JP2000151983A - Broken line generator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a broken line generator where the processing time to generate broken lines can be reduced. SOLUTION: The broken line generator is provided with a line segment data input device 11 that receives information of a broken line to be drawn, a line segment division section 12 that divides a line segment into a drawn part and a non-drawn part on the basis of the received information, a broken line bit map generating section 13 that generates drawing data to draw the drawn part, a line segment bit map generating section 14 that generates data for the non-drawn part, a bit map combining section 15 that combines the drawing data with the non-drawing data, a line segment bit map output device 16 that outputs the composited data. The line segment bit map generating section 14 sets all of segments to be a non-drawn part to integrate non-drawing data into a single data.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dashed line generating apparatus for generating data for drawing a line segment as a dashed line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a printing application operating on a computer, straight lines and curves, which are basic components of a figure, are modified by designating their thickness, broken line patterns, and terminal shapes such as arrows. be able to. The data of the straight line and the curve with the decoration pattern specified are output to a printer connected to a computer and printed out. The data sent to such a printer is
Some have a conversion device for converting to a bitmap font (hereinafter simply referred to as a bitmap) which is a font data format indicating the shape of characters and figures.

FIGS. 9A to 9E are views for explaining a process of converting data output from a computer (hereinafter referred to as instruction data) into a bitmap by a conversion device. The instruction data in FIG. 9 instructs the display of a straight line as a broken line. The starting point and the end point of the broken line, the thickness of the broken line, a portion displayed as a broken line (drawing portion) and a portion not displayed as a notched portion of the broken line ( It indicates the ratio of the length to the non-drawing portion). In addition,
When the conversion device operates to convert the instruction data representing the dashed line into a bitmap, the conversion device is referred to as a dashed line generation device in this specification.

In the dashed line generating device, first, a straight line A connecting a start point As and an end point Ae in data input from a computer is determined (FIG. 9A). Subsequently, the straight line A is divided into a drawing part 50 and a non-drawing part 60 according to the ratio of the drawing part and the non-drawing part in the data (FIG. 9B). Note that FIG.
In (b), the drawing portion 50 and the non-drawing portion 60 are alternately arranged at an interval of 1 which is equal to each other. next,
A line width w equal to the thickness specified by the data is given to the drawing portion 50 and the non-drawing portion 60. As a result, the drawing portion 50,
A path (rectangular path) 500 and a path 600 (rectangular path), which are a set of continuous line segments centered on the non-rendered portion 60, are generated.

Next, a bitmap (FIG. 9) for filling the rectangular path 500 generated by the above processing with the foreground color is used.
(C)) and a bitmap (FIG. 9D) for filling the rectangular path 600 with the background color. And FIG.
The bit map of FIG. 9D is synthesized by combining the bit map of FIG. 9C and the bit map of FIG. 9D.

[0006]

However, in the above-described method of generating a dashed line bitmap, the dashed line generating device includes a rectangular path 500 and a rectangular path 500 at least corresponding to the number of the drawing portion 50 and the non-drawing portion 60. 600, and further, the rectangular path 500 and the rectangular path 600 are all painted to generate data (hereinafter referred to as bitmap data) constituting a bitmap. For this reason, especially when processing a diagram that frequently uses broken lines, the time required for this process may be a factor that hinders an improvement in the processing speed of the broken line generation device.

When the dashed line generating device transfers bitmap data in the device, the transfer must be performed for all the bitmaps. For this reason, the transfer time of the bitmap data becomes longer in proportion to the number thereof, that is, the length of the broken line. In general, the data transfer capability of the dashed line generating device is not very high, and the time required for this transfer particularly limits the processing speed when processing a diagram that frequently uses dashed lines.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide a dashed line generation device capable of shortening the processing time for dashed line generation.

