JPH04235594A - Character generation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To generate characters having blurs as if the characters are written with a brush. CONSTITUTION:Character pattern data are constituted with position information of the frame address Pi, line width information of the frame address Pi, and density information of the frame address Pi. A one-dimensional threshold value matrix 51 for creating a blurred pattern is created and stored. A one-dimensional blurred pattern 53 is created from the threshold value matrix 51 and the density information of the frame address. If the size of the threshold value matrix is different from the line width, enlarging or contracting process is performed. The blurred patterns 53 formed for every frame address in this way are synthesized to generate a blurred character. The blurred characters can be generated with a small capacity of memory so as to cope with the changes in the line width.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a character generation method, and more particularly to a character generation method for generating a character pattern that is blurred like characters written with a brush.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art In order to generate blurred characters as shown in FIG. 2 using various output devices such as laser printers and display devices, (1). To store a character pattern with blur as character pattern data, including the blur. (2). As in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-229376, density information is given to the character pattern and compared with a separately generated random number. If the density value is large, one dot is set to black, and if the density value is small, one dot is set to white. There were other methods.

0003

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in method (1), a. Memory capacity becomes huge b. There were inconveniences such as inability to handle processing such as scaling. Also, in method (2), a. Since random numbers are used, the overall appearance is rough, and the blur pattern is not linear. b. The blurring is uniform throughout the line width and there is no sharpness. c. Since random numbers are used, areas where you want the black to be darker will also be blurred. There were other problems.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention has been made based on the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a character generation method that generates blurred characters from density information without increasing the amount of character data. The purpose and characteristics are:
A threshold pattern in which gradation information is arranged one-dimensionally in m dots,
A plurality of density information Di (i=1, 2
, . . . , n) to generate blurred characters by sequentially creating blurring patterns.

[0005]

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a processing flow showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a device suitable for carrying out the present invention.

In FIG. 3, 31 is a CPU, 32 is a system bus, and 33 is a character pattern storage section that stores character pattern data. In this embodiment, the character pattern data is composed of information illustrated in FIG. 4, for example.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating character pattern data representing one stroke of a character pattern. At the beginning comes a data length 41 indicating the total length of the data. This is followed by skeleton point information 1, 2, . . . , n, and finally an end code 42.

Each skeleton point information basically consists of (1). X coordinate value Xi of skeleton point Pi (2). Y coordinate value Yi of skeleton point Pi (3). Line width information Wi(4) at skeleton point Pi. It is composed of density information Di at the skeleton point Pi. Concentration information D
i is determined in consideration so that when a faded pattern is created based on a threshold pattern to be described later, a faded character will be in a suitable state for each skeleton point.

Reference numeral 34 denotes a faded character generating section, which performs processing for generating faded characters using the character pattern data stored in the character pattern storage section 33.

Reference numeral 35 denotes a threshold pattern storage section which stores information on a one-dimensional threshold pattern 51 as shown in FIG. 5(1), which is used to create a blur pattern by comparing with the density information Di. FIG. 5(1) is an example configured with threshold values 52 of 16 gradations. This threshold pattern 51 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 5(1), and the number of gradations, arrangement of threshold values, etc. can be arbitrarily determined.

FIG. 5(2) shows a blur pattern when the density is "7", created according to the threshold pattern 51 of FIG. 5(1). Figure 5 (3) shows that the density is from “12” to “7”.
This is an example of combining the respective blur patterns when the image changes to ``.''.

Reference numeral 36 denotes an enlarged conversion table, the details of which will be described later. Reference numeral 37 denotes a bitmap memory for bit-expanding the blur pattern generated by the blur character generation section 34, 38 a display section for displaying blur characters, etc., and 39 a printer for outputting blur characters.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be explained using FIGS. 1 and 3. In the following, a case will be described in which a blur pattern of one stroke of a character is generated.

First, the CPU 31 reads out the information of the threshold pattern 51 as shown in FIG.
4 (Fig. 1S1). In this embodiment, the threshold pattern 51
A case will be described in which the width (size) of is configured with 16 dots as shown in FIG. 5(1).

The faded character generation unit 34 reads out one skeleton point information i of a character pattern for creating a faded character from the character pattern storage unit 33 (S2).

Next, the blurred character generation unit 34 compares each threshold value 52 of the threshold value pattern 51 with the density information Di of the skeleton point information i, and sets the bit with the larger density information Di to "1", as shown in FIG. 5(2). A 16-dot source pattern (faint pattern) 53 illustrated in (S3) is created.

Next, the blurred character generating section 34 compares the size of the source pattern 53 and the line width Wi of the skeleton point information i (S4).

