JPH0743742U - Facsimile communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide a system for performing function setting of a facsimile device in a short time through a telephone line. [Structure] A host computer and a facsimile device are connected via a telephone line, and after receiving a reception preparation completion signal by a modem capable of using the first and second modulation / demodulation speeds,
Control data is transmitted according to the ECM procedure at the second (high speed) modulation / demodulation speed.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention is a facsimile communication system, in particular, a host computer and a facsimile machine as its terminal are communicably connected by a transmission control procedure of a binary code signal system, and control is performed in a predetermined field of an HDLC frame which constitutes a control signal of both. The present invention relates to a facsimile communication system in which the functions inside the facsimile device can be changed from the host computer by transmitting data to the facsimile device.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 The facsimile apparatus is provided with various functions such as a sender registration function and an auto dial function. The setting of these functions is generally performed using the input keys (numeric keys or function keys) of the operation unit of the facsimile apparatus. By the way, since it is difficult for the user to set the above-mentioned functions, it is very troublesome for the service person to go out to the user to set the function. In order to solve such a problem, conventionally, a method has been proposed in which a facsimile device is connected to an external terminal such as a computer through a telephone line, and various functions of each facsimile device can be set from the terminal computer.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, according to this conventional method, although it is not necessary for the service person to go to the user, it is necessary to spend an extremely large amount of time on the setting operation when there is a lot of control data for setting the function. There is. Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve such a problem and to provide a useful system capable of performing this in a short time even if there is a lot of control data for setting the function of the facsimile apparatus. There is.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a host computer and a facsimile device as its terminal, which are communicatively connected by a transmission control procedure of a binary code signal system and constitute a control signal for both. A facsimile communication system in which control data is added to a predetermined field of an HDLC frame to be transmitted to a facsimile device so that the function inside the facsimile device can be changed from a host computer. A modem capable of transmitting and receiving signals at both the first modulation / demodulation speed and the second modulation / demodulation speed higher than the first modulation / demodulation speed, and the modems of both the host computer and the facsimile machine usually have the first modulation / demodulation speed. While performing signal communication at the speed, Hand is characterized in that it is switched to the second modem speed upon reception of the HDLC frame including the control data after transmitting or signal that after receiving the.

[0005]

[Action]

 When communication is performed between the facsimile machine and the host computer by a binary code signal transmission control procedure, when the facsimile machine issues a reception preparation completion signal (hereinafter abbreviated as CFR) to the host computer, After that, the host computer transmits the control data that the host computer wants to rewrite (the amount of information is much larger than other signals).

However, in the present invention, since the transmission and reception of the CFR are confirmed and the modems of both the host computer and the facsimile device are switched at high speed, the control data can be transmitted and received in a short time even if the information amount is large. This can be done by setting the functions of the facsimile machine.

[0007]

【Example】

 FIG. 1 shows a hardware configuration of a host computer 1 and a facsimile device 2 to which the system of the present invention is applied. The host computer 1 generates a CPU 3, a ROM 4, an internal memory 5, an external memory 6 such as a floppy disk 6, and a character bit pattern. A character generator 7, a character code generator 8, an input device 9 such as a keyboard, a display device 10 such as a CRT, a printer 11, a modem 12, an NCU 13 for line control, and a telephone 14.

On the other hand, the facsimile device 2 includes a CPU 21, a ROM 22, a RAM 23, a document reading device 24, an operation panel 25, a recording device 26 such as a thermal head, an HD (hard dip) switch 27, a modem 28, an NCU 29 and an auto dial device 31. I have it.

Each of the modems 12 and 28 of the host computer 1 and the facsimile apparatus 2 has a modulation / demodulation speed of 300 bps (bits / second) (first speed) and a modulation / demodulation speed of 2400 to 9600 bps (second speed). In either case, the signal can be remodulated. The host computer 1 and the facsimile device 2 are connected via a communication line 30 and are communicable by a binary code signal system transmission control procedure based on CCITT Recommendation T.30.

Here, the binary coded signal system is a transmission control procedure mainly applied to G3 machines, and although the signal sequence has some similarities to the tonal signal system, there are a large number of control signals and high-level operation is required. It is possible. All control signals in this binary coded signal system are composed of HDLC frames and transmitted / received.

