JPH02141267A - Character row output apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control a character interval to a proper value without being aware of a combination of individual characters by possessing the left and right end positions of each of a plurality of sections of a character divided in a height direction as a part of font data and calculating a character position so that two characters are not overlapped at each section and brought into contact with each other at a certain section. CONSTITUTION:A sentence input means 11 inputs a sentence from a keyboard or an external memory device as a character row and stores the same in a character code row memory means 12 as a character code row. Next, a character position calculating means 13 inputs a character code by one character from the character code row memory means 12 and inputs the data relating to the outer shape of the character corresponding to said character code from a font data memory means 14 and calculates the character position thereof so that said character and a previously printed or displayed character are not overlapped with each other at each of a plurality of the sections of the character divided in the height direction thereof and brought into contact with each other at least one section. Next, a character visualizing means 15 obtains the shape of the corresponding character from the font data memory means 14 on the basis of the given character code and said character is printed or displayed so as to become the character position where a base point is given.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a character string output method in a character string printing device or character string display device using a computer such as a word pco sensor or an electronic typesetting device, and particularly relates to Concerning a string output method that handles a group of characters with non-uniform width.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, in this type of character string output method, calculation of character position was performed based on the base point of the character and the character width.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the character B42 is placed so that the base point 44 is located on the line reference line 41, the next character y43 will have its base point 46 move from the base point 44 of the character B42 to the character B42. It is placed at a position on the reference line 41 separated by a width 45.

Furthermore, when L and T, A and V, etc. are printed or displayed consecutively, the character spacing is too wide using only the above-mentioned character position calculation method, so the character spacing is corrected. For example, as shown in FIG.
If character spacing needs to be corrected between the character A53 and the next character A53, the base point 56 of the character A53 is placed above the character T52.
The character width 55 of the character T52 is corrected by the correction value 57 for the character spacing between T and A.

All combinations of characters that require correction and their correction values are defined in advance.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional character string output method described above, character positions are calculated based on the base point and character width, so correction values must be prepared in advance for all character combinations where the character spacing is too large. Another disadvantage is that the processing required to detect and correct such character combinations is complicated and slow.

In view of the above-mentioned points, it is an object of the present invention to have the left end position and right end position of each division into which a character is divided into a plurality of parts in the height direction as part of font information, so that two characters do not overlap in each division. To provide a character string output method that can adjust character spacing to an appropriate value without being aware of individual character combinations by calculating character positions so that they touch each other in at least one segment. be.

[Means to solve the problem]

The character string output method of the present invention includes a text input means for inputting a text as a character string from a keyboard or the like, and a character code string storage means for storing the text input by the text input means as a sequence of character codes in a memory or a file. and a font information storage means in which font information of characters is stored in association with character codes, and has values for the left end position and right end position for each division divided into a plurality of parts in the height direction of the character as information regarding the outer shape of the character. Then, input a character code from the character code string storage means, obtain information regarding the outer shape of the character corresponding to the character code from the font information storage means, and divide the character into a plurality of sections in the height direction. A character position calculation means for calculating a character position so as not to overlap with a printed or displayed character and in contact with the character in at least one section, and a character shape corresponding to a character code input to this character position calculation means. and character visualization means for printing or displaying character positions obtained from the font information storage means and calculated by the character position calculation means.

[Effect]

In the character string output method of the present invention, the text input means inputs a text as a character string from a keyboard or the like, and the character code string storage means stores the text input by the text input means in a memory or file as a sequence of character codes. , the font information storage means stores the font information of the character in correspondence with the character code, and has the values of the left end position and right end position for each division divided into a plurality of parts in the height direction of the character as information regarding the outer shape of the character. , the character position calculation means manually inputs the character code from the character code string storage means, obtains information about the outer shape of the character corresponding to the character code from the font information storage means, and calculates the character in each of the plurality of divisions in the height direction of the character. The character position is calculated so that the character position does not overlap with the previously printed or displayed character and it contacts in at least one section, and the character visualization means converts the shape of the character corresponding to the character code input into the character position calculation means into a font. The information is printed or displayed at the character position obtained from the information storage means and calculated by the character position calculation means.

