JP3163577B2 - Vector font generation method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for generating character font data used in a computer system or a word processor (hereinafter referred to as "computer system, etc."), and more particularly to a vector font generation method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Character font data used in a computer system or the like includes a so-called dot matrix font in which a character pattern is composed of dot information, and a vector in which character outline information is expressed by a quadratic function or more.・ There is a font or an outline font. Comparing the two, the vector font has the characteristic that the character outline is displayed more smoothly than the dot matrix font, and therefore, in recent computer systems, etc., the vector font is It is mainly being used. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-116690 discloses an efficient vector font processing method for compressing the amount of information of a vector font and maintaining the smoothness of a character outline.

[0003] By the way, character font data for standard characters is created and registered in advance in a computer system or the like, but standard characters (JIS X 0208)
Characters (especially kanji in personal names and place names), special characters,
For symbols and the like, it is necessary for the user to create and register character font data as “external character” by himself. A "font editor" is provided as a tool for this purpose. A font editor that handles vector fonts, for example, sets “points” at the start point, end point, curvature vertex, and the like indicating the outline of a character, and approximates a curve between the points. By operating these points and handles (designating the curvature) from the screen with a mouse or the like, a character font is created.

[0004] On the other hand, recent small and high-performance personal
With the spread of computers, various business processing systems that were conventionally processed by large general-purpose computers have been
It has been replaced by high-performance personal computer processing. This is the so-called downsizing of computer systems. Further, a business processing system in which a conventional large general-purpose computer is used as a host computer and its terminal is configured by a small and high-performance personal computer has appeared. In this case, the host large general-purpose computer uses a dot matrix
A situation will emerge where the fonts will be vector fonts on the terminal personal computer.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned prior art, a business processing system operated on a conventional large-sized general-purpose computer is replaced with a system using a small-sized and high-performance personal computer. Alternatively, if the data processed by the host large general-purpose computer is to be printed out by a small, high-performance personal computer of the terminal, the user (administrator of the business processing system) creates and registers the data independently. The external character data in the dot matrix font format
It is necessary to create and register the data in the vector font format used in the personal computer again.
When a large amount of necessary external character data is accumulated, the amount of work is large even if a font editor is used. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems in the conventional technology and to solve the problem of the dot matrix font format stored in the conventional large general-purpose computer system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for efficiently generating character data in a vector font format used in a personal computer from the character data described above.

[0006]

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently generating character data in a vector font format from character data in a dot matrix font format. as well as the character screen display based on the character data of dot matrix font format, extracts the outline of the character for the character based on character data of the displayed dot matrix font format, issued extract contour Generates aggregate data of a curve that approximates a line, displays it on the same screen as the character based on the aggregate data of the curve, and needs to correct the inflection point of the curve for the displayed outline of the character When
Drag the displacement point with the mouse to change the position of the displacement point.
After that, a vector font generation method is characterized in that the aggregate data of the curve approximated by the function is corrected based on the changed data and edited as a vector font.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In a vector font generation method according to the present invention, character data in a dot matrix font format is displayed on a screen, and a boundary line between each dot is detected to display an outline. The contour is recorded as a set of curves approximated by a function, and the inflection point of each curve is changed while being dragged with a mouse or the like, thereby being edited as a vector font. This eliminates the need for input / definition of a character frame curve constituting a character as in the case where character data in a vector font format is newly generated.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a computer system that executes a vector font generation method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a host computer, 2 is a personal computer, 3 is a display device, 4 is a keyboard as an input device, and 5 is an external character data file in a dot matrix font format stored in the host computer 1 described above. (Dot external character file), 6 stores the external character data transferred from the host computer 1 described above. Dot external character file of the personal computer 2, 7 stores the generated external character data in the vector font format. 4 shows an external character data file (vector font file) in the vector font format of the computer 2.

FIG. 2 shows the personal computer 2.
5 is a diagram showing an example of a character in a dot matrix font format displayed on the display device 3 of FIG. Note that FIG.
Shows closed curves and displacement points extracted by processing described later, together with examples of characters in the dot matrix font format. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 11 denotes an example of a character in a dot matrix font format, 12 denotes a closed curve generated based on the example 11 of the character, 13a and 13
b,... indicate displacement points on the closed curve, and 11a, 1
1b,... Indicate dots constituting the character 11 in the dot matrix font format.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the character data generating operation in the vector font format in the computer system configured to execute the vector font generating method according to the present embodiment as described above. When the vector font generation method is executed, first, in step 21, the character data file 5 in the dot matrix font format stored in the host computer 1 is converted into the character data file 6 of the personal computer 2. Transfer to

Next, the character data in the dot matrix font format stored in the character data file 6 of the personal computer 2 is read out one by one from the file 6 (step 22) and developed as a dot matrix. Is displayed on the screen of the display device 3 (step 23). Next, until all the contours of the displayed character pattern have been processed, a contour extraction process (step 25), a closed curve extraction process (step 26), a displacement point extraction process (step 27), and a Bezier function, which will be described later. Repeat the approximation process (Step 28) (Step 2)
9).

