JPH09163123A - Color facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow the color facsimile equipment to properly deal with facsimile communication using only a conventional black/white monochromatic image in which transmission of only the monochromatic image or transmission of color image data is selected automatically by both a transmitter side and a receiver side prior to transmission reception of image data. SOLUTION: This color facsimile equipment is provided with a print mode setting means 10 selecting and setting a color print or a monochromatic print, and a signal processing section 1 includes a print mode setting signal set by the print mode setting means 10 to a non-standard function signal(NSS) returned in response to a call from an opposite side. Then the non-standard function signal(NSS) returned from the opposite side is discriminated and a print-out section 7 is operated in response to the print mode designation signal included in the setting signal.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to improvements in color facsimile machines.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, there is a color facsimile apparatus which transmits and receives color image data via a telephone line. Such a color facsimile apparatus reads the hue and saturation information in addition to the lightness of a transmission original. It is transmitted to the receiving side, and on the other hand, the receiving side causes the three primary colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow to be color-printed by the subtractive mixing method according to the transmitted signal. By thus adding the color image, it is possible to transmit the image information with more reproducibility as compared with the monochrome transmission facsimile apparatus.

The function of transmitting such color image data is exerted when each of the transmitting side and the receiving side is a color facsimile apparatus. That is, it is necessary that the transmitting side has a color image reading function and a transmitting function, and the receiving side has a color image receiving function and a printing function. However, when either one of the facsimile machines is a monochrome transmission facsimile machine, naturally only the monochrome image is printed out on the receiving side, and the color facsimile machine processes the color image data. However, there is a problem in that the processing time is wasted and the transmission time becomes long.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been proposed in view of the above circumstances, and both the transmitting side and the receiving side are
Before transmitting / receiving image data, it is possible to automatically switch whether to transmit only monochrome images or to transmit color image data, and it is possible to properly cope with normal facsimile communication only for monochrome images. It is an object of the present invention to provide a color facsimile machine that can be used.

[0005]

The present invention according to claim 1 proposed to achieve the above object is a case where this color facsimile apparatus is used as a receiver,
The printing mode setting means for switching between the color printing and the monochrome printing and the non-standard function signal returned in response to a call from the other side include the printing mode setting signal set by the printing mode setting means, and the other side The non-standard function setting signal returned from the device is discriminated, and the signal processing unit for operating the print output unit according to the print mode designating signal included in the setting signal is provided.

In this facsimile apparatus, if the print mode setting means is set to enable color printing,
When the non-standard function signal (NSF) includes the color print setting signal or both the color print setting signal and the monochrome print setting signal and monochrome printing is set, the non-standard function signal includes the monochrome print setting signal and is transmitted. . On the other hand, when a non-standard function setting signal (NSS) is returned from the sending side, the print mode designating signal included in this signal is referenced, and if the color print designating signal is printed, color printing is possible. The output section is operated, and if it is a monochrome print designation signal, the print output section is operated so as to perform monochrome printing.

In the print mode setting means, if the NSF includes a color print setting signal, or both a color print setting signal and a monochrome print setting signal, unless a special operation is performed, the color image is transmitted to the transmitting side. Color printing or monochrome printing can be automatically performed depending on whether or not there is a transmission function. The present invention according to claims 2 and 3 is a case where this color facsimile apparatus is used as a transmitter.

In the second aspect, when the non-standard function signal returned from the called party includes the color print setting signal, the color image data and the monochrome image data are transmitted. According to a third aspect of the present invention, the color image data and the monochrome image data according to the second aspect are divided into a predetermined amount of data and alternately transmitted by facsimile. Here, the predetermined data amount is image data for one line or one page, and the transmitting side alternately transmits these, and the receiving side identifies them and prints out.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the basic configuration of a color facsimile apparatus F of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a signal processing unit that is configured by a CPU and the like, and controls the following units by connecting an address bus AB and a data bus DB, and 2 is a network control unit that is connected to a telephone line L and controls a telephone switching network. (NCU) 3 is a modem for executing a facsimile communication procedure and transmitting / receiving image data, and 4 and 5 are RAM and ROM which are system memories,
Reference numeral 6 is a printer interface, 7 is a print output unit connected to the printer interface 6 and capable of color printing, 8 is an image sensor capable of reading a color image, and 9 is an image signal for performing compression and correction of image data. The processing unit 10, an operation panel having various operation keys, a liquid crystal screen, etc., which is also a print mode setting unit, 11 is a document sensor for detecting a document to be read and scanned, and 12 is a reading paper feed motor.

The print output unit 7 includes a printer driver 71, an image buffer 72 for temporarily storing print-output monochrome image data and color image data, a carriage motor 73, a paper feed motor 74, and a color printer. Color inkjet head 75 that enables image printing
And a home position sensor 76, a paper pickup sensor 77, and a paper end sensor 78 for detecting the recording paper position.
Etc. are provided.

With this structure, the color facsimile apparatus F of the present invention operates as follows. In steps 100 to 108 of FIG. 2, an operation at the time of receiving image data is shown in a flowchart. The signal processing unit 1
Although it operates according to the facsimile communication procedure, the print mode set in advance by the operation panel 10 is referred to, the print mode setting signal is set in the non-standard function signal (NSF) by a flag or the like, and the signal is sent to the transmitting side (step 100 -10
3). That is, the color print setting signal, both the color print setting signal and the monochrome print setting signal, or the monochrome print setting signal is included in the NSF and transmitted.

