JPS6119148B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a self-diagnosis method that can automatically diagnose whether each part of a facsimile machine is normal or abnormal.

In a transmitting/receiving type facsimile device, by providing a return line that immediately returns from the transmitter to the receiver, the transmitter/receiver function of the device can be self-diagnosed in a so-called self-return state. However, in the conventional method, the original to be sent is set in the facsimile machine while the original is being returned, and the original is encoded, played back, and recorded, and the abnormality or normality of the machine is determined from the reproduced image, which is difficult to maintain. The drawback is that once a failure occurs, it takes a lot of time to recover. This is because in the self-diagnosis method of playing back the transmitted original on the own station, even if it is possible to tell whether the device is normal or abnormal, it is difficult to determine where the abnormality is, and it takes time to find the fault. In addition, such a diagnostic method wastes recording paper and requires time for the test itself since mechanical parts are also operated.

On the other hand, in recent years, facsimile equipment has made remarkable progress, and various models such as 6-minute, 3-minute, 2-minute, and 1-minute machines (bandwidth compression type) have been developed, and as these devices have been digitized, the configurations of the devices have become more diverse. As facsimile devices tend to become more complex, there is a demand for improved maintainability, that is, easier diagnosis of each part of the facsimile device.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it eliminates the need for maintenance personnel to perform circuitous work such as making judgments by looking at reproduced images, and also electrically diagnoses the main functions of a facsimile machine for each functional block. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a self-diagnosis method for a facsimile device that improves maintainability by making it possible to perform self-diagnosis.

The invention will now be described with reference to embodiments of the drawings. The first is a block diagram of a facsimile device to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, 1 is a reading unit;
2 is a signal shaping section, 3 is a band compression section, 4 is a line control section, 5 is a modem section, and 6 is a transmission line, and these constitute a transmission system. The reading section 1 scans the surface of a transmission document and outputs, for example, a black and white image signal of a predetermined number of bits in one scan. This image signal is processed by the signal forming section 2.
The waveform is shaped into a binary signal by the band compression section 3.
encoded in There are various band compression methods for the band compression section 3, but for example, in the case of a 2-line batch run-length encoding method, it is possible to distinguish between black and white in the main scanning direction of image signals for two consecutive lines and their duration. A code string is created by For example, if the white of the image signal is W and the black is B, there are four combinations of black and white of the upper and lower two lines: WW, WB, BW, and BB, so the code string has the length of each of these combinations, e.g. It consists of a transition code that indicates the length of the WW state and transition information about which combination (e.g. WW) changes to which combination (e.g. BW). Based on this, the longer the same combination state continues for the image signal, the larger the band compressor. will be done. The output code of the band compression section 3 is normally sent to the transmission line 6 through the line control section 4 and the modem section 5. The line control unit 4 adds a header and the like to the band-compressed code string and packages it, and the modem unit 5 modulates the output of the line control unit 4 according to the transmission path 6.

Further, 7 is a decoding section, 8 is a recording control section, and 9 is a recording section, and these, the line control section 4, and the modem section 5 constitute a receiving system. The decoding unit 7 decodes the band-compressed code into a black and white binary original picture signal, and constantly checks the received picture signal by counting the number of bits in one line of the coded picture signal. The decoded output is led to the recording section 9 via the recording control section 8, where it is reproduced on recording paper as the same image as the transmitted image. Further, if the number of received pixels is greater than or equal to a predetermined number of bits, an output to that effect is output to the control section 10.
A main control section 10 controls each section of the apparatus, and in response to defects in the received signals, it sends a retransmission request signal back to the transmitting apparatus.

