JP3224301B2 - Input/Output Machine - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THEINVENTION The present invention relates to an input/output device which integrates a scanner section and a printer section which function independently.

[0002]

2 shows a scanner unit (image information input device).
1 shows an example of an image file system in which a controller (computer) controls communication between a printer unit (image information output device) and a printer section (image information output device) to input and output image information.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a scanner section which reads an original document and outputs image information. Reference numeral 2 denotes a printer section which records on recording paper based on the image information. Although the scanner section 1 and the printer section 2 function independently, the scanner section 1 and the printer section 2 are integrated.

Reference numeral 3 denotes an operation panel provided with a number of keys. This operation panel 3 is connected to the scanner section 1, and operations such as setting the operation mode of the scanner section 1 are performed using this operation panel 3. Note that communication is performed between the scanner section 1 and the printer section 2, and operations such as setting the operation mode of the printer section 2 are also performed using the operation panel 3. Note that reference numeral 2a denotes an operation panel connected to the printer section 2, and is used for density adjustment, color balance adjustment, setting the number of copies, etc.

Further, reference numeral 4 denotes an image memory used as a buffer for image information, and 5 denotes a controller consisting of a computer or the like for controlling the entire system. Communications are carried out between the scanner unit 1 and the printer unit 2 and the controller 5, and the operations of the scanner unit 1 and the printer unit 2 are controlled by the controller 5. In this case, the controller 5 also enables operations such as setting the operating modes of the scanner unit 1 and the printer unit 2, in the same way as the operation panel 3.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a magneto-optical disk device serving as a filing device connected to the controller 5, and 7 denotes a CRT monitor connected to the controller 5. The recording and reproducing operations of the magneto-optical disk device 6 are controlled by the controller 5.

In the above configuration, when image information is input,
An original is read by a scanner unit 1, and image information output from the scanner unit 1 is supplied to a controller 5 via an image memory 4, and is further supplied to a magneto-optical disk device 6 where it is recorded on a magneto-optical disk.

During image information retrieval, the image information designated by the controller 5 is sequentially reproduced from the magneto-optical disk in the magneto-optical disk device 6.
The image information is supplied to the monitor 7 via the optical disc 10, and the contents of the image information are displayed on the monitor 7. This allows the desired image information to be retrieved from the magneto-optical disk.

When image information is output, the controller 5
In accordance with this command, the magneto-optical disk device 6 reproduces image information from the magneto-optical disk, and this image information is supplied to the printer section 2 via the controller 5 and image memory 4, and the image information is recorded on recording paper.

Power is supplied to the scanner unit 1 and the printer unit 2 in the following manner. That is, reference numeral 8 denotes a commercial AC power supply, which is connected to a driving power supply circuit 10 via an OFF relay 9 that is turned off when an abnormality occurs in the scanner unit 1 or the printer unit 2. A DC voltage output from the power supply circuit 10 is supplied to the scanner unit 1 and the printer unit 2 as a driving power supply.

The AC power supply 8 is also supplied to a control power supply circuit 11, and a DC voltage output from this power supply circuit 11 is supplied to the scanner section 1 and the printer section 2 as a control power supply.

[0012]

In the example of FIG.
For example, if an abnormality occurs in the scanner unit 1, the OFF relay is turned off and the driving power supply circuit 10 stops supplying driving power to both the scanner unit 1 and the printer unit 2. Therefore, even if no abnormality occurs in the printer unit 2 and the printer unit 2 can function normally, the printer unit 2 cannot be used.

Therefore, the present invention provides an input/output device which allows the use of the scanner section or printer section, which is functioning normally, even if an abnormality occurs in either one of them.

[0014]

[Means for solving the problem] The present invention is an input/output device which integrates a scanner section and a printer section which function independently, in which separate power supplies are provided for driving the scanner section and the printer section, and each of the separately provided power supplies for driving the scanner section and the printer section is connected to a commercial power source via a relay which is turned off in the event of an abnormality.

[0015]

In this invention, the scanner unit and the printer unit are provided with separate power supplies for driving them. Therefore, even if an abnormality occurs in one unit and the power supply is cut off, the other unit can still be used because it is still supplied with power.

[0016]

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. In this embodiment, the present invention is applied to an image file system in which a scanner section and a printer section are controlled by a controller to input and output image information. In Fig. 1, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 2 are given the same reference numerals,
A detailed explanation will be omitted.

In this embodiment, the commercial AC power supply 8 is connected to a scanner OFF relay 9 which is turned off when an abnormality occurs in the scanner unit 1.
The power supply circuit 10s outputs a DC voltage which is supplied to the scanner unit 1 as a driving power supply.

The commercial AC power supply 8 is connected to a scanner driving power supply circuit 10p via a printer OFF relay 9p which is turned off when an abnormality occurs in the printer unit 2. A DC voltage output from the power supply circuit 10p is supplied to the printer unit 2 as a driving power supply.

This embodiment is constructed as described above, and is otherwise constructed in the same manner as the embodiment shown in FIG.

In this example, when an abnormality occurs only in the scanner unit 10s, the scanner OFF relay 9s is turned off and the power supply circuit 10s stops supplying driving power to the scanner unit 1, ensuring the safety of the scanner unit 1. In this case, the printer OFF relay 9p remains on and the power supply circuit 10p stops supplying driving power to the printer unit 2.
Since the driving power is supplied to the printer unit 2, the printer unit 2 can be used.

Conversely, when an abnormality occurs only in the printer unit 10p, the power supply circuit 10p no longer supplies driving power to the printer unit 2, ensuring the safety of the printer unit 2 and allowing the scanner unit 1 to be used with the driving power from the power supply circuit 10s.

In this embodiment, the scanner unit 1
In addition, since the printer unit 2 is provided with its own dedicated power supply circuit 10s, 10p, even if an abnormality occurs in one and the power supply for driving is cut off, the power supply for driving is still supplied to the other, so that the safety of one unit can be ensured while the other unit, which is normal, can be used satisfactorily.

In the above embodiment, the scanner unit 1 and the printer unit 2 are supplied with control power from the control power circuit 11. However, the control power may be supplied to each of them from its own dedicated control power circuit.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to an image file system in which the scanner unit 1 and the printer unit 2 are communication-controlled by the controller 5, but it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to other input/output devices in which a scanner unit and a printer unit which function independently are integrated together.

[0025]

According to the present invention, since the power supplies for driving the scanner unit and the printer unit are provided separately, even if an abnormality occurs in one unit and the power supply for driving the other unit is cut off, the other unit can still be used because the power supply for driving the other unit is still being supplied, thereby allowing the functions of the scanner unit and the printer unit to be used efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Scanner section 2 Printer section 2a, 3 Operation panel 4 Image memory 5 Controller (computer) 6 Magneto-optical disk device 7 CRT monitor 8 Commercial AC power supply 9s Scanner OFF relay 9p Printer OFF relay 10s Scanner driving power supply circuit 10p Printer driving power supply circuit 11 Control power supply circuit

Continued from the front page (72) Inventor Akihisa Hirasawa 2880 Kozu, Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan Hitachi, Ltd. Storage Systems Division (72) Inventor Ikuo Harada 2880 Kozu, Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan Hitachi, Ltd. Storage Systems Division (72) Inventor Yoshihisa Kamata 2970 Ishikawa-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo Konica Corporation (72) Inventor Toshiharu Nishimura 2970 Ishikawa-cho, Hachioji, Tokyo Konica Corporation (56) References JP 5-14644 (JP, A) JP 64-89751 (JP, A) JP 1-276869 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 1/00 - 1/00 108

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] [Claim 1] An input/output device which integrates a scanner unit and a printer unit which function independently, characterized in that separate power supplies are provided for driving the scanner unit and the printer unit, and each of the separately provided power supplies for driving the scanner unit and the printer unit is connected to a commercial power source via a relay which is turned off in the event of an abnormality.