JPH05136925A - Picture transmitter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To grasp the state of the picture transmitter and to detect the state of deterioration in each section and the state before a fault by forming the transmitter with a scanner section, a CODEC section, a plotter section and a system controller section or the like. CONSTITUTION:The picture transmitter is provided with a scanner section 7 to input a picture, a picture memory 6, an ISDN I/F 4 sending receiving data via a communication line, a CODEC section 8 having a coder and a decoder, and a plotter section 5 outputting a picture, and also a secondary storage device 2, an operation section 1, a display section 10, and a system controller section 3 controlling the operation of them. Then a command from a terminal equipment via a line is decoded and processed. Thus, since the state of the picture transmitter is controlled remotely periodically and the deterioration state of each section of the picture transmitter is grasped in advance, the replacement period of each section is predicted and the down-time of the picture transmitter is reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an image transmission device. For example, it is applied to a facsimile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional facsimile, the only way to grasp the operating state and the states of an image reading device / image output device, a secondary storage device, etc. is to go to the site and visually check. Further, the image transmission device has an I / F device (modem) for communicating via a general public line because of its function.
, Which is exclusively used for image transmission, although it can be used exclusively for data transmission other than image transmission. The internal configuration of a general image transmission device is almost the same as that of a generally used personal computer, and the functions performed between the personal computers via a communication line can be sufficiently realized.

[0003]

[Object] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and enables remote control from a terminal device (personal computer or the like) via a communication line to grasp the state of an image transmission device and each part. It is possible to detect the deterioration of the device and the state before the failure, and to reduce the down time due to the failure of the image transmission device. Also, by using the keyboard and the display device, the personal computer communication such as the personal computer communication performed by the personal computer can be performed. To be able to use the functions and to be able to use the communication function performed by the personal computer as well as the conventional image transmission device, and to be able to connect the same keyboard and display device connected to the personal computer. Made for the purpose of providing an image transmission device with improved usability A.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides (1)
A scanner unit for inputting an image, an image memory for storing an image read by the scanner unit, an ISDN I / F for transmitting / receiving data via a communication line, and a code for encoding the input image Codec section having a decoder and a decoder for decoding the coded information sent via the communication line, a plotter section for outputting an image, and a coder coded by the encoder A secondary storage device for storing images, an operation unit for inputting operations,
Being able to interpret and process commands from the terminal device via the line, consisting of a display unit that displays the status of the image transmission device and characters for prompting the user to input, and a system controller unit that controls these operations. Or
(2) A scanner unit for inputting an image, an image memory for storing an image read by the scanner unit, an ISDNI / F for transmitting and receiving data via a communication line, and for encoding the input image Codec unit having an encoder and a decoder for decoding the encoded information sent through the communication line, a plotter unit for outputting an image, and an encoder for encoding by the encoder. Secondary storage device for storing the captured image, an operation unit for inputting an operation, a display unit for displaying the state of the image transmission device and characters for prompting the user to input, and controlling these operations And a terminal function via a line, and (3) In (2), the second input device other than the operation unit for inputting an operation, the state of the image transmission device, and the like. You Is obtained is characterized in that and a second display device other than the display unit for displaying the characters to facilitate input to. Hereinafter, description will be given based on examples of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of an image transmission apparatus according to the present invention, in which 1 is an operating unit and 2 is
Is a secondary storage device, 3 is a system controller unit, 4 is I
SDN I / F section, 5 plotter section, 6 image memory section, 7 scanner section, 8 codec section, 9 CRT
I / F unit, 10 is a CRT, and 11 is a system bus.
The system controller unit 3 controls activation of each unit and state management, and includes a CPU, a memory, a BUS I / F, and the like. In addition, operation units 1 and 2 described below
It controls the next storage device 2 and transfers data to and from these devices. The operation unit 1 includes various keys for starting a FAX, inputting a telephone number, and operating other FAX functions.
It is composed of a liquid crystal panel and other display devices capable of performing various displays regarding the operating procedure and the state of the machine.

The secondary storage device 2 is a magnetic disk used for storing encoded data and storing registered telephone numbers. The scanner unit 7 is a device that inputs image data from a document, and includes a light source, a photoelectric conversion element, an A / D converter, and a B
It is composed of US I / F and the like. Filters are used to obtain color image data, and three RGB colors are read at the same time. The obtained RGB data is BUS I / F
Through the image memory unit 6. Codec section 8
Transfers image data to and from the image memory unit 6,
Image data is compressed and expanded according to the JPEG method (described later). The compressed data is transmitted / received to / from the ISDN unit through the BUS I / F.

The plotter unit 5 includes a DMA (Direct Memory Access) and a BUS I.
/ F, a color ink ribbon, a thermal head, a paper transport mechanism, and the like. Image data is fetched from the image memory unit by DMA, and the color of the color ink ribbon is printed on the paper by the heat of the thermal head according to the color information. The image memory unit 6 is a frame buffer configured to store uncompressed input / output image data including a BUS I / F and a memory. It is used to store image data read by the scanner unit 7 or image data output to the printer unit.

