JPH0761113B2 - Fax machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Field of Industrial Application> In the present invention, an information original to be transmitted such as a document, a drawing, and a photograph is decomposed into pixels by scanning, and the brightness of each pixel is read and converted into an electric signal. After that, the present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus which transmits by using a telephone line, and on the other hand, the receiving side records the brightness of each pixel in the order of the transmitted signal to obtain the received information similar to the transmitted information.

<Prior Art and Problems Thereof> Such a facsimile apparatus of this kind has been promoted in recent years as it has become multifunctional along with the diversification of information transmission. With an information storage memory, the function of sequentially transmitting the same information to a large number of destinations, the function of transmitting the same information to another via another facsimile device having a relay transmission function, or a designated time It has many useful features such as the ability to send to. However, since the semiconductor memory device has a limited memory capacity, none of the semiconductor memory devices have all the above-mentioned functions, and only one or two functions are provided within the range depending on the memory capacity.

On the other hand, the information of the transmitted original is printed on the printing paper on the receiving side by the immediate character transmission method. Therefore, the number of sheets used for printing becomes equal to the number of information originals, which is a huge amount. In addition, when transmitting a relatively large number of information originals, the operator has to wait near the apparatus for a very long time until the transmission is completed. Further, when it is desired to supplementarily explain the information of the manuscript, a memo is written on the manuscript, a note is written, or the manuscript information is transmitted and then a telephone call is made. These various inconveniences are alleviated, assuming that the above-mentioned image information storage memory has a sufficient memory capacity. That is, the received information is temporarily stored in the memory,
If this is monitored by, for example, a display unit so that only necessary information is printed, the amount of printing paper used is greatly reduced. Further, once all the document information to be transmitted is stored in the memory, it can be surely transmitted by the facsimile apparatus having the sequential transmission function even if the operator is not waiting near the apparatus thereafter. Furthermore, by storing the manuscript information and the voice input data for explaining the same at the same time in the memory and transmitting / receiving, it is possible to listen to the voice explanation at the same time when monitoring the display on the receiving side, which is more accurate. Information can be transmitted. However, if an image information storage memory having a memory capacity sufficient to obtain each of these functions is to be provided in a facsimile apparatus that handles data with a slow transmission rate, a large number of semiconductor memory elements must be arranged in parallel. Therefore, it cannot be put to practical use.

<Purpose of the Invention> The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional technical problems, and can include all the functions partially included in the conventional apparatus, and all information to be transmitted. It is an object of the present invention to provide a facsimile apparatus having a memory capacity capable of accumulating the amount of information or all the amount of information to be received and simultaneously recording original information and voice input information in association with each other.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In order to achieve the above object, a facsimile apparatus of the present invention is provided with a voice input / output device, a magnetic tape as a recording medium, a plurality of recording magnetic heads, and a reproducing magnetic flux response. A fixed head type digital recording / reproducing apparatus having a multi-track capable of recording and reproducing individual tracks by digital signals in correspondence with original information and audio information,
An information document reader, a network controller for outputting the read information and voice information to the transmission circuit network, and receiving the document information and voice information from the transmission circuit network; and a display device having a voice output function. An information document printer and a controller for supplying a control signal to each of these devices.
Then, the controller is supplied with a signal for temporarily recording the document information and the voice information transmitted / received by the network controller to the digital recording / reproducing apparatus, and is given by the operation of the input means (for example, the operation display). In response to the instruction, the digital recording / reproducing device is provided with a function unit for supplying a signal for reproducing the received manuscript information and audio information and outputting the information to the display device. It is characterized in that only the information to which the print command is given by the operation of the input means (for example, the operation display) is supplied from the output document information.

