JPH04219792A - Character and symbol generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable stroke dot creation processing for the next character even when processing of a painting-out converting means is not completed and to increase the number of character generation per unit time. CONSTITUTION:A matrix stroke is stored in a matrix pattern storing means 1. A data analyzing means 2 analyzes a character code and an attribute accompanying the character. A stroke dot creating means 3 creates a profile dot character according to the size from a directed matrix stroke. A profile dot character storing means 7 can store information created by the stroke dot creating means 3 for a plurality of characters and manages the empty state of these storage areas. The painting-out converting means 5 paints out and converts inside of the profile dot character and transmits the data to an output device 6.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character/symbol generator, and more particularly to a character/symbol generator for generating characters or symbols using a stroke method or a stroke dot method.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In general, there are various types of devices for generating character signals using a digital method, such as a stroke method, a dot method, and a stroke dot method.

[0003] The dot method is also called the full dot method.
All character pattern information is stored as a collection of dots. This method requires a large amount of storage capacity (memory) to store one pattern. Furthermore, when changing the character size or line width, different patterns are required for each, as shown in FIG.

In contrast to this full-dot method, the stroke method connects character patterns with straight lines (strokes) to generate characters, and as information, only coordinate point (plot) information and stroke information are stored, and a single generate characters. Furthermore, the stroke dot method generates characters as shown in FIG. 4 by creating outline characters with strokes and filling the entire inside of the outline at high speed.

Therefore, in the stroke method, the storage capacity is much smaller than in the dot method, and the enlargement/reduction (magnification ratio) of the character pattern in the matrix pattern storage means is ) has the advantage that various character sizes can be easily obtained from one character pattern, making it suitable for computer phototypesetting.

FIG. 2 shows a conventional example of the stroke dot method. This character symbol generator includes a matrix pattern storage means 1 in which matrix strokes are stored, a data analysis means 2 that analyzes character codes and attributes attached to characters, and a matrix pattern storage means 1 in which matrix strokes are stored; Stroke dot creation means 3 for creating a dot character with the outline of one character that matches
, a contour dot character storage means 4 for storing one character's worth of information created by the stroke dot creation means, and a fill conversion means 5 for filling in the inside of the outline and transmitting it to the output device. It is connected.

Next, the operations and functions of each part will be explained. First, the data analysis means 2 calculates how much the character pattern in the matrix pattern storage means 1 should be enlarged/reduced (magnification) from the size of the character accompanying the character, and the calculated value is transferred to the stroke dot creation means 3. Information incidental to characters input from the outside is transferred to the stroke dot creation means 3, the outline, etc. The data is made into a form that can be processed by the dot character storage means 4 and the fill conversion means 5. Then, the stroke dot creation means 3 searches the matrix pattern storage means 1 for a corresponding character pattern, and the pattern data is subjected to magnification correction processing to create outline dot character data, which is stored in the outline dot character storage means 4. be done. The outline characters of the character data stored in the outline dot character storage means 4 are filled in at high speed by the filling conversion means 5, and the data is transferred to the output device 6.

FIG. 5 is a time chart of the processing of the stroke dot creation means 3 and the filling conversion means 5 when 10 characters are generated in the conventional example, and the outline dot character storage means 4 is for only one character. It can be seen that the stroke dot creation means 3 cannot create the next character until the processing of the fill conversion means 5 is completed because it cannot be memorized.

[0009] The technique described above is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 142-1983.
It is described in detail in Publication No. 30.

0010

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The conventional character symbol generator described above, for example, when the first character is designated as "A" and the second character is designated as "B", first the character symbol generator generates the character "A". A character is processed by a stroke dot creation means, and an outline character is developed in a single character storage means. Then, the stroke dot creation means cannot process the second character "B" until the inside of the outline is filled in by the filling conversion means. Therefore, there is a drawback that the speed of character generation is limited.

[0011]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The character symbol generator of the present invention includes a data analysis means for analyzing a character code inputted from the outside and attribute information attached to the character, and a matrix in which matrix strokes are stored. a shape pattern storage means, a stroke dot creation means for creating a dot character with an outline of one character that matches the character size from a designated matrix stroke, and information created by the stroke dot creation means for a plurality of characters. The present invention is characterized by comprising an outline dot character storage means for managing the empty state of these storage areas, and a filling conversion means for filling in and converting the inside of the outline dot character and transmitting the data to an output device.

0012

Embodiments Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention. The character symbol generator shown in this figure includes a matrix pattern storage means 1 in which matrix strokes are stored, and a data analysis means 2 that analyzes character codes and attributes attached to characters.
, a stroke dot creation means 3 for creating one outline dot character according to the size from the specified matrix stroke, and information created by the stroke dot creation means 3 for a plurality of characters can be stored. It is connected to an output device 6, comprising an outline dot character storage means 7 for managing the empty state of an area, and a filling conversion means 5 for filling in the inside of the outline dot character and transferring the data to an output device.

The contour dot character storage means 7 gives the stroke dot creation means 3 permission to create stroke dots for the number of characters prepared therein, and also grants permission when all storage areas are in use. I won't give it. Then, when stroke dot creation permission is granted and the data created by the stroke dot creation means 3 is stored in the outline dot character storage means 4, a filling instruction is output to the filling conversion means 5 in the order in which it was stored, and one memory is stored. After the area is used, the storage area is released.

Next, the operation of this character symbol generator will be explained in more detail. First, assuming that the number of characters that can be stored in the outline dot character storage means 7 is two characters, the data analysis means 2 analyzes the additional information attached to the first character, and the stroke dot creation means 3 is given permission to create stroke dots. If so, the matrix pattern of the first character is searched from the matrix pattern storage means 1, magnification correction processing is performed, and the data is stored in the outline dot character storage means 7. When the storage is completed, the inside of the outline dot character stored in the outline dot character storage means 7 is filled in by the filling conversion means 5 at high speed, and the data is transferred to the output device 6.
The stroke dot creation means 3 starts stroke dot conversion processing for the second character. Then, since there is no empty storage area in the outline dot character storage means 7, the stroke dot creation means 3 is forced to stop permission to create stroke dots. Also, when the first character is filled in,
The storage area used for the character is made into an empty storage area, and stroke dot creation permission is given to the stroke dot creation means 3.

FIG. 6 is a time chart of the processing of the stroke dot creation means 3 and the filling conversion means 5 when 10 characters are generated in this embodiment, and the outline dot character storage means 7 can store a plurality of characters. Therefore, it is possible to create stroke dots for the next character even if the processing by the fill conversion means 5 is not completed, and it can be seen that the character generation speed has been significantly increased compared to the conventional example.

[0017]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the character symbol generation device of the present invention is capable of creating stroke dots for the next character even if the processing of the fill conversion means is not completed, thereby reducing the number of characters generated per unit time. This has the effect of increasing the number.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing characters in a dot system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing characters in the stroke dot system.

FIG. 5 is a time chart showing the operation of a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operation of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Matrix pattern storage means 2 Data analysis means 3 Stroke dot creation means 4 Contour dot character storage means 5 Fill conversion means 6 Output device 7 Contour dot character storage means

Claims (1)

[Claims] [Claim 1] Data analysis means for analyzing character codes inputted from the outside and attribute information attached to characters;
a matrix pattern storage means in which matrix strokes are stored; a stroke dot creation means for creating a dot character having an outline of one character according to a character size from the specified matrix stroke; and a stroke dot creation means. A contour dot character storage means that can store created information for a plurality of characters and manages the empty state of these storage areas, and a fill conversion means that fills and converts the inside of the contour dot character and transfers the data to an output device. A character symbol generator comprising: