JP3119094B2 - Character output device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character output device for printing out characters using shape data read from shape data storage means in which shape data representing the shape of a character is stored in advance.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a character output device prints a character shape of a font (hereinafter referred to as a screen font) having the same shape and correspondence relationship as a character output device built in a host computer device, character output is performed. In most cases, only the character code is sent to the device, and the shape of the character to be actually printed is indicated by the shape data built into the character output device for each character, and the printing position is built into the character output device for each character. Instructed by character feed data.
When displaying the characters of the screen font on the host computer device, the shape of the character to be displayed is indicated by the shape data incorporated for each character in the host computer device,
The display position is indicated by character feed data incorporated for each character in the host computer device. Since the coordinate system of the screen font differs depending on the screen font, if the same character is displayed using a screen font having a different coordinate system, the display position may be different.

[0003] In spite of the fact that the character feed data has a different coordinate system depending on the screen font, each character has only one value calculated and corresponding to one screen font and converted to an integer.

The character feed data indicates a relative position from the starting point of a character to the starting point of the next character. Further, the space area between adjacent characters by the character feed data can be visually equalized. For example, if the output is simply performed with the distance between all the characters being constant, the whole appears to vary as shown in FIG. The processing has character feed data for each character, and by determining the position of the next character, it is possible to output with good balance as shown in FIG.

[0005]

However, in the conventional character output device, when a character of a screen font having a coordinate system different from that of the screen font to which the character feed data corresponds is output from the host computer, the character is output at the character output position. An error occurs. Hereinafter, an example in which 12-point characters "H" are displayed continuously from two host computer devices having screen fonts having different coordinate systems and output from each host computer device to a character output device will be described with reference to FIG. Will be explained.

In one host computer (hereinafter referred to as host A), the characters of the screen font are 100 characters.
It is displayed in a coordinate system of 0 × 1000, and 2048 × 204 in another host computer (hereinafter referred to as host B).
8 is displayed in the coordinate system. The character feed data of the character "H" stored in the screen font is
Is 488 and Host B is 999.
72 x (point size of character) x (character feed data)
It is converted to inches by the formula // (coordinate system). 1/72 of this formula represents the number of inches of one point character. Therefore, the relative position from the start point of the character to the start point of the next character is 1/72 × 12 × 488/10 in the host A.
00 = approximately 0.081333 inch .
72 × 12 × 999/2048 = about 0.081299 inches, and there is an error of about 0.000034 per character.

As a result, when one line is 3.3345 inches, the character "H" is displayed on the host A by 40 characters (FIG. 5A), and on the host B by 41 characters (FIG. 5C). )). When this is printed out from each host computer to a character output device having a font format of 1000 × 1000 coordinate system, the print position is indicated by the character feed data of the character of the font built in the character output device. I do. 1000 × 1000
In the case where the character output device of the coordinate system has character feed data of 488 corresponding to the host A, when the character is output from the host A, the character “H” is displayed as shown in FIG. Similarly, 40 characters are printed and output on one line. When the processing is output from the host B, the host B outputs 41
While characters are displayed, 41 as shown in FIG.
The character line is broken, resulting in an output result different from that displayed on the host device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a character output device capable of printing and outputting in the same character arrangement as a screen font in a host computer device regardless of a difference in a coordinate system of the screen font. It is intended to provide.

[0009]

In order to achieve this object, a character output device according to the present invention uses a shape data read from a shape data storage means in which shape data representing a shape of a character is stored in advance, to output a character. For a character output device designed to print out, enter the character size of the characters to be printed out.
A character size input means for inputting , character feed data storage means for storing a plurality of types of character feed data having different intervals from the start point of the character to the start point of the next character for each character; Character type data input means for inputting character type data for selecting one of the character feed data, and the character feed data storage means based on the character type data input by the character type data input means. and escapement data selection means for selecting one of a plurality of escapement data stored in, escapement de of the escapement data selection means selects
Data and the character size input from the character size input means
And a font format corresponding to the character type data.
The next print from the current print position based on the
Print position calculating means for calculating the position .

[0010]

According to the character output device of the present invention having the above-described structure, a plurality of character feed data stored in the character feed data storage means are stored on the basis of the character type data input by the character type data input means. One of
Select by character feed data selection means and calculate print position
The means includes a character sending data selected by the character sending data selecting means.
Character data input from the character size input means.
And the font format corresponding to the character type data.
From the current print position based on the
Calculate the print position.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is embodied in a printer will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a portion of a control circuit of a laser printer to which the present invention is applied, which mainly converts outline data into dot data and outputs the dot data. The microcomputer section 20, which is a main component of the control circuit, includes a CPU 1, a program ROM 2, a text memory 3, a working memory 4, a dot data memory 5, a character ROM 6, and a character feed data memory 7. The CPU 1 and the like are connected by a bus 10, and an input unit 8 and a printing unit 9 are connected to the bus 10.

The input section 8 is for inputting necessary data such as character codes to the microcomputer section 20 and constitutes a character type data input means of the present invention. The output unit 9 includes a microcomputer unit 20
This is the part where characters are printed based on the instruction from.