Then, since the non-standard function setting signal (NSS) is returned from the transmitting side, the print mode designating signal included as a flag or the like is referred to, and the color output or the monochrome printing is performed from the print output unit 7 according to the signal. Is performed (steps 105 to 107). That is, if the print mode designating signal indicates color printing, the print output unit 7 is operated so that color printing is possible, and if monochrome printing is designated, the print output unit 7 is operated so as to perform monochrome printing.
If DCS (digital command signal) / NSS is not detected within a predetermined time (for example, within 30 seconds) after sending DIS (digital identification signal) / NSF (steps 103 and 104), the facsimile reception is ended.

Upon receiving the image data via the modem 3, the signal processing unit 1 edits the monochrome image data and the color image data into the image buffer 72 of the print output unit 7 via the printer interface 6 and temporarily stores them. The printer driver 71 causes the color inkjet head 75 to print out the image data on the recording paper.

Next, the operation at the time of transmitting image data will be described with reference to the flowchart (steps 200 to 210) shown in FIG. When the reception side facsimile apparatus is called by operating the operation panel 10 or the like, the signal processing section 1 refers to the returned NSF print mode setting signal to determine whether or not the reception side can perform color printing. If DIS / NSF is not detected within a predetermined time (for example, within 30 seconds) (steps 201 and 202), the facsimile reception is ended.

As a response of NSF, the type of image data to be transmitted is designated as NSS and transmitted (step 20).
4, 207), when the monochrome mode is set in advance by operating the operation panel 10 or the like, the detected N
Even if the SF print mode setting is color print setting, monochrome print is designated in the NSS and is sent to the receiving side.

When a color print designation signal is sent,
In facsimile communication, color image data and monochrome image data are transmitted, and when a monochrome print designation signal is transmitted, only monochrome image data is transmitted. In the signal processing unit 1, the image data read by the image sensor 8 is converted into color image data or monochrome image data by the image signal processing unit 9 and then transmitted to the receiving side facsimile device via the modem 3.

At this time, a color image (original) to be read
However, when the color is limited to black and one other color (for example, red), the transmitting side may transmit image data for two colors for one image, which is complicated as in the conventional color facsimile apparatus. It is not necessary to have a simple configuration. Further, the receiving side only needs to discriminate these image data and print in two colors.

Next, the transmission procedure (procedure number (1) to (13)) of the color facsimile apparatus F will be described with reference to FIG. Here, the transmission side and the reception side show the case where the color print setting and the color print designation are performed by NSF and NSS ((3), (4)) before the image data is transmitted. On the transmitting side, the image data is divided into monochrome image data and color image data for each page, and is alternately transmitted by facsimile ((7), (1
0)).

However, the transmission procedure in this facsimile apparatus is not limited to this, and the amount of data to be alternately transmitted may be one line or several lines, and even in the case of page-based transmission, both of them may be transmitted. The image data may be identified in block units and transmitted as one image data.

[0020]

As can be understood from the above description, according to the color facsimile apparatus according to the first to third aspects of the present invention, it is assumed that the other party is a facsimile apparatus which transmits only normal monochrome image data. Also operates so that only monochrome image data is processed at the time of reception, and only monochrome image data is read and transmitted at the time of transmission, which simplifies the configuration of this facsimile device and shortens the processing time and transmission time. You can do it.

On the other hand, when the other side is a color facsimile apparatus, the mode is automatically switched so as to perform scanning and transmission of color images, or reception and printing output.
There is no need to perform facsimile transmission in consideration of the other device. In particular, when the image data is limited to a small number such as two colors, it suffices to have a reading / scanning, printing output, and transmitting / receiving function of only two colors, and unnecessary operations are not performed.
Simpler configuration.

Further, since the image data of the original to be transmitted or the image data to be printed out can be monochrome images only, if unnecessary portions are color images, only the necessary portions are transmitted and printed as monochrome images. Can be convenient.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a basic configuration of a color facsimile apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a basic operation of the color facsimile apparatus of the present invention when receiving.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a basic operation of the color facsimile apparatus of the present invention during transmission.

FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating a basic operation of the color facsimile apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 F ... Color facsimile device 1 ... Signal processing unit 7 ... Print output unit 71 ... Printer driver 72 ... Image buffer 75 ... Color inkjet head 8 ... Image sensor 9 ... Image signal processing unit 10 ... Operation panel

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A print mode setting means for switching between color printing and monochrome printing, and a non-standard function signal returned in response to a call from the other party includes a print mode setting signal set by the setting means. No, a color facsimile equipped with a signal processing unit that discriminates the non-standard function setting signal returned from the other party and operates the print output unit according to the print mode designating signal included in the setting signal. apparatus. 2. A non-standard function signal returned from the called party includes a color print setting signal,
The color facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color facsimile apparatus is configured to transmit color image data and monochrome image data. 3. A color facsimile apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the color image data and the monochrome image data are divided into a predetermined amount of data and alternately transmitted by facsimile.