KR960009837B1 - Character output method - Google Patents

Abstract

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Description

Character output method

1 is a flowchart showing the operation of a character output program which is one embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a configuration diagram of an output device for executing the character output program of FIG.

3 is a diagram showing an example of output before changing a character pattern.

4 is a view showing an example improved by the character pattern change of FIG.

5 is a diagram showing an arrangement relationship between an output line of a character pattern and a character frame.

6 is a view for explaining the character pattern arrangement position in detail.

7 is an explanatory diagram of a skeleton character method.

8 to 14 are flowcharts showing replacement processing of character pattern change.

15 is a flowchart of a process for correcting an enlargement and reduction ratio obtained from the ratio of the density of a black background.

FIG. 16 shows a data structure of a text font dictionary. FIG.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing changes in skeletal points when using a threshold of enlargement and reduction ratio. FIG.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character string output method, and more particularly, to an improvement in the printing and display method of character strings such as Chinese characters, kana, and the like.

In the character printing method of the conventional printing system or word processor, the size and position of the character pattern for the character frame are determined for each character. The size or position of the character pattern portion (called a letter) in these character frames is determined when designing the font, which is the character set containing the character pattern.

In other words, the font pattern is determined in consideration of the properties of each character pattern, the balance of various characters in the same font, and the like.

In the above-described prior art, the size or position of each character pattern in the same font is designed in such a manner that it is balanced when the characters of the corresponding font are placed side by side. However, it is actually difficult to determine a character pattern that feels balanced even when any character is adjacent. That is, characters of exactly the same pattern may be felt to be appropriately sized in some cases, large in other cases, and small in other cases by characters adjacent thereto. In Fig. 3 (A) and (B), the letter pattern of 田 is the same, but in the character string of (A), it is felt to be of an appropriate size, and it is small in the character string of (B).

To solve this problem, you cannot use a mixture of character patterns of different sizes. This is because the width of the character frame is different for different size characters, which damages the layout of the string. 5 is an example showing it. In order to solve the problem that the letter pattern 501 of FIG. 5A looks small, FIG. 5B is an example of using a larger letter pattern. The letter pattern 502 of Fig. 5B is in good balance with other letters in comparison only with the size thereof, but because the size of the letter frame is large, the arrangement position of the next letter s is shifted to the right. That is, in order to solve the above problem, a method of using a different size character pattern as it is not used.

An object of the present invention is to change the size and position of the character pattern in the character frame when outputting the character pattern string of the character frame of the specified size to solve the above problem, and this change according to the conditions of adjacent characters, etc. It is to provide a character output method that can always provide a balanced character pattern output irrespective of conditions such as character arrangement.

This object is achieved by the following means. The reference character pattern is maintained in the character font dictionary, and a means for expanding and reducing the character font is prepared so that the character pattern of the character is extracted from the character font dictionary when the character in the character string to be printed is output.

After obtaining a character pattern of a specified size, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to enlarge and reduce it, and if necessary, the enlargement or reduction means is executed by the enlargement and reduction means. The arrangement position information in the character font dictionary for the pattern is corrected according to the enlargement and reduction ratio, and the output character pattern is arranged in the display area.

The character font dictionary stores a code indicating the type of character for each character, a coordinate group of a skeleton point or contour point of a stroke of a character representing a display pattern, and position information of an arrangement reference point of a character pattern in the character frame. Character font dictionaries may maintain this for each character size. The means for enlarging and reducing the character pattern is to perform the deformation by the figure processing of the prior art based on the character pattern read from the character font dictionary. The character code is used to retrieve and retrieve the character pattern to be processed from the character pattern group stored in the character font dictionary. On the other hand, the character size is used to select the font font dictionary or character pattern while determining the size of the output character frame. The position information of the character pattern placement reference point in the character font dictionary determines at which position of the character line of the specified size the character frame is positioned. The means for determining the correction value of the arrangement position of the character pattern determines the amount of movement when the character pattern is moved so that the character pattern after enlargement and reduction can be balanced in the character frame of the output size. The condition of the character pattern change determines the method of change or the presence or absence of the change. This condition includes the code of the adjacent character, the character to be printed, the nature of the character pattern, or the character set to be changed. The reference value information of the property of the character pattern used as the change condition is information used as a criterion for determining the method of changing the character pattern of the corresponding character by comparing this with the property of the character pattern to be output.

