JPH04262662A - Facsimile communication controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To implement the transmission test without need of the operation of a host computer by sending a transmission test use picture data in a memory card when the test mode is set. CONSTITUTION:A test data for the test transmission is written in a memory card 104. An externally mounted telephone set 111 is used to call an opposite facsimile terminal equipment to turn on a transmission test request switch of a switch setting section 108. Then a microcomputer 101 sets a head address of the memory card 104 to a DMA control section 107 to start DMA transfer. The DMA control section 107 accesses sequentially the memory card 104 to read a picture data and to transfer it to a facsimile adaptor section 109. The facsimile adaptor section 109 sends sequentially the data stored in the memory card 104 to the opposite party.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Object of the invention]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile communication control device.

0002

[Prior Art] In this type of system, a facsimile terminal device is connected online to a host computer system (hereinafter referred to as a host HC system), and a facsimile communication control device receives image data from the host HC system, and receives data from the other party. It is designed to perform facsimile communication with a facsimile terminal device.

In such a system, when performing a transmission test of the facsimile communication control device, the following operations are performed. In other words, in the upper HC system,
A test manuscript is read using a scanner, and the image data is saved on an FD (floppy disk) or HD (hard disk). Then, during the test, the top H
The C system passes an instruction to conduct a test, a calling number of one specific terminal device among a large number of terminal devices, and image data to the communication control device. The communication control device then auto-dials the calling number in response to the instruction. When the terminal device responds, the image data stored in the built-in RAM is sent to the terminal device, and the terminal device is caused to output.

[0004] Alternatively, there are cases where two terminal devices are used. In this case, first, one terminal device makes a call to the other terminal device, a line is established with the called terminal device via the communication control device, and then a predetermined document is sent to the calling terminal device. Read with a scanner. In this case, the read image data is transferred to the communication control device via the line.
The data is temporarily stored in the AM, and the data in the RAM is transferred to the upper HC system. Then, the data accumulated in this upper HC system is sent to the communication control device, and the image data is sent from this communication control device to the terminal device on the called side.

[0005] As described above, by transmitting image data to a certain terminal device and operating this terminal device, for example, by checking whether a predetermined image has arrived and the image quality, etc., communication control is performed. It is possible to check whether the equipment, etc. is functioning properly. However, with these conventional test methods, the upper HC system must be operated, and therefore testing cannot be performed easily. That is, in the former method, the upper HC system executes the test program, and in the latter method, the upper HC system acts as an intermediary between the terminal devices. Therefore, when the upper HC system is busy with other tasks,
You will have to wait for a free spot before testing. On the other hand, if tests are performed while other operations are stopped, the efficiency of the HC system's work will be affected. If the HC system has a large capacity, it is unlikely that other operations will be stopped, but if it is a personal computer, this is a serious problem. In addition, the RA of the communication control device
Since the capacity of M is limited and image data is transferred to and from the HC system multiple times, for example on a page-by-page basis,
The impact on the C system will last for a long time.

[0006] Furthermore, in the conventional method described above, it is necessary to have a scanner read the original. Therefore, depending on the angle of the original with the reading sensor, the data may be slightly different each time the same original is read.
There were cases where this delicate judgment was hindered. or,
If you want to change the test image, you have to read the original one by one, which increases the workload.

[0007]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As mentioned above, in the conventional facsimile test method, the host HC system must be operated, and reading with a scanner is required, which makes it difficult to test easily. could not be done. The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a communication control device that allows transmission tests to be easily performed.

[Configuration of the invention]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A communication control device of the present invention includes a memory card that stores image data for transmission test and is allocated as part of a memory area, a mode setting section for setting a test mode, a transmitter that transmits image data in the memory area to a destination terminal; a transmitter that controls the transmitter so that the data on the memory card is transmitted when a test mode is set in the mode setting section; It is equipped with

[0009]

[Operation] According to the communication control device of the present invention, when the test mode is set in the mode setting section, the transmission control section controls the transmission section so that the data in the memory card is transmitted instead of the data in the image data storage section for normal communication. , so you can test fax transmissions without the need for help from other systems. Therefore, the operation of the upper HC system is not required during testing. Furthermore, since the test image data is allocated as part of the memory area, there is no need for a test paper reading process using a scanner.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile communication control device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication system incorporating the communication control device. Figure 2
In the system shown in , first, in normal facsimile communication, when a dialing operation is performed from one of the many terminal devices 4-1 to 4-n, for example, the terminal device 4-1, the dialed number is transferred to the line network. 3 and is received by the communication control device 2. For example, if the number belongs to the terminal device 4-n, the communication control device 2 transmits a dial tone to the other party's terminal device 4-n. When this terminal device 4-n responds, the communication control device 2 learns the response of the terminal device 4-n from the incoming call response signal, and
The terminal device 4-1 enters a data waiting state from the terminal device 4-n, and provides the terminal device 4-1 with an incoming call response signal from the terminal device 4-n.

Then, the terminal device 4-1 becomes the counterpart terminal device 4.
-n's response and starts transmitting the image data. The communication control device 2 temporarily stores the sent image data in a built-in RAM, and transmits the data in this RAM to the HC system 1. Then, the HC system 1 stores the image data in its built-in large-capacity storage device, and sends a fixed amount (for example, one page) at a time to the communication control device 2 as transmission image data. The communication control device 2 stores the image data from the HC system 1 in the RAM, and
From then on, the image data is sequentially transmitted to the other party's terminal device 4-n.

Now, in such a system, an external telephone 111 is connected to the communication control device 2, and is used to call the other party's terminal device when performing a facsimile transmission test. This communication control device 2 is shown in FIG.
The configuration is as shown in , and the details will be explained below.

First, the microcomputer 101 forms the core of the facsimile communication control device 2, and operates together with the ROM 102 and RAM 103 under program control. The ROM 102 holds an operating program for the microcomputer 101, and the RAM 103 is also used as a buffer for storing transmission data and reception data for facsimile communication. The memory card 104 has test data written therein for test transmission, is assigned as a fixed address for the CPU 101, and functions as a ROM or SRAM with battery backup.

The upper level interface control unit 105 transmits and receives commands, status, and data between the facsimile communication control device 2 and the higher level host computer system 1. The parallel input/output control section 106 is the facsimile adapter section 1
Control information to the facsimile adapter section 109 or status reports from the facsimile adapter section 109 are transmitted and received via this. Further, switch information from the switch setting section 108 is also sent to the CPU 101 via the parallel input/output section 106.

The switch setting section 108 is for setting whether the operation mode is the normal mode or the test mode, and the contents thereof can be read by the program of the CPU 101. The DMA control section 107 includes a facsimile adapter section 109 and a RAM 103 or memory card 10.
This is for transmitting facsimile image data to and from 4. The facsimile adapter section 109 is connected to the telephone line 1
The facsimile terminal 4 is connected online via the facsimile terminal 10 and the line network 3, and transmits or receives image data under predetermined control. telephone line 1
10 is the same central office line as the subscriber telephone.

In the above configuration, when performing a facsimile transmission test, a dial call is made to call the other party's facsimile terminal device 4 using the external telephone 111. After confirming that the called facsimile terminal device 4 is connected, the transmission test request switch of the switch setting section 108 is turned on. As a result, the CPU 101,
The software system constructed by the ROM 102 and RAM 103 is notified of the start of the transmission test.

Then, the program instructs the facsimile adapter section 109 to transmit image data, sets a fixed address indicating the start address of the memory card 104 in the DMA control section 107, and starts DMA transfer. Then, this DMA control unit 107 controls the memory card 1.
04 are sequentially accessed to read the image data and transfer it to the facsimile adapter 109.

The facsimile adapter section 109 communicates with the facsimile terminal device 4 of the other party according to the facsimile communication procedure and sequentially transmits the data stored in the memory card 104 to the other party.

In this manner, the operation of the HC system 1 is not required during the facsimile transmission test, and the test can be easily performed regardless of circumstances such as whether the HC system 1 is busy with other tasks or the like. Furthermore, by assigning the test memory card 104 as a fixed address of the CPU 101, test images can be prepared in the form of data without the need for a test paper reading process using a scanner. The errors that would otherwise occur between readings can be avoided, allowing for more precise testing. Furthermore, by preparing a large number of types of test image data in advance, even when it is desired to change the test image, it is not necessary to read each document one by one, and the work load is reduced accordingly.

[0020]

As explained above, according to the present invention, when the mode setting section sets the test mode, the transmission control section transmits the data in the test data storage section instead of the data in the image data storage section for normal communication. Since the transmission control section is controlled in the same manner as described above, facsimile transmission tests can be performed without requiring the help of other systems. Therefore, during the test, the top H
Since the operation of the C system is not required, circumstances such as the upper HC system being busy with other tasks become irrelevant, and the test can be easily performed.

Furthermore, the test image data can be allocated as part of the transmission image data storage area, and the test image can be prepared in the form of data without requiring a test paper reading process using a scanner. Errors that occur every time a document is read can be avoided, and precise testing becomes possible.

Furthermore, by preparing a large number of test images in advance, even when it is desired to change the test images, it is not necessary to read each document one by one, which reduces the workload.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile communication control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a communication system incorporating the communication control device shown in FIG. 1.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Host computer system 2 Facsimile communication control device 3 Line network 4 Facsimile terminal device 101 Microcomputer 102 ROM 103 RAM 104 Memory card 105 Upper interface 106 Parallel input/output control section 107 DMA control section 108 Switch setting section 109 Facsimile adapter section 110 Telephone line 111 External telephone

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A memory card that stores image data for a transmission test and is allocated as part of a memory area, a mode setting section for setting a test mode, and a memory card that stores image data for a transmission test and directs the image data in the memory area to a destination terminal. A facsimile communication device comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits data; and a transmitting control unit that controls the transmitting unit so that data in the memory card is transmitted when the test mode is set in the mode setting unit. Control device.