JPH03110624A - Hard copy control system for multiwindow display - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To output efficiently the expanded/reduced image of an arbitrary window picture as a hard copy of good appearance by plotting a graphic, where graphic elements of the graphic included in an objective window are expanded/ reduced, in a hard copy memory. CONSTITUTION:A microprocessor 11 takes out graphic elements stored corre spondingly to a designated window from a segment memory 19, and X and Y coordinate data strings constituting these graphic elements are converted into coordinate data strings after expansion/reduction, and they are outputted to a plotting part 18. The plotting part 18 plots the image of the corresponding graphic in a hard copy memory 16 in accordance with these X and Y coordinate strings, and the plotted expanded/reduced graphic image in the designated win dow is transferred to a hard copy device 17. Thus, the expanded/reduced image in the arbitrary window screen is efficiently outputted as a hard copy of good appearance.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a hard copy control method suitable for making a hard copy of any window screen in a display device having a multi-window display function. .

(Prior Art) Recent display devices have a so-called hard copy function that prints the content (screen image) displayed on the screen on a display monitor as dots on paper to create a permanently visible display of the screen image. There is something I am doing. In other words, in a display device having a hard copy function, the screen image (
A method (video interface method) was used in which a hard copy is made by using the video signal (video signal) as it is and sending it to a hard copy device. When such a hard copy control method is installed on a display device that has a multi-window screen display function, the screen image on the display monitor becomes the hard copy target, so the images of all currently displayed window screens are was output as a hard copy, and it was not possible to make a hard copy of only one window screen.

Another hard copy control method is to import the contents of the pixel storage memory (frame memory) into the hard copy interface, and then perform some processing such as color conversion and dot-by-dot enlargement/reduction (enlargement is common). A method (such as the Centronics interface method) in which a hard copy is made by sending the data to a hard copy device after the data is transferred is also known. With this method, it is possible to make a hard copy of the image of a single window screen, but in order to make an enlarged hard copy of the screen image, dot-by-dot enlargement processing using dot interpolation is required. Therefore, there was a problem that the copy result looked bad.

(Problem 8 to be solved by the invention) As mentioned above, conventionally, when making a hard copy on a display device having a multi-window display function, the frame memory The problem is that it is not possible to make a hard copy of only one window screen, since the image of the entire screen stored in the image is the target. There is also a known method in which the contents of the frame memory are imported into a hard copy interface, and the required window screen image is enlarged and output as a hard copy. , there was a problem that the copy result did not look good.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a hard copy control method for multi-window display that allows hard copy output for any window on a multi-window display screen to be performed efficiently and with good appearance. It's about doing.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention stores a print image to be outputted as a hard copy independently of a frame memory for storing a screen image to be displayed on a multi-window screen. At the same time, a hard copy memory is provided for displaying a multi-window screen, and the graphic elements of each figure to be displayed on a multi-window screen are retrieved from the segment memory, in which the graphic elements are stored in association with the windows, and enlarged/reduced. A means is provided to draw a corresponding figure in the frame memory or hard copy memory based on the later figure element, and when a hard copy output is requested, a hard copy on the multi-window screen is drawn in the target window. The graphic elements of all the included figures are selectively taken out from the segment memory, enlarged/reduced, and the corresponding figures are drawn in the hard copy memory based on the enlarged/reduced figure elements. It is characterized by the fact that

(Function) According to the above configuration, when hard copy output is requested, instead of extracting the necessary image from the frame memory, enlarging/reducing it, and providing it for hard copy output as in the past, the image is stored in the segment memory. Extracts the graphic elements of all the shapes contained in the stored hard copy target window, enlarges/reduces them, and stores the corresponding shapes in the hard copy memory based on the enlarged/reduced graphic elements. Since the contents of the bird copy memory are output as a hard copy, it is possible to output an enlarged/reduced image of any window screen as a hard copy efficiently and with good appearance.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a display device having a multi-window display function to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, numeral 11 is a microprocessor that controls the entire device and has arithmetic functions for enlarging/reducing figures in particular; numeral 12 stores a program for controlling the microprocessor 11, stores processing data/specified data, and performs operations. This is a memory (control & work memory) used for setting areas for use, etc. 13 is a display monitor used for displaying figures, etc., especially on a multi-window screen; 14 is a frame memory (pixel storage memory, image memory) for storing screen images displayed on the display monitor 13; 15 is a frame This is a display control unit that converts the screen image stored in the memory 14 into a video signal and outputs it to the display monitor 13 for screen display. 1B is a hard copy memory for storing an image (print image) to be output as a hard copy, and 17 is a hard copy device that prints out the print image stored in the hard copy memory 16 onto paper. 18 is a drawing unit that draws a corresponding figure (figure image) on the frame memory 14 or hard copy memory 16 based on a figure element having an X, Y coordinate data string according to instructions from the microprocessor 11; 19 is a display monitor; This is a segment memory for storing graphic elements that define graphics displayed or being displayed in the window 13 in association with the window to be displayed.

Next, the operation of one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 2, taking as an example a case where a designated window in a multi-window screen is enlarged and output as a hard copy.

It is now assumed that a multi-window screen is displayed on the display monitor 13, and each window making up the window screen displays a figure or the like.

