JP3034141B2 - Character generation method and device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(Contents) Industrial application field Conventional technology (FIGS. 15 and 16) Problems to be Solved by the Invention Means for Solving the Problems (FIGS. 1 and 2) Action Embodiment (a) One Embodiment Description of Example Configuration (FIGS. 3 to 6) (b) Description of First Embodiment (FIGS. 7 to 10) (c) Description of Second Embodiment (FIGS. 11 to 14) (d) Others Description of the embodiment Effect of the invention

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character generation method and apparatus for developing outline characters expressed in a logical coordinate system on physical coordinates expressed in integer values.

In a printer device, a display device, or the like, a character pattern needs to be generated in order to print or display characters.
In recent years, characters of various character sizes have been required for the same characters.

[0004] For this reason, providing character patterns of various character sizes for the same character requires a large memory capacity for those having a large number of character types such as Chinese characters.

In order to solve this problem, character pattern information in which character outline information is expressed in a real number and in a logical coordinate system, such as an outline font, is stored, and this information is stored in a designated character size coordinate system. Conversion is performed to develop characters into bitmap images represented by integers.

In such a character generation method, it is required that the character be faithfully reproduced in the original design even if the character is reduced.

[0007]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 15 and 16 are explanatory views (No. 1) and (No. 2) of the prior art. Conventionally, when developing logical coordinate data of real numbers such as figures and outline fonts into bitmap images expressed as integers, the coordinate data is rounded to a decimal point so that it can be expressed in pixel units of printers and displays. The rounding is generally performed by rounding off so that the coordinate data is represented by the nearest pixel.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15 (A), each point (contour point) constituting the character “car” represented in outline form is represented by integer logical coordinates such as 1000 × 1000. Has been saved.

The character outline on the logical coordinates is converted into a required character size, converted into a coordinate value including a decimal point, and all points are rounded to an integer so as to be expressed in physical coordinates. , All points are rounded to the nearest integer.

For example, in the case of a character size of 24 × 24, the character “car” of the kanji becomes as shown in FIG. 15B by the coordinate conversion process and the rounding process.
In this example, since the original character is a thickly designed character, the generated character bitmap image also has a width of 2 pixels.

When this same character is converted into a bitmap image of 16 dots in length and width, the same character is obtained as shown in FIG.
As shown in (C), two adjacent horizontal strokes in the middle come into contact with each other.

Similarly, as shown in FIG.
When the character "Kame", which is represented in the outline format by the logical coordinates of 00x1000, has a character size of 16x16, the result is as shown in Fig. 16B.

The character "Kame" has a horizontal line at the head and at the end, in addition to the three horizontal lines included in the two "day" parts, and includes a total of eight horizontal lines. It is. 8
To express the horizontal lines of a book, including the white part between the horizontal lines,
About 15 times as large as 15 dots is required, which is the minimum size that can accurately represent a bitmap image of 15 dots in length and width.

Further, when the processing is reduced to the small 12-dot physical coordinates, as shown in FIG. 16C, there is no dot expressing a white space between strokes, so that the horizontal lines come into contact with each other. Become.

[0015]

However, the prior art has the following problems. As shown in FIG. 15, when a character having a thick line width is reduced to a small size, the horizontal line comes into contact with the character, and the character appears to be blackened, so that the character cannot be correctly recognized and readability deteriorates.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 16, even if the line width is small, in the case of a character having a complicated design, when the character is reduced to a small size, the horizontal lines come into contact with each other, and it appears that the characters are blackened.
Characters cannot be correctly recognized, resulting in poor readability.

Therefore, the present invention prevents a bitmap image of a character generated in physical coordinates from being partially blackened due to contact between strokes in a character in which a plurality of vertical strokes and horizontal strokes are arranged. It is an object of the present invention to provide a character generating method and a character generating device capable of generating the character.

[0018]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention. According to a first aspect of the present invention, after converting outline font information expressing the outline of a character by coordinates into coordinate values of a coordinate system having a specified size, the outline font information is rounded to integer coordinate values, and the specified coordinates are rounded. In a character generation method for generating a bitmap image of a character having a size, for a character having a plurality of strokes of the same type, a total value of intervals between the plurality of strokes after the rounding processing is calculated. The method is characterized in that a line width of any one of the plurality of strokes is reduced when the total value is smaller than the number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of the strokes.

[0020] Claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that
The stroke for reducing the line width is a stroke other than the outermost stroke among the plurality of strokes, and the stroke has a line width of 2 pixels or more.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, in order to reduce the line width, an integer coordinate value after rounding the stroke is changed. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first, second or third aspect, information for designating a stroke for reducing the line width of the character is set together with the outline information of the character.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the outline font information expressing the outline of a character by coordinates is converted into coordinate values of a coordinate system of a designated size, and then rounded to integer coordinate values. In a character generation method for generating a bitmap image of a character having a designated size, for a character having a plurality of strokes of the same type, a total value of intervals between the plurality of strokes after the rounding process is calculated. Comparing the number of strokes minus one, and if the total value is smaller than the subtracted number, deleting any one of the plurality of strokes.

