JPH0289189A - Data converting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively use outline data in various modes, and to realize the reduction of cost and the improvement of the quality of display by providing a means to change the data of the end part of the outline data into the data to express the end part without decoration. CONSTITUTION:A microcomputer part 10 to constitute the main body of a control circuit is provided with a CPU 12, a program ROM 16, etc., and the CPU 12 is provided with a decorated end part changing part 38 to change the decorated end part of the constitution line of a character, a bit data converting part 40 to convert the outline data into bit data, and so on, and in the case where the outline data contains the data to decorate the end part of the character constitution line, it changes said data of the end part into the data to express the end part without the decoration. Thus, when the charac ter is displayed in small size, the end part is displayed by a shape without the decoration even through the outline data of the decorated end part of the character constitution line is used, and the nice-looking display of uniform shape can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a data conversion device for converting outline data representing the contours of characters such as letters and symbols into bit data, and in particular, it relates to a data conversion device for converting outline data representing the outline of characters such as letters and symbols into bit data. This is related to the processing of

Conventional technology When data representing characters such as letters and symbols is processed using a computer and displayed in some form such as printing or display, it is widely practiced to form bit data for each pixel, which is the minimum processing unit. It is being said. In this case, creating bit data in advance for all the characters to be displayed and storing it in memory would require an extremely large memory capacity, so the outline of the character is It is desirable to store the outline data as outline data and convert it into bit data using a data conversion device during processing such as printing.

A pixel screen is used to convert this outline data into bit data. A pixel screen defines pixels by a plurality of defining lines parallel to mutually orthogonal X and Y axes in the -plane, and when the outline of a character is superimposed on the pixel screen, the outline The bit data corresponding to a pixel whose portion exceeds a certain standard is used as data representing the existence of a character constituent line. The outline data is obtained based on the outline of the character designed by the designer, and the ends of the constituent lines of the character may be decorated with semicircles, triangles, etc.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, when converting outline data into bit data using a data conversion device using a pixel screen and displaying a character, even if the constituent lines of the same character are displayed, depending on the position where the character is displayed, If the number and position of the pixels that are set inside the character composition line is different, and the number of pixels included inside the character composition line is small, the shape of the end of the character composition line will be different.
Alternatively, there may be cases where it is better not to have decorations on the edges, as it would make it look ungainly. When displaying a character at a small size on a display device that can display characters in multiple different sizes, or when displaying a character at a small size on a display device with low functionality that cannot display the outline data representing the decorative edge according to the shape represented by the outline. An example of this is when attempting to display a character based on outline data that includes decorative edges.

In the former case, when the display size is small, the number of pixels to display the character is small, so the difference in the shape of the decorative end due to the difference in the display position of the character becomes noticeable.
On the contrary, it would look better without decorations, as it would make it look worse. In the latter case, 1. This problem occurs when the α-processed outline data is also used for low-performance display devices to reduce costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a data conversion device that can automatically eliminate decorations at the ends of character composition lines.

Means for Solving the Problems The gist of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for converting outline data into bit data using a pixel screen as described above, in which the outline data includes data for decorating the ends of character composition lines. In this case, data changing means is provided for changing the data of the end portion to data representing the end portion without decoration.

Operation and Effect of the Invention By using the data conversion device configured as described above, when displaying a character in a small size on a display device capable of displaying characters in a plurality of sizes, the ends of the character composition lines can be decorated. Even if the outline data is used, the edges are displayed in a shape without decoration, and it is possible to obtain a display with a uniform shape and a good appearance. Further, in a low-performance display device, a character can be displayed using outline data including decorative edges used in a high-performance display device. Even if the functionality is low, it has the ability to display undecorated edges according to the shape, so if the outline data is changed to data that represents undecorated edges, the character can be displayed in a beautiful shape with the edges of the constituent lines aligned. Therefore, the memory for storing outline data can be shared regardless of the degree of function of the device, and the cost of the device can be reduced.

As described above, according to the data conversion device of the present invention, by providing the data changing means, outline data including data for decorating the ends of character composition lines can be effectively used in various ways, and the cost can be reduced. It is possible to obtain the effects of reduction in display quality and improvement in display quality.