[0009]

The above objects can be attained by the following means. That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a dashed line generating apparatus for generating data for drawing a line segment as a dashed line, wherein the dashed line information inputting means for inputting information of a dashed line to be drawn, and the dashed line information inputting means. Line segment dividing means for dividing the line segment into a drawing portion and a non-drawing portion based on the input information; and drawing for generating drawing data for drawing the drawing portion divided by the line segment dividing device. A data generation unit, and a non-drawing data generation unit that generates non-drawing data for drawing the non-drawing part;
A data synthesizing unit for synthesizing the drawing data generated by the drawing data generating unit and the non-drawing data generated by the non-drawing data generating unit; and a synthesized data output for outputting the data synthesized by the data synthesizing unit. And the non-drawing data generating section generates one piece of non-drawing data by setting all of the line segments as non-drawing portions.

The invention according to claim 2 further comprises a straight line approximating device for approximating a curve to a straight line, and when the line segment is a curve, approximating the line segment to a straight line and inputting the broken line information. Is input.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In each of the embodiments of the present invention, information on a dashed line generated by a computer is output as code data to a printer including a dashed line generating device, and the dashed line is printed.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration including a dashed line generating device according to the present invention, which is common to the embodiments of the present invention. The illustrated configuration includes a computer 1, a printer 3 including a dashed line generation device 10,
It comprises a signal line S connecting the computer 1 and the printer 3 including the dashed line generating device 10. The computer 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a general computer such as a personal computer. The printer 3 is a so-called page printer that stores data for one page of a document to be printed out and prints out the data.

In the computer 1, a user creates a drawing or the like and instructs the printer 3 to print out the drawing. The drawing information created by the user together with this instruction is output to the dashed line generator 10 via the signal line S. At this time, the instruction data indicating the information of the drawing has a form in which the starting point and the ending point of the line constituting the drawing, the thickness of the line, the presence or absence of modification of the broken line or the arrow, and the like are designated as parameters.

The dashed line generating device 10 that has received such instruction data converts the instruction data into bitmap data and transfers it to the printer 3. The printer 3 that has received the bitmap data forms an electrostatic latent image by scanning a built-in photoconductor (not shown) with a laser beam (not shown) for exposure in accordance with the bitmap data, A toner is adhered thereon, and the adhered toner is fixed on paper or the like, and a drawing based on the bitmap data is printed out.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the dashed line generating device 10 of FIG. 1 in more detail. FIGS. 3A to 3C show dashed line generating processing by the dashed line generating device 10 of FIG. FIG.

The dashed line generating device 10 shown in FIG. 2 receives a command data from the computer 1 via a signal line S, and receives a command based on the command data received by the command data input device 11. A line segment dividing unit 12 that divides the segment to generate a drawing portion; a dashed line bit map generating unit 13 that generates a bitmap from the drawing portion generated by the line segment dividing unit 12; A line segment bitmap generation unit 14 for generating a bitmap from the divided line segments, a bitmap synthesis unit 15 for synthesizing the bitmaps generated by the broken line bitmap generation unit 13 and the line segment bitmap generation unit 14, respectively, A line segment bitmap output device 16 for outputting the bitmap synthesized by the synthesizing unit 15 to the printer 3.

The dashed line generator 10 constructed as described above
Works as follows. Here, a process for modifying a straight line segment with a general broken line pattern will be described as an example.

The instruction data input to the line segment data input device 11 includes a starting point P1 and an ending point P2 of a straight line, a thickness of the straight line, a broken line pattern (such as a one-dot chain line), a ratio between a drawing portion and a non-drawing portion, and Include the color of the dashed line (foreground color) and the color that is the background of the dashed line (background color). This instruction data is input to both the line segment dividing unit 12 and the line segment bitmap generating unit 14.

In the line segment bitmap generator 14, FIG.
As shown in (a), a straight line having a point P1 as a start point and a point P2 as an end point is generated on the data according to the instruction data. And
A rectangular path centered on the generated straight line is generated according to the thickness of the straight line included in the instruction data. Then, the bitmap data 70 is generated by further filling the rectangular path with the background color C2. Therefore, bitmap B1
Is composed of only one bitmap data 70.

