JPH08102840A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To previously decide the combination of paper size and resolution in accordance with the memory capacity of page memories that a scanner and a printer have. CONSTITUTION: CDCL(command document capacity list) obtains information on paper size and resolution that a reception-side can receive. NSC obtains information on the memory capacity on the reception-side. Paper size and resolution, which can be used for picture transmission are decided from the selected paper size/resolution/memory capacity on a transmission-side and the same information on the reception-side. An original is read by decided paper size and resolution, and it is transmitted. Only the combination of paper size and resolution, which can be selected, is set among the combinations from the memory capacity of the page memory that the scanner 10 has.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional facsimile-dedicated apparatus is equipped with an image memory having a maximum paper size and a storage capacity corresponding to one page of maximum resolution. On the other hand, a configuration has been proposed in which a communication control device and a facsimile communication function are added to an image scanner or page printer so that the image scanner or page printer can be used as a facsimile.

[0003]

As described above, when the image scanner or page printer is used as a facsimile device, there are the following problems. That is, the image
Scanners and page printers are generally not guaranteed to have an image memory with a storage capacity corresponding to the maximum amount of data (one page of maximum resolution with maximum paper size) at the time of print output. Therefore, the following various problems occur.

Since the paper size and the resolution are negotiated and determined independently in the facsimile transmission protocol, a specific combination of the paper size and the resolution cannot be selected. For example, paper size is A4 and B4, resolution is 200 dpi and 400 dpi
For i, the memory capacity shown in FIG. 7 is required for these combinations. That is, 200 A for A4 size
About 4.0 Mbit at pi and about 16.2 M at 400 dpi
About 5.8 Mb at 200 dpi for bit and B4 sizes
About 23.5 Mbit is required for each of it and 400 dpi. For example, in a printer having a page memory of 20 Mbit, from the viewpoint of the capacity of the memory, (A4
200 dpi), (A4, 400 dpi) and (B4
200 dpi image can be received and printed out,
Images of (B4,400 dpi) cannot be received.

As a result, first, reception may be interrupted midway. That is, in the negotiation before the transmission of facsimile data, the receiving side can receive A4 and B4,
When 200 dpi and 400 dpi notify the transmitting side that reception is possible, and when the transmitting side transmits image data at (B4, 400 dpi), the image memory on the receiving side overflows. Second, the paper size capability of the receiving side is limited. That is, in order to prevent this overflow, when the receiving side notifies the transmitting side that 200 dpi and 400 dpi can be received by A4, the image data of 200 dpi cannot be received by B4. Third, the resolution capabilities on the receiving side are limited. That is, to prevent this overflow,
When the receiving side notifies the transmitting side that 200 dpi can be received by A4 and B4, the image data of 400 dpi cannot be received by A4.

Particularly, in the color printer, since the memory capacity for one page becomes enormous, such a problem is likely to occur.

An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus which solves such a problem.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus which determines a combination of paper size and resolution.

Further, in the direct transmission, since the reading of the original is started after the line connection, the paper size and the resolution have to be decided before the line connection. Otherwise, if the paper size or resolution is incompatible with the memory capacity and unreadable after the line connection, a situation of line interruption may occur.

In particular, when an image scanner compatible with both color and monochrome is used, the data amount of one pixel is greatly different between color and monochrome, so the paper size and resolution that can be used within the limits of the page memory are limited. There is a big difference in the combination. For example, in the case of RGB 8-bit color, one pixel is 24 bits, but in monochrome it is 1 bit.

An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile apparatus capable of selectively operating only a combination of paper size and resolution that can be adopted in view of the memory capacity.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A facsimile apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a receiving capacity detecting means for detecting a paper size receivable on the receiving side, a receivable resolution and a memory capacity used for print output, and the receiving capacity. According to the paper size, the resolution, and the memory capacity detected by the detecting means, the paper size / resolution determining means determines the combination of the paper size and the resolution that can be selected within the range of the memory capacity.

