JPH06244875A - Communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication device that prevents occurrence of error communication by abandoning communication in which a modem failure is self-diagnosed and error occurrence is predicted. [Structure] The diagnostic unit 20 checks whether the initialized bits of the modem 14 have a predetermined value. At this time, if all the bits do not have predetermined values, it is diagnosed that some abnormality has occurred. Based on the result of this diagnosis, if the status information of the modem 14 is incorrect, it is determined that the modem is defective. When the diagnosis of the modem 14 is executed before the communication is started at the time of calling, and it is determined that the modem is defective, the communication control unit 16 gives up the call for which the communication is scheduled to start.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication device equipped with a modem, such as a facsimile device and an electronic mail device, and more particularly to a communication device capable of causing a communication error due to a failure of the modem.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a communication device such as a facsimile device has been widely used, but this communication device is equipped with a modulator / demodulator so-called modem in order to demodulate a received signal while modulating a transmitted signal. The modem is 9600/720
It has various communication modes such as 0/4800 bps, and automatically repeats the fallback according to the line status and the level of the communication partner, and transmits information in the communication mode in which the training is successful.

That is, at the time of transmission, a ready signal is turned on from the system (for example, the CPU of a facsimile machine) to the modem, and then a transmission request signal is turned on. In response to this, the modem raises the transmission enable signal and enters the transmission ready state. When ready for transmission, the modem sends a training signal, performs line equalization, and then notifies the system of a signal quality indication. However, if the training is unsuccessful, the training error signal is notified and the training is repeated while sequentially falling back the communication modes. After the training is completed, the transmission data is sent to the line in synchronization with the transmission / reception timing signal.

On the other hand, at the time of reception, when the received carrier wave is detected, a carrier detection signal is raised, and after training,
The received data is extracted as information in synchronization with the transmission / reception timing signal.

[0005]

However, in such a conventional communication device, since the failure diagnosis of the modem is not performed, even if the modem fails for some reason, the communication processing operation is started. . As a result, useless communication is repeated, useless error communication reports and communication documents are output, useless line charges are paid, and the operator feels unnecessary stress.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device for preventing occurrence of error communication by self-diagnosing a modem failure and giving up communication in which error occurrence is predicted. I am trying. In addition, claim 2
An object of the present invention is to provide a communication device that prevents occurrence of error reception in advance by rejecting reception in which a modem failure is self-diagnosed and error occurrence is predicted.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a communication device capable of promptly dealing with a modem failure by notifying the user of the modem failure.

[0008]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In order to achieve the above object, in a communication device including a modem that modulates and demodulates communication data, a diagnostic unit that reads various status information of the modem in an initial state before starting communication at the time of calling and diagnoses the correctness of the status information. According to the diagnosis result, when there is an error in the status information, it is determined that the modem is defective, and the call processing unit that gives up the call for which the communication is scheduled to start is provided.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 2 is a communication device equipped with a modem for modulating / demodulating communication data, wherein the various modems are in an initial state before the start of reception at the time of an incoming call. A diagnostic unit for reading out the status information and diagnosing whether it is correct or not, and an incoming call processing unit for rejecting the incoming call scheduled to be received when it is judged from the result of the diagnosis that the status information is incorrect and the modem is defective. Characterize.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 3 notifies the user that the modem is defective when the communication to be started is abandoned in the communication device according to claim 1 or 2. It is characterized by comprising a notification means for

[0011]

According to the present invention having the above-mentioned structure, the diagnostic unit reads out various status information of the modem in the initial state and diagnoses the correctness before the communication is started at the time of calling. If the status information has an error, it is determined that the modem is defective, and the call processing unit gives up the call for which the communication is scheduled to start. Therefore, it is possible to prevent communication in which an error is predicted to occur.

Further, in the invention of the second aspect having the above-mentioned structure, the diagnostic section is used before the start of reception at the time of an incoming call.
Various status information of the modem in the initial state is read out and its correctness is diagnosed. If there is an error in the status information based on the diagnosis result, it is judged that the modem is defective, and the incoming call processing unit rejects the incoming call scheduled to start reception. Therefore, it is possible to prevent reception in which an error is predicted to occur.

Further, in the invention of the third aspect having the above-mentioned configuration, when the communication to be started is abandoned, the notification means notifies the user that the modem is defective. Therefore, it is possible to promptly deal with the modem failure.

[0014]

EXAMPLES The present invention will be described below based on examples.
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a facsimile apparatus as a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3. First, the configuration will be described. In the figure, a scanner 11 is a reading unit that reads, for example, a transmission document or a copy document at a predetermined resolution. The plotter 12 is
The recording unit prints out received image information or a reception report for notifying the reception. N
A CU (network control unit) 13 captures a line (telephone line or the like) for performing facsimile communication.

The modem 14 is a modulator / demodulator that modulates a transmission signal and demodulates a reception signal, and sets a communication mode according to the line state and the level of the communication partner. The operation port 15 is an operation display unit provided with various operation keys for an operator to arbitrarily operate the facsimile device, various display devices for displaying a message or the like from the facsimile device to the operator. . The communication control unit 16 uses a predetermined transmission control procedure, for example, T.264. Facsimile transmission is executed in accordance with the 30 protocol, a dial number (PB signal) is transmitted when a call is made, and a ringing signal is detected when a call is received. CPU17 is R
The system of the entire facsimile apparatus is controlled according to the program written in the OM 18. RAM19
Stores data as a work area required for the operation of the CPU 17.

The diagnostic section 20 reads various status information of the modem 14 in the initial state before the start of communication and diagnoses the correctness of the status information. The bus 21 connects the above-mentioned units and performs signal transfer. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of modem control in the facsimile apparatus of FIG. In addition,
In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the above-mentioned example are designated by the same reference numerals, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the CPU (FAX) 17 is a dual port RA.
Control the modem 14 via M31. The dual-port RAM 31 is a RAM capable of reading and writing (read / write) at the same time, and currently 32 bytes are mainly used. The modem 14 automatically executes initialization when the power is turned on, but at this time, the dual port R
AM14 is also initialized. That is, dual port R
In the AM31, for each bit of 32 × 8 bits in total, one bit is 0, and some other bit is 1,
It will be initialized.

Here, in the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 1, the diagnostic unit 20 causes the dual port R
It is checked whether the initialized bit of AM31 has a predetermined value. At this time, if all the bits do not have predetermined values, it is diagnosed that some abnormality has occurred. Based on the result of this diagnosis, whether the status information of the modem 14 is correct or incorrect is diagnosed, and when there is an error in the status information, it is judged that the modem is defective. In the present embodiment, such a diagnosis of the modem 14 is executed before the communication is started at the time of calling, and when it is determined that the modem is defective, the communication control unit 16 as the call processing unit is scheduled to start the communication. Abandon the call.
The calling at this time is not limited to calling for simple transmission, but includes calling for polling reception, broadcast transmission, ID transmission, or the like.

Further, in the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 2, when the diagnosis of the modem 14 is executed before the start of reception at the time of incoming call, and it is judged that the modem is defective, the communication control as the incoming call processing unit is carried out. The unit 16 rejects the incoming call scheduled to start reception. Further, in the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 3, when it is judged that the modem is defective by the self-diagnosis of the modem 14 and the communication to be started is abandoned, the CPU 1
7, the operation port 15 and / or the plotter 16 which is the notification means of this embodiment is used to notify the user of a modem failure by voice (buzzer sound), display, report output, etc.

Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure at the time of transmission operation for realizing the inventions according to claims 1 and 3. First, it waits for a call instruction from the user through the operation port 15 (step S1). In the conventional transmission, when the "communication start start" key is pressed after inputting the destination information (dial number) and the reading line density, the control right is transferred to the communication control unit 16. However, in the present embodiment, when a call instruction is issued, the standby state is temporarily entered (step S2), the status information of the modem 14 is read by the diagnostic unit 20 via the dual port RAM 31 (step S3), and the status information Whether the modem 14 is good or bad is diagnosed based on the correctness (step S4).

If it is determined that the modem is good (step S5), the TEL / FAX switching relay (not shown) is closed on the FAX side (step S6), and the call waiting condition set in step S2 is set. To cancel. Thereafter, the communication control unit 16 makes a call (step S7), and, for example, the T. 30 protocol is started (step S8), and image information is transmitted. Next, after waiting for the transmission to end (step S9), the line is disconnected (step S10), and the process ends.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step S5 is YES, that is, if the modem is diagnosed as defective, the transmission process is immediately terminated, and at the same time, for example, the display of the operation port 15 indicates "communication device failure. Call a service person." Is displayed to notify the user of the modem failure (step S11). The notification at this time may be given by a warning sound such as an alarm. After that, the call stop and the notification are repeated unless the modem failure is resolved.

As described above, in the embodiment according to the invention described in claim 1, the occurrence of error communication is prevented in advance by stopping self-diagnosis of a modem failure and stopping the calling of communication in which an error is predicted. It is possible to prevent repeated useless communication resulting in error termination, output of an error communication report or communication document accompanying this, or useless payment of the line charge.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by notifying the user that the call is stopped due to a defective modem, it is possible to promptly notify the user and the service person that the modem is defective. In addition, since it is possible to identify that the cause of the failure is the modem, it is possible to reduce the labor of the serviceman for investigating the cause of the failure, and it is possible to hope for a prompt action.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a processing procedure at the time of a receiving operation for realizing the invention described in claims 2 and 3. First, it waits for an incoming call due to detection of a ringing signal (step T1). When the ringing signal is detected, the control right is transferred to the communication control unit 16 as in the processing at the time of transmission. The communication control unit 16 first sets reception for the incoming call in a standby state (step T2). In other words, the bell (ringing) of the telephone is kept ringing, and the FAX operation is temporarily suspended. Next, the diagnostic unit 20 reads the status information of the modem 14 via the dual port RAM 31 (step T3), and the quality of the modem 14 is diagnosed by the correctness of the status information (step T4).

