Apparatus for controlling stepping motor

An apparatus for controlling a stepping motor, used in feeding of sheet in a facsimile device, said apparatus comprising:

• driving means for supplying stepping phase commutation at a given excitation current to drive a stepping motor while receiving a drive signal, and then, upon discontinuance of said driving signal, stopping said phase commutation but maintaining the same excitation current of the phase which was being excited when the driving signal was discontinued, until receipt of a first changeover signal, then, in response to the first changeover signal, reducing the excitation current and maintaining the reduced current until receipt of a second changeover signal, then, in response to the second changeover signal, further reducing said excitation current;
• first controlling means provided with a plurality of tables of excitation patterns, for selecting a table in response to a selection signal to control the drive of said stepping motor, said first controlling means having a two-phase-on and a one-two-phase-on drive as the plurality of tables of excitation patterns, said first controlling means generating the first and second changeover signals, said first controlling means counting a first time following discontinuance of said driving signal and generating the first changeover signal at the expiration of said first time, said first controlling means counting a second time following said first changeover signal and generating the second changeover signal at the expiration of said second time;
• and
• second controlling means for generating a selection signal for selecting one of said plurality of tables of excitation patterns depending upon a drive speed of the motor, said selection signal generated by said controlling means choosing said two-phase-on drive when high speed motor driving is necessary and choosing said one-two-phase-on driving when low speed motor driving is necessary.