The facsimile apparatus according to the present invention also rejects selections other than a combination of the memory capacity information output means for outputting the memory capacity information of the memory held by the image reading means and the paper size and resolution that can be supported by the memory capacity. And a control means for controlling the operation.

[0014]

With the above means, it is possible to determine the combination of paper size and resolution that can be supported by the memory capacity of the receiving side. Within the determined combination, the original image can be transmitted without any trouble. That is, no memory overflow occurs on the receiving side.

Further, since it is possible to selectively set only the combination of the paper size and the resolution that can be handled by the memory capacity of the memory of the image reading means, for example, in the direct transmission, the paper size or the resolution is read at the time of reading the original after the line connection. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which an image reading error occurs, which is inappropriate in view of the memory capacity, and as a result, communication is interrupted.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is configured as a G4 facsimile machine. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, an image scanner 10 having an expandable page memory and a scaling function, a printer 12 having an expandable page memory and a scaling function, and an image scanner. It is composed of a main body 14 that controls the scanner 10 and the printer 12 and controls communication via a communication line.

In the main body 14, 16 is an encoding circuit for encoding the image data from the image scanner 10 by the MMR encoding system or the like, and 18 is the decoding of the image data encoded by the MMR encoding system or the like. A decoding circuit applied to the printer 12, a communication control circuit 20 for controlling the connection of a communication line, and realizing a facsimile transmission protocol,
Reference numeral 22 is a numeric keypad and a display device, and an operation display panel for inputting various instructions and displaying the operating state, and 24 is a control circuit for controlling the whole. Reference numeral 26 is an image data bus for transferring image data, and 28 is a control bus for transferring control signals.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the operation display panel 22. Reference numeral 30 denotes a paper size / resolution selection key, which is (B4
400 dpi) selection key 30a, (B4, 200 dpi)
i) Select key 30b, (A4,400 dpi) select key 30c, and (A4,200 dpi) select key 30d. Needless to say, the selection key 30
Only one of a, 30b, 30c and 30d can be selected. Light emitting diodes 32a, 32b, 32c, which display the selection state of the selection keys 30a, 30b, 30c, 30d,
32d is provided. In FIG. 2, the selection key 30d is pressed, and in response to this, the light emitting diode 32d emits light. 34 is a ten-key for dialing operation, 36
Is a start key for instructing to start transmission after dial operation, and 38 is a stop key for instructing interruption of dial operation and interruption of transmission.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a flowchart on the transmission side from calling to determining the paper size and resolution according to the capability of the receiving side as a whole. Note that here, the capabilities of the image transmission side are that the paper size is A4 and B4, and the resolution is 20.
0 dpi and 400 dpi, memory capacity is 40 Mbit, and the image receiving side capacity is A4 and B4 for paper size, resolution 200 dpi and 400 dpi, and memory capacity 20.
It is assumed to be Mbit.

The operator on the transmitting side selects a combination of paper size and resolution with the paper size / resolution selection key 30, dials with the ten keys 34, and presses the start key 36 to make a call. (S1). When the line is connected, the sending side and the receiving side mutually confirm the paper size, the resolution, and the memory capacity to be adopted in the facsimile transmission by a predetermined negotiation according to a predetermined negotiation sequence (S2), and the sending side S3-S
As shown in 18, the paper size and resolution used for image transmission are determined and notified to the image receiving side.

A communication sequence between the transmitting side and the receiving side is shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the image transmitting side is first the CDCL.
(Command Document Capability
The image receiving side is notified of the paper size, the resolution, and the memory capacity of the transmitting side. Memory capacity is reported using the NSC area, which is available in free format.

On the image receiving side, RDCLP (Response
se Document Capability Po
The receiving side capability of paper size, resolution, and memory capacity is notified to the image transmitting side. Again, the memory capacity is signaled using the NSC area, which is available in free form.

