Method And Device For Generating Character Data, Method And Control Device For Displaying Character Data, And Navigation Apparatus

A character-data generating method, comprising:

• causing a computer to obtain at least one piece of regular-position character data in which a regular-position character having a rotation angle of 0° exists on a rectangular background area having four sides with which at least part of the regular-position character is in contact, a center point of the regular-position character and a center point of the background area matching each other;
• causing the computer to perform image processing using the obtained regular-position character data, to form a rotated character by rotating the regular-position character in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle with respect to a reference point that is the center point of the background area and to generate rotated character data in which the rotated character exists on a rectangular deformation background area having four sides with which at least part of the rotated character is in contact;
• and
• causing the computer to perform image processing for horizontally and/or vertically enlarging the deformation background area of the rotated character data generated by the rotation, to cause a center point of the enlarged deformation background area and a center point of the rotated character to match each other.

A character-data display control device, comprising:

• a character-data obtaining section that obtains multiple pieces of regular-position character data in which regular-position characters having a rotation angle of 0° exist on rectangular background areas, each area having four sides with which at least part of the corresponding regular-position character is in contact, center points of the regular-position characters and center points of the corresponding background areas matching each other;
• a character-data rotating section that forms rotated characters by rotating the regular-position characters in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle with respect to corresponding reference points that are the center points of the background areas by using the regular-position character data obtained by the character-data obtaining section, to generate rotated character data in which the rotated characters exist on corresponding rectangular deformation background areas, each area having four sides with which at least part of the corresponding rotated character is in contact;
• a center-point matching processing section that horizontally and/or vertically enlarges the deformation background areas of the rotated character data generated by the character-data rotating section, to generate multiple pieces of enlarged rotated character data in which center points of the enlarged deformation background areas and center points of the corresponding rotated characters match each other;
• a reference-line setting section that sets a reference line used when the multiple pieces of enlarged rotated character data are arranged in a row;
• a character-data arranging section that arranges the multiple pieces of enlarged rotated character data so that the center points of the enlarged rotated character data lie on the reference line set by the reference-line setting section;
• and
• a display control section that performs control so as to display a character string on a screen based on the multiple pieces of enlarged rotated character data arranged by the character-data arranging section.

A character-data display method, comprising:

• a first act of setting a reference line used when multiple pieces of character data are arranged in a row;
• a second act of obtaining at least one piece of regular-position character data in which a regular-position character having a rotation angle of 0° exists on a rectangular background area having four sides with which at least part of the regular-position character is in contact, a center point of the regular-position character and a center point of the background area matching each other;
• a third act of forming a rotated character by rotating the regular-position character in a predetermined direction by a predetermined angle with respect to a reference point that is the center point of the background area by using the regular-position character data obtained in the second act, to generate at least one piece of rotated character data in which the rotated character exists on a rectangular deformation background area having four sides with which at least part of the rotated character is in contact;
• a fourth act of horizontally and/or vertically enlarging the deformation background area of the rotated character data generated in the third act, to generate at least one piece of enlarged rotated character data in which a center point of the enlarged deformation background area and a center point of the rotated character match each other;
• a fifth act of arranging the at least one piece of enlarged rotated character data generated in the fourth act so that the center point of the enlarged rotated character data lies on the reference line set in the first act;
• and
• a sixth act of performing control so as to display a character string on a screen based on the at least one piece of enlarged rotated character data arranged in the fifth act.