Embodiment Hereinafter, a case in which the present invention is applied to a device for converting outline data into bit data in a laser printer will be explained in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a diagram mainly showing the portion related to data conversion of the control circuit of the laser printer.

Microcomputer section 10 which forms the main body of this control circuit
is CPU12. Character ROM14゜Program R
OM16. Text memory 18. working memory 20
．． A bit data memory 22 and a bus 28 are provided. An input device 30 and a printing section 32 are connected to the bus 28 . The input device 30 inputs necessary data to the microcomputer section 10, and the printing section 32 is a section that performs printing using a laser based on commands from the microcomputer section 10.

The CPU 2 includes a data succession section 36. as conceptually shown in FIG. Decorative end changing section 38 that changes the decorative end of the character's constituent lines. A bit data conversion unit 40 and the like that convert outline data into bit data are provided. The text memory 18 stores print data input from the input device 30, and the working memory 20 stores data necessary for program execution. The bit data memory 22 also stores bit data obtained by conversion by the bit data converter 40.

Further, the character ROM 14 stores outline data of characters such as alphabets and other characters and symbols. The characters printed by this laser printer are decorated with serifs, and the serifs are designed to have decorative parts. Taking the alphabet "H" as an example, as shown in FIG. 4, among the plurality of character composition lines 44 essential to constructing "H", none of the character composition lines 44 are connected to other character composition lines 44. A serif 46 that intersects the character composition line 44 is attached to the end, and both ends of the serif 46 are semicircular to form a decorative end 48. The coordinate planes for determining the outline of the character are 1 (Y axis) and 1000 x horizontal (X axis).
It is said to have a size of lOOO, and is centered at the center of the X-axis direction, and uppercase letters of the alphabet are drawn between 200 and 1000 of the Y-axis coordinate value, and lowercase letters are drawn at O
It is also drawn using between 200 and 200.

In this embodiment, the serifs 46 are lines parallel to the X-axis' or Y-axis of the coordinates that determine the outline data.

The outline data is created for each point on the contour of the character marked with a black circle in the figure, and includes the type of line from that point to the point and the coordinates of the points at both ends.

The coordinates of each of these points are determined in a certain direction (
Among the points at both ends of each line, the point on the near side in the traveling direction is the starting point, and the point on the far side is the ending point. Outline data includes straight line data indicating the straight line and coordinate data of the start point and end point if the contour line is a straight line, and curve data and coordinate data of the start point, end point, and auxiliary point in the case of a curved line. It includes coordinate data and data of a functional formula representing a curve, and in the case of a circular arc, it includes circular arc data and coordinate data of the center point of two circles, including the starting point and the ending point. Further, the character ROM 14 stores decorative end designation data for specifying the decorative end 48 together with the outline data for each character. This data consists of the starting point and ending point of the decorative end 48.

In this laser printer, outline data is converted to bit data using a pixel screen 50 illustrated in FIG. Although the pixel screen 50 is a computational device for converting outline data into bit data, it is illustrated here as an actual entity for ease of understanding. In addition, a pixel here is the minimum printing unit when printing is performed by a laser, and the pixel screen 50 is parallel to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, which are perpendicular to each other in the horizontal plane, and is equal to Pixels are defined by a plurality of X-axis direction defining lines X and y-axis direction defining lines y provided at intervals. In this embodiment, the pixels are square, and bit data indicating whether printing is to be performed or not is created for each pixel. In addition,
Pixels can also be rectangular or other shapes.

Conversion of outline data into bit data is performed on the assumption that the outline of the character is superimposed on the pixel screen 50. When superimposed, all or part of one pixel is included in the outline, but in this embodiment, a dot is formed at each pixel in the outline of the character. The bit data of the pixel is set to 1.

This bit data of 1 is formed for the bit data of pixels included within the outline of the character that exceed a certain standard, and the bit data of other pixels are left as 0. As the above-mentioned certain criteria, for example, it is possible to use ``the entire pixel is included in the contour, 1. that more than half of the r area is included, 1, etc., but in this example, the r pixel is included in the contour. 1 is used that the center is contained within the contour.The determination of whether the center of a pixel is contained within the contour of the character is actually performed by calculation.

This laser printer can print characters at 8.5 points), 1
0 points, 12 points, 20 points.

Printing can be done in multiple sizes such as 24 points, 30 points, etc., and the above 1000
The coordinate values of the contour created on the xlOOOO coordinate plane are converted. When one character is printed with CxC pixels,
A coordinate plane in which the length of one side of one pixel is 1 is assumed on the pixel screen 50, and on that coordinate plane, 1000x
Each coordinate value on the coordinate plane of lOOOO is lOOOO/C
It is treated as a value divided by . In this embodiment, the coordinate values are converted so that a 12-point character is represented by 50 x 50 pixels, and in addition to this conversion, the coordinate values are converted on the pixel screen 50 based on print position data that specifies the print position of the character. The position of the character in is also determined, and as a result, the coordinate values of the character's outline are determined.

In this way, the position of the character's outline on the pixel screen 50 is affected not only by the size of the character but also by the printing position, so even for the same character, the number of pixels included in the outline differs, and the shape and width of the character's line Differences may occur. This difference is not so noticeable when the print size is large, but becomes noticeable when the print size is small. Taking the alphabet "HII" as an example, when printing in 8.5 points (35 x 35 pixels), dots are formed as shown in FIG.

One black square represents one dot, but as is clear from this figure, the plurality of arc-shaped decorative end portions 48 are printed in different shapes, making it difficult to obtain a good-looking print. On the other hand, with this laser printer, the print size is 12
If it is below the point, the shape of the decorative end portion 48 is changed to a straight line so that beautiful printing with uniform end shape can be obtained.

The program ROM 16 includes the program for changing the decorative end shown in the flowchart in FIG.
Various programs necessary for printing are stored. Hereinafter, we will explain how to modify the decorative edge using the alphabet "HII" as an example.Detailed explanation of the printing will be omitted as it is not essential for understanding the present invention, but in a wood laser printer, Printing is performed for each line.One page of print data stored in the text memory 18 is read out, the outline data of the characters that make up the print data is converted to bit data, and printing is performed. It will be done.

First, step Sl (hereinafter abbreviated as Sl).

The same goes for the other steps.) After the outline data, decorative edge specification data, and print size of the character to be processed are read out and stored in the working memory 20, in S2 it is determined whether or not to change the decorative edge. A determination is made. This judgment is made based on whether the print size is 12 points or less, and 20 points 2
In the case of 4 points, 30 points, etc., the judgment result is NO.
Then, S3 is executed and outline graphic processing is performed. Here, the coordinate values that determine the outline of the character are converted according to the number of print points, and the position on the pixel screen 50 is determined based on the print position data, and the coordinate values representing this position are stored in the working memory. 20 is stored. In S4, it is determined whether outline graphic processing has been completed for one character. When a character consists of multiple character constituent lines that are connected to each other, such as "11°", the outline figure processing is performed at once, but when the character consists of two separated character lines, such as the lowercase letter "iii", In the case of the above-mentioned independent constituent lines, outline figure processing is performed for each constituent line, so it is determined whether outline figure processing has been completed for all constituent lines included in one character. Yes. If it has not finished, S3 is executed again, and when it is finished, the program execution returns to the main routine, and in the bit data conversion routine, conversion to bit data is performed based on the processed outline data stored in the working memory 20. will be held.

On the other hand, if the print size is 12 points, 10 points, 8.5 points, etc., the determination result of S2 is Y.
ES, and in S5 it is determined whether or not the character to be processed has a decorative end, that is, whether or not there is decorative end designation data, and if there is, the decorative end 48 is changed in S6. be exposed. The decorative end portion 48 has a semicircular shape, and the outline data of this portion includes arc data and coordinate data of the starting point, the ending point, and the center point of the circle, so it includes only the straight line data and the coordinate data of the starting point and the ending point, As shown in FIG. 7, the data is changed to represent a shape without decoration. Note that since the serifs 46 are formed parallel to the X-axis or Y-axis of the coordinates that determine the outline data, the straight line connecting the starting point and end point of the semicircle is parallel to the pixel defining line X or y of the pixel screen 50. It becomes a straight line. Further, the outline data to be changed is that stored in the working memory 20, and the outline data including the data of the decorative end portion 48 remains in the character ROM 14. After the change, in S3, outline graphic processing is performed for the decorative end portion 48 based on the changed outline data and for other parts based on the previously stored outline data, and the entire character is processed. Once finished,
Conversion to bit data is performed in the component data conversion routine.

