JPH0962849A - Printer device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] To easily generate vector data from bitmap external character data. In a printer device having a controller capable of comprehensively processing character, graphic, and image data and having a function of registering bitmap external character data, the bitmap external character data can be displayed vertically, horizontally, diagonally or vertically. A contour extraction bit image is created by moving one dot in each of the eight directions, and an exclusive OR of the created contour extraction bit image and the bitmap external character data is obtained to obtain the outline of the bitmap external character data. It is provided with a contour extracting means for extracting data.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer device, and more particularly to a printer device for generating contour data of bitmap external character data as vector data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one of conventional printer apparatuses, for example, there is an apparatus capable of registering bitmap external character data in a memory in the printer apparatus from a host apparatus connected to the printer apparatus. In such a printer device, for example, when the bitmap external character data is enlarged and output as an image, the dots of the bitmap external character data become conspicuous. Therefore, the contour of the bitmap external character data is extracted to generate vector data, By correcting the outline of the bitmap external character data enlarged using the vector data,
The dots are made inconspicuous.

[0003]

However, according to the conventional printer device, the outline of the bitmap external character data is extracted to generate the vector data so that the dots of the enlarged bitmap external character data are not conspicuous, and the vector data is generated. Although the contour of the expanded bitmap character data is corrected using the data, there is a problem in that it takes time to extract the contour of the bitmap external character data and generate vector data.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is an object of the present invention to easily generate vector data from bitmap external character data.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, a printer device according to a first aspect of the present invention has a controller capable of comprehensively processing character, graphic and image data, and a bitmap external character. In a printer having a data registration function, the bitmap external character data is moved by one dot in eight directions of up, down, left, right, and diagonally up and down to create a contour extraction bit image, and the created contour extraction bit image and Contour extraction means for extracting the contour data of the bitmap external character data by obtaining an exclusive OR with the bitmap external character data is provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the printer device scans the contour data extracted by the contour extraction means and the storage means for storing the coordinate values on the bit map in the horizontal direction, and the dots are initially black. A start point setting means for setting a point as a start point and storing the coordinate value of the start point in the storage means.

The printer device according to a third aspect of the invention is provided with an inverting means for inverting the dot at the starting point to white.

Further, the printer device according to a fourth aspect corresponds to a case where the contour data is traced in the order of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction from the current dot position on the contour data, and the dot position is moved in the horizontal direction. The coordinate value of the dot to be set is set as the coordinate value of the current start point, and the tilt is calculated based on the coordinate value of the current start point and the coordinate value of the previous start point stored in the storage means, The present invention is provided with a coordinate value / inclination setting means for storing the coordinate value and inclination of the current start point in the storage means, and an inversion means for inverting the black of the dot passed on the contour data to white.

Further, in the printer device according to the fifth aspect, the comparison means for comparing whether or not the inclination of the start point of this time and the inclination of the start point of the previous time are the same, and the comparison result of the comparison means is the same. In this case, when the erasing means for erasing the coordinate value and inclination of the previous start point stored in the storage means and the comparison result of the comparing means are not the same, the coordinate value of the previous start point and the previous time And vector data determining means for determining the coordinate value and the slope of the starting point of the vector data as vector data.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the printer device further comprises a detecting means for detecting the smallest rectangular area containing the vector data based on the coordinate value of the vector data determined by the vector data determining means. Is.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the printer device of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a controller 100 of the printer device of the present embodiment. The controller 100 includes a CPU 101 that controls the entire printer device, an IC card 102 that externally supplies font data or programs, a non-volatile RAM 103 that stores the contents of a mode instruction input from a panel device 109, which will be described later, and a printer. In a program ROM 104 storing a control program for controlling the apparatus, a font ROM 105 storing fonts, a work memory of the CPU 101, an input data input buffer, a print data page buffer, a download font memory, etc. A RAM 106 as storage means of the present invention to be used, an engine interface 108 for communicating with a printer engine 107 described later, and a panel device 10 described later.
Panel interface 110 for communicating with
And a Centronics interface and RS232C, and a host interface 112 for communicating with a host device 111 described later and a disk interface 114 for communicating with a disk device 113 described later. The host interface 112 serves as a printer driver.

The controller 100 also has a printer engine 107 for printing and a panel device 109 for displaying the status of the printer device and for inputting a mode instruction.
And a host device 1 for outputting print data to a printer device
11, and the disk device 113 for reading font data, programs, print data, etc. stored in the floppy disk or hard disk, as described above, the engine interface 108, the panel interface 110, the host interface 112 or the disk interface 114. Are connected through.