The image receiving side determines the paper size and resolution to be used for image transmission within the range of the image receiving side capability notified by the RDCLP, as shown in S3 to S18, and determines the CDS (Command Document Stt).
(art) to notify the image receiving side.

After S2, the transmitting side determines the paper size and resolution used for image transmission (S3 to S18). That is, first, when the paper size on the transmitting side is B4, it is confirmed whether or not the receiving side has the B4 receiving capability (S3, S).
4). If the paper size of the sending side is B4 and the receiving side has B4 receiving capability, it is determined that the paper size is B4,
Otherwise, the paper size is determined to be A4.

After determining the paper size as B4 (S4), first, the resolution is determined. That is, the sender has a high resolution (40
When 0 dpi is selected (S5), and the receiving side has the receiving capability of the high resolution (400 dpi) (S5)
6), the transmission side memory capacity and the reception side memory capacity are B
It is confirmed whether or not the high resolution of 4 (400 dpi) can be supported (S7, S8).
(B4, 40)
The original image is read at 0 dpi (S9).

When high resolution (400 dpi) cannot be selected for B4 size, that is, low resolution (200 dpi) is set on the transmitting side.
pi) is selected (S5), the receiving side cannot support high resolution (400 dpi) (S6), the transmitting side memory capacity cannot support B4 high resolution (400 dpi) (S7), and Memory capacity on the receiving side is B
When it cannot support the high resolution of 4 (400 dpi) (S
In either case of 8), B4 size and low resolution (20
It is confirmed whether the memory capacity of the transmitting side and the receiving side can cope with 0 dpi) (S10, S11). If it is possible, the paper size is determined to be B4 and the resolution is determined to be 200 dpi, and the original image is read under the conditions (S12). If not, the paper size is set to A4 and S13 and the subsequent steps are executed.

After the paper size is determined to be A4 (S3, S
4, S10 or S11), first, the resolution is determined. That is, when the transmission side has selected the high resolution (400 dpi) (S13), the reception side has the high resolution (400 dpi).
When the receiving capacity of i) is available (S14), the memory capacity of the transmitting side and the memory capacity of the receiving side are A4 high resolution (400
(S15, S1)
6) If it is possible, it is determined that the transmission at (A4,400 dpi) is possible, and the original image is read at (A4,400 dpi) (S17).

When high resolution (400 dpi) cannot be selected for A4 size, that is, low resolution (200 d) is set on the transmitting side.
pi) is selected (S13), the receiving side cannot support high resolution (400 dpi) (S14), the transmitting side memory capacity cannot support A4 high resolution (400 dpi) (S15), and If the memory capacity on the receiving side cannot support the high resolution of A4 (400 dpi) (S16), the paper size is determined to be A4 and the resolution is determined to be low resolution (200 dpi), and the original image is selected under the conditions. Read (S18).

In the G4 facsimile, 200 dpi of A4 size is an indispensable minimum condition, so that confirmation of transmission / reception capability of 200 dpi of A4 size is omitted.

The document image read in S9, S12, S17 or S18 is transmitted by facsimile (S19), and the process is terminated.

In FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, after the paper size and resolution to be used are determined, the original is read with that paper size and resolution. However, the original is read in advance with the maximum resolution of that paper size, and S9, S12, S17, S
In step 18, the size may be changed to the determined paper size, and the resolution may be changed to the determined resolution by thinning or the like. Such processing is effective for a facsimile machine of a type in which image data of a document image is stored in a hard disk device or the like before making a call.

In the above embodiment, the standard paper size was examined, but it goes without saying that the non-standard paper size can also be taken into consideration. For example, a printer having a 20 Mbit memory cannot print a B4 standard size image of 400 dpi, but can print a B4 short size image of 400 dpi. By providing a means for recognizing the paper size of the document on the transmitting side, it is possible to widely deal with non-standard size documents.