If there is no decorative end designation data, the determination result in S5 is NO, the decorative end is not changed, and the outline graphic process in S3 is performed.

By changing the outline data of the decorative end portion 48 to a straight end portion without decoration in this way, beautiful printing with uniform end shapes of the serifs 46 can be obtained as shown in FIG.

If a straight line is parallel to the pixel defining lines x and y of the pixel screen 50, no matter where the straight line is located on the pixel screen 50, the part represented by that straight line will be in a straight line parallel to the pixel defining line. This is because l bit data representing the existence of a character constituent line is formed for pixels lined up in .

As is clear from the above description, in this embodiment, 32. The area for storing S5 and S36 and the part of the CPU 12 that executes these steps, that is, the decorative end changing section 38 constitute data changing means.

Note that if the decorative end 48 is changed to a straight line, the serif 46
Sometimes it feels like it's getting shorter. In such a case, when changing the outline data of the decorative end portion 48, the serifs 46 may be changed to be longer.

Further, in the above embodiment, the decorative end portions 48 formed at both ends of the serifs 46 are eliminated, but the serifs 46 themselves may be eliminated.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the semicircular decorative end 48
is changed to a straight end parallel to the pixel defining line, but it may be changed in another manner as long as the decorative end can be eliminated.

Serifs are not necessarily formed parallel to the axis of the coordinate plane that determines the character's outline data, and the decoration of the ends of character composition lines is not limited to semicircular serifs at both ends. Therefore, it can be changed depending on the mode of decoration.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in a printer that can print characters in a plurality of different sizes, it is possible to select whether or not to change the decorative edge depending on the print size. The present invention can also be applied to a data conversion device of a low-performance printer that cannot print decorative edges according to the design based on outline data representing the edges, and in that case, the decorative edges cannot always be changed. It will be carried out.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the decorative end designation data is stored in the character ROM 14, and the outline data of the decorative end is changed based on the data, but it is possible to provide the decorative end designation data. is not essential. This is because the outline data also includes the type of line, so it is possible to determine whether or not there is a decorative end portion from the outline data itself.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to printers other than laser printers, and the present invention is generally applicable to devices other than printers that require converting outline data of characters such as letters and symbols into bit data. be able to.

Although not illustrated in detail, the present invention can be implemented in various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a decorative end changing program stored in a program ROM of a control circuit of a data conversion device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of a laser printer equipped with the data conversion device. Figure 3 shows the CPs constituting the above control circuit.
It is a figure which shows U conceptually. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a character "Ho" converted into outline data by the data conversion device on a coordinate plane whose outline is determined. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which it is assumed that the digits are superimposed on the pixel screen. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing printing when outline data is converted into bit data by a conventional data converter when printing the above-mentioned "H" at 8.5 points. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the outline of the decorative end changed according to the above-mentioned decorative end changing program, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the case where "Hn" is printed at 8.5 points according to the changed outline data. 10: Microcomputer section 44: Character composition line 46: Serif 48: Decorative end 5o: Pixel screen X: X-axis direction defining line y: Y-axis direction defining line FIG.

Claims (1)

[Claims] It is assumed that the outline of a character represented by outline data is superimposed on a pixel screen that defines pixels by a plurality of defining lines parallel to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, which are orthogonal to each other. A data conversion device that converts outline data into bit data by using bit data corresponding to pixels that are included in the outline of a character's constituent lines in a state that satisfies a certain standard as data representing the existence of character constituent lines. In the case where the outline data includes data for decorating the ends of the character composition lines into semicircles, triangles, etc.,
1. A data conversion device comprising a data changing means for changing the data of the end portion to data representing an undecorated end portion.