FIG. 2 shows the basic format of the HDLC frame. The frame basically complies with CCITT Recommendation T.30, and has a structure in which many fields such as a preamble field and a flag sequence field are cascaded. Among these fields, the facsimile control field (FCF) contains control signals such as DIS and CSI listed in Table 1. A facsimile information field (FIF) following this field stores additional information for further clarifying the control signal of the FCF. Control data to be set in the facsimile device from the host computer side is stored in the FIF of a predetermined HDLC frame and is transmitted / received.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are signal sequence diagrams showing procedures for setting various functions of the facsimile machine from the host computer. Of these, FIG. 3 shows the procedure for the host computer to read the functions already set in the facsimile machine, and FIG. 4 shows the procedure for writing the new functions. The reading procedure as shown in FIG. 3 is necessary for determining to which address the control data is to be written and for confirming whether the writing is properly executed after the writing is completed. Table 1 shows the contents of each control signal in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[Table 1]

FIGS. 5 to 10 are flow charts for performing the procedure of the signal sequence of FIGS. 3 and 4, of which FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining the operation on the host computer side, and FIGS. 8 is a subroutine for explaining the operation of the predetermined step in more detail, FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the facsimile apparatus, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams for showing the subroutine of the predetermined step in FIG.

First, when the host computer side (hereinafter, called side) dials a facsimile machine (hereinafter, called side) (S1), the timer T1 is set in accordance with Recommendation T.30, Time counting is started (S2). The called side receives the call from the calling side and also sets the T1 timer (S61), and at the same time, transmits each control signal of NSF, CSI and DIS to the calling side (S62). All the control signals are carried out in the structure of the HDLC frame shown in FIG. 2, and the modem speed of the facsimile machine and the modem of the host computer at this time is set to 300 bps.

Whether the calling side receives the control signal of the above-mentioned CSI and confirms the telephone number of the called side (S6), and whether it has a function capable of setting control data remotely from the NSF signal (S7) Is determined (S8). When the called party has the function and wants to read the version of the called party, the calling party sends an NSC signal (S9).

Upon receiving this signal, the called side proceeds from step S65 to step S66 and executes the sub routine of FIG. In this sub routine, if the version read command is issued, the process proceeds from S81 to S82 to set the memory field in which the version is written (S82) and send the NSS signal (S83).

Upon receiving this signal, the calling side advances the step from S10 to S12. In this case, if the NSS signal is not received within the time set by the timer T1, the process proceeds to step S11 and error processing is performed. When the NSS signal is received within the time set in the timer T1, the address table corresponding to the version to be read is searched in step S12, and the process proceeds to S14 via S13.

Step S14 is a subroutine shown in FIG. 7. Here, after confirming that the NSF signal is received from the called side (S41), the data address and the number of bytes to be read are set ( S43), NSC signal is sent to the called side. The called side receives this NSC signal and again executes the subroutine of step S66. That is, the called program proceeds from S81 to S84 and checks the version field address set in S82.

If the contents written in this address are those whose reading is prohibited by the switching of the HD switch 27 on the called side, a prohibit flag is set (S85) and an NSS signal is sent ( In S83), the line is eventually disconnected, but if not, the program proceeds from S84 to S86 and 87 to store the address and the number of bytes in the data part of the NSS signal and temporarily store them in the transmission buffer. Then, it sends out together with the NSS signal to the calling side (S88). Along with this NSS signal, a TCF signal for a modem training check is sent (S89). This TCF signal is sent at high speed, with some confirmation later to send control data at high speed. The step of transmitting and receiving at high speed is shown by double drawing the block as in S89.

When the calling side receives the NSS signal from the called side, the program proceeds from S45 to S46. In this case, if the address of the version field to be read is prohibited from being read by the switching of the HD switch 27 on the called side, the disconnection process is performed. If not, the process proceeds to S47. Upon receiving the TCF signal, it is checked whether or not high-speed remodulation is possible. When the calling modem cannot perform high-speed demodulation, it issues a training failure signal (FTT) (S48). On the other hand, if high-speed demodulation is possible, the CFR signal is transmitted (S49).

If the called side does not receive the CFR signal, it is determined that the training has failed, the speed of the modem is reduced in step S91, and the training is tried again (S92). On the other hand, when the CFR signal is received, the process proceeds to S93, and the data which the calling side is about to read is transmitted. The transmission procedure in this case is based on the ECM procedure of Recommendation T.30. Further, the speed of the modem in this case is high, and therefore, even if the data amount is large, it is possible to transmit in a short time.

When the transmission of the predetermined data is completed, the PPS / EOP signal is transmitted (S94). When issuing this signal, the modem is switched to low speed and thereafter remains low until issuing the TCF signal. Then, it waits for the MCF signal to be sent from the calling side (S95), and if this MCF signal is sent, it proceeds to the return. If it is not sent, the retry count exceeds a predetermined number of times (S96). Until then, the above operation (S94 to S95) is repeated.

