Abstract: A bidirectional scanning circuit for a peripheral driving circuit for a liquid crystal display, a contact-type image sensor, a liquid crystal shutter, a vacuum fluorescent display or the like is improved in operation speed and yield in production. In the scanning circuit, a data signal is successively delayed and transferred to produce scanning pulse signals to be outputted.

Abstract: A keyboard including a cursor control for commanding movement of a cursor displayed on a display screen and including at least a post portion and a base plate supporting the post portion; and a base portion supporting a plurality of key switches and including at least two layers sandwiching the base plate.

Abstract: Apparatus, methods, systems and computer program products are disclosed to assist a user of a display device to more quickly recover from a distraction causing the user to look away from the display device. The user is also assisted when navigating hypertext documents by the invention indicating where the user last looked in a restored, previously viewed hypertext document.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device which includes: a plurality of source bus lines in parallel with each other; a plurality of gate bus lines in parallel with each other, crossing the source bus lines; a switching element connected to one of the plurality of source bus lines and one of the gate bus lines; a pixel portion connected to the switching element; and a source drive circuit for supplying a data signal to the plurality of source bus lines, wherein the source drive circuit has a data signal line connected to the respective source bus lines, and the data signal line forms a closed circuit, thereby making a delay time of the data signal supplied to the plurality of source bus lines uniform is disclosed.

Abstract: CPU writes display character codes corresponding to a liquid crystal display position to display RAM to cause any desired character to be read from character generator ROM and to be displayed. There are provided a scroll display line designation register for designating a desired display line to be scrolled and a scroll dot quantity register for designating the scroll quantity in pixels. A scroll register supplies, to a segment shift register, character data which is delayed by the designated number of dots with respect to the character data on the designated display line and causes the display line to be displayed.

Abstract: An active matrix panel including a matrix of driving electrodes couples through thin film transistor switches to a corresponding source line and gate line and at least one of a driver circuit including complementary thin film transistors for driving the source and/or gate lines of the picture elements on the substrate. The thin film transistors of the active matrix have the same cross-sectional structure as the P-type or the N-type thin film transistors forming the driver circuit and are formed during the same patterning process.

Abstract: A matrix including a plurality of light emitting devices organized into a plurality of rows of first contacts and columns of second contacts. Row/column decoding switches each coupled to a number of individual rows/columns and to a number of row/column address lines for selecting an addressed one of the number of individual rows/columns, and to an individual row/column data lead for selecting a row/column decoding switch. The matrix and row and column switches are integrated onto a common substrate. A programmable voltage source is coupled to the column decoding switches by the column data leads and a programmable current sink is coupled to the row decoding switches by the row data leads.

Abstract: An improved trackball includes a nonplanar retainer and tapered sensors. A method is given to measure trackball rotations about nonorthogonal axes and transform these to rotations about standard Cartesian coordinates. The large area of the ball exposed by the nonplanar retainer and the flexibility afforded in locating the sensors facilitate a trackball which can respond to both two- and three-dimensional ball rotations.

Abstract: In a mirror driving method of a micro-mirror array and an apparatus thereof, each of a plurality of mirrors is pivotally supported by hinges fixed to a substrate, and a permanent magnet is attached beneath the substrate to form a magnetic field about the mirrors. A coiled conductive layer is formed on the rear surface of each mirror to be selectively applied with current according to a video signal, and the selected mirror pivots in correspondence with the electrostatic force operative between the conductive layer to which the current is applied and the magnetic field. Thus, a light beam irradiating the micro-mirror array can be modulated according to an image, and mass production is made possible due to a simple structure which provides for a stable driving action.

Abstract: Disclosed is a pointing device 1 including; a stick member 11 depressed by an operator; piezoelectric elements 13 each of which converts a stress exerted to the stick member 11 into a voltage; a voltage converting circuit 15 connected to the piezoelectric elements 13; a control part 19 to which a signal from the voltage converting circuit 15 is input and which transmits a signal for controlling cursor movement to a system board 17. The control part 19 detects the voltage produced in the piezoelectric elements 13 based on the signal from the voltage converting circuit 15 and stores such voltage as a hold value in a RAM 27. Further, the control part 19 transmits the signal for controlling cursor movement to the system board 17.

Abstract: An apparatus for displaying a waveform of an input signal on a display includes a synchronization detecting circuit, a sweep generating circuit, a horizontal axis drive circuit, a switching circuit, a variable gain amplifier, a vertical axis drive circuit, and a vertical location arrangement circuit. The horizontal axis drive circuit drives the horizontal axis of the display on the basis of a sweep signal generated at the sweep generating circuit synchronously with a sweep trigger signal obtained by dividing synchronization detecting pulses from the synchronization detecting circuit by N (N-1, 2, . . . ). The switching circuit alternately transfers the input signal and a cursor signal at a high rate to provide a multiplexed input/cursor signal to the vertical axis drive circuit through the variable gain amplifier.

