JPS62118384A - Character pattern generator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [1 Already Required] An external storage device that stores character pattern data as compressed data, and an external storage device that stores the compressed data stored in the external storage device as dot pattern format data (suitable for developing into dot patterns). a first converting means for converting into dot pattern data); an internal storage device for holding the dot pattern data;
a second converting means for converting dot pattern form data held in the internal storage device into a dot pattern;
For each character, the data held in the internal storage device is converted into a dot pattern and output.

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a character pattern creation device, and particularly to a character pattern creation device that creates raster data characters by converting data from vector characters.

For example, in a printing system, a computer is used to send characters to an output device such as a printer for printing, and a character pattern creation device is interposed in between.

In such a character pattern creation device, it is desirable that the storage capacity be as small as possible and the creation process be as fast as possible.

[Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention] Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a printing system, where 1 is a central control unit (CPU), 2 is an input device (for example, a keyboard), and 3 is a character A pattern creation device (character generator), 4 a printer.

5 is a display device (eg, CRT).

In order to print characters from the printer 4 in such a printing system, the character pattern creation device 3 is used to convert the pattern data into pattern data suitable for printing, and the pattern data is sent to the printer under the control of the central controller 1. Send it to 4,
It will be printed out. The display device 5 is used for monitoring, and the input device 2 is used for input from the outside.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the character pattern creation device 3.
The main body of the character pattern creation device 3 is a conversion system, which converts the character pattern data in the external storage device 6 attached to the character pattern creation device into pattern data suitable for printing and outputs it. Character pattern data stored in the external storage device 6 is generally in two character formats: vector characters and dot characters.

A vector character pattern is a character pattern in which the position coordinates and order of dots within the character pattern area are known, and is so-called compressed dot data. According to the former vector character method, the storage capacity of the external storage device 6 is limited. This has the advantage of requiring less data and making the storage device smaller.

Furthermore, a dot character pattern is pattern data in which, for example, a character pattern area is developed into 24 x 24 dots, the position of each dot corresponds to the presence or absence of a character, and all dots are stored in a fixed order. According to the latter dot character method, the storage capacity increases and the storage device 6
The disadvantage is that it becomes large.

However, on the other hand, considering from the character pattern creation device 3,
When stored in vector character format consisting of compressed data,
Since it is treated as a character as it is, the conversion process takes time and has the disadvantage of slowing down the processing speed, whereas the other dot character system can process faster than that.

In this way, the conventional method has contradictory problems, but
The present invention proposes a character pattern creation device that solves this problem.

[Means for solving the problem] The problem is to store character pattern data in the form of compressed data. an external storage device; an internal storage device that holds data in a format suitable for developing into a dot pattern;
a first conversion means for converting compressed data held in the external storage device into data in a form suitable for expansion into a dot pattern; and a second conversion means for converting the data held in the internal storage device into a dot pattern. The problem is solved by a character pattern creation device that is equipped with a conversion means and that converts data held in an internal storage device for each character into a dot pattern and outputs the dot pattern.

[Operation] That is, in the present invention, for example, vector character patterns are stored in an external storage device, and converted into data (dot pattern form data) in a form suitable for developing into dot patterns by the first conversion system. Then, the dot pattern form data is stored in an internal storage device, and the second conversion system converts the dot pattern form data into a dot pattern and outputs it.

This will reduce the capacity of the external storage device, and
Can be processed at high speed.

[Example] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a character pattern creation device according to the present invention, in which 10 is an external storage device, 11 is a first conversion system,
Reference numeral 12 indicates an internal storage device, and reference numeral 13 indicates a second conversion system.

Vector character patterns are stored in the external storage device 10. As mentioned above, since the vector character pattern is compressed data, the external storage device 10 becomes smaller.

This is converted into dot pattern form data by the first conversion system 11 and stored in the internal storage device 12. Here, the dot pattern form data is data in a compressed form of the dot pattern. For example, if the pattern area is 24 x 24 dots, the total number of dots is 576, and the conventional dot pattern data consists of these 57 dots.
It is assumed that six items are scanned from the upper left end to the right, sequentially down, and finally stored one by one in a certain direction and in a certain order to the lower right end. On the other hand, the dot pattern form data has the same direction and order, but for example,
111 with no characters (O”), then 3 with characters (“1”)
Second, the dot pattern is compressed into data such that "0" becomes 21. That way, you will need less memory.

Next, this is converted into dot pattern data by the second conversion system 13 and output.

In addition, without storing the same characters twice in the internal storage device 12, the data from the first conversion system 1 is collated,
If the characters are the same, they are output to the second conversion system 13 at high speed.

Furthermore, the vector character patterns stored in the external storage device 10 are of one size, and characters of different sizes are calculated by the first conversion system 11 by instructions from the outside (for example, keyboard input). Convert. In this way, the storage capacity of the external storage device 10 will be further reduced.

With such a configuration, in the character pattern creation device according to the present invention, the first conversion system 11 and the second conversion system 13 are almost equivalent to branched conversion systems of the conventional character pattern creation device 3. , it's not too complicated. Further, the internal storage device 12 can also be made small because it accommodates compressed data of dot patterns and does not store the same characters repeatedly.

[Effects of the Invention] As is clear from the above description, the present invention has the advantage of reducing the capacity of the external storage device and increasing the processing speed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a character pattern creation device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a printing system, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional character pattern creation device. In the figure, 10 is an external storage device, 11 is a first conversion system, 12 is an internal storage device, and 13 is a second conversion system. Oyacho 1 = ip3 length 7-〉Sumihe mark next day 1st figure epPJ system 7" low/7 figure 2nd figure

Claims (1)

[Claims] An external storage device that holds character pattern data in a compressed form; an internal storage device that holds data in a form suitable for developing into dot patterns; a first conversion means for converting data in a form suitable for expansion into a dot pattern; and a second conversion means for converting data in a form suitable for expansion into a dot pattern held in the internal storage device into a dot pattern.
What is claimed is: 1. A character pattern creating device, comprising a converting means, which converts data held in an internal storage device for each character into a dot pattern and outputs the dot pattern.