JPS61225963A - Facsimile system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To apply optional multiplex operation to each fruntion of a facsimile equipment by providing a control section controlling independently of each function part and providing a supervisory control section controlling centralizingly the control operation to each function. CONSTITUTION:In a facsimile system where a host computer is connected via an interface section to the facsimile equipment provided with a read scanning section, a recording scanning section and a transmission/reception section at least as the function parts, a read scanning section 11, a recording scanning section 12, an interface 13 and a transmission/reception section 14 are separated respectively in terms of mechanism and circuit and control sections 21-24 controlling independently each function section are provided. A managing control section 25 managing the control sections 21-24 is provided to apply multiplex operation such that the output information is recorded by a recording scanning section 12 in response to the request from the host computer C during the transmission of an original thereby improving remarkably the operating efficiency of the facsimile system.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field of invention] The present invention relates to improvements in facsimile systems.

(Technical background of the invention and its problems) In recent years, facsimile machines have been increasingly used in offices as a result of the promotion of office automation. It has been proposed that the device be connected and used as a terminal. This type of system not only performs the operations of the facsimile machine itself, such as reading, scanning and transmitting a document, and recording and scanning received image signals, but also uses the facsimile machine to transmit information processed by a host computer. It is extremely useful because it can perform operations such as inputting received information directly into a host computer and processing it.

However, in conventional systems of this type, each functional part of the facsimile machine, such as the reading/scanning part, the recording/scanning part, and the transmitting/receiving part, is generally controlled all at once by a common control part, and in some cases, each of the above functions is In many cases, the mechanisms or circuits of the parts are partially shared. For this reason, for example, even if you want to record information from the host computer using the recording/scanning section during a facsimile transmission operation, you will not be able to do so, and while receiving a facsimile, you will not be able to transfer image signals to the host. As such, it was not possible to perform multiple operations on each functional part, and as a result, operational efficiency was extremely low.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a facsimile system in which each functional part of a facsimile machine can be arbitrarily operated multiplexed, thereby greatly increasing the operational efficiency of the system.

[Summary of the invention]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention mechanically and circuitically separates each functional part, provides a control part that controls each functional part independently from each other, and performs each of the above functions by this control part. By providing a supervisory control unit that centrally controls the control operations for the parts, the above-mentioned functional parts can be operated in multiple ways.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing the configuration of a facsimile system according to an embodiment of the present invention. This system is composed of a facsimile main body A, its control circuit B, and a host computer C.

The facsimile machine main body A includes, for example, a reading scanning section 11 that reads and scans a document using a line sensor, a recording scanning section 12 that inputs an image signal and performs recording scanning on recording paper, and an interface 13 that sends and receives image information to and from a host computer. and a transmitter/receiver unit 1 that transmits and receives image signals to and from the line.
4 and a bus control section 15 that selectively connects the image signal bus between each of these functional sections, and the mechanisms and circuits of each of these functional sections are separated from each other. Note that E is a telephone set that is alternatively connected to a facsimile machine with respect to the line.

The control circuit B includes the reading scanning section 11, the recording scanning section 12,
A reading control unit 21 and a recording control unit 22 independently control the operations of the interface unit 13 and the transmitting/receiving unit 14.
, an interface control section 23, and a transmission control section 24, and a management control section 25 that supervises and controls the control operations of each of these control sections 21 to 24 and the bus control section 15. The management control unit 25 includes a main control unit (CPU) 26 consisting of, for example, a microcomputer, a ROM No. 2 that stores the control program, operation keys for inputting various operation information, and a display for displaying the operating status of the system. This is the operation panel section.

Next, the operation of the system configured as above will be explained. Here, an example will be described in which image information is output from the host computer C and the image information is recorded by the recording/scanning section 12 during a facsimile transmission operation. FIGS. 2(a) to 2(C) are flowcharts showing the control procedure of the management control unit 25 at that time.

During standby, the management control unit 25 repeatedly monitors the occurrence of an incoming call, the occurrence of a transmission request, and the occurrence of a transfer request from the host computer C in steps 2a, 2b, and 2C as shown in FIG. 2(a). . Note that step 2d is a step of detecting an operation end signal generated by each control section at the time when the transmitting operation or receiving operation is completed, and since the end signal does not arrive during standby, it is determined to be NO.

