JPH11136409A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent power waste in a scanner even in the case of incorporating a memory and a control circuit for managing the memory in the scanner so as to utilize the scanner attachable and detachable to/from a main body as a handy scanner completely independent of the main body. SOLUTION: This facsimile equipment is provided with a scanner 9 attachable and detachable to/from a facsimile equipment main body 5 and usable singly as the handy scanner. The scanner 9 is provided with a read part 111 for optically reading images, an image memory 108 for storing image data read in the read part 111 and a second CPU 100 for controlling the memory 108 and the second CPU 100 is turned into a sleep mode when data are not stored in the memory 108.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, a facsimile apparatus has a problem in that a reading device called a scanner is irremovably fixed to a main body and thus lacks convenience. For example, many commercially available facsimile apparatuses cannot read book-type originals because the scanner is fixed to the main body.

In recent years, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-8750
No. 3 publication (H04N1 / 00), Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-11030
As described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H04N1 / 00 and partially commercialized, the scanner is detachable from the main body, and when attached to the main body, the original conveyed by the paper feeding mechanism is used as before. While the document is sequentially read, while it is detached from the main body, a book-type document can be read by manually scanning over the document as in a so-called handy scanner.

[0004]

In such a conventional apparatus, the detachable scanner is reduced in weight simply by providing a minimum circuit required for reading the original, and the user manually operates the original as a handy scanner. The operability for scanning the upper side was improved. In such a case,
Since the data read by the scanner needs to be immediately sent to the main body, conventionally, even when the scanner is used as a handy scanner, the main body and the scanner are always connected by wire or wirelessly.

[0005] When the main body and the scanner are connected by wire, there is a problem that the movement of the scanner when used as a handy scanner is restricted by the connection cord, while the main body and the scanner are wirelessly connected. When connecting
Although the restrictions on the above movements are relaxed, the range in which the scanner can be carried is limited by the capability of the transmitting and receiving circuit for wireless connection, and it is necessary to strictly control the quality assurance at the time of transmitting and receiving.

Therefore, in order to use the scanner as a single handy scanner having a high degree of freedom in portability, data processed by optical reading means such as a contact image sensor provided in the scanner is processed and stored. There is a method in which a memory, a control circuit and a means for supplying a drive voltage to this circuit are also provided in the scanner.

However, if the reading means is directly accessed from the main body when the scanner is mounted on the main body, the control circuit becomes a simple memory management circuit and there is no data to be managed in the memory. In this case, the circuit simply wastes unnecessary power.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its basic structure is to provide a scanner which can be detachably attached to a facsimile apparatus main body and which can be used independently as a handy scanner. A facsimile apparatus comprising: the scanner, optical image reading means,
A storage unit for storing the image data read by the reading unit; and a unit for controlling the storage unit, wherein the control unit is in a sleep mode when no data is stored in the storage unit.

[0009]

1 and 2 are perspective views showing the appearance of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

In this embodiment, a plurality of operation keys including a numeric keypad and an operation panel 2 on which a display 1 made of, for example, a liquid crystal are arranged are rotatably supported at the front end side, and
A main body 5 having a document insertion opening 3 and a recording paper discharge tray 4 formed at the rear end; a handset 7 mounted on the left end of the upper surface of the main body 5 and connected to the main body 5 by a curl cord 6;
It comprises a handy scanner 9 that can be attached to and detached from the opening 8 of the body 5. 1 shows a state in which the scanner 9 is detached from the main body 5, and FIG.
Shows a state where the camera is mounted on the camera.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a top view of a main part for explaining the opening 8, respectively, and FIG.
6A to 6E are views showing the upper surface, the front surface, the lower surface, the left side surface, and the right side surface of the scanner 9, and FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate how the scanner 9 is attached to and detached from the opening 8. FIG. It is a principal part side sectional view of.

As is apparent from FIG.
Is a main body casing 1 having a substantially L-shaped cross section having a horizontal step portion.
0 and a reading unit housing 11 which is disposed on the horizontal step and includes an optical reading element such as a CIS (contact image sensor) or CCD. As is clear from FIG. 6, the reading unit housing 11 is always provided with an urging force above the horizontal step portion by an urging means 12 such as a spring coil. As a result, as shown in FIG.
At the time of mounting on the opening 8, rubber or the like extending in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter, referred to as a main scanning direction) inside the opening 8, and both ends of the opening rotatably supported above the side wall of the opening 8. The upper surface of the reading unit housing 11 can be brought into contact with the platen 13 made of an elastic material.

As is apparent from FIG. 4, guide projections 14 and 1 are provided below both sides of the opening 8 near the opening.
5 is implanted, and a first connector 16 for making an electrical connection with the scanner 9 is arranged on the deepest wall.

On the other hand, as is apparent from FIG. 5, the scanner 9 has a translucent reading window 17 on the upper surface of the reading section housing 11.
Having. The reading window 17 extends in the main scanning direction, abuts on the platen 13 when the scanner 9 is attached to the opening 8, and transmits data written on a document passing between the platen 13 to the optical system. Is read by the objective reading element. The scanning rollers 18 and 1 are provided on the upper surface of the reading unit housing 11.
8 are arranged. The rollers 18 are used when the scanner 9 is detached from the main body and used as a single handy scanner in order to read a book document or the like.
Rotates in accordance with the movement in the sub-scanning direction, and detects the sub-scanning speed in conjunction with a rotary encoder or the like built in the scanner 9 (not shown). The scanner 9 stores data read by the optical reading element and a controller that controls these circuits in addition to the optical reading element and the encoder so as to be usable as a single handy scanner. And a battery power supply for supplying a drive voltage to each of the above components. . Therefore, even when the scanner 9 is detached from the main body 5, the scanner 9 is independently moved in the sub-scanning direction while pressing the reading window 17 against the original, so that the scanner 9 moves at a timing corresponding to the moving speed in the sub-scanning direction. A controller controls the optical reading element to optically read data on the document and store the data in a memory. It should be noted that the data stored in the memory may be data which is read by the optical reading element and is only binarized, but it is possible to store further encoded data from the viewpoint of memory capacity. Preferably, in this embodiment, the latter coded data is stored in a memory.