The CPU 10 in the controller 100
1 executes a predetermined program in the program ROM 104, whereby the contour extracting means, the starting point setting means, the reversing means, the coordinate value / inclination setting means, the comparing means, the erasing means, the vector data confirming means and the detecting means of the present invention. Is realized.

Next, referring to the drawings, the controller 100
The software configuration of will be described. FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of the controller 100.

The software of the controller 100 is roughly divided into a printer operating system 201 for operating the printer device and a basic software which is basic software for enabling communication between the engine interface 108, the panel interface 110 and the host interface 112. / Out system 202 and a command interpreter 203 for interpreting commands of the printer device based on the printer command language
It is composed of

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the printer operating system 201 includes a drawing processing unit 204 for converting print data into drawing data, a print control 205 for controlling printing, and a font manager 206 for managing fonts. A scheduler 207 for managing the operation timing in the printer operating system 201, the IC card 102, and the non-volatile RAM
103, program ROM 104, font ROM 10
5 and a memory manager 208 that manages each memory of the RAM 106.

Next, the basic operation of the above structure will be described. Print data such as a document created by the host device 111 such as a word processor is translated into a printer command language by an engine interface 108 which is a printer driver. The translated print data is passed to the command interpreter 203 via the host operating system 112 and the printer operating system 201. The command interpreting unit 203 creates print data as page information based on the print data translated into the printer command language. Command interpreter 20
The print data for one page created in 3 is converted into drawing data by the drawing processing unit 204.

Next, when the drawing processing unit 204 converts the printer data into the drawing data, the font data used in the print data, that is, the font data necessary for converting into the drawing data is used by the font manager 2.
It is read from the font ROM 105 via 06. In addition, a memory required for conversion into drawing data is secured in the RAM 106 via the memory manager 208. The operation until the print data is created based on the print data and is drawn is performed based on the operation timing managed by the scheduler 207. The completed drawing data is sent as a bit image to the printer engine 107 through the engine interface 108 and is output as a visible image.

Next, the operation of obtaining the vector data from the bitmap external character data based on the above configuration and basic operation will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing bitmap external character data.

Bitmap external character data created by the host device 111 by a word processor or the like is RA-registered by the font manager 206 based on the printer command language.
It is registered in M106. The registered bitmap external character data is converted into outline data by the font manager 206, and together with the bitmap external character data,
Outline data is also registered in the RAM 106. The outline data is registered by registering vector data obtained by the operation described below.

First, the controller 100 is shown in FIG.
Bit-map external character data as shown in Fig. 3 is overwritten by logical OR while moving one dot in each of the left, right, up and down directions and diagonally up and down, and creates a bit image for contour extraction as shown in Fig. 3 (b). To do. Next, based on the created contour extraction bit image, it is overwritten by exclusive OR with the original bitmap external character data shown in FIG. Extract the contour data.

Next, the controller 100 is shown in FIG.
Is set to (0, 0), the horizontal direction is scanned for black dots (scanning), and the first black dot is the start point, and the start point coordinate value (x0 , Y
0) is stored in the RAM 106 and the dot at the starting point is inverted to white. In the present embodiment, the upper left corner coordinate value is set to (0, 0), but it goes without saying that it may be any four corners of the bitmap external character data.

Here, in order to simplify the description of the inclination of the coordinate value, description will be given with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG.
It is a figure which shows the inclination of vector data. Next, the CPU 101 of the controller 100 traces the black dots on the contour data shown in FIG. 3C in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction from the starting point dot, as shown in FIG. 4 (x1,
When the position of the dot moves in the horizontal direction as in (y2), the coordinate value (x1, y2) of the dot is set as the coordinate value of the current start point, and the coordinate value of the current start point (x
1, y2) and the coordinate value (x0, y0) of the previous start point stored in the RAM 106, the slope dx thereof.
(0-1) / dy (0-2) = (1/2) is calculated, and again the coordinate values (x1, y2) and the slope (1/2) of the start point of this time are stored in the RAM 106 and passed. Invert the dots you made to white.

Next, the CPU 101 of the controller 100
In the same way as above, the black dots on the contour data are traced in the order of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and shown in FIG.
2) and y4), when the position of the dot moves in the horizontal direction, the coordinate value (x2, y4) of the dot is set again as the coordinate value of the current start point, and the coordinate value of the current start point is set. The gradient dx (1-2) / dy (2-4) = (1/2) based on (x2, y4) and the coordinate value (x1, y2) of the previous start point stored in the RAM 106. Is calculated, the coordinate values (x2, y4) and the slope (1/2) of the current start point are stored in the RAM 106 again, and the passed dots are inverted to white.

Next, the CPU 101 of the controller 100
Is the slope (1/2) calculated based on the coordinate value (x2, y4) of the current start point and the coordinate value (x1, y2) of the previous start point, and the coordinate value (x1) of the previous start point. , Y2) and the slope (1/2) of the previous start point calculated based on the coordinate value (x0, y0) of the previous start point, and the same result is obtained. Coordinate values (x1, y
2) and the slope (1/2) are erased from the RAM 106.

Subsequently, the CPU 10 of the controller 100
In No. 1, similarly to the above, the black dots on the contour data are traced in the order of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and the dot position movement occurs in the horizontal direction as shown in (x3, y5) in FIG. , Again, the dot coordinate values (x3, y
5) is set as the coordinate value of the starting point this time, and based on the coordinate value (x3, y5) of the starting point this time and the coordinate value (x2, y4) of the previous starting point stored in the RAM 106, The slope dx (2-3) / dy (4-5) = (1 /
1) is calculated, and the coordinate value (x3, y) of the start point of this time is calculated again.
5) and the inclination (1/1) are stored in the RAM 106,
Invert the passed dots to white.

Next, the CPU 101 of the controller 100
Is the slope (1/1) calculated based on the coordinate values (x3, y5) of the current start point and the coordinate values (x2, y4) of the previous start point, and the coordinate value (x2) of the previous start point. , Y4) and the slope (1/2) of the previous start point calculated based on the coordinate values (x1, y2) of the previous start point are compared, and since the results are not the same, they are stored in the RAM 106. The coordinate value (x0, y0) of the previous start point, the coordinate value (x2, y4) of the previous start point, and the slope (1/2) are determined as vector data.

When the black dot following the contour data disappears after performing the above operation, the CPU 101 first sets the coordinate value of the starting point coordinate value (x0, y0) to the current starting point coordinate value (x0, y0). Then, the slope is calculated, the same slope comparison as above is performed, and the vector data is determined. The state at this time is as shown in FIG. Furthermore, when the determination of the vector data of one contour is completed, it is again (0,0).
The first black dot is scanned from the coordinate value dot and the operation is performed until all the dots of the contour extraction bit image are white.

Finally, the smallest rectangular area containing the vector data is detected based on the coordinate value of the vector data determined by the above operation.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the bit map external character data is overwritten with a logical sum while moving one dot in each of the left, right, up, down, and diagonal up and down directions to create a contour extraction bit image. Then, based on the created contour extraction bit image, it was decided to extract the 1-dot contour data by overwriting with the exclusive OR of the original bitmap external character data, making it easy to determine the vector data. Become.

Further, the coordinate value of the upper left corner is set to (0, 0), and a scan (scan) is performed for black dots in the horizontal direction. Since the value (x0, y0) is stored in the RAM 106, the start point of the contour data can be determined.

Further, since the dot at the starting point is inverted to white and the dot passing on the contour data is also inverted to white,
Another contour data inside the contour data being extracted can be extracted.

Further, from the dot at the start point, the black dots on the contour data are traced in the order of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and when the position movement of the dot occurs in the horizontal direction, the coordinate value of the dot is set this time. Of the slope dx based on the coordinate value of the current start point and the coordinate value of the previous start point stored in the RAM 106.
/ Dy is calculated, and the coordinate value and slope of this start point are calculated as R
Since the data is stored in the AM 106, it is possible to obtain the coordinate value and the inclination that are the basis of the vector data.

Further, the inclination calculated based on the coordinate value of the current start point and the coordinate value of the previous start point, and the inclination value calculated based on the coordinate value of the previous start point and the coordinate value of the previous previous start point. If the result is the same, the coordinate value and the slope of the previous start point are deleted from the RAM 106. If the result is not the same, the previous start stored in the RAM 106 is compared. Since the coordinate value of the point, the coordinate value of the previous start point, and the slope are determined as vector data, extra vector data can be reduced.