If it is determined that the modem is good (step T5), the TEL / FAX switching relay (not shown) is closed on the FAX side (step T6), and the reception standby set in step T2 is set. To release. Thereafter, the communication control unit 16 receives, for example, T.M. Image information reception is started according to the 30 protocol (step T7). Next, after waiting for the end of reception (step T8), the line is disconnected (step T9), and the process is ended.

On the other hand, if the result of the determination in step T5 is YES, that is, if the modem is diagnosed to be defective, the reception process is immediately terminated, and at the same time, for example, the display of the operation port 15 displays "communication device failure. Call a service person." Is displayed to notify the user of the modem failure (step T10). After that, unless the malfunction of the modem is eliminated, the incoming call rejection and the notification are repeated.

As described above, in the embodiment according to the invention as set forth in claim 2, the occurrence of error reception is prevented in advance by rejecting the reception in which the modem failure is self-diagnosed and the error occurrence is predicted. It is possible to avoid repeated useless reception that ends in an error, output of an error reception report or received document accompanying this, or generation of useless line charges at the other party.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by notifying the user that the incoming call is rejected due to a bad modem, it is possible to promptly inform the user and the service person that the modem is bad. Since it is possible to identify that the cause of the defect is the modem, it is possible to reduce the labor of the serviceman for investigating the cause of the defect, and it is possible to expect prompt action.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the self-diagnosis of the modem 14 is always performed before the start of communication has been described.
For example, the self-diagnosis may be performed when the error communication ends, only when the error communication occurs. Further, if there is an error communication, the self-diagnosis may be performed at the start of communication thereafter.
In this case, after the modem failure is resolved, if the self-diagnosis result is good, for example, about three times in succession, the self-diagnosis before communication is controlled to be turned off.

In the above embodiments, the facsimile device is exemplified as the communication device, but other communication devices such as an electronic mail device, a computer terminal having a communication function, a word processor, and the like having a modem can be used. The present invention can be implemented in any device.

[0031]

As described above, according to the communication device of the first aspect of the present invention, the diagnostic unit reads out various status information of the modem in the initial state before starting communication at the time of calling. Correct or incorrect is diagnosed, and if there is an error in the status information from this diagnostic result, it is judged as a modem failure,
Since the call origination processing section gives up the call initiation of the communication start, it is possible to prevent the call origination of the communication in which an error is predicted, and prevent the occurrence of the error communication in advance.
It is possible to avoid repetition of useless communication that ends in an error, output of an error communication report or communication document accompanying this, or useless payment of a line charge.

According to the communication device of the second aspect of the present invention, the diagnostic unit reads various status information of the modem in the initial state and diagnoses the correctness before the start of reception at the time of incoming call. If there is an error in the status information from the result, it is judged that the modem is defective, and the incoming call processing unit rejects the incoming call scheduled to start reception, so that the reception in which an error is predicted is prevented in advance and ends in error. It is possible to avoid repeated reception, output of an error reception report or received document accompanying this, or generation of unnecessary line charges at the other party.

Further, according to the communication device of the third aspect of the invention, when the communication to be started is abandoned, the notification means notifies the user that the modem is defective. Since the user and the service person can be notified at an early stage and the cause of the failure can be identified as a modem, the service person's effort for investigating the cause of the failure can be reduced, and swift action can be expected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing a facsimile apparatus as a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of modem control in the facsimile apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure at the time of a transmission operation that realizes the invention described in claims 1 and 3.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure at the time of a receiving operation that realizes the invention described in claims 2 and 3.

[Explanation of symbols]

 12 Plotter (Notification Means) 14 Modem 15 Operation Port (Notification Means) 16 Communication Control Section (Call Processing Section, Incoming Call Processing Section) 20 Diagnostic Section

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A communication device having a modem for modulating / demodulating communication data, and a diagnostic unit for reading various status information of the modem in an initial state before starting communication at the time of calling and diagnosing the correctness. A communication device, comprising: a call processing unit for judging that the modem is defective and abandoning the call to be started when the status information is incorrect from the diagnosis result. 2. A communication device equipped with a modem for modulating / demodulating communication data, and a diagnostic section for reading out various status information of the modem in an initial state before starting reception at the time of incoming call and diagnosing the correctness. From the result, when there is an error in the status information, it is determined that the modem is defective, and an incoming call processing unit that rejects the incoming call scheduled to start reception is provided. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit for notifying a user that the modem is defective when the communication to be started is abandoned.