Of the components arranged in the scanner 9, detachable components such as the battery are arranged in a main body housing 10. Accordingly, the weight of the reading unit housing 11 is always constant, so that the contact pressure between the reading window 17 and the platen 13 by the urging force of the urging means 12 can be always constant. Further, since the urging means 12 is provided on the scanner 9 side, the urging means 12 can be repaired only by disassembling the scanner 9, and does not need to be disassembled to the main body 5.

FIG. 5B shows the front side of the scanner 9.
, A second connector 19 is provided. When the scanner 9 is mounted on the opening 8, the connector 19 is provided on the first connector 1 disposed on the deepest wall of the opening 8.
6 is connected. By this connector connection, the power supply to each part in the scanner 9 is switched from the battery power supply to the power supply built in the main body 5 and the scanner 9 is controlled under the control of the main control means built in the main body 5. Access to the memory, drive control of the optical reading element, and the like can be controlled.

As shown in FIG. 5C, on the lower surface of the scanner 9, first to third slide switches 20 to 22, a push button 23, a power supply display lamp 24, a memory remaining amount display lamp 25, and a speed warning lamp. 26 are arranged.
The first slide switch 20 is a switch for turning on / off the supply of a driving voltage from a battery power supply incorporated in the scanner 9 to each unit, and a second slide switch 21
Is a switch for setting a reading image quality mode when the scanner 9 is used as a single handy scanner. A third slide switch 22 is used to switch between an erasing mode for erasing data in the memory and reading of data by the scanner 9. This is a switch for switching the reading mode to be performed. When the reading mode is selected by the third slide switch 22, the push button 23
The push button 23 is used as a button for instructing start and stop of reading. On the other hand, when the erasing mode is selected, it is used as a button for instructing erasing of data in the memory. The power indicator lamp 24 is turned on when the first slide switch 20 is slid to the on position and the driving voltage is supplied from the battery power to each unit, and the first slide switch 20 is slid to the off position or When the output voltage of the battery power supply is equal to or less than a predetermined value and it is impossible to supply the drive voltage to each unit, the light is not turned on. Above memory remaining amount display lamp 25
Comprises two LEDs, for example, a red LED and a green LED. When the remaining amount of the memory is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the LED lights up in green, and the emission color changes from orange to red as the remaining amount decreases. The speed warning lamp 26 also includes a two-color LED similarly to the memory remaining amount display lamp 25, and lights in green when the sub-scanning speed detected by the rollers 18, 18 and the encoder is appropriate. When the reading timing of the optical reading element becomes longer than a predetermined value, the emission color changes from orange to red.
Accordingly, the appropriate reading operation of the scanner 9 when used alone as a handy scanner can be visually judged by the lamps 24 to 26.

As is apparent from FIGS. 5B to 5E, step portions 27 and 28 which are one step lower are formed on both side surfaces of the main body 10 of the scanner 9, respectively. The steps 27 and 28 both extend from the front to the rear of the scanner 9, and the upper edge thereof is formed in a tapered shape that decreases toward the rear. When the scanner 9 is mounted on the opening 8, the upper edges of the steps 27, 28 abut the upper ends of the guide projections 14, 15 implanted in the opening 8 of the main body 5, respectively. It will be pushed in the direction of the deepest wall. The taper serves to facilitate alignment of the guide projections 14 and 15 with the steps 27 and 28 when the scanner 9 is mounted on the opening 8.

A slide lever 29 is provided on a step 28 on the right side of the main body 10 of the scanner 9. The slide lever 29 is interlocked with the first slide switch 20, and has a first position where the tip protrudes from the surface of the step 28 (partially indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5C), and The other end is pivotally supported so as to be swingable between a second position (shown by a broken line in FIG. 5C) that does not protrude from the surface. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the slide lever 29 and the first slide switch 20 are connected via a rotation shaft 30 disposed in the scanner 9, and as a result, the first slide When the switch 20 is slid to the on position, the tip of the slide lever 29 is at the first position, while when the first slide switch 20 is slid to the off position, the tip of the slide lever 29 is at the second position. I do. When the scanner 9 is mounted in the opening 8 while the first slide switch 20 is slid to the ON position, the tip of the slide lever 29 is brought into contact with the guide projection 14 as shown in FIGS. Abut,
The scanner 9 is rotated from the first position to the second position by the insertion force into the opening 8 of the scanner 9, and this rotating power causes the first slide switch 20 to slide from the on position to the off position via the rotating shaft 30. . Therefore, even if the scanner 9 is mounted on the main body 5 while the first slide switch 20 of the scanner 9 is turned on, the switch 20 is automatically turned off.

Returning to FIG. 3 and FIG.
Extends through the left side wall of the opening 8,
A first gear 33 is attached to the end of the first gear 33.
3 meshes with a second gear 34, and further a third gear 35 meshes with the second gear 34. The second gear 34 is rotatably supported at the back of the opening 8, and the third gear 35 is supported by a rotation shaft of a motor 36.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the circuit configuration of the apparatus according to the present embodiment.
It has a PU50. The first CPU 50 includes an operation panel 2, a printing unit 53, a document conveying unit 54, an image processing circuit 55, and a data conversion circuit, which are connected via a bus 52 based on a control program stored in advance in a semiconductor read-only memory ROM 51. 56, I / O circuit 57, DRAM
(Dynamic Random Access Memory), a control memory 59 including SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) and an image memory 60, a modem 61 and an NCU 62, and the first and second connectors 16. , 19, it also controls the components of the scanner 9 described later.