The program ROM 2 stores programs for performing various controls performed in this embodiment. The text memory 3 is a memory for storing information such as a character code, a character size, and character type data input through the input unit 8. Character RO
M6 is a memory for storing outline data as character shape data for each character. The working memory 4 is a memory for temporarily storing necessary data when the CPU 1 executes a program.
The dot data memory 5 is a memory for storing dot data obtained by the dot data conversion processing.

The character feed data memory 7 constitutes character feed data storage means of the present invention, and includes a character code, a plurality of character feed data relating to a character of the character code, and a plurality of character feed data. This is a memory for storing a character feed type for classifying characters. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the character with the character code "101" has a plurality of character feed data "488" and "999". The character feed data “488” is applied when the character feed type is “type 1”, and the coordinate system of the font (hereinafter referred to as “screen font”) built in the host device has a coordinate system of 1000 × 100.
The character feed data of “999” is applied when the character feed type is “type2”, and corresponds to the case where the coordinate system of the screen font format is 2048 × 2048. Value.

Next, the outline of the process of converting the outline data to the dot data and printing the outline data of the laser printer thus configured according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The following Si
(I = 1, 2, 3,...) Represent each step in the figure.

First, in step 21, a character code is input from the input unit 8, then in step 22, a character size to be output is input, and in step 23, character type data is input. In this embodiment, the host computer inputs a character feed type determined by identifying the screen font coordinate system as character type data from the host computer. For example, when the coordinate system of the screen font is 2048 × 2048, the host computer transmits the character feed type “t” as the character type data.
type2 ". In step 24, one character feed data is selected from the character feed data memory based on the character code input in step 21 and the character type data input in step 23. For example, when the character code is “101” and the character feed type is “type2”, the character feed data “999” is selected from the character feed data memory shown in FIG. The processing of step 24 functions as the character feed data selecting means of the present invention.

Next, in step 25, outline data corresponding to the character code is stored in the character ROM 6.
Read from. In step 26, coordinate conversion is performed in accordance with the scaling process of the character and the designation of rotation / reversal, etc., and the outline data is set to one dot size.
Into a coordinate value corresponding to the pixel screen to be set. Next, the finally obtained outline data is painted out by a raster scan method and converted into dot data.
Here, the raster scan method is a known technique that has already been put into practical use, and is not a main part of the present invention, and thus description thereof is omitted. In the scan Te'-flops 27, vinegar Te'-flops 2
(In this embodiment escapement type) character type data input in the character size and scan Te' flop 23 entered in 2 on the basis of the escapement data selected in and scan Te' <br/> flop 24, printing of the next character Calculate the position. The printing position of the next character is a position shifted horizontally from the current printing position by a value of 1/72 × (point size of character) × (character feed data) / (coordinate system).

This formula is obtained by calculating the printing position in inches. If the font size is 12 points,
Since the character feed type “type2” is a value corresponding to the screen font coordinate system of 2048 × 2048, the next print position is (1/72 × 12 × 99) at the current print position.
9/2048) inch.

[0020] In scan Te' flop 28, the print command from the CPU 1, the printing unit 9 prints read dot image data.

Further, in this embodiment, the character feed type for identifying the coordinate system of the screen font incorporated in the host computer is set as the character type data, but the type name to which the character belongs may be set as the character type data. Alternatively, data set by a user from an operation panel of an output device such as a printer may be used as character type data. The moving direction to the printing position may be not only the vertical direction but also an oblique direction. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to printers other than laser printers.

[0022]

As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, according to the character output device of the present invention, regardless of the difference in the coordinate system of the format of the fonts built in the host computer system, the Hosutoko Npi Yuta device It is possible to provide a character output device capable of outputting in the same character arrangement as a built-in font.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a data converter of a control circuit of a laser printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a structural diagram of character feed data used in the laser printer.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for converting outline data into dot data for printing.

FIG. 4 is an example of character printing when character feed data is used and when it is not used. FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of character feed data used in the laser printer.

FIG. 5 shows an example of displaying a font incorporated in a host computer device and an example of outputting the same with a conventional character output device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 CPU 2 Program ROM 3 Text memory 4 Working memory 5 Dot data memory 6 Character ROM 7 Character feed data memory 8 Input section 9 Printing section 10 Bus 20 Microcomputer section

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 5/30 B41J 21/00 G06F 3/12

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] In character output apparatus that prints out the characters using the shape data read from the previously stored shape data storing means the shape data representing 1. A character shape, inputs a character size of the character to be printed out Enter font size
Input means, character feed data storage means for storing a plurality of types of character feed data having different intervals from the start point of a character to the start point of the next character, and character feed data stored by the character feed data storage means. A character type data input unit for inputting character type data for selecting one of the character type data; and a character feed data storage unit based on the character type data input by the character type data input unit. and escapement data selection means for selecting one of a plurality of escapement data are, escapement data which the escapement data selection means selects
And the character size input from the character size input means,
Font format corresponding to the character type data
From the current print position to the next print position based on the coordinate system of
Character output apparatus characterized by comprising a print position calculating means for calculating a.