JPH06233026A - Facsimile equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an inexpansive and convenient facsimile equipment by protecting this equipment without using a protecting case or a protecting cover. CONSTITUTION:A control part 20 or a liquid crystal display device 22 or the like is provided at one face of an upper casing 30. The upper casing 30 is supported by a connecting member 32 in a state that it is rotatable at more than 180 deg.. A lower casing 31 is supported by the connecting member 32 in a state that it is rotatable at more than 180 deg. so that a rotary shaft different from the rotary shaft of the upper casing 31 can be formed. An image sensor 10a or rollers 10b and 10c or the like are provided at the face of the lower casing 31 opposed to the face of the upper casing 30 at which the control part 20 or the liquid crystal display device are provided in a state that the lower casing 31 is overlapped with the upper casing 30.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile machine particularly suitable for portable use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the miniaturization of facsimile machines has progressed, and the needs for portable use of the facsimile machines have increased. Therefore, the development of portable facsimile machines has progressed.

In the case of such a portable facsimile machine, the environment for use is severe because it is carried, and it is necessary to take measures against vibrations, drops, shocks, atmospheres such as temperature and humidity, and dirt and dust. As a measure against the above-mentioned various problems, it is general to put the facsimile apparatus main body in a protective case or a protective cover.

However, when the protective case or the protective cover is used, the cost is increased. In addition, it is inconvenient for the facsimile apparatus body to be taken in and out from the protective case and the protective cover before use.

[0005]

As described above, the conventional facsimile apparatus protects the apparatus by accommodating it in a protective case or a protective cover when carrying it for portable use. However, there was a problem that the increase of the cost and the decrease of the convenience came.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to protect the apparatus without using a protective case or a protective cover, which makes it inexpensive. An object is to provide a highly convenient facsimile device.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a device in which a predetermined device, such as an operation unit or a liquid crystal display, among the devices exposed on the surface is equipped with a predetermined surface. And a first housing, such as an upper housing, which is supported by the connecting member in a state of being rotatable by 180 ° or more.
Of the devices that are supported by the connecting member so as to form a rotation axis different from the rotation axis of the first casing in a state of being able to rotate by 80 ° or more and are exposed on the surface and are to be equipped. For example, a lower portion provided on a predetermined surface opposite to the predetermined one surface in a state in which a predetermined device different from that provided in the first housing, such as an image sensor or a roller, overlaps the first housing. A second housing such as a housing is provided.

[0008]

By taking such a measure, a predetermined one surface of the first housing provided with a predetermined device out of the devices exposed to the surface and a surface exposed to the surface are provided. Among the devices to be provided, the first housing and the second housing are arranged so that a predetermined surface of a second housing provided with a predetermined device different from that provided in the first housing faces each other. By placing the casing and the casing on top of each other, the predetermined one surface of the first casing and the second casing
Each device provided on a predetermined surface of the housing is covered by the first housing and the second housing.

Further, by rotating the first casing and the second casing by 180 ° from the above state, the respective devices provided on the predetermined surface of the first casing and the predetermined surface of the second casing. Is exposed.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the facsimile apparatus according to this embodiment. In the figure, 1 is a facsimile apparatus according to the present embodiment. The facsimile apparatus 1 includes a document reading unit 10, an image signal processing unit 11, an image memory 12, a modulation / demodulation unit (M0DEM unit) 13, a line control unit 14, connectors 15a, 15b, 15c, and a telephone circuit 1.
6, speaker 17, microphone 18, control unit 19, operation unit 20, display control unit 21, liquid crystal display (LCD) 2
2, a charging circuit section 23 and a battery 24.

Although not shown, the document reading section 10 includes a light source for illuminating the document, an image sensor for receiving reflected light from the document and converting it into an electric signal (image signal),
The facsimile apparatus 1 has a roller that rotates when the facsimile apparatus 1 moves on the document and an encoder that detects the rotation amount of the roller. The roller and the encoder allow the facsimile apparatus 1 and the document to be relative to each other based on the rotation amount of the roller. The original is read by detecting the amount of movement and driving the image sensor at a predetermined timing according to the relative amount of movement between the facsimile device 1 and the original. The image signal obtained by the document reading unit 10 is the image signal processing unit 1.
In step 1, predetermined processing such as digitization and coding is performed to obtain image data, which is then stored in the image memory 12.

The image data stored in the image memory 12 is read out as needed and given to the modulation / demodulation unit 13 via the image signal processing unit 11. The modulation / demodulation unit 13 modulates the image data and sends it to the telephone line 2 via the line control unit 14. The telephone line 2 is connected to the connector 15a connected to the line controller 14.

On the other hand, the image data arriving via the telephone line 2 is input to the modulation / demodulation unit 13 via the line control unit 14 and demodulated. The demodulated image data is stored in the image memory 12 after being subjected to predetermined processing such as decoding in the image signal processing unit 11. The image data thus stored in the image memory is given to the external device 3 such as a dedicated printer connected via the connector 15b under the control of the controller 19.

The line control unit 14 performs predetermined line control such as selectively connecting either the telephone circuit 16 or the modem unit 13 to the telephone line 2. The telephone circuit 16 drives the speaker 17 by an incoming signal coming through the telephone line 2, sends a voice signal (sending signal) obtained by the microphone 18, sends a dial signal (dial pulse or dial tone), and so on. To do.

The control section 19 is mainly composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and controls each section of the facsimile apparatus 1 as a whole. The operation unit 20 has a plurality of keys (not shown), and the control unit 1 operated by the user.
The instruction input to 9 is accepted. The display control unit 21 causes the LCD 22 to display various messages to the user under the control of the control unit 19.

When the external power supply 4 is connected to the connector 15c, the charging circuit section 23 receives power from the external power supply 4 to supply power to each section of the facsimile apparatus 1 and also charges the battery 24. Further, the charging circuit section 23 supplies the electric power accumulated in the battery 24 to each section of the facsimile apparatus 1 when the external power source 4 is not connected to the connector 15c.

The connectors 15a, 15b, 15c are
For example, it is a modular connector, and the telephone line 2, the external device 3, and the external power source 4 can be easily attached to and detached from the facsimile device 1.

2A and 2B are views showing the outer appearance of the facsimile apparatus according to this embodiment, FIG. 2A being a perspective view and FIG. 2B.
Is a side view. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the figure, 30 is an upper casing and 31 is a lower casing, which are connected to each other by a connecting member 32. Shafts 33 and 34 are provided so as to project from the connecting member 32, and the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 31 are respectively provided with the shafts 3 and 34.
It is supported by 3, 34 in a state of being rotatable by 180 ° or more.

Of the units shown in FIG. 1, the document reading unit 10, the connectors 15a, 15b, 15c, the operation unit 20 and the LCD 22 are provided with some of them exposed to the outside of the housing. Operation unit 20 and LCD 2
2 are provided in the upper housing 30, and are exposed to the outside of the housing on a predetermined surface of the upper housing 30. The document reading unit 10 is provided in the lower housing 31 and the upper housing 30.
When the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 31 are overlapped with each other so that the predetermined one surface is inside, the upper housing 30 is exposed to the outside of the housing on a surface of the upper housing 30 facing the predetermined one surface. There is. In FIG. 2, 10a, 10b and 10c are parts of the document reading unit 10, 10a is an image sensor, and 10b and 10c are rollers.

The connectors 15a, 15b, 15c are
It is provided on the side surface of the lower housing 31 and is covered by a lid 35 that can be opened and closed. Note that 36a and 36b are openings, respectively, and a speaker 17 and a microphone 18 are arranged inside the housing of this portion.

Thus, according to the facsimile apparatus configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 3, the surface of the upper housing 30 where the operation unit 20 and the LCD 22 are exposed and the image sensor 10a of the lower housing 31 and Roller 10
If the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 31 are stacked so that the exposed surfaces of b and 10c are on the inner side, the document reading unit 10, the operation unit 20 and the LCD 22 are the same as the upper housing 3.
0 and the lower housing 31. Therefore, the original reading unit 1 can be used without using a protective cover or a protective case.
0, the operation unit 20 and the LCD 22 can be protected.

On the other hand, the upper casing 30 and the lower casing 31
Is rotated by 180 ° with respect to the shafts 32 and 33 to the state shown in FIG. 4, the document reading unit 10 and the operation unit 20
The LCD 22 and the LCD 22 are exposed, and the operation unit 20 and the LCD 22 are located on the upper surface and the document reading unit 10 is located on the lower surface. Therefore, in this state, it is possible to read the document by the document reading unit 10 while manually moving the facsimile device 1 on the document, visually confirm the display on the LCD 22 and input an instruction on the operation unit 20. Can use the facsimile machine 1.

