JPS645309B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (a) Technical Field of the Invention The present invention includes a character pattern generator that generates character patterns including ruled lines, and is capable of outputting character patterns by changing character spacing or line spacing. The present invention relates to character output devices such as electrophotographic printing devices and character display devices.

(b) Background of the Technology Electrophotographic printing devices, typified by laser printers, are usually equipped with a character pattern generator that stores and generates character patterns for each character type using a matrix of pixels. It raster-scans and outputs the character pattern generated pixel by pixel, but in addition to the usual patterns, it also has ruled line patterns such as 〓, 〓, 〓, 〓, 〓, --, ｜, etc. By appropriately combining these patterns, desired ruled lines can be output.

Laser printers also allow various spacings to be set between characters and between character lines, but in such cases, you can simply output a ruled line pattern in the same way as when outputting regular characters. Since it is not possible to obtain continuous and complete ruled lines,
A separate insertion pattern is created and used to connect the character patterns for ruled lines.

FIGS. 1a and 1b are explanatory diagrams of printing methods when character spacing and character line spacing are not provided, and when character spacing and character line spacing are provided, respectively. 2 is a --shaped ruled line character pattern, 3 is a |-shaped ruled line character pattern, 4 is a normal character pattern, and a is the horizontal width of each character pattern, b is the vertical width of each character pattern, c indicates the character spacing, and d indicates the character line spacing. Also, the portions indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1b are the portions connected by the insertion pattern.

(c) Prior art and problems Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a conventional example used to connect character patterns for ruled lines when providing character spacing or character line spacing in a laser printer, etc. upper control device,
6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are components of the laser printer, and 6 stores the character code sent from the host controller 5, and the character pattern corresponding to the character code in pattern generation record 7, which will be described later, is stored. 7 is a character pattern generator that stores and generates character patterns for each character type corresponding to the character code using dot-shaped pixels arranged in a matrix; 8 is a host control device; 9 is an identification unit that identifies whether or not the character code sent from 5 is for a character pattern for a ruled line, and in the case of a character pattern for a ruled line, its type by comparing it with a collation table; When the character code sent from the control device 5 corresponds to a character pattern for ruled lines, a pattern generation unit generates an insertion pattern for filling the character spacing or character line spacing; 10 is the host control device 5; If the character code sent from the input character corresponds to a character pattern for ruled lines, this register stores a composite pattern obtained by combining the character pattern for ruled lines and the insertion pattern.

In other words, in conventional laser printers,
From the character code sent from the host controller 5, the start address of the pattern generator 7 in which the character pattern corresponding to the character code is stored is determined using the conversion table 6, and each time the character code is It is necessary to use a table or the like to check whether the pattern is for a character pattern for ruled lines or not, and if it is a character pattern for ruled lines, what type it is, using a table or the like, which takes time and makes it impossible to increase the printing speed. It was hot.

(d) Object of the Invention The object of the present invention is to increase the character output speed in a character output device such as an electrophotographic printing device or a character display device.

(e) Structure of the Invention This object is to provide a character output device that outputs an M×N dot matrix pattern at predetermined intervals based on given character spacing and line spacing information, and to A character pattern that stores the address of a character pattern generator that stores the corresponding pattern and identification bit information that indicates whether or not the character code corresponds to a ruled line pattern, and that corresponds to the character code given by the host device. A conversion table that outputs the generator address and identification bit information, and a ruled line and character pattern composed of an M×N dot matrix.
A character pattern generator that allocates and stores a different address for each pattern, receives the address output from the conversion table and outputs the corresponding pattern, and a character pattern generator for filling blank areas formed between ruled line patterns. an insertion pattern generator that stores an insertion pattern, receives the character spacing, line spacing information, and identification bit information, and generates a corresponding insertion pattern, and outputs from the character pattern generator and the insertion pattern generator. This is achieved by a character output device characterized by combining and outputting patterns.

(f) Embodiments of the Invention The gist of the present invention will be specifically explained below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same symbols as in FIG. 2 refer to the same objects, and 11, 7, 9, and 10 are the components of the laser printer. 11 stores the character code sent from the upper control device 5, and an identification bit for identifying whether or not the character code corresponds to a character pattern used as a ruled line component, and the character pattern. This is a conversion table for converting into data consisting of the start address of the character pattern generator 7 that is located in the character pattern generator 7.
This is created in advance at the time of initial program loading along with writing.

The print content is given by a character code from the host control device 5, and together with this, an instruction is given as to whether or not to provide character spacing or character line spacing.

The conversion table 11 includes an identification bit 12 for each character code given from the host controller 5, which identifies whether or not the character code corresponds to a character pattern used as a ruled line component, as shown in FIG. and bit 13 representing the start address on the character pattern generator 7 where the character pattern is stored and output.

Character pattern generator 7 generates the character pattern indicated by the output of conversion table 11.

On the other hand, the insertion pattern generator 9 determines whether or not the character pattern generated by the character pattern generator 7 is a ruled line character pattern based on the identification bit 12 in the output data of the conversion table 11. It is checked whether an instruction to set character spacing or character line spacing is given from the host control device 5, and if necessary, an insertion pattern for connecting character patterns for ruled lines is generated.

The character pattern for ruled lines generated by the character pattern generator 7 and the insertion pattern generated by the insertion pattern generator 9 are combined and stored in the register 10, and then the print unit (not shown) is controlled by the print control unit (not shown). (not shown) and printing is performed.

According to the above embodiment, the insertion pattern generator 9
determines whether the character code sent from the host controller 5 corresponds to the character pattern for ruled lines.
Identification bit 1 in the conversion table prepared in advance
2, it can be immediately determined. Therefore, printing speed can be significantly increased.

(g) Effects of the Invention As explained above, according to the present invention, the effect of increasing the character output speed in a character output device such as an electrophotographic printing device or a character display device can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of printing ruled lines in a laser printer, Fig. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional example, Fig. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a configuration diagram of output data of a conversion table. be. In the figure, 1, 2, and 3 are character patterns for ruled lines, 4 is a normal character pattern, 7 is a character pattern generator,
9 is an insertion pattern generator, and 11 is a conversion table.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a character output device that outputs an M×N dot matrix pattern at predetermined intervals based on given character spacing and line spacing information, for each character code, the character code The address of the character pattern generator that stores the pattern corresponding to the pattern and the identification bit information indicating whether or not the character code corresponds to the ruled line pattern are stored, and the character corresponding to the character code given by the host device is stored. A conversion table for outputting address and identification bit information of a pattern generator; and a conversion table for storing ruled line and character patterns composed of M×N dot matrices by assigning a different address to each pattern; a character pattern generator that receives an address output from the character pattern generator and outputs a corresponding pattern; and a character pattern generator that stores an insertion pattern for filling a blank area formed between ruled line patterns, and stores the character spacing, line spacing information, and identification bits. An insertion pattern generator that receives information and generates a corresponding insertion pattern, and combines and outputs patterns output from the character pattern generator and the insertion pattern generator. .