JPH06318062A - Method for compressing pattern data and pattern output device using compressed pattern data - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a method for compressing the data by omitting prescribed pattern data and a pattern output device at a low cost using the compressed data. CONSTITUTION:This method is constituted so that among respective coordinate data of a start point, an inflection point 1, the inflection point 2, an end point showing the patterns of the outline, etc., of a character, the data of the start point are compared with the data of the inflection point 1, and the coincident data are omitted from the data of the inflection point 1, and the data of the inflection point 2 is compared with the data of the end point, and the coincident data are omitted from the data of the inflection point 2, and by adding the coincident bit data showing the omitted data, the pattern data are compressed, and the pattern is outputted using the compressed data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a pattern data compression method and a pattern output device using the compressed pattern data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a printer having pattern data such as characters and figures in outlines of straight lines and curves has, for example, outline figure data using the cubic Bezier curve shown in FIG. 1 as shown in FIG. In addition, there is a storage means such as a ROM in which the values indicating the vertical position and the horizontal position of the start point, the inflection point and the end point are stored as they are, and printing is performed using the data of this storage means. I was doing.

[0003]

In the above conventional data format, since the values indicating the vertical position and the horizontal position of each point are arranged and stored as they are, the storage capacity of the ROM or the like becomes enormous. Minute printer cost was increased.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pattern data compression method and a low cost pattern output device by using pattern data compressed by the method.

[0005]

The present invention is based on starting point data,
In the curve pattern data consisting of the end point data and the inflection point data, the start point data and the end point data are respectively compared with the inflection point data, and if there is a coincident data, the coincident data is omitted from the inflection point data. By compressing the pattern data of the above curve,
This is to solve the above problem.

The start point data, the inflection point data, and the end point data are preferably data indicating a vertical position and data indicating a horizontal position, respectively.

Further, according to the present invention, the data indicating the vertical position of the start point and the data indicating the horizontal position, the data indicating the vertical position of the end point and the data indicating the horizontal position, and the vertical position of the inflection point. Of the inflection point in the pattern data of the curve consisting of the data indicating the horizontal position and the data indicating the horizontal position, and the data indicating the vertical position of the start point and the data indicating the vertical position of the inflection point match. The data indicating the vertical position is omitted, and the data indicating the horizontal position of the inflection point is omitted when the data indicating the horizontal position of the start point and the data indicating the horizontal position of the inflection point match. , When the data indicating the vertical position of the end point and the data indicating the vertical position of the inflection point match, the data indicating the vertical position of the inflection point is omitted, and the data indicating the horizontal position of the end point is omitted. And the lateral position of the inflection point If the data indicating the lateral position of the inflection point is omitted when the data matches, and if the above data is omitted, the data indicating which data is omitted is added to the pattern of the curve. The above problem is solved by compressing data.

The present invention is also based on the storage means for storing the pattern data compressed by the pattern data compression method, the output means for outputting the pattern, and the pattern data stored in the storage means. The above problem is solved by providing a control unit that causes the output unit to output a pattern.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A curve representing an outline font (outline figure) may be, for example, a cubic Bezier curve or a curve.
Using a cubic curve such as a quadratic spline curve, one curve is represented by "start point", "inflection point 1", "inflection point 2", and "end point".

The compressed data according to the method of the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, consists of coincidence bit data and coordinate data (in hexadecimal notation) of start point, inflection point 1, inflection point 2 and end point. The coordinate data has a structure of (ordinate data, abscissa data). The ordinate data of the start point and the end point should be "7F" or less in hexadecimal notation, that is, the MSB must be "0". If the bit a is "1", it means that there is omitted data, and if the bit b is "1", the ordinate data of the inflection point 1 is the same as that of the start point. If the bit c is "1", the inflection point 1 is indicated.
Indicates that the abscissa data of is the same as that of the start point and therefore has been omitted. If bit d is "1", it means that the ordinate data of the inflection point 2 is the same as that of the end point, and therefore has been omitted. If the bit e is "1", it means that the abscissa data of the inflection point 2 is the same as that of the end point, so that it is omitted.

Next, the data compression operation will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. Now, assume that the data shown in FIG. 2 is compressed.

First, the coordinate data from the start point (00, 10) to the end point (10, 20) of the first curve data shown in FIG. 2 is read (step 1A).

Next, the coordinate data (00, 1) of the starting point
0) and the coordinate data (00, 15) of the inflection point 1 are compared with each other between the ordinate data and the abscissa data (step 1B).

If there is coincident coordinate data, the bit corresponding to the coincident coordinate data among the bits b and c of the coincident bit data is set to "1", and then the coincident coordinate of the inflection point 1 is obtained. Erase the data (Step 1
C). Now, since the ordinate coordinate data (00) of each of the points match, the bit b of the matching bit data is "1".
And the ordinate data (00) of the inflection point 1 is erased.

On the other hand, if the ordinate coordinate data and the abscissa data do not match in step 1B, the bits b and c of the matching bit data are set to "0" (step 1D).

Next, coordinate data (05, 2) of the inflection point 2
The ordinate data and the abscissa data of the coordinate data (0) and the coordinate data (10, 20) of the end point are compared (step 1E).

If there is coincident coordinate data, the bit corresponding to the coincident coordinate data among the bits d and e of the coincident bit data is set to "1", and then the coordinate at which the inflection point 2 coincides. Erase the data (Step 1
F). Since the abscissa data (20) of each point are now in agreement, the bit e of the above-mentioned coincidence bit data is "1".
And the abscissa data (20) of the inflection point 2 is erased.

On the other hand, if the ordinate data and the abscissa data do not match in step 1E, the bits d and e of the matching bit data are set to "0" (step 1G).

Next, it is judged whether or not the bits b to e have "1" (step 1H), and if there is "1", the bit a of the matching bit data is set to "1" (step 1H). 1I). Now, since the bits b and e are "1", the bit a becomes "1", and the matching bit data is (100
01001), that is, "89" in hexadecimal notation.

Subsequently, the coincidence bit data (100
01001) and the coordinate data compressed in steps 1C and 1F, that is, (00, 10, 15, 05, 10, 2)
The data 0) is stored in a storage means such as a ROM described later (step 1J).

By the way, in step 1H, bit b
When it is determined that all of e are "0", the coincidence bit data is omitted and each coordinate data from the start point (00,10) to the end point (10,20) is stored in the storage means described later as it is. Yes (step 1K).

In the curve data stored in the storage means as described above, when the matching bit data is stored, the bit a is "1", so that the leading data is "80" or more in hexadecimal notation, and the match. If bit data is not stored, the top data is the vertical coordinate data of the start point, so 1
It is "7F" or less in hexadecimal notation.

In this way, the compression processing is performed on the first curve data in FIG.
The third and fourth curve data are compressed to compress the data.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of a pattern output device using pattern data compressed by the above method. In the figure, reference numeral 51 is a storage means such as ROM in which the pattern data compressed by the above compression method is stored in advance, 52 is a host device such as a personal computer which generates a control command such as a pattern output command, and 53 is a pattern output. The output means is a printing means including a print head or the like in this example. 5
4 is a storage means 5 according to an instruction from the host device 52.
1 is a control means including a CPU for decompressing the compressed pattern data stored in 1 for printing by the output means 53, and 55 is a buffer for temporarily storing the pattern data decompressed by the control means 54.

When a pattern output command is issued from the host device 52, the control means 54 reads desired pattern data from the storage means 51, decompresses the data and stores it in the buffer 55. Then, the printing unit 53 prints based on the pattern data stored in the buffer 55.

Next, the expansion operation of the pattern data will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Now, a case of expanding the compressed pattern data shown in FIG. 5 will be described. The operation control such as the following data reading and determination is performed by the control means 54.

First, 8-bit compressed data from the beginning is read from the storage means 51 (step 2A).

Subsequently, it is determined whether the read data is coincidence bit data (step 2B). Since the MSB of the matching bit data is "1", the read 8-bit data is always "80" or more in hexadecimal notation. That is, in the determination of step 2B, it is determined whether the leading 8-bit data is "80" or more in hexadecimal notation.

If it is not coincident bit data, that is, "7"
In the case of F ″ or less, it means that the coordinate data is the starting point, so the coordinate data up to the ending point is sequentially read (step 2C).

In case of coincidence bit data, that is, "8"
If it is equal to or greater than 0 ", then bit b relating to inflection point 1
And the states of c are determined (step 2D). Now, since the first data is (10001001), that is, "89" in hexadecimal notation, it is determined that there is omitted coordinate data.

Next, in addition to the coordinate data of the starting point, the one determined to be "1" of the bits b and c in step 2D has the same coordinate data of the inflection point 1 corresponding to the bit as that of the starting point. And stores it in the buffer 55 (step 2E). Now, since the bit b is "1", the ordinate data of the inflection point 1 corresponding to this is made the same as the ordinate data of the starting point (00) and the buffer 55
To store. That is, the coordinate data of the starting point is (00, 10) and the coordinate data of the inflection point 1 is (0
0, 15).

When it is determined in step 2D that both the bits b and c are "0", the coordinate data of the inflection point 1 is not omitted, and therefore the coordinate data of the start point and the inflection point 1 are not changed. It is read and stored in the buffer 55 (step 2F).

Following step 2E or 2F, the states of the bits d and e relating to the inflection point 2 are determined (step 2G).

If it is determined in step 2G that the bit d and e is "1", the coordinate data of the inflection point 2 corresponding to that bit is the same as that of the end point,
It is read together with the coordinate data of the end point and stored in the buffer 55 (step 2H). Since the bit e is "1" now, the abscissa data of the inflection point 2 corresponding thereto is stored in the buffer 55 in the same manner as the abscissa data (20) of the end point. That is, the buffer 55 stores the coordinate data of the inflection point 2 (05, 20) and the coordinate data of the end point (10, 20).
Is stored as

If it is determined in step 2G that both the bits d and e are "0", the coordinate data of the inflection point 2 is not omitted, and therefore the coordinate data of the inflection point 2 and the end point are not changed. It is read and stored in the buffer 55 (step 2I).

In this way, the decompression process is performed on the compressed data shown in FIG. After that, the curve data is sequentially read from the storage means 51 and the same decompression processing as described above is performed, and the pattern is printed by the output means 53 based on the decompressed data stored in the buffer 55.

Although the output means 53 is a printing means including a print head in the above embodiment, it may be a display means for displaying a pattern using a CRT or the like.

[0039]

According to the present invention, the pattern data can be compressed, the storage capacity of the storage means such as the ROM for storing the compressed data can be saved, and the cost of the pattern output means such as the printer can be reduced. Can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a curve pattern.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional pattern data format.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a pattern data format of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a pattern data compression method according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing compressed pattern data according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a pattern output device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a pattern output operation of the pattern output device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 51 storage means 53 output means 54 control means

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. In the pattern data of a curve consisting of start point data, end point data and inflection point data, the start point data and the end point data are respectively compared with the inflection point data, and if there is matching data, the inflection point data is obtained. The pattern data compression method is characterized in that the pattern data of the curve is compressed by omitting the matching data from. 2. The start point data, the inflection point data, and the end point data each include data indicating a vertical position and data indicating a horizontal position.
The described pattern data compression method. 3. Data indicating a vertical position of a start point and data indicating a horizontal position, data indicating a vertical position of an end point and data indicating a horizontal position, and data indicating a vertical position of an inflection point. In the curve pattern data consisting of data indicating the horizontal position, if the data indicating the vertical position of the start point and the data indicating the vertical position of the inflection point match, the vertical position of the inflection point is determined. If the data indicating the horizontal position of the start point and the data indicating the horizontal position of the inflection point match, the data indicating the horizontal position of the inflection point is omitted, and the vertical direction of the end point is omitted. When the data indicating the directional position and the data indicating the vertical position of the inflection point match, the data indicating the vertical position of the inflection point is omitted, and the data indicating the horizontal position of the end point and the inflection point are omitted. Of the horizontal position of If the data indicating the lateral position of the inflection point is omitted, and if the above data is omitted, the data indicating which data is omitted can be added to compress the curve pattern data. Characteristic pattern data compression method. 4. Storage means for storing pattern data compressed by the pattern data compression method according to claim 1, output means for outputting a pattern, and storage means for storing in the storage means. A pattern output device comprising: a control unit that causes the output unit to output a pattern based on certain pattern data.