The above-mentioned parts are shown as blocks of the general configuration of a facsimile apparatus having a band compression function, but in the present invention, in order to provide a self-diagnosis function, a pseudo signal generation part 11, a self-diagnosis part 1
2. A display section 13 is added. The pseudo signal generating section 11 generates a predetermined pattern of pseudo signals A capable of testing all compression functions of the band compression section 3, for example, in the above example, all combinations of arbitrary lengths WW,
A two-line image signal including BW... is generated and supplied to the band compression section 3 at the time of diagnosis. The self-diagnosis section 12 properly diagnoses each function of the band compression section 3, decoding section 7, line control section 4, and modem section 5 individually and sequentially, and has the configuration shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In FIG. 2, 20a to 20d are main control units 1
Switching contacts that switch according to instructions from 0, 21a, 21
b is a direct line, and 22 is a determination circuit which is the main body of the self-diagnosis section 12. The contact 20a receives the output code B from the band compression section 3, and the contact 20d receives the received signal C from the line control section 4. On the other hand,
The contact 20b receives the output from the line 21b or the output D from the determination circuit 22 and provides it to the decoder 7, and the contact 20c receives the output from the line 21a or the output E from the determination circuit 22 and applies it to the decoder 7. It is given to the line control section 4. During diagnosis, the determination circuit 22 receives a bit number signal F of the decoded signal from the decoding section 7, and outputs a signal G indicating the diagnosis result of each block function from the determination circuit 22 to the display section 13.

During normal operation, the contacts 20a to 20d are switched to the lines 21a and 21b as shown in the figure. Therefore, in this case, signals E and D become signals B and C, respectively.
be equivalent to. However, at the time of diagnosis, the contacts 20a to 20
d is switched individually (described later).

FIG. 3 is a block diagram specifically showing the inside of the determination circuit 22, in which 31 is a read-only memory (ROM), 32 is a random access memory (RAM), 33 is an exclusive OR circuit (EX-OR),
34 is a control section. The ROM 31 stores in advance a compressed pseudo signal obtained by encoding the pseudo signal A using the band compression method of the band compression section 3. Signals E and D from the determination circuit 22 applied to the line control section 4 and the decoding section 7 are both compressed pseudo signals. During diagnosis, code B obtained by encoding pseudo signal A in band compression section 3 is taken into RAM 32, and EX-OR3
3, it is compared with the compressed pseudo signal of the ROM 31, and depending on whether it matches or does not match, it is determined whether the function of the band compression section 3 is normal or not.
Abnormality is determined. On the other hand, the signal F from the decoder 7
The information is also led to the control section 34, where it is determined whether the decoding section 7, line control section 4, and modem section 5 are normal or abnormal. These determination results G are supplied from the control section 34 to the display section 13 (FIG. 1), and are displayed (or recorded) corresponding to blocks.

In the self-diagnosis of this device, the band compression section 3, decoding section 7, line control section 4, and modem section 5 are automatically diagnosed in this order. That is, when a diagnosis instruction is given by the main control section 10, first the pseudo signal generation section 11 is activated and the pseudo signal A is supplied to the band compression section 3. Then, after the output code B is stored in the RAM 32 (FIG. 3) of the self-diagnosis section 12 via the contact 20a, it is compared with the compressed pseudo signal in the ROM 31 in the EX-OR 33. In this case, EX-OR33
If the output is 0, that is, the comparison results match, it can be determined that the function of the band compression section 3 is normal, but if the output is 1, that is, they do not match, the control section 34 (Fig. 3)
The function failure of the compression section 3 is notified, and the display section 13 is caused to display the fact.

If the function of the band compression section 3 is normal, the next step is automatically to diagnose the decoding section 7. For diagnosis of decoding unit 7
The compressed pseudo signal D stored in the ROM 31 is used.
Since the pattern of the reference code corresponding to this compressed pseudo signal is known in advance, the number of bits of the signal decoded by the decoding unit 7, for example, when the black of the image signal is set to "H", the number of bits is Since the number is known, this is used as the basis for determining the function of the decoding unit 7. The pseudo signal A compressed by the band compression unit 3 may be used as the input signal for determining the function of the decoding unit, but since this method may introduce errors in the compression process, it is not necessary to store it in memory. It is better to use the compressed pseudo signal prepared in advance to perform a strict function check of only the decoding section. The control section 34 makes the determination based on the signal F from the decoding section 7. For example, the signal F is output when the number of decoded bits is counted by a counter (not shown) provided in the decoder 7 and the number of bits is a predetermined reference number of bits.
It is determined whether this output arrives.