The displacement points and Bezier functions extracted by the above processing are displayed on a screen. When the operator needs to correct the displayed result, the operator drags the displacement point displayed on the screen with the mouse to change the position of the displacement point (steps 29 and 30). When the position of the displacement point is corrected, the Bezier function approximation processing is performed again on the changed data (step 31), and the result is displayed on the screen. When the correction is completed, the vector font character data at that point is registered in the vector font character data file 7 of the personal computer 2 (step 32).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the details of the outline extraction process (step 25) in the above-described vector font format character data generation operation. Also,
5 and 6 are diagrams showing specific operation examples. In the contour extraction processing according to the present embodiment, characters based on character data in the dot matrix font format are displayed on the screen of the display device 3, and when extracting the contour, coordinate subdivision is first performed (step 41). . This is to improve the accuracy of contour line extraction by subdividing the dot coordinates.

Next, the starting point of the contour line extraction is determined on the subdivided coordinates (x, y system). Here, as will be described later, since a method of searching for a contour line around one point is used, the starting point is point A at x = 2 and Y = 2 in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, scanning is performed in the direction of increasing the x coordinate, the y coordinate is increased by 1 at the right end, and then scanning is performed in the direction of decreasing the x coordinate. Is increased by 1 and scanning is performed in a direction to increase the x coordinate. Thereafter, the above operation is repeated to scan all areas (step 42).

As shown in FIG. 6, a contour extraction process (step 44) is a start point C (here, P _{n + 1, m-1} ) of an extraction process for an arbitrary contour extraction start point B (P _{n, m} ). ), The surrounding area 8 surrounding the starting point B in a certain direction (here, the counterclockwise direction)
A point is searched, and the next point having a dot (point D in the example of FIG. 6)
(P _{n-1, m + 1} )), and this point is connected to the starting point B. This will be the first part of the contour. Hereinafter, the point D (P
The same processing is repeated starting from ( _{n-1, m + 1} ) (step 43). When the contour returns to the first starting point C (P _{n + 1, m-1} ), move the starting point in the direction described with reference to FIG.
5) The same processing is performed.

Thus, the outline of the character in the dot matrix font format can be sequentially extracted.
For the extracted contour lines, the closed curve extraction processing (step 26), displacement point extraction processing (step 27), and Bezier (B
By repeatedly executing (step 29) the function approximation process (step 28), character data in a vector font format can be generated. It should be noted that the above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this.

[0017]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, a vector font format used in a personal computer is obtained from character data in a dot matrix font format stored in a large general-purpose computer system. Has a remarkable effect that a method of efficiently generating the character data can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a computer system for executing a vector font generation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a character in a dot matrix font format displayed on a display device 3 of a personal computer 2;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of generating character data in a vector font format in a computer system that executes the vector font generation method according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating details of an operation of generating character data in a vector font format.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing a specific operation example of a contour extraction process.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a specific operation example of a contour extraction process.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Host computer 2 Personal computer 3 Display device 4 Keyboard 5 Host computer dot character file 6 Personal computer dot character file 7 Personal computer vector font
File

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ identification code FI G06T 11/60 G06F 15/72 355U (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G09G 5/24 B41J 5 / 44 G06T 11/20 G06T 11/60

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vector font generation method for efficiently generating character data in a vector font format from character data in a dot matrix font format, wherein the method is based on the character data in the dot matrix font format. While displaying the characters on the screen, a contour line of the character is extracted for the character based on the displayed character data in the dot matrix font format, and a set of curve data obtained by function approximation of the extracted contour line is obtained. Generate and display on the same screen as the character based on the aggregate data of the curve. If it is necessary to correct the inflection point of the curve on the outline of the displayed character , drag the displacement point with the mouse. Changed by
After changing the position of the place, based on the changed data
A method for generating a vector font, comprising: modifying the aggregate data of the curve approximated by the function and editing the data as a vector font. 2. The vector font generation method according to claim 1, wherein when extracting the outline, coordinate subdivision of a character is performed based on character data in a dot matrix font format.