JP3067137B2 - Information processing device with line drawing function - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a personal computer, an office computer, a word processor, a workstation, and a DT.
P (desktop publishing), DPS (data
Processing systems), CAD and other information processing devices equipped with various graphics processing functions.
In particular, when drawing or drawing a straight line having a line width of a plurality of dots when drawing a straight line in the graphics processing, the shape of a cut (a line orthogonal to the long axis direction of the straight line) at each end point of the straight line is drawn. Perpendicular to the long axis direction, and even if a pattern is attached in the thickening process, the cut end of the pattern is arranged on a line orthogonal to the long axis direction of the straight line to be drawn, The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having a straight line drawing function capable of obtaining extremely high-quality display / printing even when drawing straight lines.

Conventional technology Currently, personal computers, word processors,
2. Description of the Related Art In information processing apparatuses such as workstations, the proportion of models having a graphics processing function is increasing, and straight lines and the like are drawn.

However, in most models, the drawing process of a straight line or the like is currently performed with a line width of one dot.

However, a line having a line width of 1 dot cannot meet various needs, and a function of drawing a line with a line width of a plurality of dots is required.

In order to respond to such demands, models having a function of processing with a thick line have appeared, but strict processing is hardly performed on the shape of a straight cut or the thickness of a straight line. Is the current situation.

By the way, in recent years, especially in the field of desktop publishing (DTP), technical development has been remarkable, and accordingly, display devices and printing devices with high resolution have been used in order to improve print quality. is there.

Therefore, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the lines of the displayed or printed graphic in accordance with the improvement of the resolution.

As a result, in the conventional apparatus having a low resolution, the shape of the cuts at both end points of the straight line (a line orthogonal to the long axis direction of the straight line) which is not so much problematic cannot be ignored in response to the improvement of the resolution. .

Next, a conventional straight line drawing method by thick line processing will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 7 (1) and 7 (2) are diagrams each showing an example of drawing a straight line by conventional thick line processing. In the drawing,
a indicates the start point of the straight line, b indicates the end point, c indicates the thickness, and α and β indicate the angles between the straight line having the thickness c and the x-axis, respectively.

FIGS. 7 (1) and 7 (2) show the case where the line width is a straight line having 3 dots respectively.

In such a straight line drawing method, it is only necessary to provide information on the start point a, the end point b, and the thickness c, so that the drawing process is simple.

However, in this straight line drawing method, as the straight line becomes thicker, the shapes of both end points of the straight line cannot be ignored,
In addition, the thickness varies depending on the angle of the straight line,
There is an inconvenience.

That is, even if the line width is the same as that of the three dots, the shape (cut) of the two end points is inevitably a horizontal line or a vertical line. In addition, a phenomenon occurs in which the straight line in FIG. 7 (1) having a small angle (α <β) looks thicker than the straight line in FIG. 7 (2) having a large angle.

As described above, according to the conventional thick line drawing method, processing of a straight line is relatively simple, but there is a problem in the quality of the straight line.

In order to solve such inconvenience, a pel drawing method is used as another straight line processing method.

In this pel drawing method, a figure of an arbitrary shape is used as a basic figure (pel), and drawing of the same line width is performed by continuously repeating the basic figure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of drawing a straight line by a conventional pel drawing method. In the drawing, d is the starting point of the straight line, e
Denotes an end point, f denotes a center line, and g denotes a thickness.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which a straight line is drawn using a perfect circular basic figure. In the case of the graphic processing, the processing of drawing a circle is relatively simple, and it is possible to draw only by giving information on the center point and the radius.

In the pel drawing method shown in FIG. 8, the center line f is set based on the information of the start point d and the end point e of the straight line, and a circle having a radius (g / 2) corresponding to the thickness g is shifted from the start point d to the center. By drawing while moving sequentially along the line f and repeating the drawing process of this circle to the end point e, a straight line having a constant thickness g can be obtained at any angle.

According to the pel drawing method shown in FIG. 8, it is theoretically possible to obtain a straight line having a constant thickness by finely moving the position of the center point.

In FIG. 8, in order to explain the principle of the pel drawing method, a case where adjacent circles (pels) are overlapped only at the hatched portions is shown.