The printing means 53 has a printing mechanism of a known system such as a thermal system, a thermal transfer system, an electrophotographic system, an ink jet system, a sublimation system, etc., and under the control of the first CPU 50, prints out received data and the like. I do. The document conveying means 54 includes a motor 36 that applies a rotating power to the platen 13 via the first to third gears 33 to 35 described above.
The drive of the motor 36 is controlled under the control of the first CPU 50. The image processing circuit 55 includes the first CPU 5
Under control of 0, the first reading clock signal CLK1 of the reading unit 111 described later is supplied to the scanner 9 via the connectors 16 and 19, and the analog clock received from the scanner 9 via the connectors 16 and 19 is supplied. Are converted into digital signals by binarization or multi-level conversion for each line, and the conversion results are sequentially stored in a one-line buffer 58. Under the control of the first CPU 50, the data conversion circuit 56 needs to transmit and receive various kinds of digital data and commands to and from the scanner 9 via the connectors 16 and 19. Parallel / serial or serial / parallel conversion is performed accordingly. The I / O circuit 57 detects attachment / detachment of the scanner 9 to / from the main body 5 and supplies a signal indicating the attachment / detachment to the scanner 9. Specifically, when the scanner 9 is mounted on the main body 5, one terminal of the I / O circuit 57 is connected to the connector 16,
19 and the resistance 101 in the scanner 9, the first CPU 50 detects this, and the I / O circuit 5
7. Send a high-level scanner connection signal to the scanner 9 via the connectors 16 and 19 (when the scanner 9 is not mounted, the scanner connection signal does not go high). The image processing circuit 5 is stored in the image memory 60.
5, the image data is binarized or multi-valued, temporarily stored in the one-line buffer 58, and then encoded by the first CPU 50, or the NCU 62, the modem 61
Coded image data received from the line via the. The encoded image data stored in the image memory 60 is managed on a page-by-page basis, and the management data is stored in the control memory 59. The image memory 59 and the control memory 60 are always backed up by a backup battery 63 made of, for example, a lithium battery. Therefore, even if the supply of a driving voltage from a power supply 64 described later is stopped due to a power failure or the like, the memory is not affected. The content will be retained. The power supply 64 converts the commercial voltage into a voltage (drive voltage) suitable for driving the respective sections of the main body 5 and supplies the same, and also supplies the drive voltage to the respective sections of the scanner 9 via the connectors 16 and 19. I have. The power supply 64 also supplies a charging voltage for charging a secondary battery in the scanner 9 described later via the connectors 16 and 19.

On the other hand, the scanner 9 includes a second CPU 100 as a sub control unit. This second CPU 100
The second CPU 100 is a one-line circuit comprising an image processing circuit 104, a data conversion circuit 105, an I / O circuit 106, and a DRAM connected by a bus 103 based on a control program stored in advance in a semiconductor read only memory ROM 102. Buffer 107, control memory 109 composed of SRAM, image memory 10 composed of flash memory
8. Each part of the operation panel 110 and the synchronization detection circuit 116 can be controlled independently, and controls the above-mentioned parts according to the control from the first CPU 50 of the main body 5 when mounted on the main body 5. Further, the scanner 9 has an optical reading element as described above, and has a reading unit 111 that outputs image data read by this element as an analog read image signal, and the reading unit 111 under the control of the second CPU 100. An output changeover switch 112 for selectively switching and outputting the read image signal to the image processing circuit 104 of the scanner 9 and the image processing circuit 55 of the main body 5 via the connectors 19 and 16 is also provided. Further, the scanner 9 includes a power supply circuit 113 and a drive battery 114 including a known secondary battery such as lithium ion, nickel hydride, nickel cadmium, or the like. The power supply circuit 113 is switched and connected to the supply line for the drive voltage supplied from the power supply 64 of the main body 5 through the connectors 16 and 19 by the first slide switch 20 or to the drive battery 114. A drive voltage is supplied to each unit in the scanner 9 based on the voltage supplied from the scanner 9. The switching connection to the power supply circuit 113 is connected to the drive battery 114 side as shown by a solid line in FIG. 8 when the first slide switch 20 is on, and is supplied as shown by a broken line when the switch 20 is off. Connected to the side. Therefore, when the first slide switch 20 is off when the scanner 9 is not mounted on the main body 5, the drive voltage is not supplied to each part in the scanner 9.

The image processing circuit 104 of the scanner 9 outputs the second reading clock signal CLK2 for the reading unit 111 as well as the analog reading received from the reading unit 111, similarly to the image processing circuit 55 of the main body 5. The image signal is binarized or multi-valued for each line and converted into a digital signal,
The result of the conversion is sequentially stored in the one-line buffer 107. The first clock signal CLK1 output from the image processing circuit 55 of the main body 5 and the second clock signal CLK output from the image processing circuit 104 of the scanner 9
2 is not supplied to the reading unit 111 at the same time, and one of the first and second clock signals is selectively supplied by the clock switch 117.