[0022] Claim 6 of the present invention is based on claim 5,
In addition to the outline information of the character, information for designating a stroke to delete the character is set.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a font memory 4 for storing outline font information in which a contour line of a character is represented by coordinates, and an outline font information of the designated character is read out from the font memory 4 to specify the designated font. After converting the coordinates into a coordinate value of a size coordinate system, the character developing device having a character developing unit 3 for rounding to an integer coordinate value and generating a bitmap image of the character of the designated size. The unit 3 calculates the total value of the intervals between the strokes after the rounding processing for a plurality of characters having the same type of stroke, compares the calculated value with the number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes, and When the value is smaller than the subtracted number, the line width of any of the plurality of strokes is reduced.

According to claim 8 of the present invention,
The character developing unit 3 is characterized in that the stroke is a stroke other than the outermost stroke among the plurality of strokes and the stroke width of the stroke is 2 pixels or more.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the seventh or eighth aspect, the character developing unit 3 is arranged to reduce the line width.
The method is characterized in that integer coordinate values after the stroke rounding processing are changed.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the seventh or eighth or ninth aspect, information specifying a stroke for reducing the line width of the character is set in the font memory 4 together with the outline information of the character. It is characterized by putting.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a font memory 4 for storing outline font information in which the outline of a character is represented by coordinates, and the outline font information of the specified character is read out from the font memory 4 to specify the specified font. After converting the coordinates into a coordinate value of a size coordinate system, the character developing device having a character developing unit 3 for rounding to an integer coordinate value and generating a bitmap image of the character of the designated size. The unit 3 calculates the total value of the intervals between the strokes after the rounding processing for a plurality of characters having the same type of stroke, compares the calculated value with the number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes, and When the value is smaller than the subtracted number, one of the plurality of strokes is deleted.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the eleventh aspect, information specifying a stroke to be deleted of the character is set in the font memory 4 together with outline information of the character.

[0029]

According to the first and seventh aspects of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, in order to determine whether or not the strokes after the rounding process are in contact with each other, first, the total value of the interval between the strokes after the rounding process is calculated. calculate.

On the other hand, since the minimum condition under which each stroke does not contact is that the interval is a number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes, the total value is compared with the subtracted number, and the total value is smaller than the subtracted number. At this time, it is determined that the strokes are in contact with each other, the line width of some of the strokes is reduced, the contact of the strokes is prevented, and the characters are prevented from being blackened.

In the second and eighth aspects of the present invention, in general, a character having a thick outermost stroke has higher legibility.
If the outermost stroke is not made thinner and a stroke having a width of one pixel is made thinner, the stroke disappears. Therefore, a stroke of two pixels or more is made thinner.

According to the third and ninth aspects of the present invention, the stroke can be easily made thin by changing the coordinates of the stroke before developing the bitmap image in order to make the target stroke thin.

According to the fourth and tenth aspects of the present invention, by setting a stroke for thinning the line width in advance, it is possible to specify a stroke that can maintain readability even if the stroke is made thin on a character design, and the line width can be easily thinned. Can recognize the stroke
It is possible to adjust the stroke according to the original character design.

According to the fifth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, in order to determine whether the strokes after the rounding process are in contact with each other, first, the total value of the interval between the strokes after the rounding process is calculated. calculate.

On the other hand, since the minimum condition under which each stroke does not touch is that the interval is a number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes, the total value is compared with the subtracted number, and the total value is smaller than the subtracted number. At this time, it is determined that the strokes are in contact with each other, and some of the strokes are deleted to prevent the strokes from contacting each other and to prevent the characters from being partially blackened.

According to the sixth and twelfth aspects of the present invention, by setting a stroke to be deleted in advance, it is possible to specify a stroke that can maintain readability even if it is deleted on a character design, and can easily recognize a stroke to be deleted. It is possible to adjust the stroke according to the original character design.

[0037]

【Example】

(a) Description of the configuration of one embodiment Fig. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 4 is a block diagram of a character expanding unit of one embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram (No. 1) and (No. 2) of a memory.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a receiving unit which receives a print command and print data from a host (such as a computer), and 2 denotes a command analyzing unit.
3 is a character developing unit that analyzes the meaning of the print command and the like received in step 2 and separates it into characters and figures, receives a character code, a character size, and a direction from the command analyzing unit 2, The character information is read out, and the character is developed into a bitmap image.
4 is a font storage memory for storing characters in an outline format.
This will be described later.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a drawing unit, which develops figures and images into bitmap images and superimposes the characters and figures developed into bitmap images,
A writing unit 6 for writing to the bitmap memory 6; a bitmap memory 6 for writing bitmap images of characters and figures by the drawing unit 5; a printing unit 7;
The data in the bitmap memory 6 is printed on paper.

In this operation, the print command and the print data received by the receiving unit 1 are analyzed in meaning by the command analyzing unit 2 and divided into characters and figures, and the figures and images are converted into bitmap images by the drawing unit 5. The characters are expanded, and the characters are expanded into a bitmap image of the designated character size by using the outline font information in the font storage memory 4 in the character expansion unit 3.

The drawing unit 5 superimposes the characters and figures developed on the bitmap image, and stores them in the bitmap memory 6.
And the data in the bitmap memory 6 is printed on paper by the printing unit 7.

Referring to FIG. 4, the details of the character expanding unit 3 will be described in the form of a block. Reference numeral 30 denotes a scaling calculator which converts character outline information corresponding to a character code from the font storage memory 4 into a designated character size. Numeral 31 denotes a hint processing unit which performs a scaling operation so that the data before and after the hint processing are stored for each stroke (hereinafter described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 14). In order to improve the character quality of the bitmap, rounding (hint) processing or the like is executed to adjust the stroke width and deletion.

Reference numeral 32 denotes a stroke interval calculator which calculates the interval between horizontal strokes or vertical strokes after the hint (rounding) process and the total value thereof, and 33 denotes a comparator which calculates the calculated stroke interval. Is compared with a value obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes to be inspected.

Numeral 34 denotes a determiner, which instructs the hint processing section 31 to reduce the stroke or delete the stroke when the comparison result indicates that the total value is smaller than the subtracted value. This is a surface-painting processing unit, which fills the inside of the outline with the outline information of the hint processing unit 31 to complete a bitmap image.

The character expanding section 3 is constituted by a processor, and these blocks 30 to 35 are functional blocks of software. This operation will be described. In the character expanding section 3, the designated character information (outline information) is searched from the font storage memory 4, and the enlargement / reduction operation unit 30 is set so as to have the designated size (size).
The hint processing unit 31 stores the coordinate data subjected to the scale conversion in the character expansion table, rounds this, calculates the coordinate data after the hint processing, and stores the coordinate data in the character expansion table.

This data is stored in a stroke interval calculator 32.
Is calculated, the interval between the horizontal strokes or the vertical strokes after the hint processing is calculated, and the total value of these intervals is calculated.

The comparator 33 is a stroke interval calculator 32
Is compared with the number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes to be inspected.
When the determination unit 34 determines that the total value is smaller than the value obtained by subtraction and that there is no white space between the strokes, the determination unit 34 informs the hint processing unit 31 of the remaining strokes excluding the two outer strokes. Is instructed to narrow or thin one of the lines.

In the case where the sum is equal to or greater than the subtracted value, the hint processing unit 31 passes the data after the hint processing to the surface painting unit 37 without performing any special processing. Is smaller than the value obtained by subtraction, the data after the hint processing in which the data after the rounding processing is changed is changed so that the line width of one of the remaining strokes except the two outer strokes is reduced or thinned out. It is created and passed to the face coating unit 37.

Finally, the inside of the contour line is filled in the face-painting section 37 as specified by the passed data, and the bitmap image is completed. The configuration of the font storage memory will be described with reference to FIGS.

Here, a storage method is employed in which characters are decomposed into a hierarchical structure, such as elements corresponding to bias and structure forming a character, strokes corresponding to the movement of a brush, and parts corresponding to a writing portion and an end portion. explain.

Further, for the purpose of reducing the amount of data, a structure information storage memory 4a shown in FIG. 5 for storing the hierarchical structure of the character and the characteristic data, and a contour information storage memory for storing the outline of the character decomposed into strokes or parts. 4b.

As shown in FIG. 5, the structure information storage memory 4a includes a header section 40 storing common information such as a character set type (Mincho style, Gothic style, etc.) and a creation date. Character pointer section 4 for finding information
1, an element pointer section 42 pointing to elements decomposed into bias or structure, and an element directory section 43 describing how each element has a structure.
Consists of

The element directory section 43 is composed of an element block 44 having a classification code of each element and a stroke block 45 in which detailed information of a stroke constituting the element is described.

The stroke block 45 includes a white space block as well as a part block in which a stroke classification code and information on the parts of the stroke (for example, the origin coordinates of each part viewed from the character coordinate system) are described. And information for controlling the interval between strokes is stored here.

The white space block has an X group number, a Y group number, a thinning code, and an erasure code.
When viewed in the direction, it indicates whether control of other strokes, intervals, and the like is required. When not necessary, “0” is entered, and when necessary, stroke control is required. The group number of the stroke group is entered.

For example, in the above-mentioned character "kanji", there are four horizontal strokes, which need to be controlled in the X direction, and so on, so that the same group number (for example, "1") is entered. I have.

Next, the Y group number indicates whether or not the stroke requires control such as an interval with another stroke when viewed in the Y direction.
“0” is entered, and when necessary, the group number of a stroke group that requires stroke control is entered.

For example, the kanji character "car" has five horizontal strokes, three of which require stroke control in the Y direction. Therefore, the same group number (for example, "1") is entered. I have.

Further, in order to prevent the line-to-line space from becoming too small and sticking to each other in the case of a typeface designed to be thick, a stroke whose code is "1" is used. It is provided for the purpose of keeping the distance between lines smaller than the original thickness.

The following erasure code is used when a character is developed into a considerably small bitmap, and when adjacent strokes are stuck together and the width is only one pixel and cannot be made thinner, this code is used. It is provided for the purpose of erasing the stroke of "1" and improving readability.

Whether or not the designated character has a stroke that requires adjustment is checked by sequentially reading the X group number and the Y group number in the white space block in the structure information storage memory 4a. "0"
If a number other than the above is entered, the line width and deletion of strokes having the same group number are adjusted.

Next, the outline information storage memory 4b has a data structure as shown in FIG. 6, for example, when characters are decomposed into parts. That is, the header section 46 storing common information such as the type of character set and the creation date.
A character pointer unit 47 for searching for target information from the character code, a part pointer unit 48 for searching for a part image constituting the designated character, and a contour information unit 49 in which the part image is described by a contour line.

The part pointer section 48 is provided with part pointers 1 to n in order of each stroke, and each of the part pointers 1 to n is provided with a flag indicating the end of the stroke.

For example, if the parts of one stroke are the parts pointers 1 and 2, a flag indicating the end of the stroke is set in the parts pointer 2 so that it is possible to determine which part each stroke corresponds to. .

In this way, each part of the outline information section 49 can be shared by a large number of characters only by providing the part pointer section 48 for each character, and the font memory can be reduced.

(B) Description of the First Embodiment FIG. 7 is a processing flowchart of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS.
FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of a character generation operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention (part 1) and (part 2), and FIG.

First, the operation of generating a character from the font memory 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, taking the Chinese character "car" as an example. As shown in FIG. 8, the character pointer unit 4 of the structure information storage memory 4a of the font memory 4
In step 1, a pointer to an element is obtained based on the character code "8ED4" of the kanji "car", and a pointer to an element block 44 in which structure information is stored is obtained in the element pointer section 42.

In the element block 44, FIG.
As shown in the figure, since the kanji character "car" is composed of eight strokes, information on the eight strokes constituting the kanji character "car" is described in the stroke block 45 next to the element classification code. Have been.

Here, an example in which the characters are arranged in the writing order is shown. The first stroke is a horizontal line,
The control code column having the horizontal line classification code "000010" and arranged in the order of the X group number, the Y group number, the thinning code, and the erasure code is "0100", and the group number of the stroke control in the Y direction is "1". Is set, and the thinning code and the erasure code are “0”.

The second stroke is a vertical line, has a classification code "000001", has a group number in the X direction, and similarly applies to the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh strokes in the Y direction. The fourth and eighth strokes have group numbers in the X direction.

Therefore, for the character "car", X
There are three adjustment stroke groups in the direction and five adjustment stroke groups in the Y direction. In the fifth stroke, since the thinning code is "1", if the horizontal lines are stuck together when the bitmap is developed in a typeface with a large line width and the space cannot be maintained, these line widths are reduced. It is controlled so as to keep the interval narrow.

Further, in the fifth stroke, the erasure code is “1”, and when a small bitmap image is generated, when the horizontal lines are adjacent to each other and become black,
This horizontal line is deleted to keep the space between the lines.

Therefore, in the structure information storage memory 4a, the contents of the corresponding stroke block 45 are derived from the character code of the character "car". Similarly, as shown in FIG. 9A, the pointer of the part pointer section 48 is obtained from the character pointer section 47 from the character code "8ED4" of the kanji "car", and the outline information section 49 is obtained from the part pointer section 48.
The corresponding contour information is extracted.

The enlargement / reduction operation unit 30 described with reference to FIG. 4 performs the enlargement / reduction operation on the outline information into outline information of the character size of the designated size. For example, to make the size of X 16 pixels and Y 16 pixels shown in FIG.
The contour information of a character represented by a coordinate system of 1000 is multiplied by 16/1000 in the X direction and 16/1000 in the Y direction.

The contour information thus calculated is sent to the hint processing section 31 of FIG. 4 together with the information of the stroke block 45.
Create a character expansion table of 0.

As shown in FIG. 10, the character development table includes, for each stroke constituting a character, the stroke number and the coordinates of the stroke before rounding processing (the X coordinate Xl on the left side of the line width of the vertical stroke, the vertical X coordinate Xr on the right side of stroke line width, Y coordinate Y on the lower side of horizontal stroke line width
b, the upper Y coordinate Yu of the horizontal stroke line width, the coordinates of the stroke after rounding (X coordinate Xl on the left side of the vertical stroke line width, X coordinate X on the right side of the vertical stroke line width)
r, lower Y coordinate Yb of the horizontal stroke line width, upper Y coordinate Yu of the horizontal stroke line width), group number (X, Y), thinning code (X, Y), erasing code (X ,
Y) and the outline information of the stroke.

Therefore, the hint processing section 31 stores the outline information calculated by the scaling calculator 30 in the outline information field of the corresponding stroke in the character expansion table, and the structure information of the stroke in the control code field (group number). (X, Y),
Are stored in the thinning code (X, Y) and the erasure code (X, Y)), and the coordinates of the stroke before rounding are obtained according to the outline information and the vertical stroke or the horizontal stroke. Store in the stroke coordinate field.

Further, the hint processing unit 31 performs a line width saving rounding process on the stroke coordinates before the rounding process,
The stroke coordinates after the rounding process are obtained and stored in the stroke coordinates column after the rounding process in the character development table.

This will be described with reference to an example in which the character “car” shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is converted into a 16 × 16 size shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG.
Is a horizontal stroke, and the Y coordinate Yb below the line width of the horizontal stroke and the Y coordinate Yu above the line width of the horizontal stroke are obtained from the coordinate information of the converted contour.
3.4 and 15.8, which are stored in the stroke column before rounding.

Then, when this processing is performed to save the line width, as shown in FIG. 1B, the Y coordinate Yb below the line width of the horizontal stroke of the first stroke 1 becomes “13”, and The Y coordinate Yu on the upper side of the stroke line width is “1”.
5 ", which is stored in the stroke field after rounding.

Hereinafter, similarly, the second strokes 2, 3
For the third stroke 4, the fourth stroke 4, the fifth stroke 5, the sixth stroke 6, the seventh stroke 7, the eighth stroke 8, the stroke coordinates before the rounding process, The stroke coordinates are obtained and stored in the character expansion table.

In this way, the character "car" before the rounding process becomes as shown in FIG. 1B by the rounding process. Using these data, the stroke interval calculator 32, the comparator 33, and the determiner 34 shown in FIG.
Is performed.

The hint processing unit 31 stores the font memory 4
The stroke block of the designated character element is read from the structure information storage memory 4a, and the character expansion table of FIG. 10 is created as described above together with the outline information of the scaling calculator 30.

The hint processing section 31 reads the group number column of the character development table, picks up the stroke group having the same group number, reads out the stroke coordinates after rounding the stroke groups, and passes them to the stroke interval calculator 32.

For example, in the case of the aforementioned Chinese character "car", stroke coordinates after rounding processing are read out from the character expansion table as strokes of three strokes 3, 5, and 6 as the same group.

The stroke interval calculator 32 calculates the stroke interval WS after the hint process from the stroke coordinates after the rounding process. In the example of FIGS. 1 and 10, FIG.
A1'-b1 and b1'-c1 are calculated, and a1 'is the lower Y coordinate Yb of stroke 3.
(= 10), and b1 is the upper Y coordinate Y of the stroke 5.
u (= 9), b1 ′ is the lower Y coordinate Yb (= 7) of the stroke 5, and c1 is the upper Y coordinate Yu (= 7) of the stroke 6, so that the stroke interval WS after the hint processing is performed. Is: WS = (a1′−b1) + (b1′−c1) = 10−9 + 7−7 = 1

Next, 1 is subtracted from the number of strokes N (= 3), and the number of white spaces required for N strokes is calculated as N-1 = 2. The comparator 33 calculates the stroke interval W from (N−1).
S is subtracted, and the result is notified to the decision unit 34.

The decision unit 34 decides whether the comparison result is “0” or positive. If the comparison result is “0” or positive, there is a white space between each stroke, so that thinning processing is not necessary. Proceed to step.

On the other hand, the judgment unit 34 determines that the comparison result is “0”.
Alternatively, if it is determined that the stroke is not positive and negative, it indicates that there is not enough space between the strokes and that adjacent strokes are in contact with each other, so that the hint processing unit 31 is instructed to perform a stroke thinning process.

Thus, the hint processing unit 31 checks the line widths of the target N strokes from the coordinate values after the rounding processing, extracts strokes having a line width of 2 pixels or more, and outputs a stroke having a line width of 2 pixels or more. If it is determined that there is no certain stroke, the process proceeds to the step because the thinning process cannot be performed.

When the hint processing section 31 finds a stroke having a line width of 2 pixels or more, the hint processing section 31 examines the thinning code field of the character expansion table and checks whether the thinning code is set in the stroke.

If the thinning code is not set for all the strokes having a line width of 2 pixels or more, the process proceeds to the step without performing the thinning process. The hint processing unit 31 subtracts 1 from the line width of the stroke in which the line width is 2 pixels or more and the thinning code is set.

That is, the coordinates of the stroke in the character expansion table after the rounding processing are changed so that the line width is reduced by one pixel. In the examples of FIGS. 1 and 10, the middle stroke 5 of the "day" portion of the character "car" has a line width of 2 pixels or more and a thinning code is set. “1” is added to the lower Y coordinate Yb after the rounding processing of the character expansion table, and the line width is reduced by one pixel as “8”.

In this way, the character "car" is
As shown in (C), the "day" portion of the character "car" is no longer crushed, and the visual impression approaches the original character image. Here, assuming that the strokes to be subjected to the thinning processing are other strokes except for the outermost two strokes, since the appearance impression is close to the original character image, the outer two strokes (here, the strokes) are used. , Strokes 3 and 6) are set with thinning codes in other strokes.

Next, the hint processing section 31 checks the group number column of the character expansion table to see if there is any unprocessed group number, and if there is, returns to the step. When determining that there is no unprocessed group number, the hint processing unit 31 checks whether or not the adjustment processing has been completed in both the X and Y directions.
It is determined whether all the elements of the character have been repeated. If all the elements have not been completed, the process returns to the step. If completed, the adjustment processing ends.

When the adjustment process is completed, the character developing unit 3
Then, the drawing unit 5 performs drawing based on the contents of the character development table to complete a bitmap image. In this manner, even if the reduced character "car" as shown in FIG.
By adjusting the stroke line width as in (C), a bitmap image close to the original character design can be obtained.

(C) Description of the Second Embodiment FIG. 11 is a processing flow chart of the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) and (part 2) of the character generation operation of the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a character expansion table of one embodiment of the present invention.

First, the kanji character "Kame" is used as an example in FIGS.
An operation of generating a character from the font memory 4 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, a character pointer section 41 of the structure information storage memory 4a of the font memory 4 obtains a pointer to an element based on the character code "8B54" of the kanji character "Kame", and further obtains an element pointer section 42. Then, a pointer to the element block 44 in which the structure information is stored is obtained.

In the element block 44, FIG.
As shown in (B), since the kanji character “Kame” is composed of 14 strokes, the 14 strokes constituting the kanji character “Kame” are included in the stroke block 45 next to the element classification code. Information is described.

Here, an example in which the characters are arranged in accordance with the writing order is shown. The first stroke is a diagonal line, has a diagonal line classification code, and a control code column arranged in the order of the X group number, the Y group number, the thinning code, and the erasure code is “0000”, and X, Y The group number of the direction stroke control is set to “0”, and the thinning code and the erasure code are also “0”.

The second stroke is a horizontal line, has a classification code, the group number of stroke control in the X and Y directions is set to "0", and the thinning code and the erasure code are also "0". .

As described above, in this character “Kame”, FIG.
, Strokes 9, 11, and 14 are assigned to a stroke adjustment group in the X direction, and strokes 5, 7, and 8 are assigned to a first stroke adjustment group in the Y direction.
0, 12, and 13 are set in the second stroke adjustment group in the Y direction.

Further, since the seventh stroke 7 and the twelfth stroke 12 have a thinning code of "1", when they are developed into a bitmap in a font having a large line width, the horizontal lines are stuck to each other and the interval is Is not controlled, the line width is controlled to be small and the interval is maintained.

Further, the seventh stroke 7 and the twelfth stroke 12 have an erasure code of “1”, and when a small bitmap image is generated, the horizontal lines are adjacent to each other. This horizontal line is deleted to keep the space between the lines.

Therefore, in the structure information storage memory 4a, the contents of the corresponding stroke block 45 are extracted from the character code of the character "Kame". Similarly, as shown in FIG. 13A, the pointer of the part pointer section 48 is obtained from the character pointer section 47 from the character code "8B54" of the kanji character "Kame", and the outline information section 4 is obtained from the part pointer section 48.
9 to extract corresponding contour information.

The enlargement / reduction operation unit 30 described with reference to FIG. 4 performs the enlargement / reduction operation on the outline information to obtain the outline information of the character size of the designated size. For example, to make the size of X 12 pixels and Y 12 pixels shown in FIG.
The contour information of a character represented by a coordinate system of 1000 is multiplied by 12/1000 in the X direction and 12/1000 in the Y direction.

The contour information thus calculated is sent to the hint processing section 31 of FIG. 4 together with the information of the stroke block 45.
4 is created.

As shown in FIG. 14, the character development table includes, for each stroke constituting a character, the stroke number, the coordinates of the stroke before rounding processing (the X coordinate Xl on the left side of the line width of the vertical stroke, the vertical X coordinate Xr on the right side of stroke line width, Y coordinate Y on the lower side of horizontal stroke line width
b, the upper Y coordinate Yu of the line width of the horizontal stroke, the coordinates of the stroke after rounding (X coordinate Xl on the left side of the line width of the vertical stroke, and the X coordinate X on the right side of the line width of the vertical stroke)
r, lower Y coordinate Yb of the horizontal stroke line width, upper Y coordinate Yu of the horizontal stroke line width), group number (X, Y), thinning code (X, Y), erasing code (X ,
Y) and the outline information of the stroke.

Therefore, the hint processing unit 31 stores the outline information calculated by the scaling calculator 30 in the outline information column of the corresponding stroke in the character expansion table, and the structure information of the stroke in the control code column (group number). (X, Y),
Are stored in the thinning code (X, Y) and the erasure code (X, Y)), and the coordinates of the stroke before rounding are obtained according to the outline information and the vertical stroke or the horizontal stroke. Store in the stroke coordinate field.

Further, the hint processing unit 31 performs a line width saving rounding process on the stroke coordinates before the rounding process,
The stroke coordinates after the rounding process are obtained and stored in the stroke coordinates column after the rounding process in the character development table.

This is shown in FIG. 12 and FIG.
2 will be described with reference to FIG. 2B. As shown in FIG. 13B, the second stroke 2 is a horizontal stroke. Yb below the line width of
When the upper Y coordinate Yu of the line width of the horizontal stroke is obtained,
These are 11.5 and 12.1, respectively, and are stored in the stroke field before rounding.

