JPH0551165A - Facsimile device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display the residual recordable number of stored thermosensible recording paper on liquid crystal displays in a facsimile device. CONSTITUTION:A rotary plate 12 with a reflecting plate is fitted to one end of a holder 10 for holding thermosensible recording paper. Light is emitted from a light sensor 3 fitted in proximity, and the rotating speed of the thermosensible recording paper is obtained from the existence of the reflection so as to compute the whole length of the residual thermosensible recording paper from the relation between the rotating speed and the winding diameter and to display it on liquid crystal displays 15, 16. A user can thereby grasp the residual recordable number of recording paper correctly and know the replacement timing of the thermosensible recording paper positively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile machine, and more particularly to an improved facsimile machine for detecting the remaining amount of recording paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional facsimile apparatus. In the figure, 1 is a thermal recording paper, 2 is an end mark (black band-shaped mark) indicating immediately before the thermal recording paper is out of paper, and 3 is a thermal recording paper. Optical sensor, 4 is a roller, 5 is light emitted from the optical sensor 3, 6 is reflected light from the recording paper 1, 7 is a thermal transfer thermal head, 8 is a control circuit, and 9 is an LED indicating no paper.
It is a lamp.

Next, the operation will be described. Thermal recording paper 1
In order to print by thermal transfer with the thermal head 7, the thermal recording paper 1 is sent to the thermal head 7 by the roller 4. At this time, the optical sensor 3 reflects the light 5 emitted by itself to the back of the thermosensitive recording paper 1 and detects the reflected light 6 to identify the presence or absence of the thermosensitive recording paper. Immediately before the thermal recording paper 1 runs out, the end mark (belt-shaped black mark) 2 shown in FIG. 3 (b) indicating that there is no paper, appears, and the emitted light 5 is not reflected, so the optical sensor 3 is in the off state. Becomes The optical sensor 3 sends this signal to the control circuit 8,
The LED lamp 9 indicating that there is no paper is turned on to notify the user.

[0004]

Since the conventional facsimile apparatus is constructed as described above, it cannot be known until immediately before the thermal recording paper is exhausted. Therefore, when performing continuous reception of many sheets at a time, Since the user needs to replace the recording paper early, and the recording paper is in a roll shape, it is difficult to know how many more sheets can be received.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and provides a facsimile apparatus capable of confirming the number of remaining thermosensitive recording papers received and visually displaying the used amount of thermosensitive recording papers. With the goal.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a facsimile apparatus according to the present invention, a thermosensitive recording paper is held by a rotary holder, a reflector is attached to the rotary holder, and an optical sensor is provided so as to be adjacent to the reflector. In addition to being installed, it has an arithmetic circuit for calculating the rotational speed of the thermal recording paper from the output of the optical sensor and calculating the remaining amount of the recording paper based on the relationship between the rotational speed and the winding diameter, and a liquid crystal display for displaying this.

[0007]

In the facsimile apparatus according to the present invention, the rotation of the rotary holder detects the change in the winding diameter of the thermal recording paper from the change in the rotation speed, and calculates the remaining amount.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1 (a), the same symbols as those in FIG. 3 indicate the same components. 10 is a rotary holder, 11 is a thermal recording paper 1
A spring for fixing to the tray 13 is a rotating plate provided with a reflecting plate, 13 is a tray for thermal recording paper, 14 is an arithmetic circuit, and 15 and 16 are liquid crystal displays.

In FIG. 1 (b), 17 is a non-reflecting body (black body) and 18 is a reflecting plate (white body). In FIG. 1 (c), the relationship between the diameter of the thermosensitive recording paper and the rotational speed of the recording paper main body is also shown as a graph, so 19 indicates the core diameter, 22 indicates the recording paper diameter, and 20 indicates the rotational speed at that time. 21 indicates an intersection of two points on the graph. Also, in FIG. 1 (d),
Reference numeral 23 indicates a core of the thermal recording paper.

In the facsimile apparatus constructed as described above, the thermal recording paper 1 is set in the tray 13 by the rotary holder 10 with the spring 11. Upon receiving a written image from the other party, the thermosensitive recording paper 1 is wound up by the rollers and starts to rotate, whereby the rotary plate 12 with a reflector rotates. Then, the non-reflector 17 and the reflector 18 in FIG. 1B alternately cross in front of the optical sensor, and the optical sensor repeats on and off. From this timing, the rotation speed 20 is calculated by the calculation circuit 14, and the graph of FIG.
= Kx + α) to obtain the heat-sensitive recording paper diameter 22 at that time.

Next, referring to FIG. 1 (d), the value of the outer diameter 19 recorded on the core 23 of the standard recording paper in advance is calculated by using the function A (a) indicating the recording paper length of the a-layer. The total length of the thermosensitive recording paper remaining is calculated by integrating the number of layers up to the outer diameter of the thermosensitive recording paper at that time. Compare this total length with the amount of the first thermal recording paper,
It is displayed as FULL / EMPTY as in the liquid crystal display 15, or is divided by the length of A4 and the remaining recordable number is displayed as in the liquid crystal display 16.

In the above embodiment, the rotary holder 10
The rotation speed of the rotary plate 12 with a reflector attached to the optical sensor 3 was detected by the optical sensor 3, but as shown in FIG. 2, the perforated rotary plate 24 of the optical sensor 27 in which the light emitting portion 25 and the light receiving portion 26 are separated from each other. The counter 14 may detect an ON / OFF operation by passing or blocking light by passing through the central groove 28. Reference numeral 28 denotes a light passage hole.

[0013]

As described above, according to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the remaining amount is displayed by detecting the change in the winding diameter of the thermosensitive recording paper from the number of rotations of the thermosensitive recording paper. It is possible to grasp the maximum number of recordable sheets and to display them on the liquid crystal display all the time, so that it is possible to surely notify the unspecified number of users of the replacement timing of the thermal recording paper.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 (a) is a block diagram of the apparatus, FIG. 1 (b) is a diagram showing its rotary plate with a reflector, and FIG. FIG. 1D is a diagram showing the relationship between the diameter of the thermal recording paper and the rotation speed, and FIG. 1D is a diagram showing the relationship between the roll diameter and the rotation speed.

FIG. 2 is a view showing another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 (a) is a view showing a perforated rotary plate and an optical sensor, and FIG. 2 (b) is a plan view of the perforated rotary plate.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional facsimile apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Thermal Recording Paper 2 End Mark 3 Optical Sensor 4 Roller 5 Emitted Light 6 Reflected Light 7 Thermal Head 8 Control Circuit 9 LED Lamp 10 Rotating Holder 11 Spring 12 Reflector Mounting Rotating Plate 13 Receiving Plate 14 Computing Circuit 15 Liquid Crystal Display 16 Liquid Crystal Display 17 Non-Reflector 18 Reflector 19 Core Diameter 20 Rotational Speed 21 Intersection on Graph 22 Thermal Recording Paper Diameter 23 Core 24 Perforated Rotating Plate 25 Light Emitting Unit 26 Light Receiving Unit 27 Separate Optical Sensor 28 Light Passing Hole

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 1, 1992

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0009

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

In FIG. 1 (b), 17 is a non-reflecting body (black body) and 18 is a reflecting plate (white body). In Fig. 1 (c), the relationship between the diameter of the thermosensitive recording paper and the rotational speed of the recording paper body is shown in the graph. 19 is the core diameter, 22 is the
Shows the recording paper diameter, and 20 shows the rotation speed at that time.
1 indicates the intersection of two points on the graph. Further, in FIG. 1 (d), reference numeral 23 denotes a core of the thermal recording paper.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0010

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

In the facsimile apparatus constructed as described above, the thermal recording paper 1 is set in the tray 13 by the rotary holder 10 with the spring 11. When the image signal from the other party is received, the thermosensitive recording paper 1 is wound up by the rollers and starts to rotate, whereby the rotary plate 12 with a reflector rotates. Then, the non-reflector 17 and the reflector 18 in FIG. 1B alternately cross in front of the optical sensor, and the optical sensor repeats on and off. From this timing, the arithmetic circuit 14
The rotational speed 20 is calculated in step (1), and the thermosensitive recording paper diameter 22 at that time is calculated from the graph of FIG. 1 (c) (calculation is performed by substituting in the equation of y = kx + α).

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0011

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0011] Next, FIG. 1 (d), the using the function A (a) showing the recording sheet length of a-th layer, from the outer diameter 19 which has been stored in advance standard paper core 23, at that time The total length of the thermosensitive recording paper is calculated by integrating up to the outer diameter of the thermosensitive recording paper by the number of layers. This full length is compared with the initial amount of the thermal recording paper and displayed in FULL / EMPTY as in the liquid crystal display 15 or divided by the length of A4, and the liquid crystal display 1 is displayed.
The remaining recordable number is displayed as in 6.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0012

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

In the above embodiment, the rotary holder 10
The rotation speed of the rotary plate 12 with a reflector attached to the optical sensor 3 was detected by the optical sensor 3, but as shown in FIG. 2, the perforated rotary plate 24 of the optical sensor 27 in which the light emitting portion 25 and the light receiving portion 26 are separated from each other. By passing through the central groove, let the light pass,
Counter 1 for ON / OFF operation by blocking
It may be detected in 4. Reference numeral 28 denotes a light passage hole.

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 1

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 (a) is a block diagram of the apparatus, FIG. 1 (b) is a diagram showing its rotary plate with a reflector, and FIG. FIG. 1D is a diagram showing the relation between the diameter of the thermal recording paper and the rotation speed, and FIG. 1D is a diagram showing the relational expression between the winding diameter of the roll and the rotation speed.

[Procedure Amendment 6]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 2

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Fig. 2]

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rotary holder for holding a thermosensitive recording paper, a reflector attached to the other end of the rotary holder, and an optical sensor provided adjacent to the reflector, and a thermosensitive output from the optical sensor. A facsimile apparatus comprising: an arithmetic circuit for calculating the rotational speed of a recording sheet and calculating the remaining amount of the recording sheet based on the relationship between the rotational speed and the winding diameter; and a liquid crystal display for displaying the arithmetic circuit.