JPH04361077A - Device for generating data on distance between characters - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention is incorporated into a print processing device that prints characters on a print medium, a display processing device that displays characters on a display, etc.
The present invention relates to an inter-character distance data generation device that generates inter-character distance data when displaying adjacent characters.

0002

[Prior Art] Conventionally, in this type of device, distance data between characters when displaying adjacent characters is either a value stored for each character (proportional pitch) or a certain value (fixed pitch). It was configured to generate from the value determined by .

[0003] Furthermore, expensive printing output machines store distance data between characters for each combination of characters.

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, the distance data between characters generated from the values stored for each character does not measure the distance from the position where that character is displayed to the display position of the next character following it. Therefore, when displaying a character string, the distance between characters is the same no matter which character comes after a certain character, so if the combination of characters is different, the shape of the character that comes after it will be different. This caused the problem that the spaces between the letters appeared to be stuck together or separated, making it extremely difficult to read.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and when displaying adjacent characters, inter-character distance data is obtained from stored feature information of the outline of the characters. By calculating, the first objective is to obtain inter-character distance data that makes the appearance of character spacing uniform depending on the combination of characters.

Furthermore, when displaying adjacent characters, feature information of the outline of the character is calculated from the shape information of the character and stored, and furthermore, character spacing is calculated from the feature information of the outline of the character. By calculating the distance data, even if the feature information of the character outline is not memorized, from the minimum necessary character shape information, the characters can be created with uniform character spacing based on the combination of characters. The second purpose is to obtain distance data.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve this object, the inter-character distance data generation device of the present invention includes, as a first configuration, character contour feature information that stores feature information of the contour shape of a character. The apparatus includes a storage means, and an inter-character distance data calculation means for calculating inter-character distance data from character contour shape characteristic information stored by the character contour characteristic information storage means. In addition to the first configuration, the second configuration includes a character shape information storage unit that stores character shape information for displaying characters, and a character shape information storage unit that stores character shape information for displaying characters, and a character shape information storage unit that stores character shape information for displaying characters. The character outline feature information calculating means for calculating the features of the outline, and the character outline feature information storage means for storing the features of the character outline calculated by the character outline feature information calculating means are provided.

[0008]

[Operation] In the inter-character distance data generation device of the present invention having the above-mentioned first configuration, the inter-character distance data is calculated from the character outline information stored in the character outline information storage means by By calculating the data, it is possible to obtain character distance data that makes the character spacing uniform in appearance when a combination of characters is output.

In the inter-character distance data generation device of the present invention having the above-mentioned second configuration, characteristic information of the outline of the character is calculated from the character shape information stored in the character shape storage means, and When outputting a combination of characters by storing in a contour information storage means and calculating intercharacter distance data by the character distance data calculation means from the contour information of the characters stored in the character contour information storage means. , it is possible to obtain character distance data that makes the character spacing uniform in appearance.

0010

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

In the embodiment, a case will be explained in which the distance data between two adjacent characters is calculated.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment having the configuration according to claim 1 of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the CPU 1 has two adjacent
It includes an inter-character distance data calculation unit 1a that calculates inter-character distance data from character outline feature information of one character. memory 2
has a built-in program that drives the CPU 1, and stores a character code storage section 2a that stores character codes of two adjacent characters to be displayed, and intercharacter distance data calculated by the intercharacter distance data calculation section 1a. It includes an inter-character distance data storage section 2b and a character contour feature information storage section 2c that stores character contour feature information.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an embodiment having the configuration according to claim 2 of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the CPU 1
The character contour feature information calculation unit 1b calculates the contour characteristics of each character from the character shape information of one character, and the character contour feature information calculation unit 1b calculates intercharacter distance data from two pieces of character contour feature information calculated from the character contour feature information calculation unit 1b. and an inter-character distance data calculation unit 1a that calculates the distance between characters. The memory 2 includes a built-in program that drives the CPU 2, and includes a character code storage unit 2a that stores codes of two adjacent characters, and a character code storage unit 2a that stores the character distance data calculated by the character distance data calculation unit 1a. a distance data storage section 2b, a character contour feature information storage section 2c that stores contour feature information of two adjacent characters calculated by the character contour feature information calculation section 1b, and a character shape information storage section that stores shape information of characters. and an information storage section 2d.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the character distance data generating device having the configuration shown in FIG.