The data conversion circuit 1 of the scanner 9
05, the one-line buffer 107, the image memory 108, and the control memory 109 operate in the same manner as the data conversion circuit 56, the one-line buffer 58, the image memory 60, and the control memory 59 of the main unit 5 under the control of the second CPU 100, respectively. I do. The control memory 109 of the scanner 9 also has a backup battery 115 made of, for example, a lithium battery.
And the image memory 108 is constituted by a flash memory that does not need to be backed up. Therefore, even when the supply of the driving voltage from the power supply circuit 113 is stopped due to the turning off of the first slide switch 20, a power failure, or the like. Memory contents are retained.

The I / O circuit 106 of the scanner 9 is output from the I / O circuit 57 of the main body 5 and has connectors 16 and 19.
Is a circuit for receiving a scanner connection signal sent via the. The operation panel 110 detects the operation states of the second and third slide switches 21 and 22 and the push button 23 and notifies the second CPU 100 of the operation state. Quantity display lamp 25 and speed warning lamp 2
6 is controlled. Further, the synchronization detection circuit 116
Includes the above-described rollers 18, 18 and an encoder,
The sub-scanning speed of the scanner 9 detected by these is set to the second
Notify CPU100.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

In the facsimile apparatus of the present embodiment, as can be inferred from the above description, the facsimile operation mode is as follows. A. an operation mode for receiving data transmitted via a line (first operation mode); B. an operation mode in which the scanner 9 is detached from the main body 5 and used as a single handy scanner (second operation mode); B. an operation mode in which the data stored in the read image memory 108 in the second operation mode is mounted on the main body 5 of the scanner 9 and then transmitted and copied (third operation mode); There are four operation modes (fourth operation mode) in which the scanner 9 is attached to the main body 5 and the original data read by the scanner 9 is transmitted and copied and output (fourth operation mode). Each will be described in detail. [First Operation Mode] The reception operation in the first operation mode can be basically performed irrespective of whether the scanner 9 is attached to or not attached to the main body 5.

That is, when facsimile data is transmitted from the transmitting side via the line, the first CPU 50 of the main body 5
First controls the NCU 62 to connect the line to the modem 61 side, and the modem 61 demodulates the received signal. Thereafter, the first CPU 50 sequentially stores the demodulated received signals in the image memory 60, decodes the received signals stored in the image memory 60, and outputs the decoded data to the printing unit 5.
3 to print out on recording paper. Accordingly, since no circuit in the scanner 9 is required during the receiving operation, attachment / non-attachment of the scanner 9 to the main body 5 is not related to the receiving operation. [Second Operation Mode] The independent use of the scanner 9 as a handy scanner in the second operation mode will be described.

When the scanner 9 is used alone, only the drive battery 114 is the source of the drive voltage supplied to each unit in the scanner 9. Therefore, the driving of each unit in the scanner 9 follows the on / off operation of the first slide switch 20.

When the scanner 9 is used as a single handy scanner, first, the first slide switch 20 is turned on to supply a drive voltage to each unit in the scanner 9.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the second CPU 100 based on the control program in the ROM 102. The second operation mode will be described below based on this flowchart.

At the time when the driving voltage is supplied to the second CPU 100, the second CPU 100
Since it is not known whether or not it is attached to the main body 5, the connection with the main body 5 is determined in step S1. Specifically, when the scanner 9 is mounted on the main body 5 as described above, the connectors 16, 1, and 2 are transmitted from the I / O circuit 57 of the main body 5.
9, a high-level scanner connection signal is supplied to the I / O circuit 106 of the scanner 9 while the scanner connection signal is not supplied when the scanner 9 is not mounted. The second CPU 1
00 determines the connection state with the main body 5.

Therefore, the scanner 9 in the second operation mode
Is not supplied with a high-level scanner connection signal, the second CPU 1
00 advances the process to the S2 step.

In step S2, the second CPU 100 sets the output switch 112 and the clock switch 117
Is controlled so that the output of the reading unit 111 is output to the image processing circuit 104, and the second clock signal CLK2 is supplied as a reading clock of the reading unit 111. That is, when the output analog signal of the reading unit 111 is converted into a digital signal by the image processing circuit 104 of the scanner 9, a reading clock for the reading unit 111 is also supplied from the image processing circuit 104, so that the analog signal is converted. The timing of the reading and the conversion to the digital signal are completely matched.

In the following S3 step, the second CPU 100
Controls the operation panel 110 to control lighting of the power supply display lamp 24 and the memory remaining amount display lamp 25. More specifically, since the second CPU 100 has broken down and the driving voltage itself has an operable voltage value as a matter of course, the operation panel 1 is turned on so that the power supply indicator lamp 24 is turned on.
10 and the management information of the data stored in the image memory 108 in page units as described above is stored in the control memory 109.
Based on the management information, the free space of the image memory 108 is detected, and the operation panel 110 for controlling the lighting of the remaining amount display lamp 25 is controlled based on the detection result.
The page in this embodiment is a set of data that is read during a series of reading periods that are started in step S6 to be described later and ended in step S10. Is also good.

Thereafter, the second CPU 100 advances the process to step S4, determines whether or not the third slide switch 22 is set to the reading mode based on the output of the operation panel 110, and determines that the third slide switch 22 is set to the reading mode. If it is determined, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S5, the second CPU 100
The operation panel 1 determines whether or not the push button 23 has been operated.
The determination is made based on the output of No. 10, and if it is determined that no operation has been performed, the process returns to step S4. On the other hand, if it is determined that the push button 23 has been operated, the process proceeds to step S6 to enable reading of the document data.