However, in this case, dot missing occurs on the upper side and the lower side forming the straight line.

In addition, if the movement of the center of the circle is made very small in order to prevent the dot dropout, the next round (pel)
Doubly and triple overlap, so that the calculation at the time of the drawing process becomes impossible.

Therefore, in practice, there is a limit to the minimum moving distance of the center of the circle, and it is inevitable that dropout occurs.

For example, when exclusive OR (XOR) processing is performed for a logical operation at the time of drawing, the pel overlap becomes white when it is an even number of times, resulting in missing dots.

In addition, if a circle is used as the basic figure, the shape of the cut at both end points is also circular, so that when a thick straight line is drawn, there is a disadvantage that the quality is also reduced at this point.

Here, the configuration of a personal computer as an example of a conventional information processing system having a graphics processing function will be described.

FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing an example of a conventional information processing system having a graphics processing function. In the drawings, 1 is an input device such as a keyboard, 2 is a pointing device (position input device), 3
Is an image scanner, 4 is a CRT display unit,
Reference numeral 5 denotes a printer, 6 denotes a floppy disk drive (FDD) unit, 7 denotes a hard disk drive (HDD) unit, and 8 denotes a system main unit.

FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the main part of the conventional information processing system shown in FIG. 9 are a CPU, 10 is a ROM, 11 is a RAM, 12 is a keyboard controller, 13 is a pointing device controller, 14 is a scanner controller, 15 is a CRT controller, Reference numeral 16 denotes a printer controller, 17 denotes an FDD controller, 18 denotes an HDD controller, 19 denotes a communication control unit, and 20 denotes a system bus.

The functions of each section of the information processing system shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, for example, a personal computer, are roughly as follows.

The input device 1 includes a keyboard or the like, and is an input unit for inputting commands for starting the system and other necessary information and necessary character information. Information input from the input device 1 is transmitted to the computer via the keyboard controller 12 and the system bus 20.

The pointing device 2 is a pointer cursor input means (position input device) for indicating a position on the display screen, and the input information is also sent to the computer via the pointing device controller 13 and the system bus 20. Sent out.

The image scanner 3 is an image input unit, and the read image information is similarly transmitted to the computer via the scanner controller 14.

The CRT display unit 4 is a display means for visually displaying character / numerical information and image information such as a document being created or a document which has been created, and guidance necessary for the operation on the screen in a dot pattern.

A CRT controller 15 is connected to the CRT display unit 4, and controls the data and guidance developed in the dot pattern to be displayed on a screen.

The printer 5 is a thermal transfer type printing apparatus having an electric heating type head, a so-called thermal dot printer, a dot image printing apparatus such as an ink jet printer, a plunger magnet type printer, or the like. Documents, slips, images, etc. are printed in a dot pattern.

The printer 5 is provided with data such as characters and numerals, image information, format information, and other control information from the computer via the system bus 20 and the printer controller 16 to create a hard copy.

The propy disk of the FDD unit 6 and the hard disk of the HDD unit 7 are external storage devices, and the read information is stored in the FDD controller 17 or the HDD controller 1.
8. The data is transmitted to the computer via the system bus 20. As the external storage device, a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, or other large-capacity storage device can be used.

The CPU 9, the ROM 10, and the RAM 11 constitute a system control unit of the personal computer.

That is, the ROM 10 stores a program for controlling the system, character pattern data, and the like, and the RAM 11 is a system memory for storing necessary data.

The CPU 9 controls the entire system of FIG. For example,
It receives key information from the input device 1 and performs corresponding processing operations and output of control commands, etc., and outputs data to the CRT display 4 and the printer 5 based on the key input information, Input the image data, and access the floppy disk of the FDD unit 6 and the hard disk of the HDD unit 7,
It controls various controls such as data transmission and reception via the communication control unit 19.

The communication control unit 19 controls information to be exchanged with another communication terminal device.

An information processing system having a straight line drawing function, such as a personal computer or a word processor, has a configuration as shown in FIG.

As described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 (1) and (2) above, a relatively simple straight line drawing method for giving each information of the starting point a and the ending point b and the thickness c. In the case of drawing a thick straight line composed of multiple dots, the shape of both ends of the straight line cannot be ignored.
There is a disadvantage that the actual thickness differs depending on the angle of the straight line (the inclination of the straight line).

If a straight line is drawn by the pel drawing method shown in FIG. 8, a straight line having a constant thickness can be obtained at any angle. However, if the movement of the center point is finely controlled, the calculation at the time of drawing processing becomes difficult. Since it becomes impossible, the minimum moving distance is practically limited, and dot dropout occurs.

In addition, when a circle whose drawing processing is relatively easy is used as the basic figure, the shape of the both end points is also circular, so that in the case of a thick straight line, there is an inconvenience that the quality is reduced.

As described above, in a conventional information processing apparatus having a straight line drawing function, when a thick straight line composed of a plurality of dots is drawn, the thickness may be different depending on the angle of the straight line, and cut edges at both ends may be cut. As the resolution becomes higher, straight lines that are difficult to see will be drawn,
There was an inconvenience that the quality of the straight line could not be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In an information processing apparatus having a straight line drawing function according to the present invention,
In order to solve such inconvenience that occurs in the conventional straight line drawing, that is, the inconvenience of deteriorating the quality of a straight line in an information processing apparatus capable of high-resolution display / printing, even when a thick straight line is displayed or printed, both ends of the straight line are displayed. Information processing that cuts (shapes at both ends of the straight line) are always arranged on a straight line orthogonal to the long axis direction and are formed to have a constant thickness so that a high-quality straight line can be obtained. It is intended to provide a device.

Specifically, on the coordinates of the two points, the start point and the end point of the straight line, the coordinates at right angles to the straight line connecting the two points are calculated, so that the cut ends at both ends of the drawn straight line have the same length. When determining the amount of thickness, the coordinates at which dots are arranged are calculated using the angle as a parameter when determining the amount of thickness so that the thickness is not changed by the angle of the straight line. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information processing apparatus having a straight line drawing function capable of obtaining a straight line.

Means for Solving the Problems According to the present invention, an input device, a storage device, a display device, a printing device,
A central processing unit for controlling these, coordinate information Ps (xs, ys) and Qe (xe, ye) of two points of a start point and an end point of a straight line given from an input device or a storage device;
It has a starting point and an ending point of a straight line for storing information of the thickness t, and a thickness information storage means, and draws a straight line by a 4-connected drawing method and an 8-connected drawing method based on coordinate values read from an input device or a storage device. In the information processing system having the function, the start point Ps (xs, ys) and the end point Pe (xe, ye) of the straight line are obtained based on the information of the start point, the end point of the straight line, and the thickness t stored in the thickness information storage means. Offset Δx, Δ in x direction and y direction
y, and the length l of a straight line connecting both the starting point and the ending point of the straight line, and calculating the starting point Qs (xs ', ys') and the ending point Qe (xe ', ye') corresponding to the thickness t. And the starting point Ps (x
s, ys) and a straight line connecting the starting point Qs (xs ', ys') corresponding to the thickness t is calculated by a four-connection method, and the ending point Pe (xe, y) of the straight line is calculated.
e) and the coordinates of a straight line connecting the end point Qe (xe ', ye') corresponding to the thickness t are calculated from the coordinates on a straight line connecting both the start point and the end point of the straight line and the offsets Δx, Δy. At the time of drawing a straight line, the rectangular coordinate calculating means connects the rectangular coordinate values corresponding to the information of the thickness t with respect to the starting point side Ps, Qs and the ending point side Pe, Qe of the specified straight line. By calculating by the drawing method, the cuts at both ends of the straight line are drawn, and the coordinates on the straight line of the starting point Ps, Qs and the coordinates of the straight line of the ending point Pe, Qe are drawn by the 8-connected drawing method. To draw.

