line monitor sound by the multifunction device 1 according to the fourth embodiment, when an operator is present in front of the multifunction device 1, that is, in the process shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control unit 100 , the volume control is performed only when the high level signal is received from the detection sensor 16 (YES in S1, YES in S32) and the state monitoring unit 109 determines that the above predetermined state is present. The control unit 103 controls the volume adjustment unit 21 to set the volume of the line monitor sound to the second volume (loud volume), and in the process shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the control unit 100 controls the detection sensor 16 (NO in S1, NO in S32), the volume control unit 103 controls the line monitor sound even if the state monitoring unit 109 determines that the above predetermined state is in the predetermined state. The volume may be maintained at the volume set at this point.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible. Further, in the above embodiment, a multifunction device is used as an embodiment of the facsimile device according to the present invention, but this is only an example, and other devices having a facsimile function may be used.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the configuration and processing shown in the embodiment using FIGS. 1 to 10 are merely one embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not intended to be limited to the configuration and processing.

1 Multifunction device 5 Original reading section 16 Detection sensor 31 Entry/exit control device 71 Facsimile communication section 91 Network interface section 100 Control section 103 Volume control section 105 Character recognition section 106 First importance judgment section 107 Second importance judgment section 109 Status monitoring department

Claims (7)

A facsimile device including a facsimile communication unit that sends and receives facsimile messages via a communication line,
an audio output unit that outputs line monitor sound generated during facsimile transmission by the facsimile communication unit as an audible sound;
a volume adjustment section that adjusts the volume of the line monitor sound output from the audio output section;
a detection sensor that detects whether a person is present within a predetermined short distance range from the front of the facsimile machine;
If the detection sensor detects that the person is within the predetermined short distance range from the front of the facsimile machine, the volume control section is controlled to adjust the volume of the line monitor sound to the basic volume. and when the detection sensor detects that the person is not within the predetermined short distance range from the front of the facsimile machine, the volume control section is controlled to adjust the line monitor sound. a volume control unit that sets the volume of the volume to a predetermined first volume lower than the basic volume. The facsimile device is connected to a detection device that detects whether a person is present in the room where the facsimile device is installed,
In addition to the detection sensor detecting that the person is not present in front of the facsimile machine, the detection device further detects that a person is present in the room where the facsimile machine is installed. 2. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the volume control section controls the volume adjustment section to set the volume of the line monitor sound to the first volume when the condition is satisfied. A facsimile device including a facsimile communication unit that sends and receives facsimile messages via a communication line,
an audio output unit that outputs line monitor sound generated during facsimile transmission performed using the facsimile communication unit as an audible sound;
a volume adjustment section that adjusts the volume of the line monitor sound output from the audio output section;
a detection device that detects whether a person is present in the room where the facsimile device is installed;
a detection sensor that detects whether a person is present within a predetermined short distance range from the front of the facsimile machine;
If the detection sensor detects that the person is within a predetermined short range from the front of the facsimile machine, the volume control unit is controlled to set the volume of the line monitor sound to a basic volume. If the detection device detects that there is no person in the room where the facsimile machine is installed, the volume control unit is controlled to change the volume of the line monitor sound from the basic volume to A facsimile device comprising: a volume control unit that sets a first volume that is lower than the basic volume. 4. The facsimile device according to claim 3, wherein the detection device is a room entry/exit control device that controls entry and exit from a room in which the facsimile device is installed. a document reading unit that reads the image of the document;
a control unit that controls the facsimile communication unit to transmit the document image data obtained by reading by the document reading unit to a destination specified by the user;
a character recognition unit that recognizes characters included in the image indicated by the manuscript image data;
further comprising a first importance determination unit that determines the importance of the document from a character string included in the image based on the result of character recognition by the character recognition unit;
The volume control unit controls to set the volume of the line monitor sound to the first volume when the importance of the document determined by the first importance determination unit is higher than a predetermined value. The facsimile machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein instead of the volume control section, the volume of the line monitor sound is controlled to be set to a predetermined second volume that is higher than the basic volume. Device. a document reading unit that reads the image of the document;
a control unit that controls the facsimile communication unit to transmit original image data obtained by reading by the original reading unit to a destination specified by the user;
further comprising a second importance determination unit that determines the importance of the transmission destination,
The volume control unit sets the volume of the line monitor sound to the first volume when the importance of the destination determined by the second importance determination unit is higher than a predetermined value. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein instead of the control, the volume control section performs control to set the volume of the line monitor sound to a predetermined second volume that is larger than the basic volume. facsimile machine. further comprising a status monitoring unit that monitors the status of the facsimile machine during facsimile transmission;
The volume control unit controls to set the volume of the line monitor sound to the first volume when the status monitoring unit obtains a monitoring result that a predetermined state is occurring in the facsimile apparatus. 7. Instead of this, the volume control unit controls the volume of the line monitor sound to be set to a predetermined second volume that is larger than the basic volume. facsimile machine.