The calling side receives the data sent from the called side (S50), and when it subsequently receives the PPS.EOP signal, it sends out the MCF signal and finishes the reading process. The procedure for the calling side to receive the data in step S50 is the same as the procedure for sending the corresponding data on the called side, according to the ECM procedure of Recommendation T.30. When all the read data has been received, the calling modem switches to low speed. Switching to such a low speed can be judged by the PPS / EOP signal.

Next, a procedure for setting the function of the calling side from the calling side will be described. In this case, the processing from the calling side to the called side and the called side returning the NSF, CSI, and CIS signals is the same, so description thereof will be omitted. When the NSF, CSI, and DIS signals are returned from the called side, the calling side is set to the mode in which control data is written to the called side, and therefore the NSC signal is not transmitted.

Therefore, the program on the calling side proceeds from step S8 to step S13 and then to step S15 to execute the subroutine of FIG. That is, first, it is confirmed that the NSF signal is received (S21), the address and the number of bytes of the control data to be written are added to the NSS signal (S23), and the signal is sent to the called side (S24).

Further, a TCF signal is also transmitted following this NSS signal. This TCF signal confirms the training of the called modem and is used to check if this channel is available at high speed and is therefore transmitted at high speed.

Upon receiving the NSS signal, the called side advances the program from S67 to S68 and executes the subroutine shown in FIG. That is, the calling side checks the address to be written, and if it is the prohibited area, the line disconnection process is performed (S100). If it is not in the prohibited area, it is determined by the TCF signal transmitted subsequently whether or not high-speed reception synchronized with the calling side is possible (S101).

If high-speed reception is impossible, the FTT signal is sent out and the training is returned because training is required again. If high-speed reception is possible, the modem is switched to high-speed reception, and at the same time, the CFR signal is transmitted ( S103). When the calling side receives this CFR signal, it advances the program from S26 to S29 and transmits the control data to be written. The transmission speed at this time is high, and the transmission procedure follows the ECM procedure of Recommendation T.30. After sending the control data, the modem switches to a low speed and sends a PPS.EOP signal to the called side (S30).

When the called side receives the control data sent from the calling side at a high speed by the ECM procedure (S104), the control data is written in the designated memory area. Thus, the function on the called side is updated (S105). When the PPS / EOP signal is received (S106), the MCF signal is transmitted (S107) and the process returns.

After the calling side receives this MCF signal (S31), it sends a DCN signal to perform line disconnection processing, and if the MCF signal is not received, the retry count is over a predetermined number of times (S32). The above operation (S30 to S31) is repeated. Upon receiving the DCN signal (S69), the called side also performs line disconnection processing.

[0031]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, the function of the facsimile machine can be changed from the host computer installed in one place without the need for the service person to visit the user, which is very convenient. Since the control data to be set is transmitted at high speed by switching the modem, it can be set in a short time even if the amount of data is large, and the work efficiency is good. Especially, the degree of time reduction can be shortened to 1/8 hours by changing the modem modulation / demodulation speed from the normal 300 bps to 2400 bps, and the work speed can be greatly improved. It should be noted that if the modem modulation / demodulation speed is made faster than 2400 bps, the time becomes further shorter than 1/8. Further, since the data is transmitted by the ECM (Error Retransmission Mode) procedure, there is no error in the data set in the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of a host computer and a facsimile machine to which a communication system of the invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a format of an HDLC frame.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a signal sequence.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a signal sequence.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the system of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the system of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Host Computer 2 Facsimile Device 3 CPU 4 ROM 5 Internal Memory 6 External Memory 7 Character Generator 8 Character Code Generator 9 Input Device 10 Display Device 11 Printer 12 Modem 13 NCU 14 Telephone 21 CPU 22 ROM 23 RAM 24 Reader 25 Operation Panel 26 Recording device 27 HD (hard dip) switch 28 Modem 29 NCU 30 Communication line

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A host computer and a facsimile machine as its terminal are operably connected via a telephone line in a binary code signal transmission control procedure, and control data is stored in a predetermined field of an HDLC frame which constitutes the control signals of both. A facsimile communication system in which the function inside the facsimile apparatus can be changed from the host computer by adding and transmitting it to the facsimile apparatus. With a modem that can send and receive signals at any of the second modulation and demodulation speeds of
Both the modems of the host computer and the facsimile machine normally perform signal communication at the first modulation / demodulation speed, while transmitting / receiving an HDLC frame containing control data after receiving the reception ready signal or after issuing the signal. Is a second modulation / demodulation speed, and carries out signal communication according to an ECM procedure.