The typical operation of the facsimile machine 1 will be described below. (1) Telephone call When making a telephone call, the user connects a telephone line to the connector 15a. When a predetermined off-hook switch (not shown) of the operation unit 20 is pressed in this state, the control unit 1
9 controls the line control unit 14 to close the telephone line 2.
Then, the control unit 19 takes in the telephone number designated by the key operation performed after the off-hook switch is pressed and outputs the corresponding dial signal to the telephone circuit 16. The dial signal output from the telephone circuit 16 is sent to the telephone line 2 via the line control unit 14. Or later,
The control unit 19 controls the telephone circuit 16 so that the incoming signal is output as voice from the speaker 17, and the signal obtained by the microphone 18 is sent to the telephone line 2 via the line control unit 14. , Make calls possible.

On the other hand, when a telephone call signal arrives from the station via the telephone line 2 with the telephone line 2 opened,
The control unit 19 controls the telephone circuit 16 to output a calling signal from the speaker 17 as a calling sound. Then, when a predetermined off-hook switch of the operation unit 20 is pressed in this state, the control unit 19 controls the line control unit 14 to control the telephone line 2
And then controls the telephone circuit 16 so that the incoming signal is output as voice from the speaker 17, and the signal obtained by the microphone 18 is sent to the telephone line 2 via the line control unit 14. This enables the call.

(2) Reading an original document When reading an original document, the user places the original document on a flat surface such as a desk or the like, and then, on this original document,
The facsimile device 1 is set so that the document reading unit 10 is located on the lower surface. Then, after pressing a predetermined start button of the operation unit 20, the document is manually moved.

When the facsimile apparatus 1 is manually moved on the document, the rollers 10b and 10c of the document reading section 10 are rotated along with the movement. This roller 1
Since the rotation amounts of 0b and 10c are proportional to the movement amount of the facsimile device 1, the relative movement amount of the facsimile device 1 and the original document is detected based on the rotation amount of the rollers 10b and 10c, and the facsimile device 1 and the original document are detected. The image sensor 10 at a predetermined timing according to the amount of movement relative to
The document is read by driving a. The image signal thus obtained by the reading unit 10 is temporarily stored in the image memory 12 after being subjected to predetermined processing by the image signal processing unit 11 to be image data.

When the reading of the document is completed, the user releases the depression of the start button. In response to this, the control unit 19 recognizes the end of reading, and thereafter, the document reading unit 10
Do not let read.

(3) Facsimile transmission When transmitting image data, the user calls the other party in the same manner as in the case of the telephone call described above, and after the response of the other party's terminal, a predetermined start of the operation unit 20 is started. Press the button.

When the start button of the operation unit 20 is pressed in this manner, the control unit 19 reads out the image data stored in the image memory 12 and supplies it to the modulation / demodulation unit 13 via the image signal processing unit 11. The image data is modulated by the modulation / demodulation unit 13, then sent to the telephone line 2 via the line control unit 14 and transmitted to the destination terminal.

(4) Reception of Facsimile When an incoming call for a facsimile occurs, a calling signal first comes from the station via the telephone line 2. Then the control unit 1
9 controls the telephone circuit 16 to output a call signal to the speaker 17
Output as a ringer. Then, when a predetermined off-hook button of the operation unit 20 is pressed in this state, the control unit 19 controls the line control unit 14 to close the telephone line 2,
Further, the telephone circuit 16 is controlled so that the incoming signal is output as sound from the speaker 17.

In the case of an incoming facsimile call, a control signal of a predetermined frequency is sent after the telephone line 2 is closed, and this control signal is output from the speaker 17 as an oscillating sound. The user hears this oscillating sound, recognizes that the call is for a facsimile, and presses the start button of the operation unit 20.

When the start button of the operation unit 20 is pressed in this manner, the control unit 19 controls the line control unit 14 to connect the telephone line to the modulation / demodulation unit 13 side. After this, the image data coming through the telephone line 2 is transferred to the line control unit 14
Is input to the modulation / demodulation unit 13 and demodulated. The demodulated image data is stored in the image memory 12 after being subjected to predetermined processing such as decoding in the image signal processing unit 11.

(5) Recording Output When recording and outputting the image data stored in the image memory 12, the user connects a dedicated printer as the external device 3 to the connector 15b, and a predetermined recording button ( (Not shown).

When a predetermined recording button of the operation unit 20 is pressed in this way, the control unit 19 controls the image memory 12 and outputs the image data stored in the image memory 12 to the external device 3. If a dedicated printer is connected as the external device 3 as described above, the dedicated printer prints out an image corresponding to the image data. If the image data output to the external device 3 is received, the received image is recorded and output, and if the image data output to the external device 3 is read by the document reading unit 10, A copy image will be recorded and output.

The image data stored in the image memory 12 may be output to an external device via a portable storage medium such as a memory card, a compact disc, or a floppy disc.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the surface of the upper housing 30 where the operation portion 20 and the LCD 22 are exposed and the surface of the lower housing 31 where the image sensor 10a and the rollers 10b and 10c are exposed. By stacking the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 31 so that they face each other, the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 31 can cover the image sensor 10a, the rollers 10b and 10c, the operation unit 20, and the LCD 22. These can be protected. Therefore, even in the case of portable use, it is not necessary to separately prepare a protective cover or a protective case, and the cost can be reduced. In addition, it is not necessary to put the main body in and out of the protective cover and protective case.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, if the angle between the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 31 can be arbitrarily fixed, the LCD 2 can be set by raising the upper housing 30 as shown in FIG. 5, for example.
It is possible to use the facsimile device 1 in various states such as enhancing the visibility of item 2.

The devices respectively arranged in the upper housing 30 and the lower housing 31 are not limited to those shown in the above embodiment, and some devices may be replaced. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the speaker 17 and the microphone 18 are arranged in the upper casing 30 different from the lower casing 31 in which the document reading unit 10 is arranged, but the reading of the document and the telephone call are performed simultaneously. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the speaker 17 and the microphone 18 may be provided in the lower housing 31 together with the document reading unit 10.
In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, a predetermined device such as an operation unit or a liquid crystal display among the devices exposed on the surface is provided on a predetermined one surface and can be rotated by 180 ° or more. A first housing, such as an upper housing, supported by the connecting member
The housing and the housing should be supported by the connecting member so as to form a rotating shaft different from the rotating shaft of the first housing in a state of being rotatable by 180 ° or more, and should be exposed on the surface. A predetermined device, such as an image sensor or a roller, different from the device provided in the first housing is provided on a predetermined surface facing the predetermined one surface in a state of being overlapped with the first housing. Since the second casing such as the lower casing is provided, it is possible to protect the device without using a protective case or a protective cover, which makes the facsimile device inexpensive and highly convenient.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are diagrams showing an external appearance of a facsimile apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2A being a perspective view and FIG. 2B being a side view.

3A and 3B are diagrams showing a suitable state of the apparatus when carried, wherein FIG. 3A is a perspective view and FIG. 3B is a side view.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a suitable state of the apparatus when in use.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modified example of the state of the device during use.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a modified example of the outer appearance of the facsimile apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Facsimile apparatus, 10 ... Original reading part, 10a ... Image sensor, 10b, 10
c ... roller, 20 ... operation part, 22
... Liquid crystal display (LCD), 30 ... Upper casing,
31 ... Lower housing, 32 ... Connecting member,
33, 34 ... Axis.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Naoki Goto, 1-chome, 3-chome, Asahigaoka, Hino-shi, Tokyo Inside the Toshiba Hino factory, a manufacturing company (72) Keiji Ameno 3-chome, 1-chome, Asahigaoka, Hino-shi, Tokyo 1 Toshiba Corporation Hino factory inside

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A connecting member, and a predetermined device among devices to be mounted and exposed on the surface are provided on a predetermined one surface, and are supported by the connecting member in a state of being rotatable by 180 ° or more. The housing is supported by the connecting member so that a rotating shaft different from the rotating shaft of the first housing in a state of being rotatable by 180 ° or more and one housing is formed and is exposed on the surface. Second device provided on a predetermined surface facing the predetermined one surface in a state in which a predetermined device other than the device provided in the first housing overlaps with the first housing. And a facsimile machine. 2. The predetermined device provided in the first housing includes at least an instruction input device for receiving a manual instruction input and a display device for displaying predetermined information, and a second device. A predetermined device provided in the housing is a reading device that generates electrical image information corresponding to an image of a document, and a movement amount detection that detects a relative movement amount between the second casing and the document. The facsimile apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: