Brother Kogyo Kabushiki-kaisha

Motonobu Ando

Takaaki Shirai

Hiroshi Yamaguchi

A facsimile apparatus is provided with a receiver that receives facsimile data, a storage unit including a data memory region that stores therein the facsimile data, a printing unit that prints an image based on the facsimile data, and a printing controller that controls the printing unit, during receipt of the facsimile data, to alternately operate in a standby mode in which a printing action is suspended and allowing the facsimile data corresponding to a plurality of pages to be stored in the storage unit, and in a continuous mode in which the facsimile data corresponding to the plurality of pages stored in the storage unit is continuously printed out by the printing unit.

Facsimile apparatus and method of mode switching and memory control to maintain the continuous printing of facsimile data

An original transporting device includes: an original placing portion; an original discharging portion; a first transport path that connects the original placing portion and the original discharging portion; a second transport path that is branched from the first transport path and is connected to a switchback transport path; a changeover unit that changes over a transport route along which an original is transported to either one of the first transport path and the second transport path; a first detecting unit that detects the presence or absence of the original; a first determining unit that determines whether or not the original is a final page original based on the detection; and a controlling unit that controls a transporting unit and the changeover unit so as to discharge at least a portion of the final page original to outside the device through the second transport path based on the determination.

Original transporting device and image reading apparatus

When long binding is selected in a double-side record copy mode, images read from documents by a scanner section are stored in a memory in such a manner that image data of odd pages are stored as compressed data whereas image data of even pages are stored as not-compressed data. Print data are read from the memory at the time of formation of images page by page. Whenever a page of not-compressed data is read from the memory, the not-compressed data are inverted in terms of data sequence and sent to a printer section so that formation of an image on a sheet of recording paper by the printer section can start at the bottom of the page. Whenever a page of compressed data is read from the memory, the compressed data are expanded and sent to the printer section in order of reading data from the memory.

Double-side image forming apparatus and double-side image forming method

An Flat Bed-Multi Function Device includes an MPU, a reading section, a recording section, an operation section, an image memory, and a ratio changing section. In a reduction copy mode, the reading section reads an extended reading area of a document larger than a recording area of recording paper to generate image data. The ratio changing section reduces the image data at a predetermined reduction ratio. The recording section forms an image on a sheet of recording paper on the basis of the reduced image data.

Copying machine and copying method

A color reading apparatus in which reflection light from a read-target medium is read on a line-by-line basis for each color of red, green, blue by a monochromatic line image sensor. The color reading apparatus performs a color reading operation while the relative position between the read-target medium and the monochromatic line image sensor is changed by a feeding apparatus. The color reading apparatus includes a feed control device that stops a driving source of the feeding apparatus at the completion time of a one-line color reading operation composed of one-line reading operations for red, green and blue colors when a reading operation for a read-target medium is temporarily interrupted.

Color reading apparatus and storage medium

The lamp is turned ON in S,, and the upper reference voltage memory,is written with the upper reference value, which is presently stored in the upper storage memory,and which has been determined and set as the upper reference value during the previously-executed image reading process. The increase mode flag is turned ON in S,, and the interrupt routine is started in S,to determine the upper reference voltage to be used in the present image reading process. When the upper reference value is finally determined, the interrupt routine is terminated in S,, and the upper reference value is stored in the upper reference voltage memory,. The upper reference value is stored also in the upper storage memory,in S,. In the next image reading process, the upper reference value, stored in the upper storage memory,, will be written into the upper reference value memory,in S,. The D/A converter,will initially output a temporary upper reference voltage corresponding to that upper reference value. The upper reference voltage proper for being used in the present image reading process can be determined within a short period of time through repeatedly changing the temporary upper reference voltage from the thus initially-set value.

Image reading device

A stepper motor controller that controls acceleration of a stepper motor so that, once the stepper motor is stabilized at 500 pps, acceleration of the motor is increased to 667 pps for four steps, during which time the speed of the stepper motor reaches about 900 pps. Then, acceleration of the stepper motor is increased to 1,000 pps, allowing the motor to increase to that speed without degeneration of the speed. In other words, when the stopper motor nears the maximum possible speed at an acceleration of 667 pps, the next acceleration is applied. In this way, acceleration of the stepper motor can be changed between levels having a great difference in driving frequency without causing the stepper motor to degenerate.

Stepper motor controller used in a document reading device

A reference surface for determining a threshold level of an image sensor is provided on a guide plate swingable with a cover away from the image sensor. The reference surface has markings thereon for determining a reading range of the image sensor. The image reading device makes three detections from the reading of the reference surface: a detection of the cover position by detecting the presence of the markings; a detection of the reading range of the image sensor by detecting the arrangement of the markings; and a detection of the threshold level of the image sensor by detecting the background of the reference surface. The threshold level is not taken until the device has determined that the cover is closed.

Image reading device with cover status detector

A distance between an original sensor and an image sensor is determined by counting a number of pulses of a stepping motor driving an original feeder as an original travels between the original sensor and the image sensor. A pair of markings on a white level reference member opposing the image sensor are used to determine the reading range of the image sensor, and further, when the original travelling past the image sensor obscures the markings, the obscuring of the markings is sensed by a controller and used to determine the above-mentioned distance. A starting position for the image sensor to begin sensing an image borne by an original is set by the controller based upon the distance, and the starting position is recorded in an EEPROM such that it can be recalled between uses of the device.

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Okazaki, Japan

Motonobu Ando