That is, in step S6, the second CPU 10
0 is the roller 18 based on the manual operation of the scanner 9;
The output of the reading unit 111 is binarized or multi-valued by using the synchronization signal output from the encoder in the synchronization detection circuit 116 as the reading timing in accordance with the rotation of 18, and the output is set to 1 for each line.
The image processing circuit 104 stores the image data in the line buffer 107.
And sequentially encodes the data stored in the one-line buffer 107 based on a known encoding method such as MH or MR, and stores the encoded data in the image memory 1.
08 sequentially. At this time, the second CPU 100
The storage position of each data in the image memory 108 is stored in the control memory 109 in page units.

During reading of the document data, the second CPU 10
0 is the operation panel 110 in steps S7 and S8.
Is monitored, the operation of changing the third slide switch 22 to the erase mode and the operation of the push button 23 are determined, and if neither operation is detected, the above reading is continued.

On the other hand, when the operation of changing the third slide switch 22 to the erasing mode is detected in step S7, the second CPU 100 advances the process to step S9 to change the page unit in the image memory 108 including the data currently being read. And the position information in the control memory 109 relating to the erased data is also erased at the same time. Then, in step S10, the reading operation is immediately terminated and the process returns to step S4. Further, when the operation of the push button 23 is detected in step S8, the second
The CPU 100 immediately advances the process to step S10, ends the reading operation, and returns the process to step S4.

Returning to step S4, if it is determined in this step that the third slide switch 22 is set to the erasing mode, the second CPU 100 executes the processing in step S4.
Proceeding to step 11, the operation of the push button 23 is determined as in steps S5 and S8. In this determination,
If the operation of the push button 23 is not detected, the second
The CPU 100 returns the process to the step S4. On the other hand, when the operation of the push button 23 is detected, the second CP
U100 returns the process after step S12 to step S4.

In step S12, the second CPU 10
0 erases all data in the image memory 108 and erases all position information on data in the image memory 108 in the control memory 109.

As described above, when the scanner 9 is used as a single handy scanner, it is possible to read the data in this usage mode and erase the data stored in the image memory 109 in page units. Thus, a decrease in the reading accuracy due to the above can be immediately restored. In addition, when all the data stored in the image memory 109 becomes unnecessary, all the data can be collectively erased, so that the usability is improved for the user. [Third Operation Mode] In the second operation mode, the data stored in the image memory 109 of the scanner 9 can be transmitted and copied via the main body 5 by mounting the scanner 9 on the main body 5. it can.

When the scanner 9 is mounted on the main body 5, if the first slide switch 20, which is the power switch of the scanner 9, is turned off, the first slide switch 20 is turned off as shown by a broken line in FIG.
The slide switch 20 supplies a drive voltage supplied from the power supply 64 of the main body 5 to the power supply circuit 113. Therefore, a driving voltage is supplied from the power supply circuit 113 to each part of the scanner 9. At this time, a charging voltage is supplied from the power supply 64 of the main body 5 to the driving battery 114 to perform charging. On the other hand, when the first slide switch 20, which is the power switch of the scanner 9, is turned on, the first slide switch 20 is turned off with the attachment of the scanner 9 to the main body 5 as described above. First
As in the case where the slide switch 20 is turned off, a driving voltage is supplied from the power supply circuit 113 to each part of the scanner 9, and the driving battery 114 supplies the power supply 6 of the main body 5.
4, a charging voltage is supplied to perform charging.

When the scanner 9 is mounted on the main body 5,
As described above, the first CPU 50 of the main body 5 has the I / O circuit 57
, And a high-level scan connection signal is transmitted from the I / O circuit 57 to the I / O circuit 106 of the scanner 9. Upon detecting this connection signal, the second CPU 100 of the scanner 9 converts the analog image signal output from the reading unit 111 into the image processing circuit 55 of the main body 5 instead of the image processing circuit 104 of the scanner 9 as shown in step S13 of FIG. The output changeover switch 112 is switched as shown by the broken line in FIG.
7 is switched to supply the second clock signal CLK2 as a reading clock of the reading unit 111 indicated by a broken line in FIG. Accordingly, when the output analog signal of the reading unit 111 is converted into a digital signal by the image processing circuit 55 of the main body 5, the reading clock for the reading unit 111 is also supplied from the image processing circuit 55. And the timing of conversion to a digital signal can be completely matched.

In the following S14 step, the image memory 1
It is determined whether 08 is empty. Specifically, the second
The CPU 100 makes the determination based on the management data in the control memory 109. If it is determined in step S14 that no data is stored in the image memory 108, the second CPU 100 enters a sleep (standby) mode for power saving in step S15. When it is determined that the command is stored, the second CPU 100 determines in step S16 whether or not there is a command transmitted from the first CPU 50 via the data conversion circuits 56 and 105. In the step, the process corresponding to the received command is executed, and the process returns to the step S13. Therefore, when all the data in the image memory 108 is erased by the processing in the above-mentioned S17 step, the second CPU 100 enters the sleep (standby) mode in S15 step.

On the other hand, in the first CPU 50 of the main unit 5, the connection of the scanner 9 to the main unit 5 is completed, and the first slide switch 20, output switch 112, and clock switch 117 are switched as shown by the broken lines in FIG. After that,
The control operation from step S20 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10 is executed.

That is, in step S20, the first CPU 5
In the case of 0, the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 is detected and displayed on the display 1. Specifically, the first CPU 50 is the second CPU 1 of the scanner 9.
At 00, a command instructing detection of the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 is transmitted via the data conversion circuits 56 and 105. Upon receiving this command, the second CPU 100 determines the data stored in the image memory 108 based on the management data in the control memory 109 regarding the data stored in the image memory 108 in accordance with steps S16 and S17 in FIG. The number of pages is detected, and the detection result is returned to the first CPU 50 via the data conversion circuits 105 and 56. The first CPU 50 that has received this detection result stores it in the control memory 59 and displays it on the display 1 so that the user can easily read the number of pages of data read by the scanner 9 and stored in the image memory 108. Make it recognizable.

Thereafter, the first CPU 50 executes S21 and S
In step 22, the process waits for a copy instruction from the operation panel 2 of the main body 5 or input of a destination telephone number for transmission.
If there is a copy instruction, the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S23, the first CPU 50
It is determined whether a document is set in the document insertion slot 3 of the main body 5 or not. This determination is made based on the detection result from the document detection sensor in the document feeder 54. If it is determined that the document is set, the first CPU 50 determines in step S24 the same as the copy process performed by a normal facsimile machine. Execute the processing of That is, the first CPU 50
Indicates that the original set in the original insertion slot 3 is
4, the image processing circuit 55 converts the read image signal of the original image data read by the reading unit 111 into a binary or multi-line image for each line while synchronizing with the conveyance of the original conveying means 54. The image processing circuit 55 is controlled so as to be converted into a value and stored in the one-line buffer 58.
The data stored in the line buffer 58 is sequentially sent to the printing means 53 so that printing is performed on recording paper line by line. S2
Upon completion of the four-step process, the first CPU 50 returns the process to the step S20.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S23 that a document has not been set, the first CPU 50 advances the process to step S25. In this step, the first C
The PU 50 determines whether or not the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 stored in the control memory 59 is “0” in step S20 described above. A message requesting that the original be set in the original insertion slot 3 is displayed on the display 1, and the process returns to step S23. That is, in this embodiment,
If there is no encoded data to be copied and output in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 and a document is not set in the document insertion port 3 when a copy request is made in step S21, Of the original set. If it is determined in step S25 that the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 stored in the control memory 59 is “1 or more”, the first CPU
In step S50, the process proceeds to step S27. In step S27, the first CPU 50 determines whether or not the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 stored in the control memory 59 in step S20 is “1”.
If it is determined to be “1”, the process proceeds to step S29, and if it is determined to be “2 or more”, the process proceeds to step S29 after performing step S28.

In step S28, the first CPU 50
Displays a first message prompting the display 1 to specify a page to be copied. At this time, if there is no such designation along with the message, a second message indicating that the copy target is all pages is also displayed at the same time. When the user inputs data indicating a specific page or a page range to be copied using the keys on the operation panel 2 in accordance with the first message, the first CPU 50 responds to the input and the second message on the display 1 is displayed. Is changed to the input data, and the input data is stored in the control memory 59.

In step S29, the first CPU 50
Determines whether or not an instruction input indicating copy start has been performed using the keys on the operation panel 2, and if there is this instruction input, the process proceeds to step S30.

In step S30, the first CPU 50
The coded data is read from the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 based on the data indicating the specific page or page range to be copied stored in the control memory 59, and printing is performed. Specifically, the first CPU 50 first issues a command requesting reading of encoded data in the image memory 108 corresponding to data indicating a specific page or page range to be copied via the data conversion circuits 56 and 105. 2nd CPU
Send to 100. The second CPU that has received the above command
Reference numeral 100 denotes the image memory 108 designated by the reception command in accordance with steps S16 and S17 in FIG.
The encoded data therein is read out line by line and sequentially sent to the first CPU 50 via the data conversion circuits 105 and 56. When receiving the encoded data, the first CPU 50
Decrypts the data for each line, supplies the decrypted data to the printing means 53 sequentially, and prints out the data on recording paper. Incidentally, S27
In step S2, when it is determined that there is only one page of encoded data in the image memory 108, and
When all pages are designated in the eight steps, the command transmitted from the first CPU 50 to the second CPU 100 is a read request for all pages.
Further, after the copy is completed, data indicating a specific page or a page range to be copied, which is stored in the control memory 59, is held as processed page data.

When the copy processing in step S30 is completed, the first CPU 50 issues a message asking whether it is necessary to delete the encoded data in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 specified by the processed page data in the control memory 59 in step S31. Is displayed on the display 1, and in step S32, it is determined whether or not a key input indicating that erasure is required is input from the operation panel 2 for a predetermined period, and it is determined that erasure is required within the period. When there is a key input, the first CP
In step S33, the U50 deletes the encoded data in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 specified by the processed page data. Specifically, the first CPU 50 issues a command requesting deletion of the encoded data in the image memory 108 corresponding to the processed page data in the control memory 59 to the second CPU of the scanner 9 via the data conversion circuits 56 and 105.
Send to CPU100. The second that received this command
The CPU 100 sequentially processes the above-described steps S16 and S17 in FIG.
08, and the management data in the control memory 109 is changed in accordance with the deletion. Also, at this time, when the above-described erasing process is completed, the second CPU 100
Step S14 in FIG. 9 is processed. Therefore,
If all data in the image memory 108 has been erased by the above-described erasing process, the second CPU 100 proceeds to S15
In the step, a sleep (standby) mode is set. On the other hand, the first CPU 50 returns the post-command transmission process to step S20.

Returning to step S22, if it is determined in this step that a telephone number has been input, the first C
The PU 50 advances the process to step S34.

In step S34, the first CPU 50
It is determined whether or not an instruction input indicating transmission start has been performed using the keys on the operation panel 2, and if there is this instruction input, the process proceeds to step S35.

In step S35, the first CPU 50
It is determined whether or not a document is set in the document insertion slot 3 of the main body 5 in the same manner as in the above-described step S23. The same processing as the transmission processing is performed. That is, first, a dial call is made based on the telephone number input in step S22 to establish a line with the destination, and then the first CPU 50
Indicates that the original set in the original insertion slot 3 is
4, the image processing circuit 55 converts the read image signal of the original image data read by the reading unit 111 into a binary or multi-line image for each line while synchronizing with the conveyance of the original conveying means 54. The image processing circuit 55 is controlled so as to be converted into a value and stored in the one-line buffer 58.
The data stored in the line buffer 58 is sequentially encoded and temporarily stored in the image memory 60 line by line, and the stored encoded data is transmitted to the modem 61 and the NCU 62.
Is sent out to the line one by one through. When the process in step S36 ends, the first CPU 50 returns the process to step S20.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S35 that a document has not been set, the first CPU 50 advances the processing to step S37. In this step, the first C
The PU 50 determines whether or not the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 stored in the control memory 59 is “0” in the above-described S20 step. A message requesting that the original be set in the original insertion slot 3 is displayed on the display 1, and the process returns to step S35. That is, in this embodiment,
If there is no encoded data to be transmitted in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 and there is no original set in the original insertion slot 3 when there is a transmission request in the step S22, A document set is requested.

If it is determined in step S37 that the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 stored in the control memory 59 is "1 or more", the first CPU 50
Proceeds to step S39. In step S39, the first CPU 50 determines whether the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 stored in the control memory 59 in step S20 is "1", and determines that the number is "1". In this case, the process proceeds to step S41, and if it is determined that “2 or more”, the process proceeds to step S40 and then S
The process proceeds to a step 41.

In step S40, the first CPU 50
Is a first prompt for inputting a page to be transmitted to the display 1.
Display a message. At this time, if the message is not specified together with the message, a second message indicating that the transmission target is all pages
Display a message at the same time. When the user inputs data indicating a specific page or page range to be copied using the keys on the operation panel 2 according to the first message,
The first CPU 50 responds to this input by using the second CPU 50 on the display 1.
The message is changed to the input data, and the input data is stored in the control memory 59.

In step S41, the first CPU 50
Determines whether an instruction input indicating transmission start has been performed using the keys on the operation panel 2, and if there is this instruction input, the process proceeds to step S42.

In step S42, the first CPU 50
The coded data is read from the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 based on the data indicating the specific page or page range to be transmitted stored in the control memory 59, and transmitted. Specifically, the first CPU 50 first issues a command requesting reading of encoded data in the image memory 108 corresponding to data indicating a specific page or page range to be transmitted via the data conversion circuits 56 and 105. 2nd CPU1
00 and at the same time, dialing is performed based on the telephone number entered in step S22 to establish a line with the destination. The second CPU 10 receiving the command
0 indicates that the coded data in the image memory 108 specified by the reception command is read line by line in accordance with steps S16 and S17 in FIG.
The data is sequentially transmitted to the first CPU 50 via the ports 05 and 56. Upon receiving the encoded data, the first CPU 50 transmits the data to the line via the modem 61 and the NCU 62 for each line. In step S39, the image memory 108
When it is determined that only one page of encoded data is present, and when all pages are designated in step S40, the first CPU 50 naturally transmits the second page.
The command transmitted to the CPU 100 is a read request for all pages. After the transmission is completed, the control memory 5
Data indicating a specific page or page range to be transmitted, which is stored in No. 9 is held as processed page data.

When the processing in step S42 is completed, the first
The CPU 50 advances the processing to the step S31. Therefore, after the transmission processing in step S42, the transmitted encoded data in the image memory 108 can also be selectively deleted.

In the present embodiment, the transmission processing in step S40 simply reads the encoded data stored in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 line by line.
Although transmission is performed as it is, it is necessary to perform reduction processing before transmission depending on the reception recording capability of the receiving side.

In this case, the image memory 1 of the scanner 9
Since the data in 08 is already coded, it is impossible to reduce it as it is. Therefore, it is necessary to decode the encoded data once, reduce the decoded data by thinning or the like, and then encode and transmit the decoded data again. However, the decoding, reduction, and re-encoding processes are all performed by the first CPU 50.
Alternatively, the processing may be performed by one of the second CPUs 100, and only the above-described decoding is performed by the second CPU 10 of the scanner 9.
0, and performs reduction and re-encoding on the first CPU 5 of the main unit 5.
0, and the decoding and reduction may be performed by the second CPU.
The processing may be performed by 100 and only the re-encoding may be performed by the first CPU 50. First CPU 50 or second CPU 10
If all processing is performed on one of the 0, the other C
Since the PU can be used for another processing, the processing capacity of the entire apparatus can be improved, while the first CPU 50 and the second CPU 1
Sharing the processing at 00 has the advantage of reducing processing time. [Fourth Operation Mode] The fourth operation mode and the third operation mode
The difference from the operation mode is that the image memory 108 of the scanner 9
The only difference is whether or not encoded data exists. Therefore, the control operation of the first CPU 50 basically corresponds to the control operation shown in FIG. 10, and the difference is that there is no encoded data in the image memory 108, and thus the control operation of S 27 to S 3 in FIG.
3 and each of the steps S39 to S42 does not function at all. Accordingly, detailed description of the operation will be duplicated and will not be repeated.

In the above description, only the method using switches and buttons on the operation panel 110 of the scanner 9 has been described as a method of erasing data in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9. Can be erased using the keys on the operation panel 2 of the main body 5 in the state of being mounted on the main body 5.

