JPH0457032B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention is based on CAD (Computer Aided Design).
Concerning the character display device of the system.

[Conventional technology]

A CAD system draws blueprints using a keyboard while looking at a CRT display, stores the finished blueprints in a storage device, and reads them as needed to display or print them out. An example of the system is shown in FIG. This is a block diagram of the overall structure of the ICAD system, including the CAD control section, conversation section, command section, graphic processing section (GWSS), graphic display,
It consists of a character display, etc.

The CAD control unit is the main part of the ICAD system, and initializes and controls each module. Specifically, loading the initialization table, loading the load module, initializing each CAD component (conversation part, command part, graphic processing part),
Terminates the same, deletes the load module, deletes the initialization table, registers an error exit, terminates the error process, initializes the FORTRAN library,
It also sends and receives the main program of the conversation section. Initialization is the first process to be performed when using a CAD system, and it prepares the minimum operating environment for CAD. This initialization is executed by the CAD control unit calling the initialization routine, and the user can freely initialize the business by incorporating the initialization contents into the initialization routine. The standard initialization routine sets the initial values of the ICAD system and the initial screen settings (if the input model name exists in the parts library or model master, data is read from them and displayed on the screen. When the model name does not exist in the parts library or model master, set the initial screen). Finalization is performed by calling a finalization routine when you finish using ICAD, and the standard finalization routine closes the parts library.

The conversation section command analysis section performs syntax interpretation of the command name and modification parameters of the input command. This interpretation means that the user can
This is done by parsing commands entered from a character display keyboard or tablet based on syntax definitions registered in a command syntax file. If it is determined through this analysis that the syntax of the input command is correct, the conversation section command analysis section calls the communication program corresponding to the command. The operation of the conversation part command analysis part is shown in FIG. 6 using LINE commands. below,,…
...corresponds to , ... attached to the drawing First, a command name and qualifying data are requested from the conversation section data operation section, and are received from the conversation section data operation section. Next, it determines whether LINE is a valid command, reads the syntax definition from the syntax file, and loads it. Parses the qualification data and creates a parameter list. CALL the communication section of the LINE command and pass the parameter list to the communication section of the LINE command. LINE
Executes the communication part of the command.

If there is an error in the input command name or modification parameter, the conversation section command analysis section displays a message on the character display to prompt you to re-enter it. The command syntax is defined using command definition macro instructions. Correlation between commands and communication programs is done using processor macro instructions.

The conversation section graphic data analysis section extracts the graphic parameters of the input command and performs syntactical interpretation.
Specifically, the functions of the conversation part graphic data analysis part are
Output of prompting characters such as POS and ENT, retrieval of input graphic data, syntax check of graphic data, in NET mode
Processing of GROUP, WIN and CHAIN specifications,
These functions include re-input processing in POS and ENT modes, output of error messages, support for the conversation section graphic data analysis section service routine, and interface with the communication section. FIG. 7 shows the interface.

The conversation section data operation section is for command input (reception)
Data processing unit, graphic input (reception) data processing unit,
Data input/output processing (coordinate transformation, menu transformation)
It is equipped with a terminal input/output section (VTAM interface and CPU interface), and is used to manage character displays and tablets. To name a few, it handles tablet addresses, interpretation of graphic data, digitization, menu management, and input source management. To input commands and modifiers,
It is temporarily stored in this conversation section data operation section, and when a colon is input, the stored input is sent to the conversation section command analysis section. FIG. 8 illustrates this functionality.

The graphic processing unit (GWSS) has functions such as specific point calculation search, system control, graphic creation, editing, screen operation reading, master access, display control, entity management, and work file management, and input from graphic display and character display terminals. It creates and edits graphics based on the generated data, displays the graphics on the graphics display, searches for work files, and manages graphics data. The figure processing section uses a general-purpose character stroke table KST (Kanji Stroke).
VSAM (Virtual Storage
A model master file and standard parts library that permanently stores graphic data via the Access Method are also included, as well as a graphic work file via the work file access routine and data management.
A virtual area that stores entities (records) handled by the graphic processing unit is called a graphic storage space, and this space is divided into units called classes, sections, and pages. A class is a unit that implements a class for the external finishing of the graphic processing section. The graphics processing section can have up to 256 classes. The number of classes that can be used is specified during initialization. A section is a continuous area of the figure storage space that has the same attributes, and a virtual screen, 3DWF space, etc. is allocated to this area. The size of one section is 64K bytes (16K words) in this device, and there are 512 sections in each class.
A page is the smallest unit existing on virtual memory. In this unit, the graphic processing unit transfers data to and from a data set called a page file. The size of one page is 4K bytes (1K words)
It is. An outline of the figure storage space page file is shown in FIG. 9, and a correspondence table (EDIT) between entity ID and figure storage address is shown in FIG. 10. Here
VS is a figure and WF is a structure.

ICAD commands are commands for graphic input/editing, screen operations, and file operations, and are composed of the following four parts. Communication program (One command has one communication program. The conversation section interprets the meaning of the modification parameters passed from the command analysis section. The conversation section graphic data analysis section is used to extract the graphic parameters. (starts the corresponding command processing program). Command processing program. A program that calls the conversation section graphic data analysis section (defines the syntax that is the standard for the conversation section graphic data analysis section to analyze the syntax of graphic parameters).
Attribute management program (Set attribute data that is commonly handled among multiple commands to COMON and make inquiries.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

With such a CAD system, it is also possible to write text on drawings. For example, as shown in Figure 11, the character string ABC can be written along one side of a triangular figure F. (the position of this stylus pen is displayed as a cursor on the graphic display), x of the starting point P of the string,
By inputting the y coordinate (possible by pressing the stylus pen at point p), and by operating the keyboard KB on the character display, inputting the code of the character to be written, character spacing, character size, and tilt α. Let's do it.

Character pattern data is generated by a character generator (CG)
is sometimes used, but in CAD, a character stroke table is often used. In the latter method, a character is made up of a combination of line segments, and the line segments (strokes) are generated to draw the character. The character string data is created by the graphic processing section according to the input data from the GD/CHD terminal and by accessing the general-purpose character stroke table KST, etc. The created character string data is stored in a buffer and stored in a work file.
and FCDGTS, TSS (Time Shearing System),
Send it to the GD/CHD terminal via VTAM and display the string. Since GD/CHD is a CRT display, it has screen memory, and the screen data sent from GWSS is stored in this memory and transferred to the CRT.
The image memory is repeatedly read out in synchronization with the scanning of the image memory to display characters and figures.

The screen displayed on the display terminal can be changed from one screen to another as appropriate. now,
If you change to screen B while displaying screen A, and then perform an operation to display screen A again, the screen memory of the display terminal only stores the data of the currently displayed screen, so the screen change will not be possible. Each time a display is performed, the data for the next display screen must be sent to the display terminal, and therefore, in the above case, the data for screen A in the work file must be read out and supplied to the display terminal again. At this time, in the conventional device, the character string data in the buffer or work file includes the starting point coordinates, character size,
There is no character stroke data, only the spacing, slope, and character code. What the display terminal needs is character pattern data, so when retransmitting the above, access KST etc. using the character code and calculate the stroke for each character in the character string. The data must be obtained (reconstructing the stroke data) and sent along with other data, which takes time.

Next, the search of the general character stroke table KST is performed in ascending order. At the table KST
The stroke data of the relevant character is stored for each JEF or JIS character code, but the character code (represented by binary multiple bits, so it shows one numerical value)
In decimal terms, access is 1, 2, 3...
(Actually, the values are discrete and not continuous like this) and are performed in ascending order. Therefore, for a character code with a large numerical value, it takes time to obtain the stroke data of the character.

Character stroke data consists of data that divides a character into lines and shows each line segment, but the data that represents a line segment includes the start and end point coordinates (x ₁ ,
y ₁ ), (x ₂ , y ₂ ), starting point coordinates (x ₁ , y ₁ ) and x, y displacement amounts Δx, Δy between the starting and ending points. By the way, the characters used in CAD vary in size and inclination, and therefore it is desirable to be able to easily accommodate these changes.

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a character display device for a CAD system that can meet the demands.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention includes a storage means for storing stroke data of a character string along with positional information such as starting point coordinates, character size, inclination, etc. of a character string to be displayed; If the character string can be generated by the character generator, the character generator is used; if the character string cannot be generated, the character stroke table is accessed to create the data of the character string and stored in the storage means, The character stroke table is characterized in that the character stroke data stored in the storage means is used to display the character without accessing the character stroke table. It is characterized in that it consists of a character stroke table and a selected character table that stores the strokes of frequently used characters, and that the stroke data of a line segment consists of starting point coordinates, direction vectors, and lengths.

[Function and Examples]

In the present invention, in accordance with input from a terminal, KST etc. are accessed to create character string data, that is, starting point coordinates, size, interval, inclination, character code, and stroke information, and then it is sent to the terminal to be displayed and a work file is created. Store in. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating and explaining this stored data, where character string entity 10 represents data excluding strokes among the above, and stroke 12 represents character stroke information. Second
The figure shows a specific example of this, and the total is 60 + 4 × α
There are bytes (α is the number of characters), X (D), Y (D) are the starting point coordinates, H (R) is the height of the character, W (R) is the same width, D (R) is the same interval, θT (R ) is the inclination angle of the characters, θS (R) is the inclination angle of the character string, and the number of characters (I)
is the number of characters in the string, and character information is stroke data. 0, 4, 8, . . . on the left end indicate the number of bytes (cumulative value). Send such string data to the display terminal (excluding the character code)
By displaying a character string and storing it in a buffer or work file, you can immediately send character string data including character stroke information when the terminal requests transmission again due to a change in the display screen. The code eliminates the need to access KST etc. to obtain character stroke information.