Then, when this processing is performed to save the line width, as shown in FIG. 2B, the Y coordinate Yb below the line width of the horizontal stroke of the second stroke 2 becomes “11”, and The Y coordinate Yu on the upper side of the stroke line width is “1”.
2 ", which is stored in the stroke field after rounding.

Hereinafter, similarly, the vertical and horizontal strokes excluding the diagonal lines 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 1
For 3 and 14, stroke coordinates before rounding processing,
The stroke coordinates after the rounding process are obtained and stored in the character development table.

In this way, the character “turtle” before the rounding process is changed to the one shown in FIG. 2B by the rounding process. Using these data, the stroke interval calculator 32, comparator 33, and determiner 34 in FIG.
One stroke deletion adjustment process is performed.

The hint processing section 31 stores the font memory 4
Then, the stroke block of the specified character element is read out from the structure information storage memory 4a, and the character expansion table of FIG.

The hint processing section 31 reads the group number column of the character development table, picks up the stroke groups having the same group number, reads out the stroke coordinates after rounding the stroke groups, and passes them to the stroke interval calculator 32.

For example, in the above example of the kanji character "Kame", the stroke coordinates after rounding processing are read out from the character expansion table as strokes of three strokes 5, 7, and 8 in the same group.

The stroke interval calculator 32 calculates the stroke interval WS after the hint process from the stroke coordinates after the rounding process. In the example of FIGS. 2 and 14, FIG.
A1'-b1 and b1'-c1 are calculated, and a1 'is the lower Y coordinate Yb of the stroke 5.
(= 9), and b1 is the upper Y coordinate Yu of the stroke 7.
(= 9), and b1 ′ is the lower Y coordinate Y of the stroke 7.
b (= 8), and c1 is the upper Y coordinate Y of the stroke 8.
Since u (= 8), the stroke interval WS after the hint processing is as follows: WS = (a1′−b1) + (b1′−c1) = 9−9 + 8−8 = 0.

Next, 1 is subtracted from the number of strokes N (= 3), and the number of white spaces required for N strokes is calculated as N-1 = 2. The comparator 33 calculates the stroke interval W from (N−1).
S is subtracted, and the result is notified to the decision unit 34.

The determination unit 34 determines whether the comparison result is “0” or positive. If the comparison result is “0” or positive, there is no white space between the strokes, and the erasing process is not required. Proceed to.

On the other hand, the judgment unit 34 determines that the comparison result is “0”.
Alternatively, if it is determined that the stroke is not positive but negative, it indicates that there is not enough space between the strokes and adjacent strokes are in contact, and the hint processing unit 31 is instructed to delete the stroke.

As a result, the hint processing unit 31 checks the thinning code field of the character expansion table to determine whether the erasure code is set for the target strokes 5, 7, and 8. If the erasure code is not set for all the target strokes, the process proceeds to the step without performing the erasure process.

When finding a stroke having an erasure code, the hint processing section 31 thins out the stroke. That is, in the Y direction, the coordinates of the lower side and the upper side of the character expansion table after the rounding processing of the stroke are the same.

In the examples shown in FIGS. 2 and 14, the erasure code is set in the middle stroke 7 of the "day" portion above the character "turtle". "1" is added to the lower Y coordinate Yb after,
The line width is set to "9" and the line width is set to "0".

In this way, the character "turtle" is displayed in FIG.
As shown in (C), the "day" portion on the character "turtle" is not broken, and the visual impression is closer to the original character image.

Here, assuming that the strokes to be erased are other strokes than the outermost two strokes, since the appearance impression is close to the original character image, the outer two strokes ( Here, an erasure code is set in other strokes except for the strokes 5 and 8).

Next, the hint processing section 31 checks the group number column of the character expansion table to see if there is any unprocessed group number, and if there is, returns to the step. When it is determined that there is no unprocessed group number, the hint processing unit 31 checks whether the adjustment processing has been completed in both the X and Y directions, and if not completed, returns to the step.
It is determined whether all the elements of the character have been repeated. If all the elements have not been completed, the process returns to the step. If completed, the adjustment processing ends.

When the adjustment process is completed, the character developing unit 3
Then, the drawing unit 5 performs drawing based on the contents of the character development table to complete a bitmap image. In this way, even the reduced character “Kame” as shown in FIG.
By adjusting the stroke line width as in (C), a bitmap image close to the original character design can be obtained.

(D) Description of Other Embodiments In addition to the above-described embodiments, the present invention can be modified as follows. In the first embodiment, the kanji "car" has been described.
The present invention can also be applied to those in which vertical strokes such as the kanji characters “to” and “bear” are arranged.

[0130] In the second embodiment, the "day" portion above the kanji "Kame" has been described. However, the "day" portion below can also be verified. Can be applied to those in which vertical strokes or horizontal strokes are arranged.

By combining the first embodiment and the second embodiment, if the line width is 2 pixels or more, the thinning processing of the first embodiment is performed. If the line width is not 2 pixels, the second line is used. The erasing process of the embodiment may be performed.

As the outline information, the origin of the part in the character coordinate system may be set, and expressed as a relative position from the origin. Although the font memory has been described in the part division system, the stroke memory may be used.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments.
Various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention, and these are not excluded from the scope of the present invention.

[0134]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The following effects are obtained. A bitmap that reproduces the original character design by preventing the line from being blackened even if it is reduced to reduce the line width of the rounded stroke or erase the stroke when the stroke is in contact You can get the image.

The total value of the intervals between the strokes after the rounding process is calculated and compared with the number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes. If the total value is smaller than the number obtained by subtracting the stroke, it is determined that the strokes are in contact. Since the determination is made and the line width of some of the strokes is reduced or eliminated, it can be realized by a simple calculation, and can be realized without significantly lowering the character generation speed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram (part 1) of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a principle diagram (part 2) of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a character developing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram (part 1) of a font memory according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram (part 2) of a font memory according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a processing flowchart of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating a character generation operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating a character generation operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a character expansion table according to the first embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 11 is a processing flowchart of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating a character generation operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating a character generation operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a character expansion table according to the second embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of a conventional technique.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of Signs] 3 Character development unit 4 Font storage memory 5 Drawing unit 6 Bitmap memory 30 Enlargement / reduction operation unit 31 Hint processing unit 32 Stroke interval operation unit 33 Comparator 34 Judge unit 35 Surface painting processing unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Taketomi Otomo 193-3-1, Kita 21-Jyohigashi, Higashi-ku, Sapporo-shi, Hokkaido Inside the Otomo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Antonio Hermann Rionerstrasse, Germany 14, frankfurt 71 inside Fuji-Gland Germany GmbH (56) References JP-A-3-137697 (JP, A) JP-A-4-360196 (JP, A) JP-A-6-110438 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G09G 5/00-5/40 B41J 2/485 B41J 5/30 G06F 3/12 G06F 3/14-3/153

Claims (12)

(57) [Claims] 1. After converting outline font information representing the outline of a character by coordinates into a coordinate value of a coordinate system of a specified size, rounding processing is performed to an integer coordinate value, and the character of the specified size is converted. In the character generation method of generating a bitmap image of the above, for a character having a plurality of strokes of the same type, a total value of the intervals between the plurality of strokes after the rounding process is calculated, and from the number of strokes A character generation method, comprising: comparing the number obtained by subtracting 1; and, when the total value is smaller than the number obtained by subtracting 1, reducing the line width of any one of the plurality of strokes. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stroke for reducing the line width is a stroke other than the outermost one of the plurality of strokes, and the stroke has a line width of 2 pixels or more. Claim 1
Character generation method. 3. The character generation method according to claim 1, wherein an integer coordinate value after rounding of the stroke is changed to reduce the line width. 4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:
4. The character generation method according to claim 1, wherein information for designating a stroke for reducing the line width of the character is set. 5. After converting outline font information expressing the outline of a character by coordinates into a coordinate value of a coordinate system of a specified size, rounding processing is performed to an integer coordinate value, and the character of the specified size is converted. In the character generation method of generating a bitmap image of the above, for a character having a plurality of strokes of the same type, a total value of the intervals between the plurality of strokes after the rounding process is calculated, and from the number of strokes A character generation method comprising: comparing one of the plurality of strokes with a number obtained by subtracting one from the number of strokes; 6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:
6. The character generation method according to claim 5, wherein information for designating a stroke from which the character is to be deleted is set. 7. A font memory (4) for storing outline font information representing the outline of a character by coordinates,
The outline font information of the designated character is read from the font memory (4), converted into the coordinate value of the coordinate system of the designated size, rounded to an integer coordinate value, and the character of the designated size is read out. A character developing unit (3) for generating a bitmap image, wherein the character developing unit (3) is provided for a character having a plurality of strokes of the same type, between the strokes after the rounding process. The total value of the intervals is calculated and compared with the number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes, and when the total value is smaller than the number obtained by subtracting,
A character generating apparatus characterized in that any one of the plurality of strokes has a reduced line width. 8. The character developing section (3) reduces a line width of a stroke other than the outermost one of the plurality of strokes and has a line width of 2 pixels or more. 8. The character generation device according to claim 7, wherein: 9. The character generation method according to claim 7, wherein the character developing unit changes the integer coordinate value after the stroke rounding processing to reduce the line width. 10. The font memory according to claim 7, wherein information specifying a stroke for reducing the line width of the character is set together with outline information of the character. Character generator. 11. A font memory (4) for storing outline font information in which the outline of a character is represented by coordinates.
And read out the outline font information of the designated character from the font memory (4), convert it to the coordinate value of the coordinate system of the designated size, and round the integer coordinate value to obtain the coordinates of the designated size. A character developing unit (3) for generating a bitmap image of a character, wherein the character developing unit (3) is configured to convert a stroke having a plurality of strokes of the same type into a stroke after the rounding process. Calculate the total value of the intervals between and compare it with the number obtained by subtracting 1 from the number of strokes, and when the total value is smaller than the number obtained by subtraction,
A character generating apparatus for deleting any one of the plurality of strokes. 12. The character generation method according to claim 11, wherein information specifying a stroke to be deleted of the character is set in the font memory together with outline information of the character.