Since the change at the time of character output is limited only to the change of the character pattern in a character frame by the above description, the character frame itself can be arrange | positioned at a predetermined position. As a result, an output result excellent in the balance of the character size is obtained while maintaining the layout of the character string.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

2 is a block diagram of a Japanese word processor. In the figure, reference numeral 201 denotes a processing apparatus, 202 denotes a keyboard, 203 denotes a display, 204 denotes a printer, 205 denotes a disk storage, and 206 denotes a main memory. The disk storage 205 stores a character output program and a character font dictionary that accommodates the basic character pattern of each character. The character output program is read from the disk storage device 205 to the main memory 206 and executed in the processing device 201. This program reads an output character size, a character code string, and various commands from the keyboard 202 with respect to the character string to be output, and displays the input value on the display 203. This program reads the character pattern of the designated character code from the disk storage device 205. At this time, if a character pattern is maintained for each character size in the font dictionary, a character pattern having a specified size is extracted. On the other hand, if only the character pattern of the reference size is kept in advance in the font dictionary, a character pattern of the designated size is created accordingly. After obtaining the character pattern of the designated size in this way, the program changes the character pattern in the character frame according to the change condition, generates the changed character pattern and places it on the output character pattern string, and sends it to the display 203 or the printer 204. Output

Next, the detailed operation of this program will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the operation of the character output program of the present invention executed in the processing apparatus 201 of FIG.

16 shows a data structure of the character font dictionary in this embodiment. The character pattern holding format in the character font dictionary 160 is a combination of three types of information such as the type 167 of each stroke of the character and the parameters such as the coordinates 170 and the thickness 168 of the skeletal point of the stroke. It has a pattern, so-called skeletal character method. An example of this method is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-202476 (Patent Application No. 59-58263). The skeleton text method will be described with reference to FIG.

In the skeletal character method, a character pattern is expressed by a combination of several basic patterns, and this basic pattern is called a stroke. In the case of Chinese characters, if there are about 16 types of strokes, all character patterns can be expressed by the combination thereof. The pattern of FIG. 7 shows the left tail stroke, which is one of the strokes forming the Chinese character. The left tail stroke is a stroke that moves the pen from the top left to the bottom, and is used, for example, in the portion of the first stroke of the person side of the letter 休. As the information of the character font dictionary 160, three types of information such as the type 167 of each stroke constituting the character and the parameters such as the coordinates 170 and the thickness 168 of the skeleton point of the stroke are held. S1, S2, and S3 in FIG. 7 represent skeletal points. Skeletal points are represented by rectangular coordinates (X, Y) with the lower left corner of the text frame as the origin. The contour feature points P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and P6 peculiar to the stroke type are generated at the positions of the respective skeletons and the thickness parameters W1, W2 and W3. By connecting these contour feature points with lines such as straight lines, spline curves and Bezier curves according to the type of stroke, the outline of the stroke is made and the outline pattern is generated by peeling the inside. The outline pattern of the stroke thus generated is synthesized to form a single character pattern. As a method of expanding and reducing the character pattern in the skeletal character method, a method of first expanding and contracting the skeleton pattern and then generating a contour pattern is considered. In other words, multiply the coordinates (X, Y) of each skeletal point by the enlargement reduction factor n of the character pattern to perform coordinate expansion and reduction, and as a result, (nX, nY) is obtained as skeletal point coordinates. How to get it. In addition, the thickness parameter of the desired size can be obtained by multiplying an integer determined by the enlargement and reduction ratio n of the character pattern in the same manner as above.

i

골격점의 총수)와 문자배치위치 r을 구하는 처리이다. (103)은 출력문자코드(163)을 키로서 문자폰트사전(160)을 검색하여 출력문자패턴의 검은 바탕의 밀도 B(165)를 리드하는 처리이다. 여기서 문자패턴의 검은 바탕밀도라 함은 기준문자패턴의 문자틀내의 총도트수에 대한 문자의 출력패턴상의 도트수의 비율이다. (104)는 출력문자의 코드가 문자패턴 변경테이블에 포함되는가 아닌가를 판정하고, 그 결과에 따라 분기하는 처리이다. (105)는 처리(104)의 판정결과가 Yes인 경우에 인접문자코드를 키로서 문자폰트사전을 검색하여 인접문자패턴의 검은 바탕밀도 C를 리드하는 처리이다. (106)은 출력문자의 문자패턴 검은 바탕밀도 B와 인접문자의 문자패턴 검은 바탕밀도 C의 비율 m을 구하는 처리이다.In Fig. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a process of reading the width w and the height h of the character frame as the code of the output character, the code of the adjacent character, and the character size of the output character. Reference numeral 102 denotes a character size and a character code of the output character to a character font pre-reading routine, and coordinates Pi (Xi, Yi) of each skeleton point of the character pattern (1)

i

The total number of skeletal points) and the character placement position r. Numeral 103 denotes a process of retrieving the character font dictionary 160 using the output character code 163 as a key and reading the density B 165 of the black background of the output character pattern. Here, the black background density of the character pattern is the ratio of the number of dots on the output pattern of the character to the total number of dots in the character frame of the reference character pattern. Numeral 104 determines whether the code of the output character is included in the character pattern change table, and branches according to the result. In step 105, when the determination result of the processing 104 is Yes, the character font dictionary is searched using the adjacent character code as a key and the black background density C of the adjacent character pattern is read. (106) is a process for calculating the ratio m of the character pattern black background density B of the output character and the character pattern black background density C of the adjacent character.

Reference numeral 107 denotes a process for reading the minimum value K of the character pattern enlargement and reduction condition. 108 is a process for judging whether or not the output character pattern needs to be enlarged or reduced in accordance with m and K obtained in the processes 106 and 107. 109 is a process of determining the character pattern enlargement reduction rate n of the output characters according to the black background density ratio m obtained in the process 106 when the determination result of the process 108 is Yes. Reference numeral 110 denotes a process of temporarily saving the skeleton point coordinates of the character pattern, and reference numeral 111 denotes a process of expanding and reducing the coordinates of the character pattern skeleton point by the magnification x determined in the process 109. (112) is a process of determining the arrangement position correction value dx in the x-axis direction required for the character pattern movement according to the character pattern enlargement and reduction in accordance with the width w of the character frame which is the character size and the character pattern enlargement reduction ratio n determined in the process 109 to be. As in the process 112, the process of determining the arrangement position correction value dy in the Y axis direction in accordance with the character arrangement position r and the character pattern enlargement reduction ratio n. Reference numeral 114 denotes a process of moving the skeletal point coordinates of the character pattern by the correction values dx and dy determined by the processing 112 and the processing 113. Reference numeral 115 denotes a process for judging whether or not there is even one skeletal point protruding from the output character frame by the movement of the process 114. 116 is a process of restoring the skeleton point coordinates of the character pattern to the value before the change saved in the process 110 when the determination result of the process 115 is Yes.

117 is executed when the determination result of the processing 104 is No, when the determination result of the processing 108 is No, when the determination result of the processing 115 is No and after the processing 116, respectively. A process of generating a character pattern by generating an outline according to the coordinates Pi (Xi, Yi) of a predetermined skeleton point and placing it in the output character frame.

The character size to be read in the process 101 gives the output character a size, i.e., width w and height h. The process 102 gives this character size and character code to the font preread routine.

If the font dictionary read processing routine includes a character pattern of the corresponding size in the font dictionary, the font dictionary is drawn out from the font dictionary. The drawn character pattern is a series of skeletal point coordinates Pi (Xi, Yi) of a character stroke represented by rectangular coordinates with the origin as the lower left corner of the character frame. In this way, the outline of the stroke can be generated to generate the output pattern of the character by a method such as Japanese Patent Application No. 59-58263. That is, the generated contour dots are connected by a straight line or a spline curve. Next, the character arranging position r of the processing 102 is the arrangement information necessary for laying out the character frame in rows. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that a line of Y = r on the character frame should be arranged on the base line of the output line on the premise of the horizontal writing output.

The text background black density in the following processing 103 is described next. In the processing 104, the character pattern change table is referred to to determine whether the character pattern is enlarged or reduced as long as there is a corresponding character code. If the font has undergone the usual design, the type of character that requires modification of the character pattern intended for the purpose of this patent is only a fraction of the character in the character font. In the change table, for example, 日, 目, 田, etc., relatively simple design of characters is one way to have a code group of characters in which the size of the character pattern changes apparently in relation to adjacent characters. You can change the contents of this table separately. The following processing 105 to processing 116 are the main parts of the character pattern changing processing, which will be described later in detail. The process 117 generates a character pattern using a conventional skeletal character pattern generation technique and places it in the output line.

Here, with reference to FIG. 4, the specific example of the method of changing a character pattern is demonstrated. The need for this change has already been explained by FIG. The letter pattern "da" shown in each of Figs. 3A and 3B is exactly the same letter pattern, but due to the difference in adjacent characters, it is considered to be a suitable size in Fig. 3A and small in Fig. 3B. Accordingly, the letter pattern 401 of FIG. 4B is enlarged while the letter pattern 301 of FIG. 3B is enlarged while preserving the size of the letter frame. The other three character patterns 301, 302, and 303 in FIG. 4 are the same as the corresponding character patterns in FIG. Here, the magnification of the letter pattern 401 of FIG. 4B is the ratio of the black background density of the letter pattern 303 of FIG. 3B and the letter pattern 301 of FIG. I got it. However, when the character pattern is enlarged and reduced, it is usual to enlarge and reduce the character arrangement position, which is a position to be aligned with the baseline on the output line.

However, in this case, since the character frame size is to be enlarged and reduced only, the character arrangement position after expansion and reduction is necessary. This adjustment amount is a batch position correction value. How to determine this value is described next.

Character pattern changing processing from the processing 105 of FIG. 1 to the processing 116 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 16, the character pattern is changed according to the black background density 165, which is one of information indicating the property of the character pattern. The black background density 165 of the character pattern is expressed as the ratio of the number of dots on the output pattern of the character to the total number of dots in the character frame of the reference character pattern. This black background density 165 can be searched by the character code 163 like the above-described processing 102 by storing this in the character font dictionary 160 in advance. The black background density B of the character pattern ida is 31% as a result obtained in the processing 102 now. The black background density C of 武 (303), which has already been output, is determined as 32.8% in the processing (305). As a result, the ratio m between the adjoining characters and the black background density of the corresponding character is obtained as m ≒ 1.058 by 32.8 / 31. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the character pattern enlargement and reduction processing is performed only when the absolute value of m-1, that is, | m-1 | exceeds a certain range. The threshold value K is held in advance in the font as the reference value 162 of the character pattern change condition, and the process 107 reads this. The process 108 performs determination of | (black background density ratio -1 |> K. For example, it is assumed that K = 0.04.

M-1 ｜ ≒ ｜ 1.058-1 ｜ = 0.058 ＞ 0.04

Therefore, since the determination of the processing 108 is made, it is necessary to execute the enlargement and reduction processing of the character pattern, and the flow proceeds to the processing 109. In the process 109, the enlargement reduction ratio m of the character pattern is obtained. This example finds this as the square root of the black background density ratio. That is, let n = m ^1/2 . As a result, the character pattern is reduced when the black background density ratio is large, and the character pattern is enlarged when the black background ratio is small. In the following process 110, the frame point coordinate Pi (Xi, Yi) of the character pattern before the change is prepared for the process 116 after saving the frame points. By the way, in process 111, Pi (Xi, Yi) is multiplied by n by each skeletal point coordinate. In the following processing 112 and 113, the arrangement position correction values in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are determined, respectively.

Here, the necessity of the arrangement position correction will be described in detail. 6 illustrates the relationship between the problem pattern maintained in the text font dictionary and the placement position information. 6A shows that this arrangement position r shows the position of the baseline through the display area of the character string. Baseline is the baseline for unifying the alignment of strings. 6B shows the relationship between the letter frame of the letter 田, the letter pattern before the change, and the arrangement position r. The size of the character frame is w and width h. In FIG. 6 (B), one point Pi (Xi, Yi) is displayed as a representative of the skeleton point in the letter pattern. This indicates that the coordinate of the skeleton point Pi is (Xi, Yi). Coordinates are represented by a rectangular coordinate system with the lower left corner Q of the character frame as the origin, with the right direction being the positive direction of the X axis and the up direction being the positive direction of the Y axis. Pi shall suppose the i-th skeleton point of a character. When outputting a character pattern, however, a baseline is set on the output line area, and the lines are aligned with the line of Y = r (r is the position of the placement position) of the character frame. Each character pattern is designed in the character frame as a whole. The character pattern 601 is shown in FIG. 6E as an example of arrangement in the output line.

Next, Fig. 6 explains the relationship between the enlargement and reduction of the character pattern and the change in the arrangement position. When the character pattern 601 shown in FIG. 6B is enlarged at an enlargement and reduction ratio n, any skeletal point Pi (Xi, Yi) of the character is converted to Pi (nXi, nYi) by the process 111 of FIG. Go to. As a result, the character pattern is as shown in FIG. As indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6C, the character frame size is also n times, and the arrangement position r is also n times. As the output string, it is unreasonable to arrange n times the size of the character frame as described above. Thus, the dotted line in FIG. 6C shows the character frame before transformation which shares the origin Q in the lower left of the character frame among the character frames. This character frame size is suitable for the purpose of output, and there is no deviation of the arrangement position of the character as shown in FIG. 5 (B).

The size of the character pattern in the character frame is appropriate, but the position of the character pattern in the character frame is not appropriate. Thus, correcting the position of the character pattern in this character frame is the arrangement position correction, and a value indicating the magnitude of the correction in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is the arrangement position correction value. According to this arrangement position correction value, the size is moved by moving the character pattern, i.e., the point P i (nXi-dx, nYi-dy), in which each skeletal point is moved by dx in the X-axis direction and dy in the Y-axis direction. The letter pattern is received at an appropriate position on the letter frame of to obtain the pattern of FIG. 6 (D). At this time, the arrangement position nr of the baseline is returned to the original r. The result of performing the above correction on the character string FIG. 6E arranged on the output line is shown in FIG. 6F.

Here, the method of determining the correction value of the arrangement position in the processing 112, 113 and 114 and the correction of the arrangement position by it are demonstrated. In the processing 112, when the width of the character frame indicating the character size is w, the arrangement position correction value dx in the Y-axis direction is obtained.

dx = w (n−1) / 2... … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (One)

Obtain from Where n is the enlargement and reduction rate obtained in the process 109. In the processing 113, the correction value dy in the Y-axis direction is

dy = r (n−1)... … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (2)

Obtain as. If equation (2) is used, the arrangement position r indicating the position of the baseline does not change even if the character pattern is changed. Using the correction values dx, dy, the processing 114 actually executes the parallel movement of the character pattern. In the method of determining the correction value, the X-axis direction is obtained from the width W of the character frame having the letter size, and the Y-axis direction is obtained from the letter arrangement position r, but the letter indicating the letter size is similar to the X-axis direction. Another method is to find the height h of the frame.

In this case, the correction value in the Y-axis direction in the processing 113 is

dy = h (n−1) / 2... … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (3)

Obtain from According to the method using Equations (1) and (3), the enlarged axis lowercase pattern is disposed at the center of both the X-axis and Y-axis directions in the output character frame after the arrangement position correction. Equation (3) is a formula using a special value r = h / 2 as r in equation (2). When outputting a string of text patterns located in the center of the output text frame, there is a method of arranging the vertical (horizontal writing, etc.) or horizontal bisectors of the output text frame on the base line on the output line area. .

This can be realized using the above formulas (1) and (3).

6 (G) and (H) show the result of arranging the bilateral dividing lines in the horizontal and vertical directions of the output character frame superimposed on the base lines of the output lines. Using the correction values dx and dy, the coordinates of the skeletal point after the enlargement and reduction in the process 114 are corrected.

The processing up to the processing 114 of FIG. 1 described above generates data after the character pattern is changed.

Next, the case where the character pattern exceeds the corresponding character frame size by the enlargement / reduction process (in case of enlargement) will be described in the present embodiment. In this case, the character pattern before expansion and contraction is used as it is. It is process 115 to make the judgment which pops out from this character frame. If it is determined to pop out, processing proceeds to processing 116 where the character pattern saved in processing 110 is recovered, and processing proceeds to processing 117 as an output character pattern. On the other hand, if it is determined as No in the judging of the popping out, the character pattern of the result of the process 114 proceeds to the process 117 as an output character pattern.

As described above, when the character pattern exceeds the size of the character frame per line, a method of correcting the enlargement reduction ratio n by detecting that the character pattern pops out of the character frame before performing the expansion and reduction of the character pattern will be described. That is, in consideration of the correction of the arrangement position performed in the processing 112 and 113, if the enlargement and reduction ratio n of the character pattern obtained in the processing 109 is larger than the threshold value np defined by the following expression, n is replaced with np. . When correcting the placement position using equations (1) and (3)

When using formulas (1) and (2)

to be. Here, x, X, y, and Y are represented by the following formulas as lower and upper limits of the skeleton point coordinates Pi (Xi, Yi), respectively.

x = min (Xi), X = max (Xi)... … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (6)

y = min (Yi), Y = max (Yi)... … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … (7)

Here, for example, x = min (Xi) indicates substituting the minimum value in the value Xi of the x coordinate into x. However, it is assumed that the lower limit and the upper limit of the skeleton point coordinates Pi (Xi, Yi) exist in the following ranges (8) and (9).

The processing procedure is shown in FIG. The process 1501 calculates the threshold value np of the enlargement and reduction ratio using the above formula (4) or (5). The process 1502 compares the enlargement reduction rate n obtained at the ratio of the black background density with the threshold value np, and replaces the enlargement reduction rate n with the threshold value np in the processing 1503 when n is larger than np. By adding the process shown in FIG. 15, it is guaranteed that there is no protruding from the character frame by the enlargement and reduction of the character pattern and the correction of the arrangement position, so that the processes 110, 115 and (shown in FIG. 116) is not necessary. As shown in FIG. 15, FIG. 17 shows a change in the skeletal point when the enlargement reduction ratio n is replaced with the threshold value np. Each point denoted by? Tables 171c, 173c, 172c and 174c represents a skeleton point in which the x coordinate value is the maximum, the minimum and the y coordinate value is the maximum, the minimum in the character pattern, respectively. Although all the points are included in the character frame 170, the character pattern is small, so that the enlargement / reduction ratio n (> 1) and the arrangement position described in the embodiment of the present invention are corrected to make the character pattern larger. Each point is 171a, 173a, 172a, and 174a. Since the enlargement / reduction ratio n is too large (171a), a dot sticks out of the character frame. If the threshold value np (1 <np <n) shown in equations (4) or (5) is used instead of n, the point of 171a moves to the position 171b on the boundary line of the character frame 170. As a result, all skeletal points including the other three points 172b, 173b and 174b are also included in the character frame and larger than the original character pattern indicated by the Δ mark.

The processing 117 is based on the output character pattern obtained above, and converts the skeleton point into an actual output pattern by the method described in Japanese Patent Application No. 59-58263 described above, and the arrangement position is converted into the baseline in the output character pattern area. Overlap the output.

Next, an alternative method of the method illustrated in FIG. 1 will be briefly described.

1 shows an example of using the black background density ratio of the character pattern as a condition of the character pattern change. As a basis of this change condition, various cases described below can be considered.

(1) It decides whether to change the character pattern of the character according to the type of the adjacent character. The character pattern change is determined by setting a combination of the character codes to be the character pattern change targets and referring to the character codes.

(2) Determined by the property of adjacent character patterns. As the property, the size of the smallest block polygon surrounding the character pattern of the reference character pattern is used. As the size of the minimum convex polygon of the adjacent character, for example, the area of the polygon is calculated and compared with the value of the corresponding character to determine whether or not the character pattern is changed.

(3) The same properties as in (2) are used for adjacent characters, but there is a way to use the values stored in advance rather than calculating them at the time of output.

(4) A flag indicating whether or not to change the character pattern is set in advance in the font dictionary for the character, and the presence or absence of the character pattern change is determined accordingly.

(5) The character code group for which the character pattern should be changed is stored in advance, and if the code of the character is included in it, the character pattern is changed. Conversely, it is possible to remember a group of character codes that cannot be changed. In addition, the method of previously storing the former character code group to be changed collectively is the same as the process 104 of FIG.

(6) Using the preset information (for example, the value of black background density) as one reference value, compare this with the value of the corresponding property of the corresponding character, and decide whether or not to change the character pattern according to the magnitude case. .

(7) The character pattern change is decided according to the values of various display modes (horizontal or vertical writing mode, variable character pitch mode indicating character spacing, etc.) set before output of the character pattern.

Alternative methods of (1) to (7) will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 14, respectively. However, since the alternative method and the process of FIG. 1 have many parts in common, in the following description, the process specific to the alternative method is shown mainly, and the process of FIG. 1 corresponding to the post-process is added.

In the following description, the processing of the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 shown in each drawing means the same as in FIG.

An example of the alternative method (1) is shown in FIG. This process replaces the process 103 to the process 109 of FIG.

A code 801 is a process for judging whether or not a combination of a code of a corresponding output character and a code of a character adjacent to it is included in the character pattern change table, and branching according to the result.

802 is a process of reading the character pattern enlargement reduction ratio n of the output characters in the change table when the determination result of the processing 801 is Yes. In the process 801, a change table that accommodates the combination of the character codes to be subjected to the character pattern change and the character pattern enlargement and reduction ratio therefor is referred to. It is decided to enlarge or reduce the character pattern only when there is a combination of the character and the code of adjacent atoms in the change table.

An example of the alternative method (2) is shown in FIG. This process is an alternative to the process 108 in the process 103 of FIG.

Reference numeral 901 denotes a process for calculating the size B of the minimum convex polygon surrounding the character pattern of the output character, and reference numeral 902 denotes a process for calculating the size C of the minimum convex polygon surrounding the character pattern of the adjacent character. 903 is a process of calculating the ratio m of the minimum convex polygon of the character pattern of the output character and the adjacent character. In the process 901, the minimum convex polygon surrounding the output character pattern is calculated from each skeleton point coordinate of the output character read in the process 902, and the size B is calculated. The size here refers to the area of the convex polygon. In process 902, the size C of the minimum convex polygon surrounding the adjacent character pattern in the skeleton point coordinates of the adjacent character is calculated. In this case, the skeleton coordinates of adjacent characters can be obtained from the information previously stored at the time of outputting the adjacent characters.

An example of the alternative method (3) is shown in FIG. This process replaces the process 106 to the process 106 of FIG.

The code 1001 retrieves the character font dictionary using the code of the output character as a key and leads to the size B of the minimum convex polygon of the output character pattern, and 1002 retrieves the character font dictionary using the code of the adjacent character as the key. This process reads the size C of the smallest convex polygon of the adjacent character pattern. 1003 is a process for obtaining the ratio m of the character pattern minimum convex polygon of the output character and the adjacent character.

An example of the alternative method 4 is shown in FIG. This process replaces the process 104 of FIG. Reference numeral 1101 denotes a flag F for retrieving the character font dictionary of the output character by using the code of the output character as a key and determining whether to change the character pattern of the output character; A process for determining whether there is a need to change the output character pattern by the flag F that determines whether a change is necessary, and if F = 1, determines that a change is necessary and branches to Yes, and if F ≠ 1, changes to No and determines that no change is necessary. to be.

An example of storing the character code group in which the change is not allowed in the alternative method (5) is shown in FIG. This process replaces the process 104 of FIG. Reference numeral 1201 is a process of judging whether or not the code of the output character is included in the character pattern change prohibition table and branching according to the result. In the process 1201, if the output character code is not included in the change prohibition table, it is determined that the character pattern change is executed and branches to Yes, and if it is contained in the change prohibition table, it is determined that the character pattern change is not executed. Branch to No.

An example of the alternative method 6 is shown in FIG. 13. This process replaces the process 104 to the process 106 of FIG.

Reference numeral 1301 denotes a process for reading one reference value D of the black background density, and 1302, a process for obtaining a ratio m of the character pattern black background density B of the output character and the reference value D of the black background density.

The reference value of the black background density referred to in the processing 1301 may be an average value of all the characters included in the character set, or an average value obtained from a character group in which the output is completed before processing the output character.

An example of the alternative method 7 is shown in FIG. This process replaces the process 104 of FIG. Reference numeral 1401 denotes a process of reading the character pitch mode E, and 1402 determines whether or not the character pitch mode E, which is read in the process 1401, is a variable pitch mode and branches according to the result. In the process 1402, it is determined that the character pattern change is executed when the character pitch mode E is the variable pitch mode, and branches to Yes. On the contrary, when the character pitch mode E is the fixed pitch mode, it is determined that the character pattern change is not executed. Branch to

In the example described in FIG. 1, it is assumed that a character pattern having a reference size or various sizes is held in the font font dictionary, and a plurality of character patterns having different sizes of the magnetic surface of the same character code are maintained for the same character frame size. I assume not.

However, other embodiments are contemplated for this. In other words, a plurality of patterns having the same character frame size and different size of the magnetic surface in the character font dictionary are held in advance. It has a means for selecting one of these patterns by the condition for changing the character pattern. In this case, it is possible to achieve the object of the present invention by using the desired character pattern by reading the character font dictionary without executing the enlargement and reduction process of the character pattern of FIG.

In this way, a character output device using a character pattern holding method by dot characters is possible.

According to the present embodiment, the size of the writing surface of the character string to be output can be changed in accordance with the properties such as the black background density of the character string to be output and the adjacent character pattern, and can be appropriately arranged in the output line.

According to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the size and position of the character pattern within the range of the character frame according to the changing condition of the character pattern, so that the alignment of the character string with a better balance is obtained than in the prior art. At this time, since the layout method of the character frame is not affected, the functions of the existing layout program and output device can be used.

Claims (21)

A method of outputting a character pattern in an output character frame having a predetermined size, the method comprising: (a) extracting reference character pattern information for generating an enlarged or reduced letter pattern from a character pattern of a reference size of a specified character code from a character dictionary; Step (b) determining whether or not it is necessary to change the size of the character pattern of the reference size; (c) if it is necessary to change the size of the character pattern of the reference size; Calculating a parameter for determining a reduction condition; (d) determining whether the character pattern of the reference size is enlarged or reduced from the parameter value; (e) executing the enlargement or reduction of the character pattern of the reference size; Determining the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio from the value of the parameter, (f) using the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio Expanding or reducing the coordinate value of the output included in the reference character pattern information, (g) the specific output position in the reference character frame determined for the character pattern of the reference size does not change by the enlargement or reduction. Correcting and moving the output coordinate value obtained in the step (f) so as to generate the detailed output information necessary for the output from the output coordinate value; Character output method comprising the step of outputting. 2. A character according to claim 1, wherein when the size of the reference character frame and the output character frame are different, the processing after step (e) is executed at an enlargement ratio or reduction ratio different from the size ratio between those character frames. Output method. The output coordinate in the horizontal direction as set forth in claim 1, wherein when the movement of the step (g) is executed, a point located on a line dividing the reference character frame vertically by two is placed on a line dividing the output character frame by a second two. Character output method characterized in that the value is determined. The output coordinate in the vertical direction as set forth in claim 1, wherein when the movement of said step (g) is executed, a point located on a line dividing the reference character frame horizontally by two is placed on a line dividing the output character frame horizontally by two. Character output method characterized in that the value is determined. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference character pattern information of the step (a) includes arrangement position information for assigning the position of the arrangement line to the horizontal line segment of the character frame, and when the movement of the step (g) is executed, the output is performed. The height of the reference character frame as the position of the arrangement frame of the character frame is determined to be at a height obtained by multiplying a ratio equal to the size ratio of the reference size character frame of the output character frame, and the point on the layout line of the reference character frame is Characterized output method characterized in that the output coordinate value is determined to be located on the arrangement line of the output character frame. The method of claim 3, wherein when outputting a character pattern as a character pattern string, a reference line is set in an area for outputting the character pattern string, and the output is made so that a vertical bisector of the output character frame overlaps the reference line. A character output method comprising setting a position of a character frame and outputting an enlarged or reduced letter pattern in the output character frame. The output character according to claim 4, wherein when outputting a character pattern as a character pattern string, a reference line is set in an area for outputting the character pattern, and the output character is formed so that a horizontal bisector of the output character frame overlaps the reference line. And setting the position of the frame and outputting an enlarged or reduced letter pattern in the output frame. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein when outputting a character pattern as a character pattern string, a reference line is set in an area for outputting the character pattern string, and the position of the output character frame is overlapped with the reference line on an arrangement line of the output character frame. Setting and outputting an enlarged or reduced letter pattern to the output text frame. The character pattern of the reference size as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the determination condition of the step (b) or the determination condition of the step (d) is determined, when no change is necessary or when enlargement or reduction is not possible. Character output method characterized in that the output. 10. The character output according to claim 9, wherein as a determination condition of said step (b), it is determined whether or not a code combination of a corresponding character and one adjacent character is included in a set of pairs of character codes. Way. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the characteristic value is calculated before including the characteristic value representing the property of the character pattern in the reference character pattern information of the step (a) or before outputting the enlarged or reduced-case pattern. Characteristic value of the corresponding character and the characteristic value of the adjoining character as a determination condition of the step (d) or the determination condition of said step (d), and judges whether the difference is large. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the reference character pattern information of the step (a) includes information indicating whether or not the character pattern change held for each character code on the character pattern of the reference size is required. And determining whether or not the corresponding character pattern is changed as a condition. The character output method according to claim 9, wherein the character code corresponding to the determination condition of the step (b) is judged by whether or not the character code is included in a set of predetermined character codes. The method of claim 12, wherein the threshold value of the characteristic value is calculated before including the threshold value of the characteristic value representing the property of the character pattern in the reference character pattern information of the step (a) or before outputting the enlarged or reduced letter pattern. And comparing the characteristic value of the character pattern corresponding to the determination condition of the step (b) or the determination condition of the step (d) with the threshold value of the characteristic value and judging by the comparison result. . 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the state information corresponding to the reference character pattern information of the step (a) is calculated before outputting the enlarged or reduced case pattern, and the determination condition of the step (b) or the determination of the step (d). Characteristic output method characterized in that the determination using the status information as a condition. The character output method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of determining whether the output coordinate value after the movement of the step (g) exceeds or exceeds the predetermined output character frame. The character output method according to claim 1, wherein the skeleton point coordinate of the character to be output and the size of the character are used as output coordinate values included in the reference character pattern information of the step (a). The method of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the area occupied by the area of the letter pattern of the reference size to the area in the reference letter frame determined for the letter pattern of the reference size is used as a parameter in the step (c). How to print a character. The character output method according to claim 1, wherein an enlargement ratio or a reduction ratio of the step (e) is restricted so as to be output in the output character frame. A method of outputting a character pattern in an output character frame of a predetermined size, the method comprising: (a) extracting reference character pattern information from a character dictionary to generate an enlarged or reduced letter pattern for a character panel of a reference size of a specified character code; (B) determining whether or not it is necessary to change the size of the character pattern of the reference size; (c) if it is necessary to change the size of the character pattern of the reference size; Selecting one character pattern from among character patterns according to a predetermined condition; (d) generating the enlarged or reduced letter pattern in the predetermined output character frame by generating detailed output information necessary for output from the selected character pattern; Character output method comprising the step of outputting. Input means for inputting a character code, storage means for retaining information on the character pattern and the character pattern, and for outputting the character pattern in an output character frame of a predetermined size using the storage means in accordance with the input character code; A character output apparatus comprising a processing means for executing a process and an output means for outputting the processed character pattern, wherein the processing means comprises: (a) generating an enlarged or reduced letter pattern with respect to a character pattern of a reference size with a specified character code; Means for retrieving reference character pattern information from the character dictionary of said storage means; (b) means for determining whether or not it is necessary to change the size of the character pattern of said reference size; (c) the character pattern of said reference size. If it is necessary to change the size, the parity that determines the conditions for enlargement or reduction in the reference character pattern information. Means for calculating a meter, (d) means for determining whether or not to enlarge or reduce the character pattern of the reference size based on the value of the parameter; (e) when performing the expansion or reduction of the character pattern of the reference size; Means for determining an enlargement or reduction ratio in a value of a parameter, (f) means for enlarging or reducing a coordinate value of an output included in the reference character pattern information using the enlargement or reduction ratio, (g) a character pattern of the reference size Means for correcting and moving an output coordinate value provided in said means (f) so that a specific output position in said reference character frame does not change by said enlargement or reduction, (h) from said output coordinate value to an output; Means for generating the necessary detailed output information, and incorporating said enlargement or contraction pattern in a predetermined output character frame of said output means. Character output device characterized in that the output.

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