Claims
- 1. An apparatus for generating a high quality character pattern defined by edge lines, comprising:
- code pattern memory means having a plurality of areas, each of said plurality of areas storing winding number (WN) code data of a plurality of characters;
- projecting means, responsive to an input projection start command, for projecting edge lines defining a pattern into said code pattern memory means in groups of N (N is a positive integer of 2 or more) points continuous in a line direction perpendicular to a filling direction, wherein the sizes of the edge lines are changed, and for concurrently updating the WN codes of points of the plurality of characters stored in said plurality of areas of said code pattern memory means according to a WN code determined at each point, and for generating a projection completion response signal when projection of the size-changed edge lines is completed;
- filling means, responsive to a filling command, for filling an area defined by the size-changed edge lines to generate a dot pattern in accordance with WN codes read out from said code pattern memory means; and
- control means for outputting the input projection start command to said projecting means in response to an input pattern generation instruction and for outputting the filling start command to said filling means in response to the projection completion response signal generated by said projecting means.
- 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
- bit map memory means for storing the dot pattern generated by said filing means; and
- means for transferring the dot pattern generated by said filling means to said bit map memory means in groups of N dots (N is a positive integer of 2 or more).
- 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for simultaneously generating a write address for writing the WN code data in one of said plurality of areas of aid code pattern memory means and a read address for reading out the WN code data from one of said plurality of areas of said code pattern memory means and for supplying WN code read out from one of said plurality of areas to said filing means, and for supplying the write and read addresses to said code pattern memory means.
- 4. An apparatus for generating a high-quality character pattern defined by edges lines, comprising;
- generating means for generating segment line data defining segments constituting the edge lines;
- code generating means for receiving the segment line data and for determining a change in status of a winding number of each intersection or lattice point, said each intersection being defined as an intersection between a coordinate lattice line and each segment, and said each lattice point being defined as a lattice point approximate to the intersection, and for performing a code generation operation for generating a winding number code representing a change in state or a change in value of the winding number and having one of a a first value representing no change in the state of the winding number of each intersection or lattice point, a second value representing one increment of the winding number of each intersection or lattice point, a third value representing one decrement of the winding number of each intersection or lattice point, and a fourth value representing simultaneous occurrence of increment and decrement;
- first memory means having a memory region for storing second winding number codes corresponding to a plurality of characters and representing the winding number change in value or change in state of the winding number of the respective points of the character pattern, said memory region having a plurality of areas including start and end areas, said areas being addressed according to a predetermined logical sequence;
- first designating means for designating one of the areas in said first memory means in which there is an origin of a character segment of the character pattern defined by the segment line data received by said code generating means;
- second designating means for designating a position in the area designated by said first designating means;
- third designating means for designating an area of said first memory means corresponding to the lattice point approximate to the position designated by said first and second designating means, the area of said first memory means corresponding to the lattice point that corresponds to the first winding number code generated by said code generating means, a position in the area which corresponds to the character segment origin, and a position of the lattice point in the character segment, said third designating means being operative when the area of said first memory means corresponding to the lattice point is different from the area to which the character segment origin corresponds;
- updating means for updating the second winding number code at a position in the area which is designated by said third designating means on the basis of the first winding number code generated by said code generating means;
- filling means, responsive to change of the area designated by said first designating means, for sequentially reading out the second winding number codes of the lattice points stored in said area of said first memory means in groups of N (N is a positive integer of 2 or more) continuous points upon completion of updating by said updating means, for generating correspondence N-lattice point winding numbers on the basis of the N-point second winding number codes, and for performing filling; and
- second memory means for storing the N-lattice point winding numbers generated by said filing means, the N-lattice point winding numbers being referred to in a subsequent filling processing performed by said filling means.
- 5. A method of generating a high-quality character pattern defined by edge lines, comprising the computer steps of:
- (A) dividing a winding-number-code-pattern memory into a plurality of areas;
- (B) storing winding number (WN) codes for a plurality of characters in one of the plurality of divided areas;
- (C) storing winding number (WN) codes for characters in another one of the plurality of divided area after step (B) is completed;
- (D) reading out the WN codes from the one area, and filling an area of a character pattern defined by the edge lines, wherein the sizes of the edge lines are changed; and
- (E) substantially simultaneously performing the steps (C) and (D).
- 6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of transferring the character pattern filled by the step (D) to a bit map memory in groups of N dots (N is a positive integer of 2 or more.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
1-92493 |
Apr 1989 |
JPX |
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Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/018,907, filed Feb. 11, 1993, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/899,054, filed Jun. 16, 1992, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/507,521, filed Apr. 11, 1990, now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (3)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0200885 |
Dec 1986 |
EPX |
Continuations (3)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
18907 |
Feb 1993 |
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Parent |
899054 |
Jun 1992 |
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Parent |
507521 |
Apr 1990 |
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