Abstract: A display system is disclosed comprising a processor, a plasma panel subassembly including generally orthogonally related arrays of conductors and drive circuits for the same, and a read-write memory for storing the image data provided by the processor and delivering drive information to the panel subassembly. Control logic provides arbitration for time sharing the operation of the memory between communication with the processor and with the panel subassembly, storage of modified data tags means associated with the memory operation, and means under the control of the modified data tag means to control update erase and write operations of the panel subassembly on an as-needed individual pel line basis.

Abstract: A multi-window display station having main frame (host) interactive and local personal computer display data buffers is provided. The outputs of the two data buffers are merged, using a row or swath buffer, according to default or escape codes stored in one of the data buffers and the combined output drives a plasma panel display. Registers for modified data tags and for presence/absence of escape codes speed the panel update process. Means are included to provide alpha-numeric and graphic windows together on the panel screen.

Abstract: A display management system for one or more large plasma gas panel displays (11) is organized to split the display management operations between a host processor (20), a system microprocessor (21) and a picoprocessor (27). The picoprocessor (27) is the heart of a common internal bus (31) plasma display adapter (22). The program for the display is downloaded from the host processor (20) to the system microprocessor (21). The microprocessor generates op codes and initializes display parameters. The plasma display adapter provides control for the plasma panel interface, serialization of character generator data, translates display position addresses for absolute cartesian coordinates to panel address, and computes the boundaries of display panel write and erase operations. Interaction between the system microprocessor and the plasma display adapter is minimized by a code list contained in the microprocessor memory and fetched by direct memory access.