In the above embodiment, since the paper size and the resolution are combined and determined in accordance with the memory capacity, particularly the memory capacity on the receiving side, the capability of the printer on the receiving side can be maximized.

Next, an embodiment relating to determination of a combination of paper size and resolution when reading an image will be described. With the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the control circuit 24 controls the whole as shown in FIG.

That is, when the power is turned on, the capacity of the page memory is read from the image scanner 10 (S21),
Required for G4 facsimile (A4,200 dpi)
The light emitting diode 32d is turned on (S22). Needless to say, the image scanner 10 has at least A
It is assumed that a page memory having a memory capacity capable of reading four originals at 200 dpi × 200 dpi is provided.

Wait for key input (S23). If the operated key is the paper size / resolution selection key 30 (S2
4) The combination of the paper size and the resolution corresponding to the operated key 30 is collated with the table shown in FIG. 7 and it is determined whether or not it can be read by the page memory held (S2).
5). If readable (S25), operated key 3
Light emitting diodes 32a to 32d corresponding to 0a to 30d
Is turned on, and the light emitting diodes of other paper sizes and resolutions are turned off (S26). Of course, this paper size / resolution is stored in a predetermined storage location and used in the process of FIGS. 3 and 4.

If the key cannot be read (S25), the key operation is ignored and the next key operation is waited for (S23). At this time,
It is preferable to display on the display panel or the like that the paper size / resolution cannot be selected from the memory capacity to warn the operator.

When the operated key is a ten-key (S2
4), the process proceeds to the dial input operation process (S27).

In FIG. 6, the memory capacity of the page memory provided in the image scanner 10 is read by communication when the power is turned on. However, at the time when the page memory 10 is connected to the main body 14 or at the image scanner. 10
The user may register in the control circuit 24 when the memory capacity of the page memory is changed. Of course, this information is stored in non-volatile memory, including battery-backed volatile memory. This is particularly effective when the image scanner 10 does not have a function of notifying the memory capacity to the outside.

According to FIG. 6, it is possible to determine the combination of paper size and resolution that can be achieved by the memory capacity of the image memory 10 before the line connection, and the paper size or resolution selected by the operator can be determined by the image scanner 10. It is possible to prevent communication interruption due to the inability of the memory capacity.

[0042]

As can be easily understood from the above description, according to the present invention, the combination of the paper size and the resolution that is possible with the memory capacity of the image memory of the image reading device and / or the image output device is appropriate. Can be determined.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of an operation display panel 22.

FIG. 3 is a part of a flowchart for determining a combination of paper size and resolution during transmission.

FIG. 4 is a part of a flowchart for determining a combination of paper size and resolution during transmission.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a communication sequence for determining a paper size and resolution used for image transmission.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for determining a combination of paper size and resolution that the image scanner 10 can handle.

FIG. 7 is a table showing memory capacity with respect to paper size and resolution.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Image Scanner 12: Printer 14: Main Body 16: Encoding Circuit 18: Decoding Circuit 20: Communication Control Circuit 22: Operation Display Panel 24: Control Circuit 26: Image Data Bus
28: control bus 30: paper size / resolution selection key 3
0a: (B4,400 dpi) selection key, 30b: (B
4,200 dpi) selection key 30c: (A4,400
selection key 30d: (A4, 200 dpi) selection key 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d: light emitting diode 34: ten key 36: start key 3
8: Stop key

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A receiving capacity detecting means for detecting a paper size receivable on the receiving side, a receivable resolution and a memory capacity used for print output, and a paper size, a resolution and a memory capacity detected by the receiving capacity detecting means. In accordance with the above, the facsimile apparatus is provided with a paper size / resolution determining means for determining a combination of paper size and resolution that can be selected within the range of the memory capacity. 2. A memory capacity information output means for outputting memory capacity information of a memory held by the image reading means, and a control means for rejecting a selection other than a combination of paper size and resolution that can be supported by the memory capacity. A facsimile device characterized by the above.