Characters may also be generated using a CG (character generator), which can be displayed faster. However, since the size of characters generated in CG is usually constant (the types are limited even with double-width and half-width processing), it is important to check whether the requested display character size is within the range that can be generated with CG. Determine and if it is possible to occur
Use CG.

Also, storing marks and characters frequently used in CAD as a resident stroke table in memory is effective for high-speed display.

Generic character stroke table as mentioned above
KST searches are done in ascending code order, so
Searching for characters with large code numbers is slow. Therefore, it is recommended to create a stroke table for characters frequently used in the CAD (referred to as a selected character table) separately from the general-purpose character stroke table KST, and to use both together. Figure 3 is a diagram explaining this.
6 is a selection character table, and 18 is a general-purpose character stroke table (KST). When a character code is input, the reading circuit 14 first accesses the selected character table using the code, reads out the corresponding data if it exists, and accesses the normal KST 18 if not. The selected character table 16 is also an array of character codes and stroke data for the characters, similar to KST, and is created by the user and created by the CAD.
Store it in the parameter file attached to the control unit. Since there are not many characters that users use frequently on their own printed wiring boards or architectural drawings, it is easy to create a stroke table of the characters, such as number 10, and register it in the parameter file. The selection character table registered in this parameter file is part of the initial settings.
The CAD control unit loads it into memory.

A plurality of selection character tables may be prepared and used selectively depending on the content of the work to be performed.

Character stroke data is data that represents line segments that make up a character, so it may be the start and end point coordinates of a line segment, but as shown in Figure 4, the start point coordinates XS
(D), YS(D) and direction vectors A(D), B(D)
It is convenient to make the length of the line segment L(D). That is, by changing the length L (D) of this stroke data, the size of the line segment and therefore the character can be enlarged or reduced, and by changing the x and y direction vectors A (D) and B (D), the line segment and therefore the size of the character can be enlarged or reduced. The inclination angle of the characters can be changed, and the size and inclination of the characters can be changed freely.
The size and inclination can be changed by changing the end point coordinates, but in this case, in order to obtain the desired size and inclination, it is necessary to calculate the end point coordinates, which is troublesome, but as shown in Figure 4. If the method is L depending on the size
(D) and B(D)/A(D) may be changed according to the slope, which is extremely simple.

Line segment data of figures may be provided in the format shown in FIG. 4, in which case trimming of line segments is easy. In other words, when drawing a rectangle, one or both of the edges of the two sides may be too long at the corner where they should touch, causing the two sides to intersect.In this case, the excess portion that protrudes from the corner may be Although it is deleted (trimmed), this can be easily done by changing the length L (D).

Figure 4 shows data for a two-dimensional line segment, but for a three-dimensional line segment, one dimension is added, the starting point coordinates are XS (D), YS (D), ZS (D), and the direction vector is A ( D), B(D), and C(D).

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, characters can be displayed quickly in a CAD system, and when changing the display screen, using frequently used characters, or changing the size/slant of characters. It is particularly effective for

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1 to 4 are explanatory diagrams of the present invention, and FIGS. 5 to 11 are explanatory diagrams of the ICAD system. In the drawing, XD, Y (D) are the starting point coordinates of the character string, H
(R), W (R) are the character size, D (R) is the character spacing, θT (R), θS (R) are the tilt, character string (C) is the character code, and the figure storage space stores these. KST is a general purpose character stroke table, XS
(D), YS(D) are starting point coordinates, A(D), B(D) are direction vectors, and L(D) is length information.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A storage means for storing stroke data of a character string along with positional information such as starting point coordinates, character size, inclination, etc. of a character string to be displayed; If the character size can be generated by the character generator, use the character generator; if the character size cannot be generated, access the character stroke table to create the data of the character string and store it in the storage means. A character display device characterized in that, upon reading, characters are displayed using the character stroke data stored in the storage means without accessing the character stroke table. 2. The character display device according to claim 1, wherein the character stroke table includes a general-purpose character stroke table and a selected character table that stores strokes of frequently used characters. 3. The character display device according to claim 1, wherein the stroke data of the line segment includes a starting point coordinate, a direction vector, and a length.