More specifically, the first CPU 50 sends an erasure request to the data in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 using the keys on the operation panel 2 at the same time as the determination steps of S21 and S22 shown in FIG. The presence / absence is also determined, and when the above-mentioned erasure request is made, as shown in FIG.
In step 20, it is determined whether the number of pages of data stored in the image memory 108 stored in the control memory 59 is "0". If the number of pages is determined to be "0", the process returns to step S20. On the other hand, if it is determined that “1 or more”, the first CPU
In step S51, a message for prompting the display 1 to input a page to be erased and a message indicating that all pages are to be erased are displayed at the same time on the display 1 in the step S51. When the user inputs data indicating a specific page or a page range to be erased by using the keys on the operation panel 2 in accordance with the input prompting message, the first CPU 50 responds to the input and the message to be erased on the display 1. Is changed to the input data, and the input data is stored in the control memory 59. Thereafter, when the first CPU 50 detects that an instruction input indicating the start of erasing has been performed using the keys on the operation panel 2 in step S52,
The process proceeds to step S53. In step S53,
The first CPU 50 deletes the coded data in the image memory 108 of the scanner 9 specified by the above-mentioned page data to be deleted. Specifically, the first CPU 50 controls the control memory 59
A command requesting erasure of the encoded data in the image memory 108 corresponding to the page data to be erased in the second CPU 100 of the scanner 9 via the data conversion circuits 56 and 105.
Send to Second CPU 100 receiving this command
Sequentially processes the steps S16 and S17 in FIG. 9 described above, deletes the encoded data in the image memory 108 specified by the command, and changes the management data in the control memory 109 with this deletion. At this time, when the erasing process is completed, the second CPU 100 proceeds to S1 of FIG.
Four steps will be processed. Therefore, when all the data in the image memory 108 has been erased by the above-described erasing process, the second CPU 100 enters the sleep (standby) mode in step S15. On the other hand, the first CPU 50 returns the post-command transmission process to step S20.

[0070]

According to the present invention, a memory and a control circuit for managing the memory are provided in the scanner so that the scanner detachable to the main body can be used as a handy scanner completely independently of the main body. Even when the memory is built-in, when there is no data in the memory, the control circuit enters a sleep state, so that power consumption in the scanner can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing one embodiment of a facsimile apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a main part of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional top view showing a main part of the apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a top view (a), a front view (b), a bottom view (c), a left side view (d), and a right side view (e) for describing a scanner of the apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a scanner 9 to an opening 8 in the apparatus of the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a main part for explaining attachment / detachment of the scanner and configuration of the scanner 9.

FIG. 7 shows a scanner 9 to an opening 8 in the apparatus of the present embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional top view of a main part for explaining attachment / detachment of the scanner and configuration of the scanner 9.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining a circuit configuration of the apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates a second CPU 100 of the scanner 9 according to the present exemplary embodiment.
5 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation of a first CPU 50 of a main body 5 of the apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a control operation of a first CPU 50 of the main body 5 of the apparatus of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Main Body 9 Scanner 16 First Connector 19 Second Connector 50 First CPU 55 Image Processing Circuit 57 I / O Circuit 100 Second CPU 104 Image Processing Circuit 105 I / O Circuit 111 Reading Unit 112 Output Switch 117 Clock Switch

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Narito Matsubara 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Within Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazushi Honjo 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Sanyo Tottori Inside Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Tatsuharu Kishida 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Within Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Atsumi Kakimoto 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Hiroyuki Otagaki 3-201 Minamiyoshikata, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture Tottori Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A facsimile apparatus having a scanner detachable from a facsimile apparatus main body and capable of being used independently as a handy scanner, the scanner comprising: an optical image reading means; A facsimile apparatus comprising: a storage unit for storing image data stored therein; and a unit for controlling the storage unit, wherein the control unit is in a sleep mode when no data is stored in the storage unit. 2. A facsimile apparatus having a scanner detachable from a facsimile apparatus main body and capable of being used independently as a handy scanner, wherein the scanner comprises: an optical image reading means; Storage means for storing the image data stored therein, means for instructing erasure of the data in the storage means, and control means for erasing the data in the storage means in accordance with the instruction of the instruction means. A facsimile apparatus which is in a sleep mode when no data is stored in a storage means. 3. A facsimile apparatus including a scanner detachable from a facsimile apparatus main body and independently usable as a handy scanner, wherein the main body includes first operation input means, and the operation input means. At least first control means for controlling each unit in the main body and the scanner in response to an input from the scanner. The scanner stores optical image reading means and image data read by the reading means. And second control input means, and second control means for controlling each section in the scanner in accordance with an input from the operation input means or control from the first control means. In response to an input from the input means or the second operation means, the data in the image data storage means can be deleted, and the second control means stores the data in the storage means. A facsimile machine which is in a sleep mode when not stored. 4. A facsimile apparatus having a scanner detachable from a facsimile apparatus main body and capable of being used independently as a handy scanner, wherein the main body includes a first operation input means, and the operation input means. At least first control means for controlling each unit in the main body and the scanner in response to an input from the means, wherein the scanner reads the optical image reading means and the image data read by the reading means. A storage unit, a second operation input unit, and a second control unit that controls each unit in the scanner in accordance with an input from the operation input unit or control from the first control unit. When there is an input from the operation input means to delete the data in the image data storage means, the first control means sends the data in the image data storage means to the second control means. The second control means deletes the data in the image data storage means on the basis of the request, and the second control means sleeps when no data is stored in the storage means. A facsimile machine characterized by being in a mode. 5. A facsimile apparatus having a scanner detachable from a facsimile apparatus main body and capable of being used independently as a handy scanner. Storage means for storing the stored image data, and means for controlling the storage means, wherein the control means enters a sleep mode on condition that no data is stored in the storage means and the device is attached to the main body. A facsimile machine characterized by the above. 6. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said optical image reading means can be directly controlled from a main body side when said scanner is mounted on said main body. 7. A facsimile apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said first control means controls said second control means only when data is present in said storage means.