JPH01272460A - Method and apparatus for generating character - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To generate a character having an arbitrary line width, by calculating coordinate point data for internally or externally dividing the interval between the same number-th coordinate point data of the first and second coordinate point data in the ratio corresponding to an indicated line width and constituting the contour line of a character having a desired line width on the basis of said data. CONSTITUTION:The contour line A of a thick character 'O' is defined by eight coordinates points A1-A8 and the contour line B of a fine character 'O' is defined by eight coordinate points B1-B8 in the same way. When a character 'O' having a line width being the intermediate width (set to 50% for instance) of the thick character 'O' and the fine character 'O', the first-eighth coordinate points A1-A8 and the 50% intermediate coordinate points C1-C8 of the coordinate points B1-B8 are successively calculated. On the basis of the coordinate points C1-C8 obtained by this calculation, a character 'O' having a contour line C of a 50% intermediate width is defined and, for example, by continuing the coordinate points C1-C8 by a spline curve, the contour line C of the character 'O' is constituted.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a character generation method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a character generation method and apparatus capable of generating characters of several thicknesses with the same character design. .

[Conventional technology]

In the field of character printing, as is well known, the same style (
There are also thick and thin line widths for the characters (design). This is essential for practical purposes such as using thin fonts when printed font size is small and thick fonts when large fonts are used to give strength to the impression the text gives to the reader. For this reason, even the same character is designed with several different thicknesses depending on its thickness. In fact, phototypesetting machines have 8 to 10 levels (types) of characters with the same design but varying in thickness.

Conventionally, characters are stored in a computer for each thickness level, and characters of a desired thickness are read out to generate thick characters and thin characters.

On the other hand, as a method for mechanically generating thick or thin characters, if the outline is used to represent the character, by moving the outline outward or inward at a certain ratio, thick or thin characters can be generated mechanically. There is a method to generate characters.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in the case of a system in which all characters are stored in a computer, the number of characters in the JIS standard (JIS standard 6226 level 1 and level 2 kanji and non-kanji) is
It is about 7,000 characters, and no matter how huge the computer's storage capacity is, if we set up 104i thickness levels and have the computer store 7,000 characters for each thickness level. requires a device to store a total of 70,000 characters because of only one character design, which is extremely wasteful in terms of machine costs.

On the other hand, if the outline of the character is moved outward or inward at a fixed ratio, the character itself may become larger or
It has the disadvantage of being small. However, even if the font is thick, the size of the font itself should not change. This is because if the characters are made extremely thick using this method, they overlap with adjacent characters and lose their function as characters.Also, when the dots and strokes of the characters are complicated and crowded, thick characters However, the general rule when designing letters is not to make those parts thicker. Therefore, it can be said that the above-described generation method cannot generate thick characters or thin characters that are appropriate in terms of design, and characters that are unsatisfactory in terms of character design are printed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to generate characters of several thicknesses without requiring a huge amount of storage capacity and which are also good from the viewpoint of character design. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method and device for generating characters.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention configures first coordinate point data necessary for forming an IJI outline of a character with a thick line width and an outline of a character with a thin line width for the same character. The same number of second coordinate point data as the first coordinate point data is stored in advance for each character, and the second coordinate point data necessary for At the same time as reading out the first and second coordinate point data, based on the specified line width, the distance between each coordinate point data of the same number of the first and second coordinate point data is calculated at a ratio according to the specified line width. The present invention is characterized in that coordinate point data for internal or external division is calculated, and a character outline of a desired line width is constructed based on the calculated coordinate point data, thereby generating a character.

[Effect]

According to the present invention, the first and second coordinate point data necessary for configuring the contour lines of a character with a thick line width and a character with a thin line width, respectively, which are stored in advance for the same character, are read out. Then, coordinate point data for internally or externally dividing the same coordinate point data from the first to the nth of the first and second coordinate point data at a ratio according to the specified line width. calculate. By connecting coordinate points in succession based on the coordinate point data calculated in this way, a character outline with a desired line width is finally obtained.