<Operation> With the above configuration, the document information and voice input information read by the information document reader or the received information and voice information sent from the network controller are A / D converted in the digital recording / reproducing apparatus. Then, this digital signal is temporarily recorded on each track of the magnetic tape by a plurality of recording magnetic heads. Here, the document information and the voice information are correspondingly recorded on different tracks by the individual magnetic heads. Further, this digital recording / reproducing apparatus is a low-speed head-fixing type, which is different from the high-speed rotating head type, and is capable of recording / reproducing data having a slow transmission rate of the facsimile apparatus. In addition, a multi-track equipped with a required number of recording magnetic heads and reproducing magnetic flux response type heads, and by recording at high density by digital signals, a memory capacity capable of temporarily recording all information including audio information. Can be obtained. The information stored on the magnetic tape is sequentially reproduced through the reproducing magnetic flux response type head according to the reproducing mode of the controller, and the destination facsimile machine is transmitted from the network controller through the transmission line network (public telephone line etc.). Be transmitted to.

On the other hand, the received manuscript information and voice information, which are fetched from the transmission line network by the network controller and temporarily recorded on the magnetic tape of the digital recording / reproducing apparatus, are displayed by a display device (with a voice output function) as required by an operator's input operation. ) Is displayed and output. Therefore, the operator can confirm the contents of the received information by the explanation on the display screen and the output voice on the display device, and can print only the necessary manuscript information among the displayed information on the paper by the input operation. .

<Example> Hereinafter, a preferred example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1 showing an embodiment, an information original reader 1
Is the same as that used in the existing facsimile apparatus, in which an original to be transmitted is decomposed into pixels by optical scanning by a light emitting element, and the light and dark of each pixel is read by an optical reading element and converted into an electric signal. The digital recording / reproducing apparatus 2 includes a plurality of recording magnetic heads and a reproducing magnetic flux response type head, and is almost the same as an S-DAT (fixed type digital audio tape) system having a magnetic tape as a recording medium. It has a structure and is equipped with a voice input / output device. Then, in a track composed of a plurality of heads, document information and audio information are recorded on different tracks by the respective heads, and information is input and output via the buffer 3. The band compression unit 4 is for band compression in order to economically transmit the image signal, and the bandwidth of a normal moving image signal is 4 Mb / s, which is an extremely wide band, and when it is changed to a normal PCM, the bandwidth is 100 Mb / s. Since it requires a transmission speed, it is band-compressed to provide a high-efficiency code transmission system. The modem 5 modulates the binary code into an electric signal corresponding to the communication line, outputs the electric signal from the network controller 6 to the transmission circuit network, and demodulates the signal from the network controller 6. The display device 7 is composed of, for example, a CRT or a liquid crystal display having an audio output function, and is used for monitoring the document information recorded on the magnetic tape of the digital recording / reproducing device 2 and the audio information for explaining it. is there. Information manuscript printer 8
Prints out the information recorded on the magnetic tape onto printing paper.

The controller 9 records an instruction signal from the operation display 10 on a magnetic tape and controls the entire apparatus based on the instruction signal, and has a structure shown in FIG. That is, the central processing unit 11 performs various signal processing according to the control program stored in the read-only memory 13 when the instruction signals from the operation display 10 are input through the input / output circuit 12. Control signals are stored in the random access memory 14 and other devices are controlled via the input / output circuit 15.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Now, when the sequential transmission mode other than the immediate transmission mode is set, an electric signal obtained by reading the information of the original to be transmitted by the information original reader 1 is transmitted via the buffer 3 to the magnetic field of the digital recording / reproducing apparatus 2. Recorded as a digital signal on tape. At this time, the document information from the information document reader 1 and the voice input information to the voice input / output device are recorded by the individual magnetic heads in association with different tracks. At the time of this recording, as shown in FIG. 2 showing the recording format, it is divided into a sub code area SE and a main code area ME, and the sub code area SE is operated via the operation display 10 and the controller 9. Inputted instruction signals, such as a cue signal, a transmission time signal, a destination name signal, a synchronization signal, etc., are recorded, while manuscript information and voice input information are recorded in the main code area ME.
Here, each information is converted into a digital signal and recorded at a high density, and by having a plurality of heads and configured in multiple tracks, a sufficient memory capacity can be obtained, and By using the head fixed type digital recording / reproducing apparatus, recording / reproducing of data having a slow transmission rate can be supported.

Therefore, all the document information to be transmitted and the voice input information for explaining it can be temporarily recorded on the magnetic tape. The recorded information is sequentially read by the reproducing magnetic flux response type head under the control of the controller 9, band-compressed by the band compressing unit 4 via the buffer 3, and the modem 6
It is sent to the network controller 6 after being modulated by. On the other hand, the transmission time signal and the destination name signal of the sub-code area SE are read out by the controller 9 under control, and sent to the network controller 6 via the controller 9, and each information is sent from the network controller 6 at the set time. It is transmitted to the destination facsimile machine through the transmission line network.

In the destination facsimile machine, the modem 5 demodulates each information received through the network controller 6, and the band compression unit 4
Then, the original document information is decoded and is temporarily recorded on the magnetic tape of the digital recording / reproducing apparatus 2 via the buffer 3. And
If necessary, reproduction is performed in accordance with an instruction from the operation display device 10 and the display device 7 monitors. At this time, the information is confirmed by the displayed original information and the explanation by voice, and only the necessary information is printed on the printing paper by the information original printer 8. All the command operations at this time may be performed by the operation display device 10, but when selecting and printing the document information, the display device 7 may send a print command signal.

On the other hand, in the print transmission mode, the information read by the information original reader 1 is band-compressed by the band compressor 4 via the buffer 3 and modulated by the modem 5, and then the network controller 6
Is transmitted to the other party through the transmission line network. At this time,
At the same time that information is sent from the buffer 3 to the band compression unit 4, the same information is sent to the digital recording / reproducing apparatus 2 and recorded on the magnetic tape.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from FIG. 1 is that the band compressor 4 and the modem 4 are removed, and
Only the structure in which these functions are combined in the digital recording / reproducing device 16 is different, and substantially the same effects as those in the above-described embodiment are obtained.

<Effects of the Invention> As described in detail above, according to the facsimile apparatus of the present invention,
Since the head fixed type digital recording / reproducing apparatus having a multi-track having a voice input / output function, a magnetic tape as a recording medium, and a plurality of recording and reproducing heads is provided, a sufficient memory capacity is provided. It can be obtained with an extremely inexpensive structure, can have all the various functions partially possessed by conventional devices, and can temporarily store all the information to be transmitted and all the information to be received. In addition, voice information for explaining the information can be stored and transmitted at the same time. Therefore, when transmitting, the operator does not have to wait near the equipment until the transmission is completed, and the total line capacity of the network is divided and distributed according to the traffic (volume of communication requests) at that time, and overall maximum efficiency is always maintained. You can effectively use the communication network operated by. Further, in the facsimile apparatus of the present invention, the received document information and voice information temporarily recorded in the digital recording / reproducing apparatus are
According to the operator's instruction (input operation), it can be monitored on the display device as needed, and moreover, it is possible to select only the necessary manuscript information from the displayed information and print it on the paper. The amount can be significantly reduced. Further, such an effect can be achieved with a simple configuration without arranging a large number of semiconductor memory elements in parallel. Further, since the original information and the voice information for explaining the original information can be transmitted at the same time, extremely accurate information transmission becomes possible.

[Brief description of drawings]

 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the recording format of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the controller of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is the present invention. It is a block diagram of another embodiment. 1 ... Information original reader 2,16 ... Digital recording / reproducing device 6 ... Network controller 9 ... Controller

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A voice input / output device, a magnetic tape as a recording medium, a plurality of recording magnetic heads and a reproducing magnetic flux response type head, respectively. A fixed head digital recording / reproducing apparatus having multiple tracks capable of recording / reproducing digital signals to / from a track, an information original reader, and output of the read information and audio information to a transmission circuit network, and from the transmission circuit network. The network controller for receiving the document information and the voice information, the display device having the voice output function, the information document printer, and the controller for supplying a control signal to each of these devices, and the controller includes: The digital recording / reproducing apparatus is supplied with a signal for temporarily recording the document information and voice information transmitted / received by the network controller, and the instruction given by the operation of the input means. Accordingly, the digital recording / reproducing apparatus is provided with a function unit for reproducing the received manuscript information and the sound information and outputting the signal to the display device, and the information manuscript printer is provided with the display device. A facsimile apparatus configured to supply only the information to which a print command is given by the operation of the input means, out of the document information output to the apparatus.