Now, in this state, when the operator sets the original to be transmitted on the reading/scanning section 11 and operates the dial on the operation panel, this transmission request is detected by the management control section 25 in step b, and from then on, transmission control is performed as shown in the figure. It is done. That is, the management control section 25 moves to step 3a in FIG. 2(b), and in step 3a first determines whether or not the facsimile apparatus main body A is in a transmittable state. here,
This determination is made by checking the operating status flags set in the RAM 28 that indicate the operating status of each functional part. The reading scanning unit 11 and the transmitting/receiving unit 14 are now in a standby state, and if it is determined that transmission is possible, the management control unit 25 moves to step 3b and starts the transmission control unit 24 to control the line connection. start. If it is determined in step 3a that transmission is not possible, the process moves to step 3C, where the display of the operation panel 29 displays the fact that transmission is not possible, and notifies the operator. When the line connection control is started in step 3b, the management control unit 25 monitors whether the line connection is completed in step 3d, and when the line is connected, it starts the bus control unit 15 in step 3e. The image signal bus between the transmission/reception control section 14 and the reading/scanning section 11 is then connected. When the completion of the connection is confirmed in step 3f, the reading control unit 21 is activated in step 3o, thereby causing the reading scanning unit 11 to start reading and scanning the original. Transmission of the image signal is thus started. When this transmission operation is started, the management control section 25 sets the operating state flag of the RAM 28 to indicate that the reading/scanning section 11 and the transmitting/receiving section 14 are in use in step 3h, and then the process shown in FIG. Step 2 of a)
Return to a. Then, the management control unit 25 performs steps 2a to 2.
While monitoring the occurrence of another request at step C, the completion of the above-mentioned transmission operation is monitored at step 2d, and when a reading end signal is generated from the reading control unit 21, it is determined that the transmission is completed at that point, and each of the corresponding transmission operations is performed at step 2e. The control section is returned to the initial state, and then the operating state flag is reset in step 2f, and the process returns to step 2a.

On the other hand, during the above transmission operation, an information recording request arrives from the host computer C, and when this request is detected in step 2C, the management control section 25 moves to step 4a in FIG. 2(C). First, it is determined from the operating state flag of the RAM 28 whether or not recording is possible. Since the operation status flag is currently in a state in which transmitting/receiving operations and reading operations are not possible, the management IftlO unit 25 determines that recording operations are possible and moves to step 4b, where the recording operation is first performed. The control unit 22 is activated to set the recording scanning unit 12 to an operable state, and then in step 4d a control signal is issued to the bus I11 control unit 15 to control the recording scanning unit 12.
An image signal bus between the interface 13 and the interface 13 is connected. When the completion of the connection is confirmed in step 4e, the interface control unit 23 is activated in step 4f to put the interface 13 into operation, thereby establishing a connection between the host computer C and the recording/scanning unit 12.

In this way, information is transferred from the host computer C, and this information is led to the recording scanning section 12 where it is recorded on recording paper. Further, when the recording operation of this information is started, the management control unit 25 moves to step 4Q and performs this step 4.
At step Q, the fact that the recording/scanning section 12 is in operation is registered in the operating state flag of the RAM 28, and then the process returns to step 2a in FIG. 2(a).

Then, in step 2d, the completion of the transmitting operation and the recording operation is monitored, and when a completion signal is issued from the corresponding control unit 11, steps 2e and 2f are processed and the standby state is returned. If it is determined in step 4a that recording is not possible, the process proceeds to step 4c, where a recordable response is returned to the host computer C to notify the host computer C of this fact.

As described above, in this embodiment, the reading scanning section 11, the recording scanning section 12, the interface 13, and the transmitting/receiving section 14 are separated mechanically and circuitically, and a control section that independently controls each of these functional parts is provided. 21, 22, 23
．． 24 and a management control section 25 for managing these control sections 21 to 24, the recording/scanning section 12 records the output information in response to a request from the host computer C while the original is being transmitted. This allows multiple operations such as this to be performed, thereby greatly increasing the operational efficiency of the facsimile system.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in the embodiment described above, information from the host computer C is recorded by the recording/scanning section 12 while a document is being transmitted. Alternatively, the document may be copied using the reading/scanning section 11 and the recording/scanning section 12 while transmitting/receiving section 14 transmits information output from the host computer C to the printer 111D. Further, as the type of functional part, an image memory or the like may be applied. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, C
Although we have explained the case where a control unit equipped with a PU is provided,
Each functional part may be controlled independently by performing multi-task processing with the CPU of 1al. In addition, tilJ Wa procedures and control contents of the management control unit, W1
The type of the ra portion can also be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, each functional part is mechanically and circuit-separated, and a control part that controls each functional part independently from each other is provided, and each of the above-mentioned parts is controlled by this I control part. To provide a facsimile system in which each functional part of a facsimile machine can be operated multiplexed as desired by providing a supervisory control unit that centrally controls control operations for the functional parts, thereby greatly increasing the operational efficiency of the system. be able to.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram showing the configuration of a facsimile system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2(a) to (C)
are flowcharts showing control procedures of the management control unit of the same system. A: facsimile machine body, B: control circuit, C
... host computer, D ... line, E ... telephone, 11 ... reading scanning section, 12 ... recording scanning section,
13... Interface section, 14... Transmission/reception section, 1
5... Bus control section, 21... Reading control section 22...
Recording control unit, 23... Interface control unit, 24.
...Transmission control unit, 25...Management control unit, 26...Main control unit (CPU), 27...ROM, 28...RA
M, 29...Operation panel section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a facsimile system in which a host computer is connected to a facsimile machine equipped with at least a reading scanning section, a recording scanning section, and a transmitting/receiving section as functional sections via an interface section, each of the functional sections is separated mechanically and circuitically, and each What is claimed is: 1. A facsimile system comprising: a control section that controls functional parts independently of each other; and a management control section that centrally controls control operations of the control section for each of the functional parts.