〔Example〕

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a character string output method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The character string output method of this embodiment includes a text input means 11, a character code string storage means 12, Character position calculation means 13 and font information storage means 14
and a character visualization means 15. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of character font information stored in the font information storage means 14 in correspondence with character codes. In the character string output method of this embodiment, characters are divided into two layers, an upper layer and a lower layer, in the height direction of the character, and all information regarding one character is expressed in coordinates with the base point 21 of the character as the origin. be done. The character shape included in the font information is treated as binary image data within the character definition area 22 that includes the entire character. In addition, the font information includes information regarding the outer shape of the character, including the upper left end position 23, which is the left end position of the upper layer of the character, the upper right end position 24, which is the right end position of the upper layer of the character, and the left end of the lower layer of the character. A lower layer left end position 25, which is the position of , and a lower layer right end position 26, which is the right end position of the lower layer of the character, are defined at a certain distance from the character shape.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the character position calculation means 13 using character T32 and character A33 as an example. The position of the base point 37 of the character A33 (hereinafter simply referred to as character position) is the distance from the base point 34 of the character T32, and the upper right end position 35 and the lower right end position 3 of the character T32
6 and the upper layer left end position 38 and lower layer left end position 39 of the character A33.

The character position obtained by this calculation is the position where the right end of character T32 and the left end of prison A33 are in contact with each other on either the upper or lower layer, and are in contact or apart on the other layer, and are located in each of the upper and lower layers. This is the larger value obtained by subtracting the left end position of character A33 from the right end position of character T32. In FIG. 3, the right end of character T32 and the left end of character A33 are in contact with each other in the upper layer, and the base point 3 of character A33 is
7 is the difference between the upper right end position 35 of the character T32 and the upper left end position 1138 of the character A33 based on the base point 34 of the character T32.

Next, the operation of the character string output method of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained.

The text input means 11 inputs a text as a character string from a keyboard or an external storage device, and stores it in the character code string storage means 12 as a character code string. Here, the character code string storage means 12 is a memory or a file.

Next, the character position calculation means 13 inputs the character code one character at a time from the character code string storage means 12, and inputs the information regarding the outer shape of the character corresponding to the character code into the font information fi.
1 is input from the storage means 14, and the character position is calculated by the method described above. Further, the character position calculation means 13 passes the character code and character position to the character visualization means I5 and requests printing or display.

The character visualization means 15 obtains the shape of the corresponding character from the font information storage means 14 based on the given character code, and prints or displays it so that the base point is at the given character position.

It goes without saying that the method of classifying characters and the way of storing information regarding the shape of characters and the outer shape of characters in the font information storage means 14 are not limited to the present embodiment.

For example, it is obvious that more appropriate character spacing can be obtained by dividing the characters in multiple layers in the height direction. Furthermore, the shape of the characters can also be stored not as binary image data, but as a so-called outline font in which the boundaries of the black parts of the characters are approximated by curves defined by a plurality of points.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, the present invention has the left end position and right end position of each division in which a character is divided into a plurality of parts in the height direction as part of font information, so that two characters in each division do not overlap and are at least By calculating the character positions so that they touch in one section, the character spacing can be adjusted to an appropriate value without being aware of the combinations of individual characters, which has the effect of speeding up processing.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a character string output method according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining font information stored in the font information storage means in FIG. 1; Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the calculations performed by the character position calculation means in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining how character positions are calculated using the conventional character string output method, and Figure 5. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method for calculating character positions when character spacing needs to be corrected in a conventional character string output method. In the figure, 11... text input means, 12... character code string storage means, 13... character position calculation means, 14... font information storage means, 15... character visualization means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A text input means for inputting a text as a character string from a keyboard or the like; a character code string storage means for storing the text input by the text input means in a memory or a file as a sequence of character codes; font information storing means in which font information is stored in association with character codes, and has left end position and right end position values for each of the plurality of divisions divided in the height direction of the character as information regarding the outer shape of the character; A character code is input from the character code string storage means, information regarding the outer shape of the character corresponding to the character code is obtained from the font information storage means, and the character is printed or displayed first in each division divided into a plurality of characters in the height direction. a character position calculation means for calculating a character position so as not to overlap with the character and to touch the character in at least one section; 1. A character string output method, comprising: a character visualization means for printing or displaying the obtained characters from the character position calculation means at the character positions calculated by the character position calculation means.