JPH01194745A - Composite facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To recognize the recognition result of an OCR(optical character reader) by a facsimile equipment at a transmission origin by recognizing a character in a picture signal received from a line by the OCR by transferring the signal, and returning the recognition result to the transmission origin after performing re-development to the picture signal. CONSTITUTION:When the reception of the picture signal from a line 2 is completed and the line 2 connected to the transmission origin is cut off in a state where the picture signal is stored in a picture signal memory 109, a control part 100 reads out the picture signal in the picture signal memory 109, and transfers it to the OCR3 via an interface part 108. The OCR3 develops the picture signal similarly as a recording image in a print part 107, and recognizes the character in the picture signal, then, informs it to the control part 100. The control part 100 makes the OCR3 transfer the recognition result(character code signal) of the character in the picture signal, and makes it store in the picture signal memory 109 transiently. Next, the character code signal is converted to the picture signal at a conversion part 110, and the recognition result is returned to the transmission origin by calling the facsimile equipment at the transmission origin.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a composite facsimile device that combines a facsimile device with an optical character reading device.

(Conventional technology) As is well known, facsimile machines communicate via telephone lines.

The image signal received from the sending side is printed on recording paper as an image, and the image read from the original is encoded and sent to the other party's facsimile machine.Functionally, it is an 11i system whose main purpose is to send and receive images. It is a functional machine.

Therefore, research is actively underway into systems that add twists other than image transmission and reception functions to such facsimile machines and use them as complex facsimile machines.

Such a composite facsimile device combines a facsimile device and an optical character reading device (hereinafter referred to as OCR),
There is a system that uses OCR to recognize characters in an image signal received from a transmitting side.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) By the way, in the facsimile device combined with the above-mentioned OCR, it was not possible for the sending facsimile device to know the recognition result of the OCR.

An object of the present invention is to perform OCR on a sending facsimile machine.
An object of the present invention is to provide a composite facsimile device that allows users to know the recognition results.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a facsimile machine that records an image signal received from a line as an image, and also encodes an image read from a document and sends it to the line. an image signal storage means for storing an image signal received from the image signal;
an optical character reading device that recognizes characters in the image signal;
control means for transferring the image signal stored in the image signal storage means to the optical character reading means and temporarily storing a code signal of the character recognized by the optical character reading means in the image signal storage means; a conversion means for converting the character code signal temporarily stored in the image signal storage means into an image signal; an encoding means for encoding the code signal converted into the image signal; and a transmission source for transmitting the encoded code signal. The above object is achieved by providing a transmitting means for replying to.

(Operation) The image signals received from the line are sequentially stored in the image signal storage means and then transferred to the OCR under the control of the control means. In OCR, characters in the transferred image signal are recognized in a memory space, and a character code signal resulting from the recognition is sent back to the facsimile machine. This character code signal is temporarily stored in the image signal storage means, then converted into an image signal by the conversion means, further encoded by the encoding means, and sent back to the transmitting side.

Therefore, the OCR recognition result can be known at the sending facsimile machine.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which a facsimile device 1 is connected to a line 2 such as a general subscriber line, a DDX line, or a dedicated facsimile line, and is also connected to an 0CR3. ing.

The facsimile device 1 includes a control section 10 that controls the entire device.
0, an operating section 101 that gives various operation instructions, a reading section 102 that reads a document image, an encoding section 103 that encodes the read image into facsimile code, and a transmitting section 104 that transmits the encoded image signal from the line 2. , a receiving unit 105 that receives an image signal from the other party's facsimile machine via line 2;
, an extension unit 10 that returns the received image signal to the image signal before encoding.
6. Recording unit 1 that records an image corresponding to the expanded image signal
07.0CR3, an image signal memory 109 that stores image signals received from the line and character code signals recognized by 0CR3, and a converter 110 that converts character code signals into image signals.

Among these components, the other parts except the interface section 108, image signal memory 109, and conversion section 110 are the same as the conventional structure, and their operations are as follows.

That is, after the image signal from line 2 is received by the receiving section 105, it is demodulated into the image signal before encoding by the extension section 106, and
It is recorded by the printing unit 107.

On the other hand, the original image read by the reading unit 102 is encoded by the encoding unit 103 according to an encoding method such as MH or MR, and then transmitted to the line 2 via the transmitting unit 104.

On the other hand, the operation when 0CR3 is combined is as shown in the flowchart of figure m2.

That is, the control unit 100 monitors whether or not an image signal is received from the line 2, and if there is an incoming call, it starts processing pre-facsimile procedures such as modem training (
81.32).

Then, in phase B, the non-standard fi1 capability authorization signal NS
It is checked whether S or transmitting terminal identification signal TSI has been received (S4), and if it is received, the destination number of the facsimile terminal to which the recognition result of 0CR3 contained in the signal is to be returned is stored in a memory (not shown). After the operation unit 101
, it is checked whether or not an instruction to transfer the image signal to 0CR3 has been made (S6), and if a transfer instruction has been made, the image signals that are sequentially received are expanded by the expansion unit 106 and stored in both signal memories 109. do. However, if no transfer instruction to OCR3 has been made, the data is sequentially expanded by the expansion unit 106 and recorded by the recording unit 107 (S8).

When the reception of image signals for one or more pages is completed, a post-facsimile procedure is executed and the line with the other party's facsimile device is disconnected (S9).

Next, if the line with the transmission source is disconnected while the image signal is stored in the image signal memory 109, the control unit 100 reads out the image signal in both signal memories 109, and Transfer via. (810).

Then, the 0CR3 develops the transferred image signal in the memory space in the same manner as the recorded image of the printing unit 107, and recognizes the characters in this developed image signal. When the recognition process is completed, this fact is notified to the control unit 100 via the interface unit 108.

When the control unit 10o receives this recognition completion notification,
A recognition result transfer command is sent to the 0CR3, and the character recognition result (character code signal) in the image signal is transferred, received via the interface unit 108, and is transferred to the image signal memory 10.
9 is temporarily stored (811, 812>).

Next, the character code signal stored in the image signal memory 109 is converted into an image signal by the converter 110 (813). Then, the facsimile device of the source and destination is called, and the recognition result is returned after the connection is made (814-816).

As a result, the sending facsimile device can know the recognition result of the characters in the image signal that it sent.

Note that the image signal memory 109 and 0CR3 operate independently from other parts from the time the image signal containing the recognized character is stored in the image signal memory 109 until the character recognition result is obtained. During this time, the operation of receiving and recording image signals from the line or the operation of transmitting the original image read by the reading unit 102 can be performed in parallel.

In addition, the image signal containing the recognized characters is transferred in the form of an electrical signal to the OCR, and the characters therein are recognized.
7 in the same manner as the input form of 0CR3, it can be optically read by the reading section of 0CR3, and the recognition result can be sent back to the sender. However, in this case, it is necessary to manually input the recorded paper into the reading section of the OCR3.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, a facsimile device is provided with an image signal storage means and a conversion means for developing an OCR recognition result into an image signal, and an image signal received from a line is converted into an OC signal.
The data is transferred to R to recognize the characters in it, and the recognition results are redeployed into both signals and sent back to the sender.
The interface between the facsimile device and the OCR becomes extremely simple, and a complex facsimile terminal having an image signal transmission/reception function and a character recognition function can be realized with an inexpensive configuration.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation when an OCR is connected. 1...Facsimile machine, 2...Line, 3...0
CR1100...Control unit, 101...Operation unit, 10
3... Encoding section, 104... Transmitting section, 105, Receiving section, 106... Extension section, 107... Printing section, 108
...interface section, 109...image signal memory,
110... Conversion unit.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a facsimile machine that records an image signal received from a line as an image and also encodes an image read from a document and sends it to the line, an image signal storage means for storing an image signal received from a transmitting side; dial number storage means for storing the dial number of the original facsimile machine; an optical character reading device for developing an image signal and recognizing characters in the image signal; a control means for transmitting the code signal of the character recognized by the optical character reading means to the optical character reading means and temporarily storing it in the image signal storage means; and a control means for temporarily storing the code signal of the character recognized by the optical character reading means in the image signal storage means; A compound facsimile device comprising a conversion means for converting a signal into an image signal, an encoding means for encoding a code signal converted into an image signal, and a transmission means for returning the encoded code signal to a transmission source. . (2) The composite facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means transfers the image signals stored in the image signal storage means to the optical character reading device in response to an external instruction.