That is, in the line segment bitmap generator 14, all the straight lines given by the instruction data are set as non-drawing portions. As a result, in FIG. 3A, the bitmap B1 indicating the non-rendered portion is composed of only one bitmap data 70 regardless of the length of the straight line. Therefore, the generation of the rectangular path of the non-rendered portion and the generation of the bitmap B1 can be performed by one process, and the processing time required for generating the bitmap B1 can be reduced.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3B, the line segment dividing unit 12 generates a straight line having the point P1 as a start point and the point P2 as an end point on the data, and generates this straight line in the instruction data. Divide according to the ratio of the drawing part FIG. 3B shows an example of a general broken line in which the drawing portion and the non-drawing portion have the same length.

The straight line divided into the drawing portion and the non-drawing portion is output from the line segment dividing section 12 to the broken line bit map generating section 13. The dashed line bitmap generation unit 13 generates a bitmap data 71 by generating a rectangular path only for the straight line corresponding to the drawing part, and setting the rectangular path to be filled with the foreground color C1. The bitmap B2 is generated by performing the above processing for all of the drawing portions.

The bitmap B1 generated by the line segment bitmap generator 14 and the bitmap B2 generated by the broken line bitmap generator 13 are both output to the bitmap synthesizer 15. At this time, the bitmap B2
Is output to the bitmap synthesizing unit 15 one by one, each bitmap data 71 constituting the bitmap B2.

On the other hand, in the bitmap B2, since the bitmap B2 is composed of one bitmap data 70, only the bitmap data 70 needs to be output. For this reason, the time required to output the bitmap B2 can be reduced, and the dashed line generation time of the dashed line generator 10 can be reduced.

The bitmap data B1 and the bitmap data B2 output to the bitmap synthesizing unit 15 are synthesized as shown in FIG. 3C, and are used as a bitmap B3 for drawing a broken line. 15 is registered. The registered bitmap B3 is output from the line segment bitmap output device 16 to, for example, a laser control unit (not shown) for controlling laser driving for exposure of the printer 3. Then, a bitmap B3
Is printed out.

The bitmap synthesizing section 15 may use a memory for storing data of a page printer, or may be provided with a dedicated buffer or the like.

In the above description, a case where a straight broken line is generated has been described as an example. However, in the first embodiment, a curved line segment can be processed in the same manner.

FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining the process of generating a broken line of a curve by the broken line generating device 10 shown in FIG.

When the instruction data is an instruction to modify a curve with a broken line, the instruction data includes the starting point P of the straight line.
In addition to 1 and the end point P2, the thickness of the curve, a dashed line pattern (such as a dashed line), the ratio between the drawn portion and the non-drawn portion, the foreground color and the background color, as well as data describing the shape of the curve.
This instruction data is input to both the line segment dividing unit 12 and the line segment bitmap generating unit 14.

In the line segment bitmap generator 14, FIG.
As shown in (a), a curve having a point P1 as a start point and a point P2 as an end point is generated on the data in accordance with the instruction data. And
A rectangular path centered on the generated curve is generated, and the background color C
The bitmap data 80 is generated by filling the area 2. Note that the bitmap B4 is a bitmap constituted by the bitmap data 80.

That is, even if the instruction data is a curve, the line segment bitmap generator 14 uses all of the curve as a non-drawing portion. As a result, the bitmap B4 indicating the non-rendered portion is composed of only one bitmap data 80 regardless of the length of the curve. Therefore, the generation of the rectangular path of the non-rendered portion and the generation of the bitmap data 80 can be performed by a single process, and the processing time required to generate the bitmap B4 can be reduced.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4B, the line segment dividing section 12 divides a curve having the point P1 as a starting point and the point P2 as an ending point in accordance with a ratio of a drawing portion and a non-drawing portion. The curve divided into the drawing part and the non-drawing part is output from the line segment dividing unit 12 to the broken line bitmap generating unit 13. The dashed line bitmap generation unit 13 generates a rectangular path only for the curve corresponding to the drawing portion, and further generates the bitmap data 81 by filling the rectangular path with the foreground color C1. The bitmap B4 is a bitmap constituted by the bitmap data 81.