〔Example〕

Preferred embodiments of the character generation method and apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the principle of the present invention will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 1 shows the outline of the character "0" and the coordinate points for constructing the outline. In this figure, for simplicity, the inner outline of the character rOJ is omitted and only the outer outline is displayed.

As shown in Figure 1, the outline of the thick character "○" is defined by the eight coordinate points Δ1 to 88, and similarly the outline of the thin character "0" is defined by the eight coordinate points B1 to B8. B is defined.

Then, in order to obtain the character "0" having a line width that is intermediate between the thick character "0" and the thin character "0" (temporarily 50%), the first to eighth coordinate points ( Al~A8
．． 81 to B8), the 50% intermediate coordinate points (C1 to C8) are sequentially calculated. That is, an intermediate coordinate point C1 between the first coordinate point A1 of the thick character and the first coordinate point B1 of the thin character is calculated.

Next, intermediate coordinate points C2 between the second coordinate points A2 and 82 are calculated. Thereafter, calculate the 8th one in the same way. By the coordinate points 01 to C8 obtained by this calculation, a character rOJ having an outline C with a 50% intermediate width is defined, and by connecting the coordinate points C1 to C8 by, for example, a spline curve, the outline of the character "0" is defined. Line C is constructed.

Furthermore, the first and fifth coordinate points A of this character “0”
Since there is no difference at all between 1 and B2 and between A5 and B5, there is no change in the size of the letters rOJ. Also,
The middle line width does not necessarily mean 50%, the middle is 1
Since it can be calculated using the 00% ratio, it is free to specify 33% thicker or 15% thinner.

In order to carry out this method, the outlines of the same characters with thick and thin line widths must be constructed for each point and area, and the number of outlines must be the same (with the same number of points and strokes). ) and that each contour line has the same number of coordinate points.

In the case of the character "0" mentioned above, the number of strokes for both the thick character and the thin character is 1, and the number of contour lines is two, one on the outside and one on the inside. Note that the inner contour line is omitted. Then, the contour line (outer contour line) has the same number of coordinate points Δ1 to A
It is composed of 8.81 to B8.

This may seem very difficult, but for example, you can create a thick character (or thin character) first, and then use only the coordinate points that make up the thick character (or thin character). This can be easily solved by creating thinner characters (or thicker characters) (by moving the coordinate points). Also,
Producing thin characters using this method requires less time than separately producing thin characters.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the character generating device according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a tax chart showing the processing contents etc. in FIG.

In FIG. 2, a keyboard 10 is operated according to a character to be generated, and outputs a character code (JIS standard) representing that character to an address generation circuit 12. The address generation circuit 12 outputs address signals corresponding to the input character codes to the uppercase character storage device 14 and the small character storage device 16, respectively.

Capital letter memory device! f14 stores coordinate point data that constitutes the outline of the character with the thickest line width for each of the 7000 characters, and similarly, the storage device 16 for thin characters stores:
For each of the 7000 characters, coordinate point data constituting the outline of the character with the thinnest line width is stored. Therefore, when an address signal is applied from the address generation circuit 12 to each memory device 14.16, coordinate point data for one character stored at the position indicated by the address signal is read out from each memory device 14.16. and are temporarily stored in buffers 18 and 20 for one character, respectively.

Here, the coordinate point data stored in the buffers 18 and 20 for one character will be explained. Now, assuming that the character to be generated is the character "sentence", buffers 18 and 2
0 stores coordinate point data for configuring the dashed-dotted contour line shown in FIG. 3(A) and coordinate point data for configuring the broken line contour line shown in FIG. 3(B), respectively. Ru. That is, the "sentences" of thick characters and thin characters are each divided into five stroke outline elements for each point/area, and the number of outlines of the corresponding outline elements is the same, and the corresponding outlines are the same. Holds several coordinate point data.