The ISDN I / F unit 4 includes an I / F circuit for the ISDN line, a CPU, a memory, and a BUS I / F.
Composed of. Here, control of a protocol at the time of communication and transmission / reception of compressed encoded data are performed. The communication protocol uses the spreading function of G4 class 1 and adds color coded expression capability. The CRT I / F unit 9 is C
Display memory for displaying on RT10, DMA, timing controller for display, D / A converter, BU
It is composed of S I / F. BUS I / by DMA
Data is taken from the image memory into the display memory via F, converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter, and displayed on the CRT 10.

The JPEG system is described in "International standardization trend of color still image coding" (Takao Omachi, PCSJ90 Image Coding Lecture Proceedings P. 43-48) as follows. JPEG (Joint), a joint between ISO (International Standards Organization) and CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone Advisory Committee)
Photographic Expert Group) is an international standardization of color still image coding that has been promoted since 1986. This standard is divided into two major compression schemes. The first method is DCT (Discrete Cosine Trans).
form), and the second method is a spatial method that performs DPCM (Differential PCM) in a two-dimensional space. The DCT method is generally a lossy encoding in which the original image is not completely reproduced, but it is a method that can obtain sufficient decoded image quality in high compression and is the basis of this standard. On the other hand, the Spatial method is a lossless encoding that completely reproduces the original image although the compression rate is small, and is a method added as a standard method to enable this characteristic.

The DCT system is further classified into a Baseline System (essential function) and an Extended System (optional function). The Baseline System represents the minimum functions that all Coder / Decoders that implement the DCT method must have, and in most applications this function can exhibit sufficient performance. Extended System is an optional function prepared to satisfy a wider range of applications. On the other hand, the Spatial method uses Ind for Baseline System and Extended System.
Called ependent Function.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the codec section.
12 is DMA (Direct Memory Access: Direct
Memory Access), 13 is a memory, 14 is a DSP (Digi
talSignal Processor), 15 is a FIFO (First In First Out) memory, 16 is a BUS I / F, and 17 is a CPU (central processing unit).

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the codec section. The operation of each part is first DMA
12 performs transfer of RGB image data between image memory units, and color conversion, DCT calculation, and quantization are performed by a DSP (Digita).
l Signal Processor; for performing calculations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division at high speed) 14, and Huffman coding and control of the entire sequence and control of the DMA 12 and DSP 14 are performed by the CPU.
17 does. FIFO (First In First Out) 15
Is used by the DSP 1 when transmitting and receiving image data by the DMA 12.
4 is a means for operating the memory 4 without delay, and the memory 13 is C
This is for the PU 17 to temporarily store programs and code data. DCT operation is a DCT (Disdrete Cosi
ne Transform: Discrete cosine transform) This is one of orthogonal transforms, but is applied to a still image coding method, and is currently being standardized by ISO and CCITT.

The two-dimensional DCT will be described below. .
The pixels forming the image are divided into an 8 × 8 matrix of 8 pixels in the vertical direction and 8 pixels in the horizontal direction, and the value of each pixel is represented by f (i, j) (where i = 0 to 7 and j = 0 to 7). ) And the mapping F (u, v) by DCT are expressed as follows.

[0014]

[Equation 1]

The equation (1) DCT is called a coefficient and is given by an 8 × 8 coefficient matrix. Where C (w) = 1 / √2 (when w = 0) or 1 (w = 1,2,
(When N-1). Further, the inverse DCT (IDCT) is calculated by the following formula.

[0016]

[Equation 2]

The 8 × 8 coefficient matrix F (u, v) is u,
The larger v corresponds to the conversion coefficient of the higher frequency component of the spatial frequencies included in the image, and F (0,0)
Corresponds to the coefficient of the DC component. That is, in the top row, the coefficient of the horizontal component of the spatial frequency contained in the image is arranged in order from the lowest component, and in the leftmost column, the coefficient of the vertical component is also the lowest component. The components correspond in order from the left, and the upper left component corresponds to the DC component coefficient of the image. The diagonal portions correspond to the coefficients of the frequency in which the horizontal and vertical lines are superimposed.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the image transmission device according to the present invention. In the following, each step will be described separately for transmission and reception. First,
The following operations are performed during reception. step1 : Upon reception, when the ISDN I / F unit detects an incoming call, it notifies the system controller of that fact while performing the receiving operation. step2 : The system controller is the operation unit and
The / F section is instructed to display that it is being received. step3 : The received encoded data is accumulated in the secondary storage device.

[0019] step4: instructing display of the reception has been completed on the operation unit and the CRT I / F unit when receiving ends to the system controller. step5 : In order to reproduce the image data from the accumulated encoded data, the system controller activates the codec unit and decompresses the compressed data. The data expanded here is expanded in the image memory unit. step6,7 : At this time, the codec section informs the system controller for each fixed processing unit. Upon receipt of this notification, the system controller issues an instruction to display the processed data to the CRT I / F section and displays the received image on the CRT.