The bitmap B4 generated by the line segment bitmap generator 14 and the bitmap B5 generated by the broken line bitmap generator 13 are both output to the bitmap synthesizer 15. At this time, the bitmap B5
Then, each bitmap data 81 constituting the bitmap B5 is output to the bitmap synthesis unit 15 one by one.

On the other hand, in the bitmap B4, since the bitmap B4 is composed of one bitmap data 80, only the bitmap data 80 needs to be output. Therefore, the time required to output the bitmap B4 can be reduced, and the time required for generating the dashed line by the dashed line generator 10 can be reduced even when the curve is modified by the dashed line.

The bitmap data B4 and B5 output to the bitmap synthesizing section 15 are synthesized as shown in FIG. 4C to form a bitmap B6 for drawing a broken line. The bitmap B6 is registered in the bitmap synthesis unit 15.

The above-described processing of the first embodiment will be described below with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 5 shows the first embodiment.
Is a process for generating a dashed line by the dashed line generation device 10 of FIG. This flowchart can be applied regardless of whether the line segment to be drawn is a straight line or a curve.

When line segment instruction data is input to the line segment data input device 10 (S1), the line segment bitmap generator 14
In step S2, a bitmap in which all the line segments given by the instruction data are set as the non-rendered portion is generated (S2), and the bitmap is output to the bitmap synthesis unit 15 and registered (S3).

Further, the broken line dividing section 12 divides the given line segment into a drawing portion and a non-drawing portion according to the line segment instruction data, and generates a broken line pattern such as a broken line (S4). Then, in the dashed line bitmap generation unit 13,
Bitmap data is generated one by one for each drawing portion included in the broken line pattern (S5), and is output to the bitmap synthesizing unit 15 in the order of generation and registered (S6).

Then, it is determined whether or not the registration of all the bitmap data included in the broken line pattern has been completed (S
7) If it is determined that the processing has not been completed (S7: N
O), dashed line bitmap data is generated until registration is completed (S5), and the registration process is repeated (S6). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S7 that the registration of the bitmap data included in the dashed line pattern has been completed (S7: YES), the bitmap generated by the line segment bitmap generator 14 and the dashed line bitmap are generated. The bitmap generated by the map generation unit 13 is synthesized and registered (S8).

Next, it is determined whether or not the input of the instruction data for one page has been completed from the computer 1 (S9). If the input has not been completed (S9: NO), the process returns to step S1. Input the line segment instruction data (S
1). If it is determined that the instruction data of the line segment has been input (S9: YES), the processing performed by the dashed line generating device 10 is ended.

In the first embodiment described above, the bitmap of the non-rendering area is constituted by one bitmap data. For this reason, the process of creating and registering the bitmap data of the non-drawing area can be performed at one time. Therefore, the processing time required to generate the bitmap of the non-drawing area can be reduced to about half as compared with the conventional method in which each of the non-drawing areas is set to the bitmap data similarly to the drawing area.

Second Embodiment In a second embodiment, a straight line approximating device for approximating a curve to a straight line is provided in the broken line generating device of the first embodiment, and a line segment instructed to be drawn is a curve. , The line segment is approximated to a straight line and input to the line segment data input device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows a dashed line generator 20 according to the second embodiment.
It is a block diagram for explaining. FIG. 7 (a)
FIGS. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating a process of generating a dashed line of a curve by the dashed line generation device illustrated in FIG. 6; Note that the dashed line generating device 20 shown in FIG. 6 has the same configuration as the dashed line generating device 10 of the first embodiment except that it includes a straight line approximation device 30. For this reason, in FIG. 6, the same components as those shown in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be partially omitted.

The dashed line generating device 20 includes a straight line approximating device 30. The straight line approximation device 30 is a device that inputs instruction data for instructing to draw a curve, approximates the curve to a straight line, and outputs the straight line. As a specific method, for example, it is conceivable that a point is specified at a predetermined interval on a curve described in the instruction data, and conversion is performed by connecting two adjacent points with a straight line.

In the dashed line generating device 20, the instruction data is first input to the straight line approximating device 30. If the instruction data instructs to modify the curve with a broken line, the curve in the instruction data is approximated to a straight line and output. By this approximation processing, the instruction data becomes the starting point P1,
End point P2, curve thickness, broken line pattern (dash-dot line, etc.)
In addition to the data, the ratio between the drawing part and the non-drawing part, the foreground color and the background color, and the start and end points of a plurality of straight lines approximating the curve are included.

The instruction data output from the straight line approximation device 30 is input to both the line segment dividing section 12 and the line segment bitmap generating section 14. As shown in FIG. 7A, the line segment bitmap generation unit 14 performs a straight line approximation curve having a point P1 as a start point and a point P2 as an end point (hereinafter, referred to as “in FIG.
An approximate curve is written on the data. Then, a rectangular path centered on the generated approximate curve is generated, and the background color C
Then, the bitmap data 90 is generated by filling the area with 2. Note that the bitmap B7 is a bitmap constituted by the bitmap data 90.

In the second embodiment as well, all of the approximation curves are used as non-drawing portions, and the bitmap B7 is composed of only one bitmap data 90 regardless of the length of the approximation curve. For this reason, the rectangular path of the non-rendered portion and the bitmap data 90 can be generated by one process, and the processing time required to generate the bitmap B7 can be reduced.

On the other hand, the line segment dividing section 12 divides the approximate curve according to the ratio of the drawing portion and the non-drawing portion as shown in FIG. The dashed line bitmap generation unit 13 generates a rectangular path only for the approximated curve corresponding to the drawing part, and further fills the rectangular path with the foreground color C1 so that the bitmap data 9 is generated.
1 is generated. Note that the bitmap B8 is a bitmap constituted by the bitmap data 91.

The bitmap B8 and the bitmap B7 generated by the above processing are both output to the bitmap synthesis section 15. At this time, in the bitmap B8, each bitmap data 91 constituting the bitmap B8 is output to the bitmap synthesis unit 15 one by one.

On the other hand, in the bitmap B7, only the bitmap data 90 needs to be output, and the time required to output the bitmap B7 can be reduced, and the time required for generating the broken line by the broken line generating device can be reduced. it can.

The bitmap data B7 and the bitmap data B8 output to the bitmap synthesizing section 15 are synthesized as shown in FIG. 7C, and become a bitmap B9 for drawing a broken line. The bitmap B9 is registered in the bitmap synthesis unit 15.

The processing of the second embodiment described above will be described below with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 8 shows the second embodiment.
Is a process for generating a broken line by the broken line generating device 20 of FIG. In this flowchart, the description will be made assuming that the line segment to be drawn is a curve.

When the instruction data is input to the linear approximation device 30, the linear approximation device 30 approximates the curve of the instruction data to a straight line to generate an approximate curve (S1) and inputs the approximate curve to the line segment data input device 11 (S1). S2). At this time, the line segment bitmap generation unit 14 generates a bitmap in which all of the approximate curves given by the instruction data are not rendered (S3), and outputs this to the bitmap synthesis unit 15 as a bitmap. And register it (S4).

Further, the broken line dividing section 12 divides the approximate curve given according to the instruction data of the line segment into a drawing portion and a non-drawing portion, and generates a broken line pattern such as a broken line (S5). Then, the dashed line bitmap generation unit 13 generates 1 for each drawing portion included in the dashed line pattern.
Bitmap data is generated one by one (S6), and output to the bitmap synthesizing unit 15 and registered in the order of generation (S7).

Then, it is determined whether or not registration of all the bitmap data included in the broken line pattern has been completed (S
8) If it is determined that the processing has not been completed (S8: N
O), dashed line bitmap data is generated until registration is completed (S6), and the registration process is repeated (S7). On the other hand, if it is determined in step S8 that the registration of the bitmap data included in the broken line pattern has been completed (S8: YES), the bitmap generated by the line segment bitmap generating unit 14 and the broken line bitmap The bitmap generated by the map generation unit 13 is synthesized and registered (S9).

Next, it is determined whether the input of the instruction data of the line for one page has been completed from the computer 1 (S10).
If this input has not been completed (S10: NO),
Returning to step S2, the instruction data of the line segment is input (S2
2). If it is determined that the instruction data of the line segment has been input (S10: YES), the dashed line generating device 20
The processing performed in step is ended.

The second embodiment described above is provided with the straight line approximating device 30 for approximating a curve to a straight line. When modifying a curve with a broken line, the curve is approximated by a straight line and then a process of generating a broken line is performed. . For this reason, in the second embodiment, the instruction data to be processed by the dashed line processing device 20 can be described with a relatively simple shape of the curve, and the dashed line generation process of the dashed line generation device 20 is simplified. be able to.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above. For example,
The printer 3 is not limited to a page printer, but may be any printer that prints with a bitmap font. Further, the broken line generating means 10 and 20 may be provided on the printer 3 side or on the computer 1 side.

[0059]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-drawing data generating section in which the bit map of the non-drawing area is composed of one bitmap data. For this reason, the processing time required to generate a bitmap for generating a broken line can be reduced, and the processing time required to generate a broken line can be reduced. It should be noted that the present invention has a particularly remarkable effect when creating a drawing that frequently uses broken lines.

The second aspect of the present invention is provided with a linear approximation device for approximating a curve to a straight line. Therefore, the instruction data can describe the shape of the curve in a relatively simple form,
This makes it possible to simplify the dashed line generation processing of the dashed line generation device, and further reduce the processing time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration including a dashed line generation device common to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a dashed line generation device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining a dashed line generation process in the dashed line generation device of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams for explaining a process of generating a dashed line of a curve by the dashed line generation device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of generating a broken line according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a dashed line generation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A to 7C are diagrams for explaining a process of generating a dashed line of a curve by the dashed line generation device shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of generating a broken line according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A to 9E are diagrams illustrating a conventional process of converting instruction data output from a computer into a bitmap by a conversion device.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Computer 3 Printer 10, 20 Broken line generation device 11 Line segment data input device 12 Line segment division unit 13 Broken line bitmap generation unit 14 Line segment bitmap generation unit 15 Bitmap synthesis unit 16 Line segment bitmap output device 70, 71, 80, 81, 90, 91 bitmap data

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A dash line generating apparatus for generating data for drawing a line segment as a dashed line, comprising: dash line information input means for inputting information of a dash line to be drawn; A line segment dividing unit that divides the line segment into a drawing portion and a non-drawing portion; and a drawing data generating unit that generates drawing data for drawing the drawing portion divided by the line segment dividing unit.
A non-drawing data generating unit that generates non-drawing data for drawing the non-drawing part; a drawing data generated by the drawing data generating unit; and a non-drawing data generated by the non-drawing data generating unit. A data synthesizing unit for synthesizing, and a synthesized data output unit for outputting data synthesized by the data synthesizing unit, wherein the non-rendering data generating unit sets all of the line segments as non-rendering parts A dashed line generating apparatus for generating a single piece of non-rendering data. 2. A linear approximation device for approximating a curve to a straight line, wherein when the line segment is a curve, the line segment is approximated to a straight line and input to the dashed line information input means. The dashed line generating device according to claim 1, wherein