When the diagnosis of the decoding section 7 is completed, the process moves to the diagnosis of the line control section 4. In this case, a return loop is formed by connecting the transmitting side output end 4a and the receiving side input end 4b of the line control section 4 with a switch (not shown). At this time, the control section 34 sends, for example, a control signal H to switch the switch as described above. Diagnosis of the line control unit 4 is performed by sending the compressed pseudo signal E from the ROM 31 to the line control unit 4 via the contact 20c, returning it at the output side, and then sending it to the decoding unit 7 via the contact 20d, line 21b, and contact 20b. This is done by monitoring the signal F. For example, if the above-mentioned diagnosis result of the decoding unit 7 is good and the return diagnosis result is negative, it can be determined that there is a failure in the line control unit 4. If this judgment result is bad, it is displayed on the display unit 13.

Finally, the modem unit 5 is diagnosed. Diagnosis of the modem unit 5 is also performed by configuring a return loop similarly to the line control unit 4. At this time, a control signal I is sent from the control section 34 to connect the transmitting side output end and the receiving side input end of the modem section 5. And ROM31
The compressed pseudo signal E from is returned by the modem section 5,
The operation result of the loop up to decoding in the decoding section 7 is determined by the signal F, and the result, that is, whether the function of the modem section 5 is good or bad is displayed on the display section 13.

As with the diagnosis of each part, if the diagnosis result of that part is good, proceed to the diagnosis of the next part, and repeat this process, but if the diagnosis result of a certain part is bad, the program will instruct the power to be turned off. , program progress is stopped. When the power is cut off, the functions of each part are stopped, but only the display section 13 is not powered off, so it remains in a state where abnormal items are displayed. Therefore, the tester knows the location of the abnormality by looking at the display section 13, and since the band compression section 3, decoding section 7, line control section 4, etc. are mounted on one printed board, the tester can check the printed circuit board where the abnormality is displayed. Convert boards and repair defects. After repair, turn on the power and start diagnosis again if the failed part is not the final check part. If there is an abnormality in the subsequent part, the abnormality will be displayed again, but it is rare for the failure to occur in multiple locations. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining the present invention in more detail. It is clear that the above-described self-diagnosis may be carried out by a commonly used processing system having a processor and a program memory, without constructing an actual circuit as shown in the figure. Further, this figure is for explaining the diagnosis from the decoding unit 7 in detail. In the figures, the same parts as those used in FIGS. 1 to 3 are designated by the same numbers and symbols.

When the test of the band compression section is completed, the control section 3
The control unit 340 in the memory 31, which transfers information and generates signals in an orderly manner, sends a pseudo-compressed signal from the memory 31 to the decoding unit 7 as described above. At the same time, the timer 34a is activated, and the AND gate 34j is designated and a signal of level "1" is input to the gate. The decoding unit 7 stores the pseudo-compressed signal in the internal register 7.
a, and the signals for one scan are delivered in parallel to the decoding unit 7b. The decoding unit 7b decodes the received pseudo signal for one scan bit by bit, and stores it in the register 7.
One bit at a time is supplied to c along with the clock. Further, this clock is counted by a counter 7d. When the counter 7d reaches the number of image signal bits for one scan, it outputs a signal F to the control section 34. It goes without saying that even in a normal communication state, when the counter 7d counts a predetermined number of bits, it is input to the register 7c and the accumulated image signal is delivered to the recording control section.

The signal F output by the counter 7d is the timer 34a.
and flip-flop 34b.
is set and its Q output is set to level "1". The timer 34a outputs an overflow when the time is longer than enough time for the decoding section 7 to decode the image signal for one scan. Therefore, flip-flop 3
If 4b is not set by the output timing of timer 34a, a signal is given to display section 13 from AND gate 34j. In the display section 13, the signal is decoded by a decoder 13a, and a character, for example "D", indicating a printed board on which only the decoding section 7 is mounted is displayed.

Furthermore, if the flip-flop 34b is set before the overflow output of the timer 34a, its Q
The output becomes level "1", and the pulse of level "1" is applied to the control section 340 via the OR gate 34i, and at the same time, the flip-flop 34n is set. The control unit 340 sets this signal line to level “1”.
When this happens, the test step is advanced by one, and a pseudo-compressed signal is then given to the line control section 4. It goes without saying that a changeover switch (not shown) for loopback, which is not shown, of the line control section 4 is operated before this time.

The returned pseudo signal from the line control section 4 is written into the aforementioned memory 32 of the control section 34. The control section 340 reads this data from the memory 32 and supplies it to the decoding section 7 as described above. Next timer 3
4a, and further supplies a level "1" signal to the AND gate 34k. and gate 34c
is in an open state because the flip-flop 34n is set, and if the decoded image signal has a predetermined bit, the flip-flop 34f is set. The flip-flop 34f is set in the same way as the overflow output timing of the timer and the set timing of the flip-flop 34b described above.
If the output is before the predetermined period, the test step of the control section 340 is advanced, and if it is longer than the predetermined period, the output of the timer 34a shows the printed board on which the line control section is mounted on the display section 13. A character such as "L" is displayed. When the test step is advanced, the control section 340 tests the modem section 5 in the same procedure as that for testing the line control section 4.

Note that the system before encoding and the system after decoding can be diagnosed in the same manner as before. This is achieved by forming a loop 14 in the so-called copy mode from the signal forming section 2 to the recording control section 8, and by adopting a method in which the original set in the reading section 1 is reproduced in the recording section 9, the reproduced image is Visually diagnose the function of each part.
By using this diagnosis method and the automatic diagnosis method of the embodiment described above, each part of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG. 1 can be diagnosed at the own station.

The self-diagnosis method of the present invention described above differs from the conventional diagnosis method that uses playback images to determine the abnormality,
Since each part of the facsimile machine that cannot be determined to be normal is automatically and purely electrically diagnosed and the results are displayed, faults can be easily and quickly discovered, improving maintainability. This has the advantage of significantly improving

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the self-diagnosis section, Figures 3 and 4.
The figure is a block diagram specifically showing the main parts of the self-diagnosis section. 3...Band compression section, 4...Line control section, 5...Modem section, 7...Decoding section, 11...Pseudo signal generation section, 12...
Self-diagnosis section, 13...Display section, 20a-20d...Switching contact, 21a, 21b...Direct line, 22...Judgment circuit, 31...Lead-on memory, 32...Random access memory, 33...Exclusive OR circuit, 34
...control section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An image signal band compression unit, a decoding unit, a line control unit,
and a modem section, the decoding section having a function of detecting and outputting that the number of bits of the decoded image signal is a predetermined number of bits constituting a reference code corresponding to the input signal, a pseudo signal generating section that generates a pseudo signal of a predetermined pattern according to a band compression method provided in the compression section;
A memory storing a compressed pseudo signal obtained by encoding the pseudo signal using a band compression method of the band compression section is provided, and an output signal obtained by supplying the pseudo signal to the band compression section is converted into the compressed pseudo signal. At the same time, the compressed pseudo signal is supplied to the decoding section for decoding, and the detection output of the decoding section is used to determine the relevant a second test step for testing a decoding unit; looping back the compressed pseudo signal from the line control unit, guiding it to the decoding unit and decoding it, and testing the line control unit based on the detection output of the decoding unit; a third test step, and a fourth step of returning the compressed pseudo signal from the modem section via the line control section, guiding it to the decoding section, and testing the modem section based on the detection output of the decoding section. A self-diagnosis method for a facsimile device, characterized in that the test steps of . 2. A self-diagnosis method for a facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least the second test step is performed before the third or fourth test step.