Steps 8 and 9 : If all the compressed data have been decompressed, the system controller then shifts to the print instruction acceptance state, and to that effect the CRT I / F
Give instructions to the department. step10,11 : When the print instruction is detected from the operation unit, the system controller activates the plotter unit to print out. Step12 : If the instruction not to print is detected in Step10, the plotter unit cannot be activated. When all the processing is completed, the fact is displayed on the operation unit and the CRT I / F unit, and the process returns to the standby state.

Next, at the time of transmission, the following operation is performed. step13,14 : At the time of transmission, the system controller detects the instruction from the operation unit and first activates the scanner. In the scanner section, the reading of the image is started and the RGB
8 bits of data are simultaneously read and sequentially written in the image memory. step15 : When the image memory has accumulated a certain amount of image data read from the scanner, the system controller
Instruct the codec section to start encoding.

Steps 16 to 19 : The codec unit takes in the image data from the image memory and performs an encoding process. The encoded information is sent to the system controller, where the 2
It is stored once in the next storage device. Then, when the operations of the scanner unit and the codec unit are completed, the storage in the secondary storage device is completed. step20 : The system controller activates the ISDN I / F unit and transfers the encoded data through the communication line. step21 : The ISDN I / F section notifies the system controller of the completion of the transfer. step22 : When the system controller receives the report of the end of transfer, it issues a display instruction to the operation unit and the CRTI / F unit and returns to the standby state.

FIG. 5 shows communication from a terminal device via a line.
It is a flowchart which shows a procedure. step1 : When a transmission from the terminal device is detected, the remote control
Declaration of NSF (remote control possible) indicating that it has the capability
Itstep2,3 : Next, as shown in FIG. 6, remote control from the other party
Remote when receiving NSS (remote control) including commands
Enter operation communication and interpret and process commands from the user.
Transfer control to the program. There is no remote control communication here
If so, normal FAX communication is performed. C in remote communication mode
By CITT V.22 and V.23, MNP (Micro
com network protocol)
Make a belief.step4,5 : After a certain period of time since the user started remote control
If it is not done, it will be forced to return to FAX mode. Operation
If it ends, detect that the line is disconnected and
It returns from the remote communication mode to the normal FAX communication mode.

Next, the terminal function of the image transmission device will be described. When the terminal function start button on the operation panel is pressed, control is transferred from the normal FAX communication mode to the terminal control program. The terminal control program displays on the display device so that the user can input the telephone number of the other party. When the user inputs a telephone number, the child ring is performed and the characters sent from the partner device at the time of connection are displayed. At the same time, the key input from the user is transmitted to the partner device. In the remote communication mode, error-free communication transmission is performed by CCITT V.22 or V.23 or by using MNP (Microcom Network Protocol).

[0025]

As is apparent from the above description, the present invention has the following effects. (1) Effect corresponding to claim 1: Since the deterioration state of each part of the image transmission device can be grasped in advance by periodically remote controlling the state of the image transmission device, it is possible to predict the replacement time of each part and The downtime can be reduced. (2) Effect corresponding to claim 2: Since the conventional image transmission device can be used as a terminal device, it is not necessary to install a personal computer that can be used as a remote terminal device separately. (3) Effect corresponding to claim 3: The operation unit and the display device provided in the conventional image transmission device are smaller and more difficult to use than the conventional personal computer. Therefore, by making it possible to connect the same keyboard and display device connected to the personal computer, the usability is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining an embodiment of an image transmission device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a codec section.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the codec section.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image transmission device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a communication procedure from a terminal device via a line.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a signal sequence between a partner terminal and its own FAX.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Operation part, 2 ... Secondary storage device, 3 ... System controller, 4 ... ISDN I / F part, 5 ... Plotter part, 6 ...
Image memory unit, 7 ... Scanner unit, 8 ... Codec unit, 9
... CRT I / F section, 10 ... CRT, 11 ... system bus.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A scanner unit for inputting an image, an image memory for storing an image read by the scanner unit, and an ISDN I for transmitting and receiving data via a communication line.
/ F, a codec section having an encoder for encoding the input image and a decoder for decoding the encoded information sent via the communication line, and outputs the image A plotter unit, a secondary storage device for accumulating the image coded by the encoder, an operation unit for inputting an operation, a state of the image transmission device and a character for prompting the user to input. An image transmission device characterized by comprising a display unit for displaying, and a system controller unit for controlling these operations, and being capable of interpreting and processing commands from a terminal device via a line. 2. A scanner section for inputting an image, an image memory for storing an image read by the scanner section, and an ISDN I for transmitting and receiving data via a communication line.
/ F, a codec unit having an encoder for encoding the input image and a decoder for decoding the encoded information sent via the communication line, and outputs the image A plotter unit, a secondary storage device for accumulating the image coded by the encoder, an operation unit for inputting an operation, a state of the image transmission device and characters for prompting the user to input. An image transmission device comprising: a display unit for displaying, etc., a system controller unit for controlling these operations, and a terminal function via a line. 3. A second input device other than the operation unit for inputting an operation, and a second display device other than the display unit for displaying the state of the image transmission device and characters for prompting the user to input. The image transmission device according to claim 2, further comprising: