US 5,402,529 AGranted

Printer controller capable of approximating curved segments of original figure outline by straight segments with adjustable approximation accuracy

AssigneeBrother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorKazuma Aoki

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Abstract

A printer controller wherein original outline data representative of the outline of a figure are converted by an approximating device into approximative outline data including straight segment data representative straight segments which approximate curved segments of the original outline. The approximating device is adapted to lower the accuracy of approximation of the curved segments by the straight segments, until the amount of the approximation data is reduced to such an extent that the approximative data can be entirely stored in a currently available empty area of a random-access memory, before the approximative data are converted into bit map data representative of image dots filling the interior of the figure outline.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A printer controller operable to generate a batch of bit map data representative of a figure in a matrix of dots formed on a recording medium, by conversion from a batch of original outline data which represents an outline of said figure and which includes at least one set of curved segment data each representative of a curved segment of said outline, said printer controller comprising:

an outline data memory for storing said batch of original outline data;
a random-access memory for temporarily storing information necessary to perform data processing operations for generating said batch of bit map data;
approximating means for performing an approximating operation to prepare a batch of approximative outline data which includes approximating straight segment data representative of at least one straight segment that approximates, with a selected value of approximation accuracy, said curved segment represented by each set of curved segment data of said original outline data, said approximating means preparing said approximating straight segment data from each of said at least one set of curved segment data stored in said outline data memory, and temporarily storing said batch of approximative outline data in said random-access memory,
said approximating means reducing said value of approximation accuracy if an amount of an empty area of said random-access memory is insufficient to store said prepared batch of approximative outline data, and repeating said approximating operation until an amount of said prepared batch of approximative outline data is reduced to such an extent that an entirety of said prepared batch of approximative outline data can be stored into said empty area of said random-access memory;
data converting means for converting said prepared batch of approximative outline data to a batch of bit map data representative of image dots filling an interior of an outline of a figure represented by said approximative outline data;
and
a bit map data memory for storing said batch of bit map data obtained by said data converting means.

4 more elements

A printer having a data processing portion operable to generate a batch of bit map data representative of a figure in a matrix of dots, by conversion from a batch of original outline data which represents an outline of said figure and which includes at least one set of curved segment data each representative of a curved segment of said outline, and a printing portion for printing said figure on a recording medium according to said batch of bit map data, said data processing portion comprising:

an outline data memory for storing said batch of original outline data;
a random-access memory for temporarily storing information necessary to perform data processing operations for generating said batch of bit map data;
approximating means for performing an approximating operation to prepare a batch of approximative outline data which includes approximating straight segment data representative of at least one straight segment that approximates, with a selected value of approximation accuracy, said curved segment represented by each set of curved segment data of said original outline data, said approximating means preparing said approximating straight segment data from each of said at least one set of curved segment data stored in said outline data memory, and temporarily storing said batch of approximative outline data in said random-access memory,
said approximating means reducing said value of approximation accuracy if an amount of an empty area of said random-access memory detected by said detecting means is insufficient to store said prepared batch of approximative outline data, and repeating said approximating operation until an amount of said prepared batch of approximative outline data is reduced to such an extent that an entirely of said prepared batch of approximative outline data can be stored in said empty area of said random-access memory;
data converting means for converting said prepared batch of approximative outline data to a batch of bit map data representative of image dots filling an interior of an outline of a figure represented by said approximative outline data;
and
a bit map data memory for storing said batch of bit map data obtained by said data converting means.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.