As a result of the comparison, if the two match, the source
The spacing pattern 53 is directly output to the position indicated by the X coordinate Xi and Y coordinate Yi of the skeleton point Pi of the skeleton point information i in the bitmap memory 37 (S7).

On the other hand, as a result of comparing the size of the source pattern 53 and the line width Wi of the skeleton point information i, if the line width Wi is smaller than the size of the source pattern 53, the reduction process is performed on the source pattern 53. Then, a reduced pattern is created (S5).

On the other hand, when the line width Wi is larger, an enlargement process is performed on the source pattern 53 to create an enlarged pattern (S6).

The reduction process in S5 will now be explained.

FIG. 6 is a processing flow showing the reduction processing in S5 in detail. Here, the size of the source pattern 53 is A, the size of the line width Wi is B, and the least common multiple of A and B is C.
The following explanation will be given using an example in which a 16-dot source pattern is reduced to a 12-dot reduced pattern.

First, the blur character generation unit 34 multiplies each dot of the source pattern 53 by (C/A).
A temporary pattern 71 as shown as 71 in FIG. 7 is created (S51 in FIG. 6). In this example, C/A=3, so
As shown in FIG. 7, a temporary pattern 71 of 48 dots is created by multiplying each dot of the source pattern 53 by three.

Next, (C/B) dots are read out from the temporary pattern 71 (S52). In this embodiment, since C/B=4, four dots are read out from the provisional pattern 71 as shown in FIG.

Next, the ratio of white dots to black dots of the read (C/B) dots is determined (S53), and the number of black dots is 50.
% or more, the dot in the reduced pattern is set as a black dot (S54), and if it is less than 50%, the dot is set as a white dot (S55).

The processes of S52 to S55 are repeated (S56) to create a 12-dot reduced pattern 72 as shown as 72 in FIG.

Next, the enlargement process shown in FIG. 1S6 will be explained.

FIG. 8 is a processing flow showing the enlargement processing in detail. Here, the size of the source pattern 53 is A, the line width W
The size of i is B, and the source pattern of 16 dots is 2.
The following explanation will be given using, as an example, the case of enlarging to a 4-dot enlarged pattern.

First, the blurred character generating section 34 calculates how many times the source pattern 53 should be multiplied in order to create an enlarged pattern (S61 in FIG. 8). That is, calculate (B/A) and let C be the integer part of the quotient. When expanding from 16 dots to 24 dots, C=1.

Next, the number D of dots remaining from (B/A) is determined (S62). When enlarging to 24 dots, (B-
A×C)=D(=8).

Next, the enlarged conversion table 36 illustrated in FIG.
One allocated bit is read from the address indicated by the remaining number of dots D in a (S63). The enlargement conversion table 36a in FIG.
is the address 91, and the allocated bit 9 is the same size as the source pattern 53, that is, 16 bits in the case of this embodiment.
2 is data. If the kth bit of this allocated bit is "1", the kth dot of the source pattern 53 is enlarged to (C+1) dots, and if it is "0", it is enlarged to C dots to create an enlarged pattern. It means that.

The blurred character generating unit 34 determines whether the k-th bit read from the enlarged conversion table 36a is "1" (S64). In this example, D=8, so
The determination is made by reading the kth 1 bit from address 8 of the enlarged conversion table 36a.

If the read bit is "1", the k-th dot of the source pattern 53 is enlarged to (C+1) dots to create an enlarged pattern (S65). That is, in this embodiment, the k-th dot of the source pattern 53 is
Multiply to create 2 dots of the enlarged pattern.

On the other hand, if the read bit is "0",
The corresponding dot of the source pattern 53 is enlarged to a C dot to create an enlarged pattern (S66). That is, in this embodiment, one dot of the source pattern 53 is directly used as one dot of the enlarged pattern.

[0035] When the above steps S63 to S66 are completed,
The next (k+1)th 1 bit is read from the allocation bit 92 of address D of the enlargement conversion table 36a and the same process is repeated (S67) to create an enlarged pattern 101 as shown in FIG.

Next, another embodiment of the enlargement process will be described. In this embodiment, the expansion conversion table 36 includes an expansion bit table 36b shown in FIG. 11 in addition to the table 36a shown in FIG.

The expanded bit table 36b shown in FIG. 11 has an 8-bit address 111. Of the 8 bits,
The upper 2 bits are the expanding dot j of the source pattern 53
and the next dot j+1, and the lower 6 bits are the number of dots in the enlarged pattern to which one dot of the source pattern corresponds (
magnification rate).

The enlarged bit table 36b stores an enlarged pattern 112 of the number of dots indicated by the lower six bits of the address in correspondence with the address 111, as shown in FIG.

This embodiment differs from the previous embodiment in that the processing for generating enlarged patterns in S65 and S66 of FIG. 8 is performed as follows.

First, the dot j to be enlarged and the next dot j+1 are read out from the source pattern 53. When dot j of the source pattern is the last dot, the first dot of the source pattern is selected as the j+1 dot.

An enlarged pattern corresponding to a total of 8 bits of address, with the 2 dots as the upper 2 bits and the number of dots (enlargement rate) of the enlarged pattern as the lower 6 bits, is read from the enlarged bit table 36b in FIG.

For example, if the dots j, j+1 read from the source pattern are "10" and the number of dots in the enlarged pattern is 2 dots, "10" is read from the address "10000010" as the enlarged pattern for the dot "1". .

As described above, the dot j of the source pattern
When enlarging , the dot j and the next dot j+1 are read out and enlarged according to the enlargement bit table 36b.

As described above, when enlarging in the previous embodiment, the corresponding dot of the source pattern was simply enlarged, whereas
In this embodiment, the state of the next bit is reflected and expanded. Therefore, when enlarged to a particularly large magnification (that is, when the line width is thick), the 16-dot source pattern 53 to 4 in FIG.
As exemplified in the case where an 8-dot enlarged pattern 121 is created, it is possible to generate a fine blur pattern with a nearly constant absolute blur density.

The reduced pattern and enlarged pattern created in S5 and S6 of FIG. 1 as described above are stored in the bitmap memory 3.
X coordinate Xi, Y coordinate Y of skeleton point Pi of skeleton point information i of 7
It is output to the position indicated by i (S7).

After completing the process of creating a blur pattern at one skeleton point Pi through the processes of S2 to S7, the next process is to perform the process at skeleton point Pi+1. This process is performed for all skeleton points of one stroke (S8)
.

By creating a blur pattern as described above, the display section 38 or printer 39 can output faded characters similar to those written with a brush.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. Although the above embodiment is an example in which the stroke is in the horizontal direction, it can be similarly implemented in the vertical direction or diagonal direction.

Furthermore, the way of holding character pattern data is not limited to the above-mentioned method.

Furthermore, the present invention not only solves the problem of blurred characters, but also makes it possible to round the edges of characters by devising density information and threshold patterns, or to create so-called "scales" in Mincho fonts at the right end of lines. It is also possible to generate characters with ``.

[0051]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention,
Without increasing the amount of character data to be memorized,
It is possible to generate blurred characters similar to those written with a brush, which was previously impossible. Furthermore, the pattern can be varied in a variety of ways by appropriately changing the threshold pattern. It also has the advantage of being able to flexibly respond to changes in the line width of characters.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Figure 1] Processing flow showing an embodiment of the present invention

[Figure 2]
Diagram illustrating blurred text

[Fig. 3] A diagram showing an example of a device suitable for carrying out the present invention.

[Figure 4] Diagram illustrating character pattern data

[Figure 5]
Diagram illustrating threshold patterns etc.

[Figure 6] Processing flow showing detailed reduction processing

[Figure 7] Explanatory diagram of reduction processing

[Figure 8] Process flow showing enlargement processing in detail

[Figure 9]
A diagram showing an example of an enlarged conversion table

[Figure 10]
Diagram illustrating an enlarged pattern

[Figure 11] Diagram showing an expanded bit table

[Figure 12] Explanatory diagram of enlargement processing

[Explanation of symbols]

33 Character pattern storage section 34 Faint character occurrence part 35 Threshold pattern storage unit 36 Enlargement conversion table 37 Bitmap memory

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A threshold pattern in which gradation information is arranged one-dimensionally in m dots, and a plurality of density information Di of character pattern data.
(i=1, 2, . . . , n), and generates blurred characters by sequentially creating blurring patterns. Claim 2: At least skeleton points Pi (i=1, 2,...,
In the character generation method for generating blurred characters from character pattern data having position information Xi, Yi, line width information Wi, and density information Di in n), a threshold pattern in which m dots of gradation information are arranged one-dimensionally, and a character An m-dot fading pattern is created based on the density information Di of the skeleton point Pi of the pattern data, and the size of the m-dot fading pattern and the line width information Wi is compared, and when both are the same, it is a fading pattern. For each skeleton point Pi, output a reduced pattern as is, create a reduced pattern when the line width information Wi is small, and create and output an enlarged pattern from the faded pattern when the line width information Wi is large. A character generation method characterized by generating blurred characters.