JPH05276260A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the flexibility of fault recovery or the like of a facsimile equipment by writing data like an operation parameter, which is stored in a memory, from a communication terminal equipment installed in a remote place. CONSTITUTION:A stored contents read request is added to address information to transfer this information from a diagnostic center to the facsimile equipment. In the facsimile equipment, this request is transmitted to a read/write program executing function 6 through a network control circuit 4 and a control circuit 7 to read out contents of a memory 5. Read-out data is transferred to the diagnostic center through the circuit 4. When a proper address is designated to request the read from the diagnostic center in this case, pertinent data in the memory 5 is transferred, and the state of the facsimile equipment at this time can be recognized. If fault diagnosis or recovery program is incorporated in the memory 5, fault diagnosis or recovery of the facsimile equipment is possible by transferring the execution request of this program from the diagnostic center.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile device connectable to a communication terminal device in a diagnostic center or the like installed in a remote place.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recent electronic devices are equipped with a large number of electronic components and have a complicated circuit structure. Therefore, electronic devices are often equipped with a self-diagnosis function for analyzing the cause of a failure and for early repair of the failure.

In addition to the self-diagnosis function described above, a communication terminal device such as a facsimile device utilizes a communication function of its own to perform a remote diagnosis that enables failure diagnosis and failure repair from a diagnostic center at a remote location or another communication terminal device. Has diagnostic and failure repair functions.

As shown in FIG. 5, a conventional facsimile apparatus is provided with a circuit 5 for diagnosing and repairing a failure of, for example, a scanning section / recording section 1, a communication data processing section 2, a modulation / demodulation circuit 3, a network control circuit 4 and the like. It was provided.

The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The failure diagnosis / repair circuit 5 is operated by a diagnosis request notification from a diagnosis center (or another facsimile device or the like) to operate the other circuits 1 to 4 and the like. The failure analysis is performed and the failure diagnosis result is notified to a diagnosis center or the like, or the operator of the facsimile apparatus is notified. If the failure can be repaired, the diagnostic center or the like notifies the facsimile device of the failure repair information or the failure repair processing request.
In addition, in FIG. 5, a broken line in the drawing shows a control line in the case of performing the failure diagnosis / repair, and a solid line in the drawing shows a control line in the case of the control unit 6 performing normal communication control.

[0006]

However, according to such a configuration, the facsimile apparatus must be provided with a failure diagnosis / fault repair function in advance, so that the multifunctional apparatus has a problem that the facsimile apparatus becomes expensive. ..

The above problems can be solved to some extent by implementing the diagnosis / repair function by a program, but in this case also, there is a problem that a large amount of memory dedicated to the program is required. Also, in order to program in advance,
There is a problem that it is difficult to expand the function later, and it is impossible to deal with an unexpected kind of failure.

In view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional example, the present invention provides a facsimile apparatus which can realize fine failure diagnosis / fault failure repair without providing a large-scale diagnosis / repair function to the facsimile apparatus in advance. The purpose is to

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides communication control means for connecting a line based on a request from a communication terminal device installed in a remote place and data such as operation parameters. A memory for storing data and a memory control unit for controlling reading and writing of data stored in the memory are provided, and data such as operation parameters stored in the memory is transferred from a communication terminal device installed at the remote location. It is writable.

[0010]

Since the data such as the operation parameters stored in the memory provided inside the facsimile apparatus can be changed from the communication terminal apparatus installed at the remote place, the unexpected failure due to the function expansion of the facsimile apparatus can be prevented. Can also be dealt with.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the same components as those in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a scanning unit / recording unit for reading a document image and recording the transmitted document image, 2 is a communication data processing unit for processing a transmission image signal and a reception image signal, and 3 is a transmission unit. A modulation / demodulation circuit that modulates an image signal or modulates a received image signal, 4 is a network control circuit that controls a network with a diagnostic center to which the present facsimile machine is connected and other facsimile machines, and 5 is an operation parameter of the facsimile machine. Memory for writing data and writing a diagnostic / restoration program, 6 for reading data from the memory 5, writing data to the memory 5 and executing the program in the memory 5, and 7 for supervising the facsimile machine It is a control circuit for controlling.

The operation will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram when the diagnosis center grasps the state of the facsimile apparatus. First, a request for reading the contents of the memory is added from the diagnostic center to the facsimile machine with address information added. In the facsimile machine, the request is read, written, and transmitted to the program execution function 6 via the network control circuit 4 and the control circuit 7 to read the contents of the memory 5. The read data is transferred to the diagnostic center via the network control circuit 4. In this case, when a read request is made by designating an appropriate address from the diagnostic center, the data in the memory 5 is transferred, and the state of the facsimile machine at that time can be grasped.

Next, FIG. 3 shows a case where the diagnostic center changes the operating parameters of the facsimile apparatus. Here, the operating parameters refer to the equalizer setting amount, the operation of the modulation / demodulation circuit, the transfer speed, the attenuation amount of the attenuator, etc.
It is stored in the memory 5.

First, the memory write request from the diagnostic center is added to the address information and transferred to the facsimile apparatus, and then the operation parameter information is transferred. In this case, assuming that the added address is the operation parameter storage address of the memory 5, the operation parameter of the memory 5 is changed.

Finally, FIG. 4 shows the case where the facsimile machine executes the program transferred by the diagnostic center. First, the diagnostic center sends a memory write request with address information added, and then sends the program. In the facsimile apparatus, the program sent to the added address in the memory 5 is written by the read / write / program execution function 6.

Next, when a program execution request is issued from the diagnostic center and the address of the program is specified, the reading, writing and program executing function 6 of the facsimile machine reads and executes the program. By combining this program execution with the state grasping of FIG. 2 and the operation parameter changing of FIG. 3, it is possible to realize failure diagnosis and failure repair of the facsimile apparatus.

If a fault diagnosis / fault repair program is built in the memory 5, the fault diagnosis / fault repair of the facsimile can be performed by transferring the execution request of the program from the diagnostic center.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the data such as the operation parameters stored in the memory provided inside the facsimile apparatus is changed based on the request from the communication terminal apparatus installed at the remote place. Therefore, it is possible to deal with an unexpected failure due to the function expansion of the facsimile apparatus, and it is possible to increase flexibility in repairing the failure of the facsimile apparatus.

[Brief description of drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for grasping the state of a facsimile device from a diagnostic center

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for changing operation parameters of a facsimile machine from a diagnostic center

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for causing a facsimile machine to execute a program transferred by a diagnostic center.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional facsimile device.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the facsimile apparatus 5. Memory 6 read / write / program execution function

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Eika Iwawaki 2-3-8 Shimomeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo Matsushita Dentsu Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A communication control means for connecting a line based on a request from a communication terminal device installed at a remote location, a memory for storing data such as operating parameters, and reading and writing of data stored in this memory. And a memory control means for controlling the above, and data such as operation parameters stored in the memory can be written from a communication terminal device installed in the remote place.