Further, since the minimum rectangular area containing the vector data is detected based on the coordinate value of the vector data determined by the above operation, the memory is saved when the outline data is expanded using the vector data. You can

[0036]

As described above, according to the printer device (Claim 1) of the present invention, the contour extracting means moves the bitmap external character data by one dot in the eight directions of up, down, left, right and diagonally up and down, and draws the contour. By creating an extraction bit image and finding the exclusive OR of the created contour extraction bit image and bitmap external character data, the outline data of the bitmap external character data is extracted, making it easy to determine the vector data. Become.

A printer device according to the present invention (claim 2)
According to the above, the storage means stores the coordinate value on the bitmap, the start point setting means scans the contour data extracted by the contour extracting means in the horizontal direction, and the point where the dot is black first is set as the start point. However, since the coordinate value of the starting point is stored in the storage means, the starting point of the contour data can be determined.

A printer device according to the present invention (claim 3)
According to the above, since the reversing means reverses the dot at the starting point to white, it is possible to prepare for extracting another contour data inside the contour data being extracted.

A printer device according to the present invention (claim 4)
According to the above, the coordinate value / inclination setting means traces the contour data in the order of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction from the current dot position on the contour data, and when the dot position movement occurs in the horizontal direction, the coordinates of the corresponding dot The value is set as the coordinate value of the starting point this time, the tilt is calculated based on the coordinate value of the starting point this time and the coordinate value of the previous starting point stored in the storage unit, and the coordinate of the starting point this time is calculated. Since the value and the slope are stored in the storage means, vector data to be compared can be secured.

Further, since the reversing means reverses the black of the dot which has passed on the contour data to white, another contour data inside the contour data being extracted can be extracted.

A printer device according to the present invention (claim 5)
According to the above, when the result of comparing the inclination of the present starting point and the inclination of the previous starting point by the comparing means is the same, the erasing means and the coordinate value of the previous starting point stored in the storage means and Since the slope is deleted and the vector data determining means determines the coordinate value of the previous start point, the coordinate value of the previous start point and the coordinate value of the previous start point and the slope as the vector data, it is unnecessary. Since it is possible to reduce various vector data, it is possible to use the outline data to be registered as vector data when registering bitmap external character data. That is, the capacity of the memory for the outline data to be registered can be minimized.

Further, since the reversing means reverses the black of the dot which has passed on the contour data to white, another contour data inside the contour data being extracted can be extracted.

A printer device according to the present invention (claim 6)
According to the above, the detecting means detects the smallest rectangular area containing the vector data based on the coordinate value of the vector data confirmed by the vector data confirming means. Therefore, when the outline data is expanded using the vector data, You can save memory.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a controller of a printer device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram of a controller.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing bitmap external character data.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a gradient of vector data.

[Explanation of symbols]

100 Controller 106 RAM 111 Host Device 201 Printer Operating System 206 Font Manager 208 Memory Manager

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A printer having a controller capable of comprehensively processing character, graphic, and image data and having a function of registering bitmap external character data, wherein the bitmap external character data is vertically, horizontally, and diagonally up and down. Of the bitmap external character data by calculating the exclusive OR of the created outline extracting bit image and the created bitmap external character data A printer device comprising a contour extracting means for extracting contour data. 2. A storage means for storing coordinate values on a bit map, and the contour data extracted by the contour extracting means are scanned in the horizontal direction, and a point at which a dot is black is first set as a start point. The printer device according to claim 1, further comprising a start point setting unit that stores the coordinate value of the start point in the storage unit. 3. The printer device according to claim 2, further comprising a reversing unit that reverses the dot at the starting point to white. 4. The contour data is traced in the order of vertical and horizontal directions from the current dot position on the contour data, and when a dot position movement occurs in the horizontal direction, the corresponding coordinate value of the dot is started this time. It is set as the coordinate value of the point, and the inclination is calculated based on the coordinate value of the current start point and the coordinate value of the previous start point stored in the storage means. 3. The printer device according to claim 2, further comprising: coordinate value / inclination setting means for storing the inclination in the storage means; and inverting means for inverting the black of the dots passed on the contour data to white. 5. The comparing means for comparing whether the inclination of the starting point of this time is the same as the inclination of the starting point of the previous time and the comparison result of the comparing means are stored in the storage means. If the comparison result of the erasing means for erasing the coordinate value and inclination of the previous starting point and the comparing means are not the same, the coordinate value of the previous previous starting point and the coordinate value and inclination of the previous starting point are calculated. 5. The printer device according to claim 4, further comprising vector data confirming means for confirming as vector data. 6. The detection means for detecting the smallest rectangular area containing the vector data based on the coordinate value of the vector data determined by the vector data determination means. Printer device.