JPH02308200A - External character forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the font data on characters, symbols, etc., which are practicably usable without requiring manual correction by converting original picture data of multiple gradations to data of the fewer multiple gradations, thereby forming the font data. CONSTITUTION:The characters, graphics, etc., of printed matter, etc., are first photographed by an image pickup means 1 consisting of, for example, a tele vision camera, scanner, etc., and the image data of the multiple gradations, for example, 256 gradations are obtd. The image data are provided with anti- aliasing information by optical and electrical filters. A converting means 3 consisting of a CPU, etc., compare the image data with the plural reference values and decreases the gradations thereof to 4 to 16. The data limited in the gradations are stored as the font data having the anti-aliasing information in a memory means 2, such as memory in this way. The parts to be zigzagged are, therefore, equiv. to the parts subjected to the anti-alias processing. The font data on the characters, symbols, etc., which are practically usable are obtd. without requiring the manual correction in this way.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] This invention provides new characters that have not yet been stored in memory.
The present invention relates to a custom character creation device that newly stores symbols and the like as custom characters.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 2 shows the principle of creating character data in a computer graphics system, digital font creation system, etc. First, from an original image of characters, symbols, etc. displayed on a printed matter (FIG. 2A), image data is obtained using a television camera, scanner, etc. (FIG. 2B). This data is compared with a predetermined reference level, and parts above this reference level are binarized as white, and parts below this level are binarized as black (Figure 2 C). This data is stored in a memory, etc. as font data. .

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In this way, conventional devices create font data by dividing the intermediate level into one of the binary levels, so the characters displayed corresponding to that data are jagged at the intermediate level. There were drawbacks that were visible. Therefore, in order to obtain correct font data from the binarized data, a person must make corrections, which requires a great deal of effort.

The present invention was made in view of this situation, and is intended to make it possible to obtain font data of characters, symbols, etc. that can be put to practical use without requiring manual correction.

[Means to solve the problem]

The external character creation device of the present invention includes an imaging means for converting a printed character, figure, etc. into multi-gradation image data exceeding 16 gradations and outputting the image data, and a gradation level of the image data outputted from the imaging means. The image forming apparatus includes a converting means for converting the image into a smaller number of 4 to 16 gradations, and a storage means for storing the multi-gradation image data converted by the converting means.

[Effect]

For example, characters and figures on printed matter are photographed using an imaging means such as a television camera or a scanner.

Image data of multiple floors g (for example, 256 floors! 51) is obtained.

These image data have anchoring information due to optical and electrical filters.

A conversion means, such as a CPU, compares this image data with a plurality of reference values and reduces the gradation to 4 to 16.

Data with limited gradation in this manner is stored in a storage means such as a memory as font data having anchoring information.

In this way, the conventionally jagged portions are equivalent to those that have been subjected to angelia processing, so manual correction is no longer necessary.

〔Example〕

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the external character creation device of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a scanner as an imaging means, which scans characters, symbols, etc. printed on printed matter and outputs multi-gradation image data. Instead of this scanner 1, a television camera may be used and its output may be A/D converted.

A memory 2 serves as a storage means, and stores output data of the scanner 1. 3 is a CPU as a conversion means, which controls the external character creation operation. Reference numeral 4 denotes an input means operated when instructing and inputting a predetermined operation to the CPU 3. 5
is a display device such as a CRT, which displays characters, graphics, etc. corresponding to the font data stored in the memory 2.

Next, the operation will be explained with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 6.

When the input means 4 is operated, the CPU 3 controls the scanner 1 to scan characters, symbols, etc. printed on a printed matter (not shown). At this time, for example, image data as shown in FIG. 7 is obtained, and this image data is stored in the memory 2.

The CPU 3 first selects an area to be processed (width W in FIG. 7).
, the starting point of E (the part surrounded by height H) (top left point) P
The X coordinate and X coordinate of are set to variables X and Y (steps S1 and S2), and the width and height of area E are set to variables W and H, respectively (steps S3 and S4). Next, after executing the line processing subroutine, the variable Y is incremented by 1 (S5, S6). Variable Y is compared with variable H, and line processing is executed until both match (S7).

FIG. 5 shows a line processing subroutine. First, the variable n is set to O, and then pixel processing is executed (S11.512). After the pixel processing is completed, the variable n
is incremented by 1 and compared with variable W. The vixel process is executed until the variable n matches the variable W (S14).

FIG. 6 represents the pixel processing subroutine.

Here, yp is the pixel brightness, LB is the black level,
LW represents the level of white.

Note that the anchoring information forming the font is obtained from the luminance signal, and color information is not necessary.

Therefore, in the case of a color image consisting of the three primary colors R, G, and B, the luminance data is calculated using the following equation.

Yp=0.3R+0.6G+0.1B First, the variable Yp and LW are compared, and if the variable yp is larger, the value 7 is set to the variable A (S21.525).

Similarly, variables Yp and LB are compared, and if variable yp is smaller, the value 0 is set to variable A (S22.526)
, when the variable Yp is larger than I, B and smaller than LW,
The value 8 (Yp-LB)/(LM-LB) is set to variable A (S23).

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, when the luminance of one pixel is stored in the memory 2 as 8-bit data (256 levels m), the 256 gradations are as shown in FIG. It is divided into eight stages from 0 to 7, and a predetermined level is set corresponding to the division (variable A).
24).

For example, if image data as shown in FIG. 1B is obtained from the original image shown in FIG. 1A using the scanner 1, as shown in FIG. The data is considered to be font data.

The font data obtained in this way is finally stored in the memory 2.

When the input means 4 is operated and a predetermined input is made, the CPU 3
causes the font data stored in the memory 2 to be read out and displayed on the display device 5.

In the case of the above embodiment, the gradation level of the font data is set to 8, but if this value is increased, an image closer to the original image can be obtained, but the capacity of the memory 2 becomes correspondingly larger. Also, if it is too small, aliasing will occur.

Therefore, it is preferable to set the font data to a predetermined value between 4 and 16.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, font data is generated by converting multi-gradation original image data into data with 4 to 16 gradations. You can get real fonts.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a waveform diagram illustrating image data processing of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a waveform diagram explaining conventional image data processing, and Figure 3 is a waveform diagram explaining conventional image data processing.
The figure is a block diagram of the external character creation device of the present invention, FIGS. 4 to 6 are flowcharts of the device in FIG. 3, FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the memory, and FIG. 8 is an explanation of the output of the scanner in FIG. 3. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of data stored in the memory of FIG. 3. 1...Scanner, 2...Memory, 3...CPU,
4... Input means, 5... Display device. Patent applicant: Victor Japan Co., Ltd. Representative: Kunio Umiki Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] an imaging device that converts printed characters, figures, etc. into multi-gradation image data exceeding 16 gradations and outputs the image data; What is claimed is: 1. An external character creation device comprising: a conversion means for converting into multi-tone image data; and a storage means for storing multi-tone image data converted by the conversion means.