The screen image of this multi-window screen is stored in the frame memory 14. Further, graphic elements defining the graphics within each window are stored in the segment memory 19 in association with that window. Furthermore, information indicating the size and position of each window, and position information indicating the arrangement location of figures within each window are stored in (the work memory of) the control and work memory 12. In this state, when a user issues a hard copy request for a window by a keyboard operation or the like, the microprocessor 11 transfers control to the window hard copy routine shown in FIG.

The microprocessor 11 first stores the hard copy memory t.
a to erase the contents of the memory IB (step S1), and set the same memory IB as the drawing target memory of the drawing unit 18 (step S1).
2). Normally, up to this point, the frame memory 14 is set as the drawing target memory. Therefore, as a result of step S2, updating of the frame memory 14, that is, updating of display contents, is prohibited until the memory 14 is again set as a drawing target memory. The microprocessor 11 retrieves information indicating the size of the specified window (hard copy target window) from the control & work memory 12 (work memory) (step S3), and extracts information indicating the size of the specified window and the size of the hard copy memory 1B. (pixel size), the enlargement/reduction ratio of the figure in the X and Y directions (
(usually the magnification rate) is calculated (step S4). Next, the microprocessor 11 retrieves one graphic element stored in association with the designated window (window number indicating the window number) from the segment memory 19 (step s5), and the X, Y coordinate data string constituting this graphic element. is converted into an enlarged/reduced coordinate data string according to the previously calculated enlargement/reduction ratio (step S6). The microprocessor 11 then outputs the converted X, Y coordinate data string to the drawing section 18 and instructs the drawing operation to be performed on the currently set drawing target memory, that is, the hard copy memory 16 (step S7).

Thereby, the drawing unit 18 draws the image of the corresponding figure in the hard copy memory IB according to the X, Y coordinate string output from the microprocessor 11.

Now, when the microprocessor 11 outputs the coordinate data string after the coordinate transformation for one figure to the drawing unit I8, it determines whether or not any unprocessed figure elements among the figure elements corresponding to the specified window exist in the segment memory 19. (Step S8). If there is an unprocessed graphic element, the microprocessor 11 executes steps 85 to S7 for the next unprocessed graphic element. When the above operations are repeated and all the graphical elements in the specified window are extracted and graphical drawing is performed on the hardcopy memory 16, the microprocessor 11 transfers the contents of the hardcopy memory 16 (
The enlarged/reduced figure image in the specified window drawn by the drawing unit 18 is transferred to the hard copy device 17, and the device 17 is activated. As a result, the hard copy device 17 performs a hard copy output operation in which the contents of the hard copy memory 1B are printed on paper as dots. As a result, it is possible to obtain a hard copy output in which the specified window is enlarged/reduced (usually enlarged).

The quality of the hard copy output content thus obtained is extremely superior to that of the conventional method, as described below.

First, conventional hard copy control for a designated window involves cutting out a screen image of the designated window from the frame memory 14, enlarging this cut out image in units of dots using dot interpolation, and providing it for hard copying.

As a result, smooth figures cannot be drawn and the appearance is poor.

In contrast, in this embodiment, each graphic element corresponding to the specified window is enlarged, and each figure in the specified window is stored in the hard copy memory IB based on each enlarged graphic element.
Since I am trying to draw it on the hard copy and print it on the hard copy,
Smooth shapes are drawn and look good.

Now, the microprocessor 11 is the hard copy device 17.
, the drawing target memory of the drawing unit 18 is returned from the hard copy memory 16 to the frame memory 14 (step 510), and the window φ hard copy process is ended.

In the above embodiment, the case where the contents of the frame memory 14 cannot be updated during the window ◆ hard copy processing period was explained. - It is also possible to update at least windows other than the specified window by appropriately performing the update during the hard copy processing period.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, when hard copy output is requested, the necessary image is extracted from the frame memory, enlarged/reduced, and provided for hard copy output as in the conventional method. Instead, 1. Extract the graphical element of the umbrella shape included in the hard copy stored in the segment memory and the target window and doe, enlarge/reduce it, and enlarge/reduce the graphical element after this enlargement/reduction. The configuration is such that the corresponding figure is drawn in the hard copy memory based on the image, and the contents of the hard copy memory are output as a hard copy, so that the enlarged/reduced image of any window screen can be efficiently and visually appealing. Hard copy output is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a display device having a multi-window display function to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of hard copy processing for a designated window. . DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11... Microprocessor, 12... Control & work memory, 13... Display monitor, 14... Frame memory, 1B... Hard copy memory, 17... Hard copy device, 18... Drawing section, 19... segment memory.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A display device having a multi-window display function, comprising: a frame memory for storing a screen image to be displayed on a multi-window screen; and a hardware for storing a print image to be outputted as a hard copy. a copy memory; a segment memory in which graphic elements that define each figure to be displayed on the multi-window screen by coordinate information are stored in association with each window forming the multi-window screen; Extract the above graphical element and enlarge/reduce it,
means for drawing a corresponding figure on the frame memory or hard copy memory based on the enlarged/reduced figure element, and when hard copy output is requested, the hard copy on the multi-window screen is provided. Selectively retrieve the graphical elements of all the shapes included in the target window from the segment memory, enlarge/reduce them, and copy the corresponding graphic to the above hard copy based on the enlarged/reduced graphical elements. A hard copy control method for multi-window display characterized by drawing in memory.