First, in S301, the character code storage section 2a
The character outline feature information of the character code preceding the adjacent character string stored in is acquired from the character outline feature information storage section 2c. Next, in S302, the character outline feature information of the character code after the adjacent character string stored in the character code storage unit 2a is acquired from the character outline feature information storage unit 2c. Next, in S303, distance data between two characters is calculated from the contour information of two adjacent characters obtained in S301 and S302. Then, in S304, the calculated inter-character distance data is stored in the inter-character distance data storage section 2b. Through the above operations, distance data between two adjacent characters can be generated. Furthermore, by repeating this operation, it is also possible to generate intercharacter distance data between each character in a character string.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the character distance data generating device having the configuration shown in FIG.

First, in S401, the character code storage section 2a
The character shape information of the character code of the first character of two adjacent characters stored in is acquired from the character shape information storage section 2d. Next, in S402, character outline feature information is calculated from the character shape information acquired in S401, and is stored in the character outline feature information storage section 2c. Next, in S403, the character shape information of the second character code of two adjacent characters stored in the character code storage unit 2a is stored in the character shape information storage unit 2a.
Obtained from d. Next, in S404, character outline feature information is calculated from the character shape information acquired in S403, and is stored in the character outline feature information storage section 2c. Next, in S405, S
From the contour information of two adjacent characters acquired in S402 and S403, inter-character distance data of the two characters is calculated. Then, in S406, the calculated inter-character distance data is stored in the inter-character distance data storage section 2b. Through the above operations, distance data between two adjacent characters can be generated. Similarly to FIG. 3, character distance data between each character in a character string can also be generated by repeating this operation.

Furthermore, S401, S402, and S403
, S404, the character contour feature information to be acquired is
If the character outline feature information is already stored in the character outline feature information storage unit 2c, the character outline feature information is not calculated from the character shape information by the character outline feature information calculation unit 1b. By acquiring this information, processing time and procedures can be shortened.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method for calculating character feature information and distance data between characters using the feature information according to the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a diagram showing how two adjacent characters fd and fb are displayed based on conventional character distance data. Although the distance L1 between fd and the distance L2 between fb have the same value, the characters of fd appear to be relatively far apart, and the characters of fb appear to be close together.

FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing how the feature information of each character is calculated. Create a grid at certain intervals from the reference points (X1, X2, X3, calculate.

FIG. 5(c) is a diagram showing a state in which inter-character distance data is calculated from the characteristic information of each character. Figure 5
By moving the characters (d, b) after the adjacent characters closer in units of the grid size until the grid cells (hatched areas) calculated in (b) do not overlap, the inter-character distance data L3
(between fd) and L4 (between fb) can be calculated.

[0025]

[Effect of the invention] As is clear from the detailed description above,
According to the present invention, by calculating inter-character distance data from character contour feature information, it is possible to obtain inter-character distance data that makes the appearance of character spacing uniform when a combination of characters is output.

[0026] Furthermore, by simply storing the minimum required character shape information, character contour feature information that can be calculated from that shape information and conventional inter-character distance data for each character need not be stored. Therefore, the storage area can be saved, and the effort of creating inter-character distance data for each character in advance can be saved.

By incorporating the intercharacter distance data generating device of the present invention into a display device or a printing device, it is possible to display or print a character string with uniform appearance of character spacing on a display, paper, or the like.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an embodiment having the configuration according to claim 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an embodiment having the configuration according to claim 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the inter-character distance data generation device having the configuration of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the inter-character distance data generation device having the configuration shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a method of calculating character feature information and calculating distance data between characters using the feature information according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a Character distance data calculation unit 1b Character contour feature information calculation unit 2c Character contour feature information storage unit 2d Character shape information storage unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An inter-character distance data generation device for generating inter-character distance data when displaying adjacent characters, comprising:
Character contour feature information storage means that stores characteristics of the contours of character shapes, and character distance data that calculates intercharacter distance data from the characteristic information of the character contour shapes stored by the character contour feature information storage means. An inter-character distance data generation device comprising: distance data calculation means. 2. The inter-character distance data generation device according to claim 1, further comprising: a character shape information storage unit storing a large amount of character shape information for displaying characters; character contour feature information calculating means for calculating character contour characteristics from character shape information; and character contour characteristic information storage means for storing character contour characteristics calculated by the character contour characteristic information calculating means. An apparatus for generating distance data between characters.