The arithmetic circuit 22 stores the buffers 18 and 20 for one character.
Manually generate coordinate point data. Further, a signal indicating the thickening ratio R is inputted to another input of the arithmetic circuit 22 from the thickness setting device 24. That is, the thickness setting device 24 is a setting device such as a dial or a lever for setting the thickening ratio R of the characters to be generated, and outputs a signal indicating the ratio R of, for example, 100% to 0%.

Note that a thick ratio of 100% means the same thickness as the characters stored in the storage device t14 for uppercase characters, and a thick ratio of 0% means the same thickness as the characters stored in the storage device 16 for small characters.

The arithmetic circuit 22 calculates coordinate point data that internally divides the same number of coordinate point data added from the buffers 18 and 20 by the thick ratio R specified by the thickness setter 24.

That is, the coordinate point data of the coordinate points Δ1 to A added from the buffer 18 are expressed as (XAI, YAI), ", ', (XA
R, YAfi), and the coordinate point data of coordinate points B, ~B,, added from the buffer 20, are (X1ll, Y8.)
,..., (Xmh, Ym-), the thick ratio R
Coordinate point data (Xc+ SY, c+ ), -", (XcRSYc-
) is calculated by the following formula, (where i=l~n).

The first to nth coordinate point data (Xcl, Yc-), -1(Xc-1) sequentially calculated as described above
Y) is stored in the buffer 26 for one character.

Figure 3 (C) shows a character obtained by superimposing the characters ``sent'' shown in Figure 3 (A) and (B), respectively, and Figure 3 (D) is further calculated from the above formula (1). It shows a character that includes an outline (solid line) made up of coordinate points. Note that here, the thick ratio R is set to 50%.

FIG. 3(E) shows a medium-width character "sentence" composed of coordinate point data stored in the buffer 26.

The output device 28 includes, for example, a laser printer or a CRT, and outputs the coordinate point data (X
Configure the outline of the "sentence" by concatenating the coordinate points C1 to C,, of (XcnSYC-), '..., (XcnSYC-) using a spline curve, etc., and fill in or blank out the inside of the outline. to generate characters.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the character generation method and device according to the present invention, coordinate point data of two types of characters, characters with thick line widths and characters with thin line widths, can be stored without requiring a huge storage capacity. , it is possible to generate characters with arbitrary line widths. Furthermore, the characters generated by the present invention are legitimate and satisfactory from the point of view of character design.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram used to explain the principle of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 (A
) to (E) are diagrams used to explain the processing contents, etc. in FIG. 2. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Keyboard, 12... Address generation circuit, 14... Uppercase letter storage device, 16... Small letter storage device, 22... Arithmetic circuit, 24... Thickness setting device, 28 ...Output device.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) For the same character, the first coordinate point data necessary to construct the outline of a character with a thick line width, and the second coordinate point data necessary to construct the outline of a character with a thin line width A number of second coordinate point data, which are point data and are the same as the number of data of the first coordinate point data, are stored in advance for each character, and the first and second coordinates corresponding to the character to be generated are stored in advance. While reading the point data, the first
Then, calculate coordinate point data that divides each coordinate point data of the same number in the second coordinate point data internally or externally at a ratio according to the specified line width, and draw the desired line based on the calculated coordinate point data. A method for generating characters, characterized in that the outlines of characters of different widths are configured to generate characters. (2) For the same character, the first coordinate point data necessary to construct the outline of a character with a thick line width, and the second coordinate point data necessary to construct the outline of a character with a thin line width a storage means for storing point data in advance for each character, the same number of second coordinate point data as the number of data of the first coordinate point data; and a first point data corresponding to the character to be generated from the storage means. and a reading means for reading second coordinate point data, a specifying means for specifying the line width of a character to be generated, and each coordinate of the same number of the first and second coordinate point data read by the reading means. calculation means for calculating coordinate point data for internally or externally dividing the point data at a ratio according to the line width specified by the specifying means; and configuring a character outline based on the calculated coordinate point data. and means for generating characters with a desired line width.