Next, an embodiment of an information processing apparatus having a straight line drawing function according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, an algorithm of the straight line processing in the information processing apparatus of the present invention will be described for easy understanding.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an algorithm of processing for drawing a thick straight line in the information processing apparatus having the straight line drawing function of the present invention. In the drawing, Ps is the start point of the straight line, (xs, ys) is the coordinates of the start point Ps, Pe is the end point, and (xe, y
e) is the coordinates of the end point Pe, l is the length of the straight line, t is the thickness of the straight line (line width), Qs is the starting point of the thickness t, and (xs ', ys') is the starting point Qs of the thickness t. Coordinate, Qe is the end point of thickness t, (xe ', y
e ′) is the coordinates of the end point Qe of thickness t, Δx is the start point Ps and end point Pe
Δy is the distance between the start point Ps and the end point Pe in the y direction, and Δx ′ is the coordinate of the end point Qe and the coordinate of the end point Qe of thickness t.
The distance in the direction, Δy ′ is the distance between the coordinates of the end point Qe and the coordinates of the end point Qe having the thickness t in the y direction, and α is the angle between the straight line and the x axis.

When drawing a straight line having a thickness t as shown in FIG. 2, the operator designates a start point Ps and an end point Pe of the straight line and a thickness t on the editing screen.

Based on the information of the start point Ps, the end point Pe, and the thickness t, the distance lx 'in the x direction between the coordinates of the end point Qe and the coordinates of the end point Qe of the thickness t, and the coordinates and thickness of the end point Qe y of the coordinates of the end point Qe of t
The distance Δy ′ in the direction is calculated.

First, the length l of the straight line is calculated from the distance Δx between the start point Ps and the end point Pe in the x direction and the distance Δy between the start point Ps and the end point Pe in the y direction.

That is, as is clear from FIG. 2, Δx = xe−xs (1) Δy = ye−ys (2) Is obtained.

Next, the calculated values l, t, Δx, Δy, and the coordinates (x
e, ye), the coordinates (xe ', ye') of the end point Qe of thickness t
Are obtained in the x direction and the y direction corresponding to Δx ′ and Δy ′.

This relationship is also evident from FIG. 2, but with respect to the angle α, the relationship cos α = Δx / l = Δy ′ / t (4) holds, and when this equation (4) is rearranged, Δy ′ = Δx · t / l (5)

 Similarly, since sin α = Δy / l = Δx ′ / t (6), Δx ′ = Δy · t / l (7) is obtained.

In order for the straight cut to be perpendicular to the length direction, it is necessary to keep the thickness t constant even when the angle α changes.

Here, considering the relationship between the end point Pe (xe, ye) and the coordinate Qe (xe ', ye') of the thickness t with respect to this end point, xe '= xe + Δy · t / l (8) ye '= Ye + Δx · t / l (9)

The reason is that, as is clear from FIG. 2, the coordinate Qe of the thickness t is the value of xe plus Δx ′ in the x direction, and thus the position of xe ′ is xe ′ = xe + Δx ′. (10) Since Δx ′ is expressed by the above equation (7), by substituting the equation (7) into the equation (10), xe ′ = xe + Δy · t / l, that is, the above equation (8) is obtained.

 The same holds true for the y direction, and equation (9) holds.

Similarly, considering the relationship between the starting point Ps (xs, ys) and the coordinates Qs (xs ′, ys ′) of the thickness t with respect to the starting point Ps, xs ′ = xs + Δy · t / l (11) ys ′ = ys + Δx · t / l (12)

In the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the specified start point Ps and end point Pe, and the equations (1) to (3), (8), (9), (11), and (12) described above are used. A straight line corresponding to the thickness t is drawn.

The processing described with reference to FIG. 2 and the drawing based on the calculation result, that is, having a constant thickness to be executed by the information processing apparatus of the present invention, and having cuts at both ends orthogonal to the long axis direction. The drawing processing of the straight line is realized by the function of FIG. 1 described below.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a detailed embodiment of a main part configuration of an information processing apparatus having a straight line drawing function according to the present invention. In the drawing, 21 is an input buffer, 22 is a first buffer, 23 is a second buffer, 24 is a third buffer, 25 is a fourth buffer, 26 is a page buffer, 31 is a numerical operation unit, and 32 is a 4-connected unit. A straight line generator, 33 is an 8-connected straight line generator, and 34 is a pattern generator.

In the block diagram shown in FIG. 1, reference numerals 21 to 26 denote configurations on the memory portion side, and reference numerals 31 to 34 denote configurations on the processor side.

 First, the memory section will be described.

The input buffer 21 is a memory for storing information of a start point Ps, an end point Pe, and a thickness t.

The first buffer 22 is a memory for storing the values Δx and Δy calculated by the above equations (1) and (2).

The second buffer 23 is a memory for storing the value of the length 1 calculated by the above equation (3).

The third buffer 24 is based on the above equations (11), (12),
Values xs', ys', xe ', y calculated by (8) and (9)
This is a memory for storing e '.

The fourth buffer 25 is a memory for storing dot coordinate information output between the coordinates on the starting point side and the coordinates on the ending point side output from the 4-connected straight line generator 32.

The page buffer 26 is a memory for storing coordinate information of dots forming a straight line output from the 8-connected straight line generator 33.

 Next, the processor side will be described.

The numerical operation unit 31 calculates the expressions (1) to (3),
It has a function to perform the operations of (8), (9), (11), and (12).

The four-connected straight line generator 32 has the same configuration as the conventional one, and in the information processing apparatus having the straight line drawing function of the present invention, calculates the coordinate value of the cut line of the straight line (the straight line perpendicular to the length direction). To work for.

That is, the coordinates Qs (xs ', ys') of the thickness t on the start point side, the coordinates Ps (xs, ys) of the start point, and the coordinates Q of the thickness t on the end point side
The coordinates of the straight lines formed between e (xe ', ye') and the coordinates Pe (xe ', ye') of the end point are calculated by the 4-connected drawing method. The calculated coordinate information of the dot trajectory of the four connecting straight lines connecting the two coordinates is output to the fourth buffer 25 and stored.

FIGS. 3 (1) and (2) show an example of straight line drawing by the 4-connected drawing method. FIG. 3 (1) shows a position where a next dot can be selected with respect to a certain dot, and (2) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a basic linear dot arrangement. In the drawing, Indicates a dot as a reference, and an x indicates a position where the next dot can enter.

In the case of the four-link drawing method, as shown in FIG. 3A, the next dot position can be given only in four directions, up, down, left, and right. Therefore, when forming a dot in an oblique direction, a total of two dots in the vertical and horizontal directions
Each time, the dot position must be specified, but there is an advantage that the dot dropout does not occur.

In this four-connected drawing method, as described in connection with FIG. 2, when the coordinates of Qs and Ps on the starting point side of the straight line and Qe and Pe on the ending point side are determined, the starting point Based on the coordinate information of Qs (or Qe), the coordinates of the end point Ps (or Pe), and the state of the inclination, dots are sequentially arranged in a relationship as shown in FIG. .

The four-connected straight line generator 32 has a function of drawing such a straight line, and the coordinate values of the dot trajectory calculated sequentially are temporarily stored in the fourth buffer 25. Note that these coordinate values are input to an 8-connected straight line generator 33 described later.

The 8-connected straight line generator 33 also has the same configuration as the conventional one, and sequentially gives each information of the coordinates on the starting point side and the coordinates on the end point side generated by the 4-connected straight line generator 32, thereby performing the 8-connected drawing. The dot trajectory of the eight connected straight lines connecting the two coordinates is calculated by the method and output to the page buffer 26.

FIGS. 4 (1) and (2) show an example of straight line drawing by the 8-connected drawing method, where (1) shows a position where a next dot can be selected for a certain dot, and (2) shows a basic position. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a typical linear dot arrangement. The symbols in the drawing are the same as in FIG.

In the case of the 8-connected drawing method, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the eight places marked with a cross mark are the positions where the next dot can enter, so that the upper right, right side, upper right, right side,... The dots are arranged and a straight line as shown in FIG. 4 is drawn. Note that this 8-connected drawing method itself is known as described above,
Also, it is excellent in that dots can be specified in an oblique direction as compared with the four-link drawing method, but there is a problem that dots are missing on the other hand. However, in the information processing apparatus according to the present invention, the dot position at which a straight cut is formed is first determined by the 4-connected drawing method, and the 8-connected straight line generator 33 is used for forming the dot in the longitudinal direction. A straight line with a uniform cut shape and a constant thickness can be obtained.

The pattern generator 34 has a function of generating pattern data necessary for mask processing. The pattern generator 34 calculates the coordinates of the start point and the coordinates of the end point stored in the fourth buffer 25 in advance. When sequentially outputting the pattern data, the pattern data output from the pattern generator 34 is input to the 8-connected straight line generator 33, whereby a pattern can be added to the straight line drawn on the page buffer 26.

Next, the operation of the information processing apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 when drawing a straight line will be described with reference to a flowchart.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a main processing flow at the time of straight line drawing in the information processing apparatus of the present invention. In the drawing, # 1 to # 6 indicate steps.

As shown in FIG. 5, in step # 1, the coordinates (xs, ys) of the start point Ps of the straight line are displayed on the screen shown in FIG. 2 by a coordinate input device such as a keyboard or a pointing device. , The coordinates (xe, ye) of the end point Pe, and the position corresponding to the thickness t of the straight line, for example, the coordinates (xe ′, ye ′)
The input information is stored in the input buffer 21 shown in FIG.

In step # 2, the numerical operation unit 31 shown in FIG.
Based on the information in the input buffer 21, Δx = xe−xs (1) Δy = ye−ys (2) Is performed, the calculation results of Expressions (1) and (2) are transferred to the first buffer 22, and the calculation result of Expression (3) is transferred to the second buffer 23.
To each of them.

In step # 3, the first buffer 22 and the second buffer
Based on the contents of 23 and the contents of the input buffer 21, an arithmetic operation according to the following equation is executed by the numerical operation unit 31.

xs ′ = xs + Δy · t / l (11) ys ′ = ys + Δx · t / l (12) xe ′ = xe + Δy · t / l (8) ye ′ = ye + Δx · t / l (8) 9) The coordinate values of (xs ', ys') and (xe ', ye') calculated by these equations (11), (12), (8) and (9) are
Each is stored in the third buffer 24.

In step # 4, information of the coordinate values (xs, ys) stored in the input buffer 21 and the coordinate values (xe ', ye') stored in the third buffer 24 is converted to a four-connected linear generator. By inputting to 32, the coordinates Ps (xs, ys) on the starting point side and
The dot trajectory coordinates of the four connected straight lines connecting the coordinates Qs (xs ', ys') are output to the fourth buffer 25.

In step # 5, the x and y coordinates output to the fourth buffer 25 are added to the x and y coordinates of the operation result stored in the first buffer 22 in step # 2, respectively. The dot trajectory coordinates of the four connecting straight lines connecting the coordinates Pe (xe, ye) and Qe (xe ', ye') on the end point are output to the fourth buffer 25.

In step # 6, the start point side of the coordinates in the fourth buffer 25 (xs, ys) and the end point coordinates (xe, ye), the _{(xs 1, ys 1) (} x
e ₁ , ye ₁ ), (xs ₂ , ys ₂ ) and (xe ₂ , ye ₂ ), ………, (x
s ', ys') and (xe ', ye') are sequentially connected to an 8-connected linear generator 3
By inputting to 3, the straight line to be obtained (the straight line corresponding to the starting point, the ending point and the thickness designated in FIG. 2) is drawn on the page buffer 26.

At this time, by inputting the pattern data output from the pattern generator 34 to the 8-connected straight line generator 33, a pattern can be given to the straight line drawn on the page buffer 26.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of drawing a straight line with a pattern by the pattern generator 34 in the information processing apparatus having the straight line drawing function of the present invention.

In FIG. 6, the upper one Is the bit "1" output from the pattern generator
This is formed by using a plurality of pattern data items.

By inputting this pattern data together with the coordinate information of the start point and the end point in the fourth buffer 25 to the 8-connected straight line generator 33, a straight line with a pattern as shown in the lower part of FIG. can get.

By the above processing of steps # 1 to # 6, the second
As described with reference to the drawing, when determining the thickness amount, the angle is used as a parameter so that the thickness does not change with the angle of the straight line.

As a result, the cuts at both ends are perpendicular to the length direction,
In addition, it is possible to draw a straight line whose thickness is always constant with respect to a change in angle.

Therefore, according to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a display and a print in which the cuts at both ends are aligned neatly on a straight line of any thickness.

Further, it is clear that the present invention can be applied not only to the printing apparatus but also to a display apparatus, a facsimile apparatus, and other various information processing systems for expressing image data by dot patterns, and is limited to the above-described embodiment. Needless to say, it is not something.

According to the information processing apparatus of the present invention, the coordinates of the both ends of the straight line (the coordinates of the start point and the end point) are determined by a four-connection drawing method having a gradient perpendicular to the length direction of the straight line. Since the calculation is performed, the shape of the cut is always perpendicular to the long axis direction of the straight line.

Moreover, the operations for that are the start point Ps and end point Pe of the straight line,
Since it is only necessary to provide each information of the thickness and the thickness t, the drawing operation is very simple as in the conventional apparatus.

Therefore, it is possible to obtain a display and a print in which a straight line at any angle always has a constant thickness and cuts at both ends are aligned in a straight line.

Similarly, the cut line of a straight line with a pattern is also perpendicular to the long axis direction of the straight line (see FIG. 6).

In addition, since the coordinates of both ends of the straight line are straight lines according to the 4-connected line method, dot dropout inside the straight line can be prevented, and printing and displaying of a sufficiently high-quality straight line can be performed even with a high-resolution printing device or display device. Are obtained, and many other excellent effects can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a detailed embodiment of an essential part of an information processing apparatus having a straight line drawing function according to the present invention, and FIG. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a processing algorithm for drawing a thick straight line in the processing device. FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating an example of a straight line drawing by a 4-connected drawing method. FIGS. (2) is a diagram showing an example of a straight line drawing by the 8-connected drawing method, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of main processing at the time of straight line drawing in the information processing apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. FIGS. 7A and 7B show an example of drawing a straight line with a pattern by the pattern generator 34 in the information processing apparatus having the straight line drawing function of the present invention. FIGS. FIG. 8 shows an example of FIG. FIG. 9 shows an example of drawing a straight line by a conventional pel drawing method. FIG. 9 is an external perspective view showing an example of a conventional information processing system having a graphics processing function. FIG. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a main configuration of the conventional information processing system shown in FIG. In the figure, 21 is an input buffer, 22 is a first buffer, 23 is a second buffer, 24 is a third buffer, 25 is a fourth buffer, 26 is a page buffer, 31 is a numerical operation unit,
32 is a 4-connected linear generator, 33 is an 8-connected linear generator, and 34 is a pattern generator.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An input device, a storage device, a display device, a printing device, and a central processing unit for controlling these devices, and a start point and an end point of a straight line provided from the input device or the storage device are provided. Point coordinate information Ps (xs, ys), Q
e (xe, ye) and the starting point of the straight line storing the information of the thickness t,
An information processing system comprising an end point and thickness information storage means, and having a straight line drawing function by a 4-connected drawing method and an 8-connected drawing method based on coordinate values read from the input device or the storage device. The offsets Δx, Δ in the x and y directions of the start point Ps (xs, ys) and the end point Pe (xe, ye) of the straight line are obtained from the information of the start point, the end point, and the thickness t stored in the thickness information storage means.
y, and the length l of a straight line connecting both the starting point and the ending point of the straight line, and calculating the starting point Qs (xs ', ys') and the ending point Qe (xe ', ye') corresponding to the thickness t. And the starting point Ps (x
s, ys) and a straight line connecting the starting point Qs (xs ′, ys ′) corresponding to the thickness t is calculated by a four-connection method, and the ending point Pe (xe, y) of the straight line is calculated.
e) and the coordinates of a straight line connecting the end point Qe (xe ', ye') corresponding to the thickness t are calculated from the coordinates on the straight line connecting both the start point and the end point of the straight line and the offsets Δx, Δy. When drawing a straight line, the Cartesian coordinate calculator calculates the orthogonal coordinate value corresponding to the information of the thickness t for the start point side Ps, Qs and the end point side Pe, Qe of the designated straight line. By calculating by the 4-connected drawing method, the cuts at both ends of the straight line are drawn, and the coordinates on the straight line of the start point Ps, Qs and the end point Pe,
An information processing apparatus for drawing between the coordinates on a straight line of Qe by an 8-connected drawing method.