JPH06115167A - Gaiji registration method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] When registering dot patterns of multiple sizes for one external character, the total time required from the start of creation to the registration is shortened, and the external character shapes of dot patterns of different sizes are also registered. Unify. [Structure] The order of creating the dot patterns of the respective sizes is defined, starting with the creation of the dot pattern of the smallest size. When the dot pattern of the second or larger size counted from the smallest one is to be created, the already created dot pattern of a size smaller than the created size is enlarged and converted to the created size (114), and this enlargement is performed. The converted dot pattern is displayed and created as a dot pattern for external character creation (105).

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an external character registration method for creating a dot pattern of a character or a symbol (hereinafter referred to as an external character) not prepared in advance in a character information processing device and registering it in the device. It is suitable for application to a printing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In many character information processing apparatuses, all characters and symbols used in the real world (hereinafter, in some cases, the characters and symbols are collectively referred to as characters) are prepared in advance. Considering that it is actually difficult,
Equipped with an external character registration function. That is, it has a function of allowing a user to register a dot pattern of a character or a symbol that is not prepared in advance in the device as needed. For example, in the case of a tape printer, which is a small-sized device, the external memory registration function is important because the memory capacity is kept down for miniaturization and the prepared characters and symbols are smaller than those of large-sized devices. . In the case of a tape printer, the printed and output tape is often used as a label, so the user often uses an arbitrary symbol such as a company mark. From this point, the external character registration function is also important. is there.

The external character registration method conventionally used in such a tape printer is as follows.

That is, when the external character mode registration process is selected, the vertical and horizontal N × N (N is, for example, 16, 24, 32, 4).
8) A dot pattern for creating an external character having a dot size, for example, all dots meaning background dots, is displayed by the background color of the display unit, and a cursor is displayed on any of the dots. From this state, if the user operates the cursor movement key, the cursor will move,
When the dot on key is operated, the dot where the cursor is positioned is highlighted as a dot forming a character (external character). When the key for confirming the registered external character is operated in the state where one or more dots are selected as the dots forming the external character in this manner, the entire pattern of vertical and horizontal N × N dots at that stage is definitely registered as the external character.

By the way, in the case of a tape printer, the printed tape is often used as a label as described above, and characters having different character sizes are often printed on the same tape. For example, titles are often printed in large letters, and supplementary and supplementary descriptions are often printed in small letters.Company names are printed in large letters and addresses and telephone numbers are written in small letters. It is often printed with. Therefore, a plurality of dot patterns having different sizes are prepared for one character prepared in advance in the apparatus, and it is necessary to register a plurality of dot patterns having different sizes for one external character. For example,
It is necessary to register four types of dot patterns of 16 × 16 dots, 24 × 24 dots, 32 × 32 dots and 48 × 48 dots.

Conventionally, the above-described dot pattern creation process for one type is repeated four times and then registered in the external character registration area.

[0007]

However, according to the conventional external character registration method, it is necessary to sequentially create a plurality of types of dot patterns of different sizes, so that it takes a very long time to register one external character. It will cost you. That is, it takes a considerable amount of time just to create a dot pattern of a certain size, and since such a creating operation is performed for a plurality of sizes, it takes a very large amount of time as a whole. For example, the total number of dots in a dot pattern of 48 × 48 dots is 2304 dots, and it is necessary to create the dot pattern in consideration of such 2304 dots, which cannot be created in a short time.

Further, even if dot patterns of a plurality of sizes are created for one external character, the same external character is expressed. Therefore, when viewed as a whole, dot patterns of different sizes appear to be the same. It is preferable to create it. However, the background (margin) of a certain size dot pattern may become large and the background of another size dot pattern may become small. In practice, it is necessary to unify the external character shape between different size dot patterns. Is difficult

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and in the case of registering a plurality of types of dot patterns having different sizes for one external character, the total time required from the start of creation to the registration. It is an object of the present invention to provide an external character registration method that can create a plurality of types of dot patterns of different sizes by unifying the external character shape, which can be made shorter than before.

[0010]

In order to solve such a problem, according to the present invention, a method for causing a character information processing device to create a dot pattern of an external character not prepared in advance and registering it in the device is provided. In the external character registration method that creates and registers a dot pattern of 2 or more sizes for each external character, when the dot pattern of the second or larger size counted from the smallest one is targeted for creation, It has been decided that a dot pattern that has already been created in a small size is enlarged and converted into a size to be created, and this enlarged and converted dot pattern is displayed as a dot pattern for external character creation and created.

Here, it is preferable that the dot pattern for creating the external character is displayed in reverse.

[0012]

When a dot pattern of two or more sizes is created for one external character, the same external character is intended, so that a dot pattern of a certain size can be used for creating a dot pattern of another size. In this case, dot patterns of other sizes can be easily created and the dot patterns of different sizes can be unified.

The present invention is based on such an idea. To use an already created dot pattern for creating a dot pattern of another size, it is possible to insert the dot pattern of the created size as it is into a dot pattern of another size. Cannot properly create a dot pattern of the size. Therefore, the dot pattern of the size already created is scaled and displayed to be used for creating the dot pattern of the size to be created.
Here, when the size created from the beginning is large, it takes a lot of time just to create the size. Therefore, the size of the dot pattern created from the beginning is made smaller (however, the size is not limited to one), and in the following, the dot pattern of a large size is corrected and created.

In consideration of the balance with the dot patterns of characters and symbols prepared in advance in the apparatus, it is preferable that the dot pattern for external character creation is displayed in reverse video.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the external character registration method according to the present invention is applied to a tape printer will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the size of the dot pattern for one character (including an external character) is 16 × 16 dots, 24 ×
The target is four types of 24 dots, 32 × 32 dots, and 48 × 48 dots.

First, the overall electrical construction of the tape printer to which the external character registration method of this embodiment is applied will be described with reference to the functional block diagram of FIG.

In FIG. 2, the tape printing apparatus of this embodiment is also roughly the same as the other information processing apparatus.
0, the control unit 20 and the output unit 30. Under the control of the control unit 20, the character information input to the input unit 10 is output or printed out at the output unit 30.

The input section 10 is provided with push-down keys, dial keys and the like, although detailed structure is omitted, and generates character code data and various control data to be given to the control section 20. In the tape printer according to this embodiment, the input unit 10 also includes various keys related to the external character registration function (which may be used in combination with keys for realizing other functions).

The output unit 30 has a print configuration and a display configuration. For example, a tape feed motor 31 which is a stepping motor feeds a loaded tape (not shown) to a predetermined printing position or the outside of the apparatus, and a thermal head 32 prints on a fixed and running tape by thermal transfer. Is to do. The tape feed motor 31 and the thermal head 32 are driven by a motor drive circuit 33 and a head drive circuit 34, respectively, under the control of the controller 20. The external characters registered as described later can be naturally printed on the tape.
The printed tape is cut by, for example, a cutter (not shown) driven by an external force from the user.
In the tape printer according to this embodiment, a liquid crystal display 35 is provided as a display unit, for example, a character of the smallest size can be displayed for several characters over several lines. It is driven by the display drive circuit 36 under the control of the section 20. During the external character registration processing, the display image (FIG. 3) for creating the external character dot pattern is displayed on the liquid crystal display 35.
Displayed above.

The control unit 20 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and has a CPU 21, a ROM 22,
RAM23, character generator ROM (CG-R
The OM) 24, the input interface unit 25, and the output interface unit 26 are connected via a system bus 27.

The ROM 22 stores various processing programs and fixed data such as kana-kanji conversion dictionary data, and also stores an external character mode program 22a shown in FIGS. The RAM 23 is used as a working memory and also stores fixed data related to user input. Speaking of the relationship with the external character mode, the RAM 23 has an external character registration area 23a that stores the created external character dot pattern, a pattern buffer 23b that is being created that stores an external character dot pattern that is being created, and an external character registration process. It has a display buffer 23c for storing image data to be displayed on the liquid crystal display 35 and an enlargement conversion buffer 23d used for enlargement conversion of a dot pattern. The external character registration area 23a and the pattern buffer 23b being created are
It is designed to be compatible with dot patterns of four sizes.

The CG-ROM 24 stores dot patterns of four types of characters and symbols prepared for the tape printer, and is provided with code data for identifying the characters and symbols. The dot pattern corresponding to the occasion is output. Note that separate CG-ROMs for display and printing may be provided. External character registration is executed for characters and symbols for which dot patterns are not prepared in the CG-ROM 24.

The input interface unit 25 is the input unit 10.
The output interface unit 26 serves as an interface between the output unit 30 and the control unit 20.

The CPU 21 uses the processing program in the ROM 22 which is determined according to the input signal from the input unit 10 and the processing stage at that time, while using the RAM 23 as a working area and, if necessary, the ROM 22 and the RAM 2.
The fixed data stored in FIG. 3 is used as appropriate for processing, and the processing status and processing result are displayed on the liquid crystal display 35 or printed on a tape (not shown).

When the external character mode is designated through the input unit 10, the CPU 21 executes the external character mode program 22a in the ROM 22.

Although not shown, it is possible to add RAM packs. When RAM packs are added, the number of external characters that can be registered is also increased.

The external character mode processing executed by the CPU 21 will be described below in detail with reference to FIG.

When the external character mode is selected by the user, the CPU 21 starts the processing shown in FIG. 1, and first determines which of the registration processing, the calling processing and the deletion processing is designated as the external character mode processing. (Step 10
0).

If the calling process is selected, the designated external character registered in the external character registration area 23a is called (step 101). If the delete process is selected, the designated external character registered in the external character registration area 23a is deleted (step 102). In addition, the calling process and the deletion process,
Since this is not a feature of this embodiment, its detailed description is omitted.

When the registration process is selected, the CPU 2
The area 1 fetches the area selection data (external character identification number) of the external character registration area 23a (step 103). In the case of the tape printer, since the memory capacity is not large, the number of external characters that can be registered is limited to a few, and the external character registration area 23a of the RAM 23 is divided into the maximum number of external characters that can be registered. The external character identification number is assigned in correspondence with. That is, the divided areas and the external character identification numbers have a one-to-one correspondence. It should be noted that each divided area is further divided by the size of the dot pattern.

When the external character identification number is input, the CPU 21
Reads the minimum size dot pattern stored in the selected divided area of the external character registration area 23a and inverts and writes it in the minimum size area of the pattern buffer 23b under creation (step 104). If no external character is registered in the area so far, a dot pattern in which all dots mean the background is stored in the area. Next, the dot pattern immediately after being written in the pattern buffer 23b being created is expanded in the display buffer 23c as a dot pattern for creating an external character, and the control information is also expanded in the display buffer 23c and displayed on the liquid crystal display 35 ( Step 105).

FIG. 3 shows an example of a display screen by the processing of step 105. In FIG. 3, a dot pattern for creating an external character is reversely displayed (also referred to as a negative display) as a creation area 40, a cursor 41 is displayed by blinking, and information (16 × 16 ×) defining a dot pattern size related to creation is displayed. 16 dots) 42 and information defining the cursor position (position information counted from the upper left dot in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction) 43 are displayed.

In this way, the dot pattern for creating an external character is reversely displayed to create an external character dot pattern because it is different from the dot pattern of a character or symbol already prepared by the apparatus, as compared with the case of non-reversing display. This is because it is possible to create a well-balanced external character dot pattern.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining this, in the case where the external character is created in a full size in the reverse display creation area (creation dot pattern) and in the normal non-reverse display creation area. It shows the case where the external character is fully created.