Abstract: A driver circuit for driving the emitters of a flat panel display such as a field emission display. The driver circuit includes a capacitor and a charge circuit. The capacitor is connected between the emitter and an extraction grid held at a constant potential. The charge circuit has two inputs respectively connected to a row line and a column line. The charge circuit also has a charge terminal connected to the capacitor. In operation, the charge circuit applies at the charge terminal a selected voltage level which is below the grid voltage. The selected voltage level represents the intensity of the pixel associated with the emitter. In response to the selected voltage level at the charge terminal, the extraction grid charges the capacitor to a potential which is the difference between the grid voltage and the selected voltage level. When charged, the capacitor is isolated from the driver circuit. The charge stored in the isolated capacitor discharges through the emitter.

Abstract: A multithreshold electrical twisting ball display device. The device is composed of electrically and optically anisotropic spheroidal balls of at least two different rotation thresholds, disposed in an elastomer substrate, together with an addressing electrode assembly. The addressing electrode assembly allows a preferred region of the substrate to be selected in which at least one ball of the first set and at least one ball of the second set are disposed, and first and second electric field to be applied to the preferred region thus selected, each of the first and second electric fields extending throughout the preferred region. The first field facilitates a contemporaneous rotation of balls of both the first and second sets rotatably disposed in the preferred region. The second electric field facilitates a rotation of balls of the second set rotatably disposed in the preferred region, without facilitating a rotation of any ball of the first set rotatably disposed in the preferred region.

Abstract: A joypad circuit for playing PC games includes a switching circuit connected between a PC and a keyboard, a microprocessor connected to the switching circuit for blocking signals from the keyboard and controlling the operation of the PC, a memory connected to the microprocessor for storing data from the keyboard during a setting mode, a plurality of switches for a user to select a desired function, a button processing circuit connected to the microprocessor for selecting a plurality of data stored in the memory in response to the user's selection to the switches, a special control circuit for performing special control of the PC when the number of the switches is not enough to control the PC, and a mode selecting circuit connecting with the microprocessor for selecting a desired operation mode.

Abstract: An adaptive dithering apparatus analyzes an input video signal as a function of available primary shades and produces a select signal whose value is a function of the desired shade represented by the input video signal and of the available primary shades. A combiner combines the input video signal with a selected one of a plurality of dither signals to generate a dithered input video signal. The one dither signal is selected under the control of the select signal. Finally, an adjustor receives the dithered input video signal, the available shade signal, and the select signal and, under the control of the select signal, adjusts the dithered input video signal to have a value equal to one of the available primary shades. Thus, an input video signal may be dithered with a dither signal that is optimized for dithering an input signal that falls into a particular range of desired shades. That is, a different dither signal may be employed for each possible spacing of adjacent available primary shades.

Abstract: A signal processor alternately outputs two input signals to a common output terminal every predetermined period to form a single serial signal. A capacitor for holding the input signal is provided on each input signal transmitting path. A buffer is provided at each of the preceding and succeeding stages of each capacitor. The turning on and off of these buffers is controlled by a single switch. The switch is controlled so that when one capacitor is supplied with the input signal, the other capacitor outputs a signal.

Abstract: In the preferred embodiment, the RGB analog signals generated by a VGA card in a personal computer are applied to a first input of an analog multiplexer. The digital video data stored in a video memory buffer on a video card is converted to RGB analog signals using a D/A converter, and these analog signals are applied to a second input of the analog multiplexer. An analog comparator compares a preselected color key to the analog output of the VGA card. When there is a match, the analog comparator controls the multiplexer to pass the analog video data to the monitor for display. When the color key is not detected, the data from the VGA card is transmitted to the monitor for display. Other features for improving the video overlay precision and the quality of the displayed image are also described.

Abstract: A mouse pad having a transparent top layer with a scratch resistent upper surface thereon, is secured to a resilient backing in such a manner that a pocket is formed between the resilient backing and the top layer to allow material having visual information thereon to be inserted and removed from the pocket via an opening formed through the resilient backing. The present invention also provides a method for forming mouse pads having pockets therein, by first printing on at least one side of a top surface layer, laminating a series of layers of different material together and die cutting the mouse pad and an opening through all the layers except the upper surface layer to allow access to the pocket.

Abstract: A method of displaying continuously acquired measurement data in a display with a fixed number of pixels is provided. Measurement data is provided at a predetermined fixed sample rate independent of a pixel rate which is equal to or less than the sample rate. The measurement data is convened to pixel data which includes the minimum, maximum, and the average of the measurement data gathered and the pixel data is plotted to the pixels at a pixel rate. At the end of the fixed number of pixels of the display, the pixel values are compressed to half the fixed number of pixels and the pixel rate is halved, thereby doubling the time scale. This process can continue indefinitely, requiring no operator intervention or prior knowledge to set a total measurement time. Furthermore, the sample rate is independent of the pixel rate so that a tradeoff of sample rate and total measurement time need not be made.

Abstract: A self-diagnostic arrangement for a video display apparatus and method effectuating the same is disclosed. The apparatus according to the present invention includes a cable connector, amplifiers and a cathode ray tube and comprises a microprocessor storing information on a display status, for selectively switching signals to generate horizontal and vertical sync signals for displaying a variety of self-diagnostic displays, an on screen display IC for supplying a blanking signal and a video signal correspondingly responsive to information supplied from the microprocessor and a H/V deflection circuit for supplying on screen display video. signals to the CRT. There is also provided a method of self-diagnosis, which comprises the steps of generating internal horizontal and vertical sync.signals of predetermined frequency levels and displaying self-diagnostic screens representing video component colors and a display status.