JP3045905B2 - Character drawing 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 drawing apparatus for drawing a character string corresponding to a coordinate position input by a coordinate input means such as a pen or a mouse.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a character is input by a character processor such as a word processor or a personal computer capable of performing document processing, the character input direction is usually a linear direction by vertical writing or horizontal writing. When the character size, the character rotation, the character position, etc. are changed, the processing is performed in character units by operating the function keys and the cursor keys. As an example of inputting characters other than vertical writing and horizontal writing, a character processing device capable of inputting a character string in an oblique direction by specifying a cursor or a window has been proposed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-18632). Gazette).

[0003]

However, characters generally used in advertisements, posters, and the like include characters written diagonally, characters having different sizes, character strings having different directions for each character, and the like. There are many layouts of character strings with no character size and arrangement. When such characters are input by a conventional character processing device or the like, they must be processed in character units, and the operability is very poor. JP-A-4-186
In Japanese Patent Publication No. 32, although the direction designation can be processed in units of character strings, when the character direction, character spacing, and character size are changed for each character, processing must be performed in units of characters, resulting in poor operability.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances. For example, a character string input in advance by a character input unit corresponds to a coordinate position input by a coordinate input unit such as a pen or a mouse. It is intended to provide a character drawing device which can perform arbitrary drawing while changing the character direction, character spacing, character size, and the like.

[0005]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention. In FIG. 1, the present invention comprises a character input means 101 for inputting a character string, a character string storage means 102 for storing the input character string, a reading means 103 for sequentially reading the stored character strings, in the character rendering device provided with a display unit 104 for displaying the character string, where
For arranging character strings of a fixed number of characters at desired coordinate positions
Coordinate input means 10 for inputting coordinate values including a start point and an end point
5, coordinates a coordinate reading means 106 reads the input coordinate values from the input unit 105, a coordinate value storing means 107 for storing the read coordinate values, coordinate values sequentially read coordinate value from the coordinate value storing means 107 a coordinate interval calculating unit 108 for calculating the coordinates spacing between the character size and calculates the character size based on the calculated coordinate interval calculating unit 109
And the character string read by the reading means 103 is generated as drawing data of the character size calculated by the character size calculating means 109, and the drawing data is converted to the coordinate interval calculating means 108.
And a drawing data output unit 110 for sequentially outputting each coordinate value located at the coordinate interval calculated in (1 ).

[0006] The drawing data output means 110 may be configured to output drawing data sequentially to the intermittent coordinate values when the coordinate input means 105 intermittently inputs coordinate values.

The drawing data output means 110 outputs drawing data having a rotation angle determined based on the moving direction of the character further calculated by the coordinate interval calculating means 108.
It may be configured to output .

The drawing data output means 110 may output drawing data at character intervals determined based on the character size calculated by the character size calculation means 109.

In the present invention, the character input means 10
As 1, a keyboard and a pen input tablet device are used. Character string storage means 102, the reading unit 103, the coordinate reading means 106, the coordinate value storing unit 107, the coordinate interval calculating unit 108, a character size calculating unit 109, out the drawing data
CPU 110 , ROM, RAM, I /
It is preferable to use a microcomputer having an O port. Further, in particular, as the character string storage unit 102 and the coordinate value storage unit 104, a RAM therein is usually used. As the display unit 104, a display device such as a CRT display device, an LCD (liquid crystal display) device, and an EL display device is used. Coordinate input means 105
For example, a pen input tablet device or a coordinate input device such as a mouse is used.

[0010]

According to the structure of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the character size calculation means 109 calculates the character size based on the coordinate interval calculated by the coordinate interval calculation means 108, and the drawing data output means 110 The character string read by the reading means 103 is generated as drawing data of the character size calculated by the character size calculating means 109, and the drawing data is generated.
Data to the coordinate interval calculated by the coordinate interval calculating means 108.
The coordinates are sequentially output to the respective coordinate values . Therefore, posters,
Characters used for advertisements and the like are generated as drawing data of a character size determined according to the coordinate interval input by a coordinate input device such as a pen or a mouse, and the drawing data is generated between the coordinates.
Each seat located at the coordinate interval calculated by the interval calculation means 108
Can be drawn to the standard value .

If the drawing data output means 110 is configured to output drawing data sequentially to the intermittent coordinate values when the coordinate values are input intermittently by the coordinate input means 105, When a character string is drawn using 106, the character string can be drawn at any coordinate position.

The drawing data output means 110 outputs drawing data having a rotation angle determined on the basis of the character moving direction further calculated by the coordinate interval calculating means 108.
If it is configured to output, it is possible to draw by changing the rotation angle.

If the drawing data output means 110 is configured to output drawing data at a character interval determined based on the character size calculated by the character size calculating means 109, it is possible to change the character interval and draw. Can be.

A character string to be drawn at a desired coordinate position can be input in advance by the character input means 101 and stored in the character string storage means 103.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on an embodiment shown in the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited by this. In addition, the device of the present invention is preferably incorporated in, for example, a Japanese word processor with a pen input function, and each constituent element achieves the “function of drawing a character string at an arbitrary coordinate position” of the present invention. The following description will be made assuming that the device has a normal character processing function.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the character drawing apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a coordinate input device including a pen input tablet, a digitizer, a mouse, and the like, and draws a character at an arbitrary position using the coordinate data input from the coordinate input device 1. 2 is CRT
This is a display device including a display device, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) device, and the like, and displays a character string corresponding to a coordinate value input from the coordinate input device 1 on a display screen. Reference numeral 3 denotes a control device, which is an arithmetic circuit 31 including a CPU for executing control of character processing according to the present invention, a ROM storing various programs and character fonts for controlling the present invention, and input coordinate data. , A memory 32 for storing various data necessary for processing including character data, drawing data, the number of characters, etc., and an I / O port for connecting to external devices such as the coordinate input device 1 and the display device 2. It comprises an interface circuit 33 and the like. In some cases, an external storage device 5 including a keyboard 4, a hard disk, a floppy disk, and the like, and a printer 6 are further connected to the control device 3. When a display-integrated pen input tablet is used, the coordinate input device 1
And the display device 2 are the same device, but these will be separately described in the following description.

The functions of the control device 3 include, for example,
The RAM of the memory 32 functions as a character string storage unit that stores a character string and a coordinate value storage unit that stores a coordinate value.
The CPU of the arithmetic circuit 31 cooperates with the memory 32 to read coordinate values input from the coordinate input device 1, coordinate interval calculating means for calculating a coordinate interval between each coordinate value, and calculated coordinate values. Character size calculating means for calculating the character size from the interval, reading means for sequentially reading the character string from the character string storage means, and generating the character string read by the reading means into drawing data of the character size calculated by the character size calculating means; The drawing data is calculated by the coordinate interval calculating means.
It functions as drawing data output means for sequentially outputting each coordinate value located at the coordinate interval .

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a display example (part 1) by the character drawing processing of the present invention. In FIG. 3,
As shown in FIG. 3A, a character string input from the keyboard 3 is sequentially drawn (arranged) at coordinate values (coordinate points) continuously designated by the coordinate input device 1, thereby obtaining the character strings shown in FIG.
Characters can be freely drawn as shown in b. In addition, it is also possible to arrange characters having different character directions as shown in FIG. 3C based on the moving direction of the input coordinates, and to easily input characters having different sizes as shown in FIG. It is. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example (part 2) by the character drawing process of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, even if these coordinate points are not only continuous but also intermittent, character arrangement is possible.

The processing procedure of the character drawing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. The following processing procedure is programmed in advance and stored in the ROM of the memory 32, and is executed by the control device 3 in cooperation with peripheral devices according to the program.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure (1) of the character drawing apparatus of the present invention. FIG.
Is a processing procedure when there is no processing for changing the character direction and character size. Step 201: The user inputs a character string S from the keyboard 4 or the coordinate input device 1 such as a pen or a mouse, and stores the character string S in the memory 32. At this time, since the number of input characters is also obtained at the same time, this is also stored in the memory 32 as the number of characters N. Step 202: Set the size W of the character to be drawn and the register R for character selection. In this example, the character size W is set to 1
6 (dot), 1 in register R (first character of character string S)
Is stored in the memory 32. Step 203: Point P for drawing a character from the coordinate input device 1
1 is input and stored in the memory 32. Step 204: The Rth character of the register of the character string S is
Drawing is performed at the size of the size W at the point P1. Step 205: The process of drawing the first character by advancing the register R to the next character is completed.

Next, character drawing processing for the second and subsequent characters is performed. Step 206: Compare the register R with the number of characters N. If the register R is larger than the number of characters N, all the characters have been output, and the process ends. If the number of characters N is larger than the register R, all the characters have not been output yet, so the process proceeds to the next process. Step 207: It is checked whether or not there is a next coordinate input. If the coordinate input has been interrupted, the process ends, and if there is a coordinate input, the process proceeds to the next process. Step 208: The coordinate point P2 is input and stored in the memory 32. Step 209: When the interval between the input coordinate points P1 and P2 is smaller than the character size W to be drawn, a process for preventing characters from being overlapped is performed. Here, the interval between the point P1 and the point P2 is compared with the character size W, and if the character size W is larger, the process returns to step 207 to input a new coordinate point P2.

Next, in steps 210 to 213, processing is performed to prevent the character spacing from becoming too wide. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between coordinate intervals and character intervals in the character drawing process of the present invention. Step 210: A point Q is created by copying the point P1. The point Q is a temporary variable until a point for drawing a character is searched (see FIG. 7A). Step 211: Check whether the interval between the point Q and the point P1 is equal to the size W (see FIG. 7B). Step 212: The point Q is moved closer to the point P2 by one dot until the interval between the point Q and the point P1 becomes equal to the size W.

Step 213: When the distance between the point P1 and the point Q is equal to the size W, the point Q is substituted for the point P1 and the point P
1 (see FIG. 7c). Step 214: The Rth character of the register of the character string S is drawn at the point P1 with the character size W. Step 215: Advance register R to next character. Step 216: If all the characters have been drawn compared to the number of characters N (the register R is large), the process is terminated. Otherwise, the process returns to step 209, where the point P1 is between the point P1 and the point P2. If the character can be drawn, the character is drawn (see FIG. 7D).

When performing the above processing, if the character string S and the number of characters N have already been stored instead of the character string input by the user, the processing of step 201 may be omitted. Further, after the processing is completed in step 207,
When the process is restarted, it is possible to input the continuation of the character string drawn halfway by omitting the processes of steps 201 and 202 and starting the process from step 203. Therefore, by interrupting the coordinate input for each character, a character string having a different character interval can be easily input.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure (part 2) of the character drawing apparatus of the present invention. FIG.
Is a processing procedure in the case of performing a process of changing the character direction and the character size. Here, two coordinate points are inputted, and the character size and the rotation angle of the character are determined from the interval and the relative coordinates of the two points. Step 301: The user inputs a character string S from the keyboard 4 or the coordinate input device 1 such as a pen or a mouse, and stores the character string S in the memory 32. At this time, since the number of input characters is also obtained at the same time, this is also stored in the memory 32 as the number of characters N. Step 302: 1 (character) is assigned to a register R for character selection and stored in the memory 32. Step 303: The coordinate point P1 is input from the coordinate input device 1 and stored in the memory 32.

Step 304: The coordinate point P2 is input from the coordinate input device 1 and stored in the memory 32. Step 305: The distance L from the points P1 and P2 and the moving directions Tx and Ty are obtained. The formula for calculating the distance L and the moving directions Tx and Ty is as follows. Tx = P2x-P1x Ty = P2y -P1y L = [(Tx) 2 + (Ty) 2] 1/2 where, P1x: x coordinate of the point P1, P1y: y of the point P1
Coordinates P2x: x coordinate of point P2, P2y: y coordinate of point P2

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a coordinate movement direction and a character rotation angle calculation table in the character drawing process. The character rotation angle U is obtained by applying the movement directions Tx and Ty to, for example, a character rotation angle calculation table as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B (FIG. 8A shows vertical writing, and FIG. 8B shows horizontal writing). Step 306: Character size W, moving direction T from interval L
The character rotation angle U is obtained from x and Ty (see FIG. 8). Here, as the character size W, a value of 1/2 of the interval L is used. Step 307: Draw the Rth character of the character string S in the register at the point P1 with the size W and the character rotation angle U.

Step 308: Advance register R to the next character. Step 309: If the value of the register R is larger than the number of characters N, all the characters are drawn, and the process is terminated. Otherwise, there are characters that have not been drawn yet, so the process returns to step 303 and repeats the process. Through the above processing, a character string having a different character size and character direction can be input. Steps 306, 30
In the processing of 7, if either the character size or the character direction is not required, only one of the processing can be performed.

[0029]

According to the present invention, for example, characters used for posters, advertisements, etc., in which the character spacing, character direction, and character size change for each character, are input by a coordinate input device such as a pen or a mouse. It is possible to draw arbitrarily according to the position.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the character drawing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a display example (part 1) by the character drawing process of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 4 is a display example (part 2) by the character drawing process of the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure (part 1) of the character drawing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure (part 2) of the character drawing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between a coordinate value and a character interval in a character drawing process of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a coordinate movement direction and a character rotation angle calculation table in the character drawing processing of the present invention. .

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coordinate input device 2 Display device 3 Control device 31 Arithmetic circuit 32 Memory 33 Interface circuit 4 Keyboard 5 External storage device 6 Printer

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A character input means for inputting a character string, a character string storage means for storing the input character string, a reading means for sequentially reading the stored character strings, and displaying the read character string. In a character drawing device provided with a display means,
Coordinate input means for inputting coordinate values including a start point and an end point for arranging a character string having a predetermined number of characters at a desired coordinate position; coordinate reading means for reading coordinate values input from the coordinate input means; each seat read coordinate value storing means for storing coordinate values, sequentially coordinate values from the coordinate value storage means
A coordinate interval calculating unit that calculates a coordinate interval between the target values, a character size calculating unit that calculates a character size based on the calculated coordinate interval, and a character string read by the reading unit are calculated by the character size calculating unit. Generated as character size drawing data, and the drawing data is calculated by the coordinate interval calculating means.
And a drawing data output means for sequentially outputting each coordinate value located at the set coordinate interval .