In the latter case, as shown in FIG. 4B, the background portion 50 in the external character dot pattern for creation is formed.
And the background 51 of the liquid crystal display 35 outside the external character creation area.
Since and are displayed in the same background color, there is no discomfort even if the dot portion 52 forming the external character is full of the area frame. Therefore, it is easy for the user to create a large external character and It is easy to lose the balance with the letters.

On the other hand, in the former case, as shown in FIG. 4A, a part of the character-constituting dot portion 52 having the same background color as that of the liquid crystal display 35 becomes the background 51 of the liquid crystal display 35 outside the external character creating area. It becomes difficult to connect. Therefore, it is almost impossible to create external characters in the full frame,
Good balance with other characters prepared by the device.

When the display processing of step 105 described above is completed, the CPU 21 determines whether or not there is a key operation performed by the user on the input unit 10. For example, whether or not the cursor movement key has been operated, whether or not the dot-on key or dot-off key has been operated, whether or not the cancel key in the external character mode has been operated, and the creation of the dot pattern of the size currently targeted is completed. It is repeatedly determined in this order whether or not the creation end key for instructing the operation has been operated (steps 106 to 109).

When the cursor movement key is operated,
The CPU 21 uses the cursor 41 on the liquid crystal display 35.
The display position of is changed accordingly, and the display content of the cursor position information 43 is changed.
Proceed to the dot off key determination step (step 11
0).

When the dot-on key is operated, C
The PU 21 displays the dot at which the cursor 41 is located at that time in the background color of the liquid crystal display 35 (positive display), and also changes the logical level of the dot in the pattern buffer 23b being created to the logical level of the character component portion 52. , Conversely, when the dot off key is operated, C
The PU 21 reversely displays the dot at which the cursor 41 is located on the liquid crystal display 35, and also changes the logical level of the dot in the pattern buffer 23b being created to the logical level of the background portion 50 to determine the operation of the mode cancel key. Go to step (step 111).

When the mode cancel key is operated, C
The PU 21 performs an escape process to return to the state before the external character mode is instructed (step 112).

When the creation end key is operated, it is determined whether creation for all sizes is completed (step 113). When the creation is not completed for all sizes, a dot pattern that is 1.5 times the external character dot pattern stored in the creating pattern buffer 23b of the size immediately after the creation is created After writing in the area of one class above in 23b (step 114), the above-mentioned step 1
Returning to 05, the process proceeds to the creation of the external character dot pattern of the size one class higher.

On the other hand, when it is judged that the external character dot patterns for all sizes have been created, the CPU 21
While the registration is being performed, the external character dot patterns of all sizes stored in the creating pattern buffer 23b are inverted together with the logical levels of all dots, and the area of the external character registration area 23a associated with the selected external character identification number is displayed. When the transfer is completed, the apparatus returns to the state immediately before the external character mode was instructed, and the series of registration processing ends (steps 115 and 116).

Next, the 1.5 times enlargement conversion processing (step 100) of the created dot pattern will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing of this enlargement conversion processing, and FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the enlargement conversion.

In the case of this embodiment, the dot pattern 1.
The 5-fold enlargement is performed by expanding 1.5 times in the row direction (main scanning direction) and then 1.5 times in the column direction (sub-scanning direction). Since the enlargement process in the row direction and the enlargement process in the column direction are similar processes except the enlargement direction, the enlargement process in the row direction will be described in detail.

The CPU 21 sets the line parameter i of the conversion source dot pattern (hereinafter referred to as the conversion source line parameter) i and the line parameter of the converted dot pattern (hereinafter referred to as the post-conversion line parameter) j just created. Both are set to the initial value 1 (step 200).

Then, it is determined whether the value of the conversion source row parameter i is an odd number or an even number (step 201).

In the case of an odd number, the dot in the i-th row of the dot pattern of the size that has been created so far, which is stored in the pattern buffer 23b during creation, is taken out and the j-th row and the dot pattern of the converted dot pattern are stored. It is stored in the enlargement conversion buffer 23d as a dot on the j + 1th row, and then the conversion source row parameter i is incremented by 1 and the post-conversion row parameter j is incremented by 2 and the process returns to the odd / even determination step 201 described above (steps 202 and 203). .

On the other hand, when the value of the conversion source row parameter i is an even number, the dot in the i-th row of the dot pattern of the size that has been created, which is stored in the pattern buffer 23b being created, is taken out, The dots in the j-th row of the converted dot pattern are stored in the enlargement conversion buffer 23d, and then both the conversion-source row parameter i and the post-conversion row parameter j are incremented by 1 (step 20).
4, 205).

Then, it is judged whether or not the process for the last line of the conversion source dot pattern is completed, that is, whether or not the expansion in the line direction is completed (step 206). If not completed, the odd-even determination step 201 described above
On the other hand, when the processing is finished, the process proceeds to the enlargement processing in the column direction (step 207). Then, when the expansion in the column direction is completed, the process proceeds to the next step 105 in FIG.

The enlargement in the column direction is the same as the enlargement in the row direction, so its details will not be described. However, as the conversion source dot pattern, the enlargement in the row direction stored in the enlargement conversion buffer 23d is not completed. Then, the converted dot pattern is stored in the area of the pattern buffer 23b under creation relating to the dot pattern of the size next to the dot pattern of the size created so far.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the dot pattern immediately after the completion of the production shown in FIG. 6A is first multiplied by 1.5 in the row direction, and then 1.5 times in this row direction. The doubled dot pattern is multiplied by 1.5 in the column direction as shown in FIG. 6C, and the initial dot pattern shown in FIG. It is converted into a doubled dot pattern.

As shown in FIG. 6C, the character portion of the dot pattern multiplied by 1.5 has a partially enlarged portion and a non-enlarged portion.
The enlarged dot pattern is rarely used as it is as a dot pattern of that size, and often needs to be corrected by the user.

Since the tape printer operates as described above, the user is required to make the inverted dot pattern 4 for creation.
While watching 0, operate the cursor movement key, dot on key, dot off key, creation end key, etc. as necessary,
Create a minimum size Gaiji dot pattern, then
For the dot pattern of the next size, the base dot pattern is automatically displayed, so modify it and create it.In the same way, create a larger external character dot pattern by modification and create all external character dot patterns. Operate to register when you do.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, the user needs to completely create the dot pattern of the minimum size, but a dot pattern larger than that can be created by correction, so that the external character registration time as a whole is reduced. It can be shorter than before. Here, the reason why the initially formed dot pattern is the smallest size is because the dot pattern of the smallest size naturally takes the shortest time to form the dot patterns of each size independently.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the already created dot pattern is enlarged to create a creation dot pattern which serves as a reference for a dot pattern having a large size, and correction is added to the created dot pattern. Since the dot patterns of different sizes are created, the external character shapes of the dot patterns of different sizes can be unified.

Here, the first dot pattern (minimum dot pattern) is created for the creation dot pattern that is displayed in reverse, or the enlarged creation dot pattern that is displayed in reverse is corrected and Since a large dot pattern is created, the balance with the dot patterns of characters and symbols stored in the CG-ROM 24 prepared by the apparatus is good for all external character dot patterns.

Further, according to the above-mentioned embodiment, since the information added by the correction is enlarged and displayed and the external character dot pattern of a larger size is created, the correction amount can be suppressed to the minimum. From this point as well, the external character registration time can be shortened.

Furthermore, according to the above embodiment, 1.5
Since the external character dot patterns having the double size relationship are created in the order, only the 1.5 times enlargement conversion processing routine needs to be prepared as the enlargement conversion processing routine, and the number of programs for obtaining the above effect is minimized. It can be limited.

In the above embodiment, the dot patterns of different sizes are prepared from the smaller one, but the present invention is not limited to this. In short,
It suffices if the dot pattern for creation, which is an enlargement of the created dot pattern, can be modified to create a dot pattern of a larger size.

Further, in order to create a dot pattern of a new size, the size of the created dot pattern to be enlarged is not limited to the size smaller by one class as in the above embodiment.

For example, when four kinds of dot patterns of 16 × 16 dots, 24 × 24 dots, 32 × 32 dots and 48 × 48 dots are created, 16 × 16 dots, 32 × 32 dots, 24 × 24 dots, 48 x 48
The dots may be created in order, and when creating a dot pattern of 32 × 32 dots and 24 × 24 dots, use an enlarged pattern of 16 × 16 dots,
When a dot pattern of 48 × 48 dots is created, an enlarged pattern of 24 × 24 dots may be used.

Incidentally, if the enlargement ratio is an integral multiple, there is an advantage that the correction amount can be reduced. However, in many devices, some of the dot patterns of multiple sizes satisfy the integer multiple relationship, and some do not satisfy the integer multiple relationship of any size. You must prepare multiple types of routines.

In the above embodiment, only the minimum size dot pattern is created from the beginning.
The dot patterns of the above sizes may be created from the beginning, and the dot patterns of other sizes may be enlarged and displayed to be corrected and created. For example, 16x16 dots, 24x24 dots, 32x32 dots and 48x4
When creating 4 types of 8 dot dot patterns,
When 16x16 dots and 24x24 dots are created from the beginning and a dot pattern of 32x32 dots and 48x48 dots is created, an enlarged pattern of 16x16 dots and 24x24 dots, respectively. You may use it.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the creation dot pattern one class above is formed by the expansion conversion when the creation of the external character dot pattern of a certain size is shown, but the minimum external character dot pattern When the creation is completed, the creation dot patterns of all remaining sizes may be created by enlarging conversion.
In this case, the information added by the correction cannot be used to create a dot pattern of a larger size, but on the other hand, the end of a series of registration processing is instructed at the stage of creating the dot pattern of an intermediate size. However, it has an advantage that dot patterns of all sizes can be stored in the external character registration area.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the dot pattern for creation is reversed and used for creation, but the present invention is not limited to this.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, four types of external character dot patterns are shown, but the invention can be widely applied to devices that require registration of external character dot patterns of two or more sizes.

In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the tape printer, but it can be applied to other character information processing devices.

[0068]

As described above, according to the present invention, one or more small size dot patterns can be created from the beginning,
When the dot pattern of the second or larger size counted from the smallest one is created, the already created dot pattern smaller than the created size is expanded and converted to the created size, and this expanded conversion is performed. Since the dot pattern is displayed by creating it as a dot pattern for external character creation, even when registering multiple types of dot patterns of different sizes for one external character, the total time required from creation to registration Can be made shorter than in the past, and the external character shapes of a plurality of types of dot patterns having different sizes can be unified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an external character registration method according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a tape printer to which the method of the embodiment is applied.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example of a dot pattern for creating an external character according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the reason why reverse display is used in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a dot pattern enlargement conversion process of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of dot pattern enlargement according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Input unit, 20 ... Control unit, 21 ... CPU, 22 ... R
OM, 22a ... External character mode program, 23 ... RA
M, 23a ... External character registration area, 23b ... Pattern buffer being created, 23c ... Display buffer, 23d ... Enlargement conversion buffer, 35 ... Liquid crystal display.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Office reference number FI Technical display location G06F 3/153 C 7165-5B 15/20 562 A 9288-5L C 9288-5L G09G 5/24 U 8121-5G

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A method of causing a character information processing device to create a dot pattern of an external character not prepared in advance and registering the dot pattern in the device, wherein a dot pattern of two or more sizes is created for one external character. In the external character registration method to register, when the dot pattern of the second or larger size counted from the smallest one is created, the already created dot pattern smaller than this created size is enlarged and converted to the created size. Then, the enlarged character converted dot pattern is displayed and created as a dot pattern for external character creation, and the external character registration method is characterized. 2. The external character registration method according to claim 1, wherein the external character creating dot pattern is displayed in reverse video.