JPS6226467B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a copying machine equipped with a facsimile receiving function and having means for recording facsimile-transmitted image signals.

Generally, since copying machines and facsimile machines have essentially the same structure, it is possible to combine the functions of both machines, which also leads to rationalization of equipment.

In this case, since it is not a dedicated facsimile device, when a call is received during copying, it is not possible to immediately synchronously scan the sending original and the recording paper on the receiving side to send and receive image signals, and the copying is completed. There is a problem in that it is necessary to perform facsimile transmission afterwards, resulting in poor operational efficiency. Therefore, in the case of a copying machine equipped with such a facsimile function, in particular, the facsimile receiving side can temporarily store and store the transmitted image signals even during copying, and can read out the image signals at any time. It is required to provide means.

Previously, this type of copying machine was
Although there is a copying machine that also functions as a facsimile transmitter, which is described in the specification of No. 86538, it does not have a storage/reception function during facsimile transmission, and the above-mentioned problems have not been solved at all. In addition, as a device that simply stores and receives image signals,
There is a cyclic recording method using an elastomer in an electric field described in specification No. 2061, but this is a simple method that combines an image display CRT, an elastomer, and an electrophotographic device to copy computer output. It is only a printer device and does not have the functions of a normal copying machine.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and
An object of the present invention is to provide a new copying machine with a facsimile receiving function that can record and receive facsimile-transmitted image signals and read them out at any time.

A copying machine with a facsimile reception function according to the present invention uses a spatial light modulation element (hereinafter referred to as this) as a recording medium capable of reading and erasing facsimile signals at any time.
The optical system is configured so that writing and reading can be performed with the SLM fixed, and the SLM can be used as a buffer memory for the image signal processing system as needed during copying. This is what I did.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a liquid crystal photoconductor element that can be used as an example of SLM. For example, when a small amount of polyhydroxy compound is added to a nematic liquid crystal that produces a dynamic scattering mode, it becomes a liquid crystal with memory properties, and once an electric field is applied, Focusing on the fact that the scattering continues even if the electric field is reduced to zero, the liquid crystal 4 is held between the transparent electrode 1 and the photoconductive film 2 on one side and the transparent electrode 3 on the other side. It has a sander beach structure. The photoconductive film 2 has a sufficiently high dark resistance compared to liquid crystal, and is sensitive only to a specific wavelength of light, so that it is sensitive to the writing light of the image signal but not to the reading light. Use the one with the characteristics that it has. Therefore, when a writing beam is irradiated from the photoconductive film 2 side of this liquid crystal photoconductor element, a dynamic scattering mode is generated and image information is recorded, and when a read beam is irradiated from the same side, there is no scattering. The beam passes through and the recorded image information is read out.

Figure 2 shows a control system that receives facsimile signals (image information) sent via the communication line, records them in the SLM, and reads them out at any time. a network controller 6 that selectively receives the signal S; a demodulator 7 that demodulates the received signal;
Display device 8 that displays the operating status of the copying machine at the time of receiving the facsimile signal using a lamp or the like.
, an image information recording device 9 that can store the image information as needed and read out the stored contents at any time, and a system controller 10 that centrally controls each of these components. It is configured. The image information recording device 9 also includes a writing laser 91 that converts an electrical image signal into an optical signal, a reading laser 92 that emits a laser beam of a specific wavelength during reading, and each of these lasers 91. , 92 to the main optical path; and an optical modulator 93 controlled to modulate the writing laser beam and transmit the reading laser beam. An optical deflector 94 that deflects the output of the optical modulator 93 and a writing laser beam deflected in a certain direction store image information,
and an SLM whose storage contents are read out by a reading laser beam. The image information (optical signal) read from this SLM is sent to the photosensitive drum 11 of the copying machine main body via a plurality of lens groups (not shown), where the original image is reproduced. In the figure, _L3 indicates a cylindrical lens for condensing light.

In the copying machine with a facsimile reception function according to the present invention having a control system configured in this manner, a facsimile call signal is received via the network controller 6, and in response, a facsimile call signal is sent from the system controller 10 to the same line 5. When it becomes ready to receive after sending an answer back signal to
The operation of this control system is differentiated as follows depending on whether the copying machine is in a normal copying operation or not.

(1) During a copy operation The reflecting mirror M5 is rotated by the system controller 10 to position a shown by the solid line in FIG. 2, and the writing laser 91 is turned on to write the black information of the image signal. 1”, and the white information is “0”, the optical modulator 93 outputs the “1”,
Optical deflector 9 modulates the beam according to “0” information
Send to 4. The optical deflector 94 uses a signal indicating one line, a clock signal synchronized with the bit signal, and a line start signal commanding the start of one line to direct the beam to two points on the X-Y coordinates.
Perform dimensional deflection and send to SLM. In the SLM that receives the beam, the originally black information becomes in dynamic scattering mode, and the white information becomes transparent.
FIG. 3 shows this state. Figure a shows the original image information, and figure b shows the state of the modulated optical information written to the SLM. In a and b of the same figure, Sij (1≦i≦M, 1≦j≦
N) represents the position of bit information, and in the original information, as shown by the arrow in figure a, S ₁₁ → S _1N → S ₂₁
→S _2N →…→S _M1 →S _MN are scanned sequentially, but
Writing to the SLM is sequentially scanned and recorded in the direction of the arrow in figure b. In this way, image information
After recording on the SLM, the writing laser 91 is turned off, and then the second reflecting mirror M5 is turned off under the control of the system controller 10.
It is rotationally driven to position b shown by the dotted line in the figure. When the copying operation of the copying machine stops, the reading laser 92 is turned on and the display 8
The lighting of the lamp or the like indicates that the copying machine is operating as a printer, that is, printing an image signal transmitted by facsimile, and notifies that copies cannot be made during this time. The optical modulator 93 at the time of reading is connected to the system controller 1 so that the reading laser beam is transmitted through the optical modulator 93.
0, and the two-dimensional deflection by the optical deflector 94 is a system-specific deflection scan in the same direction as in the above-mentioned writing. however,
It is necessary to rotate the photosensitive drum 11 by one line in synchronization with the drive system of the copying machine body each time one line of scanning is completed.

(2) When no copying operation is being performed At this time, the reflecting mirror M5 is driven to position b from the beginning, and the reading laser 92 is turned on. In this case, the optical modulator 93 inverts the black and white information of the image signal and sends a modulated beam to the optical deflector 94. The optical deflector 94 performs two-dimensional deflection and sends the beam to the SLM in the same manner as described above.
Since the SLM is insensitive to the reading laser beam, the beam passes through it as it is and is sent to the photosensitive drum 11, where the facsimile-transmitted image signal is printed. On this occasion,
The system controller 10 controls the drive system of the copying machine so that the normal copying function of the copying machine is not activated, and at the same time lights up the lamp on the display 8 to indicate this.

Note that in the case of the above-described operation (1) during copying, it may be convenient to be able to check the reception time of the facsimile signal. To do this, a clock function and a character generator are built into the system controller 10, and when the facsimile call signal is received, an answer call signal is sent, and when the communication line is connected and the reception becomes possible. the reception time
Write to SLM and print. Such a function can also be used in the case of operation (2) described above.

FIG. 4 shows the optical system of the copying machine with a facsimile receiving function according to the present invention described above. L1, L
2, and is sent to the photosensitive drum 11 via L3. Further, as an optical system during a normal copying operation, a scanning light source 13 and a scanning mirror M1 that parallelly scan the document surface 12, and a plurality of reflective mirrors that send the scanned document image onto the photosensitive drum 11 are provided. M
2 (moves in synchronization with M1), M4, and a condensing lens (in-mirror lens) L5.

5a and 5b show a facsimile signal printer optical system of a copying machine with a facsimile receiving function according to the present invention. In the same figure, Bi ₁ , Bi ₂ ,...,
Bi _N is Si ₁ , Si ₂ , ..., Si _N in Figure 3b, respectively.
It shows the light rays corresponding to . B ₁ j, B ₂ j, …, B
The same applies to _Mj .

As described above, the copying machine with facsimile reception function according to the present invention has the following functions.

1. Normal original image copy function 2. Printer function for facsimile reception signals or computer output signals, etc. 3. Printer function for temporarily storing and reading out facsimile reception signals during copying at any time. In the above explanation, the SLM shown in Fig. 1 is used. A liquid crystal light guide was used, but other BSO,
A general SLM with a memory function such as PLZT can be used. In this case, what is particularly required of the SLM is to use a material that is sensitive to the writing beam wavelength and not sensitive to the reading beam wavelength, and to use a photoreceptor in the copying machine body that is not sensitive to the writing beam wavelength. It is necessary to use a material that is not sensitive to the beam wavelength but sensitive to the readout beam wavelength.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of a copying machine with a facsimile receiving function according to the present invention. In this case, copies are made by using the photosensitive drum 11 and the inversion phenomenon of image information as in the previous embodiment. Instead, development is performed directly on the sheet-like photoreceptor 14. Even in this embodiment, the configuration of the control system shown in FIG.
A reflecting mirror M6 (switching thereof is controlled by the system controller 10) which can be switched to positions c and d as shown in the figure via pins 6 and L7 is provided. Drive to position c shown by a solid line to send reflected light from the document surface 12 to the photoreceptor 14 via the projection lens L8,
Reflection mirror M when printing facsimile signals
6 to the d position shown by the dotted line in the figure to remove it from the optical path, and the light passing through the SLM is transferred to the lens L6,
The image is configured to be sent to the photoreceptor 14 via L7 and L8.

Even in this embodiment, writing and reading operations of facsimile signals to and from the SLM are performed in the same manner as described above. However, in this case, the written image viewed from the optical deflector 94 side must correspond to black and white information, as shown in FIG.

In the copying machine with a facsimile reception function according to the present invention, when performing two-dimensional deflection by the optical deflector 94, the drum or sheet-like photoreceptor, 1
Needless to say, since the image signals are enlarged and projected in order to create a latent image at 1 and 14, it is necessary to perform two-dimensional f/θ deflection.

As described above, in the copying machine with a facsimile receiving function according to the present invention, a facsimile receiving device is included in the optical system of a general copying machine that performs normal copying, and the received facsimile signal is converted into an optical signal and sent to the SLM. When the copying machine is performing normal copying during facsimile reception, image information is placed on the writing wavelength beam and the contents are recorded on the SLM, and after copying is completed, the reading wavelength beam is installed. The beam reads the content recorded on the SLM and sends it to the photoreceptor of the copying machine for printing. When a copying operation is not being performed when receiving a facsimile, image information is placed on the beam of the readout wavelength and sent directly to the photoreceptor. It is designed to be sent to a computer to print, and has both a normal copying function and a facsimile or computer output printer function, and can be operated efficiently according to the mutual operating status of copying and printing. It has the great advantage of being able to

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of SLM, Figure 2
The figure is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a facsimile reception control device according to the present invention, and FIGS. 3a and 3b are diagrams showing each state of input information to the optical modulator and its modulated output information in the facsimile reception control device. , FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram showing an example of the configuration of the optical system of the present invention, FIGS. 5 a and b are a plan view and a front view of the optical system in a facsimile reception control device, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a simplified diagram showing a partial configuration of an optical system according to an example. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the state of written information as seen from the optical deflector side in the optical system of FIG. 6. SLM...Spatial light modulation element, 6...Network controller, 7...Demodulator, 8...Display device, 9...Facsimile reception control device, 91...
Writing laser, 92...Reading laser, 93
...Light modulator, 94 ... Light deflector, 10 ... System controller, 11 ... Photosensitive drum, 12
... Document surface, 13 ... Scanning light source, 14 ... Sheet-like photoreceptor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In the optical system of a copier that performs normal copying,
A facsimile reception device and a facsimile reception control device that converts the received facsimile signal into an optical signal and sends it to the spatial light modulation element are incorporated. Image information is placed on a beam with a specific wavelength and recorded on a spatial light modulator, and after copying is completed, the recorded content is read out with a beam with a readout wavelength and sent to the photoreceptor of a copying machine to be printed. A copying machine with a facsimile receiving function, characterized in that when a copying operation is not being performed during facsimile reception, image information is placed on a beam of a reading wavelength and is sent directly to the photoreceptor for printing. .