Abstract: An apparatus for adding isopleths to image data includes an input device for sequentially inputting image data to be displayed on an image screen of a display device, a horizontal delay circuit for delaying the inputted data by one horizontal scanning period, a column comparator for comparing the inputted data, that is, a sample, with a delayed sample from the horizontal delay circuit to thereby generate a signal indicating a sample to be converted into isopleth data, a sample delay circuit for delaying the sample outputted from the horizontal delay circuit by one sampling period, a row comparator for comparing the sample outputted from the horizontal delay circuit with the sample outputted from the sample delay circuit to thereby generate a signal indicating a sample to be converted into isopleth data, and an isoplete data generator responsive to the output of the column and row comparators for replacing the indicated input sample by predetermined distinguishable data and for outputting the predetermined dis

Abstract: An electronic template includes components stored with corresponding dimensional data. Each component is assigned an insertion point by which a user may interface with a computer-aided design operating system for indicating the desired position and rotational orientation of a selected component. First selected components comprise primary components, and typically have further accessory attachment points designated thereon, whereby subsequent accessory components may be automatically connected in the design to its primary component with which it mates. The accessory attachment point defines a target for insertion of the accessory component, thereby maintaining positional accuracy without requiring the user to determine positioning relationships for mating parts. Once entered into the design, the user may draw on the component dimensional data for calculating dimensions on the drawing.

Abstract: An image converter for mapping two dimensional image data onto a shape produced by a three-dimensional coordinate system includes an input circuit for inputting first shape data representing a top sectional shape of the shape and second shape data representing a side sectional shape of the shape, the first shape data and the second shape data being plural coordinate data in a two-dimensional coordinate system, a memory for storing the first shape data and the second shape data, a three-dimensional shape data producing generating circuit supplied with the first shape data and the second shape data read out from the memory for calculating three-dimensional shape data representing the shape, and a mapping processor supplied with the three-dimensional shape data and the two-dimensional image data for mapping the two-dimensional image data onto the shape and producing output data representing the shape on which the two-dimensional image is mapped.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for programming an automatic monitoring system which includes an auxiliary input device for inputting encoded picture data relating to the picture classification, coordinate information, picture attributes, etc. for graphic plotting, a picture data filing device for filing input picture data from the auxiliary input device, a high-level language data filing device for filing high-level language data. A programming unit having a machine language transformation unit for transforming high-level language data into machine language data, the programming unit including a high-level language transformation unit for transforming the picture data filed in the picture data filing device into basic graphic plotting instruction sentences of the high-level language in accordance with high-level language transformation rules.

Abstract: An apparatus for transforming a line image, in the form of a two-level digital image, into contour vectors, and forming a center line for the image. First, the contour (or contours) of the image are traced and corrected, after which the center line of the image is determined based on the contour vectors that define opposite sides of the line image. In the contour correction process, composite line images having both "unitary" (open) figures such as in FIG. 7A, and closed-loop figures (such as in FIG. 7B) are decomposed into separably distinguishable unitary figures and closed-loop figures. This decomposition facilitates determination of the center line of the contour vectors, while reducing memory usage and not compromising processing speed as compared with known systems.

Abstract: First image data read out from an image information apparatus is stored in a page memory through a buffer memory and is also displayed on a CRT (cathode ray tube) display unit. A second image data subsequently read is converted into a predetermined size under the control of a CPU (central processing unit) and stored in the first image data stored in the page memory in a superimposed fashion.

Abstract: A painting processing unit obtains minimum and maximum values of data of a graphic in the Y direction, and effective scan lines are initialized. Then, it obtains coordinates of intersection points of the graphic contour and the scan lines, and X coordinates are sequentially registered in an edge list. A judgment is made as to whether the edge list has overflowed. If it has not overflowed, the edge list is rearranged after registering X coordinates of all intersection points, and painting is performed. If it has overflowed, the graphic is divided in two, and the effective scan lines are reset within a range of one-half of the initialized range. Then, all intersection points of contour and scan lines are obtained again, and only the X coordinates of intersection points within the reset effective scan lines are registered in the edge list. If there is no overflow, the divided graphic only within the range of the reset effective scan lines is painted.

Abstract: A drawing data obtained by a CAD device is extended once to an image data on a plane and the extended image data is coded and stored in an electronic file device so that every display can be done by merely reading data stored in the electronic file device, decoding and displaying it. The image data having a plurality of attributes is stored attribute by attribute so that the electronic file device can display only image having attribute or attributes instructed and it is possible to obtain only required image information among various informations contained in a complicated image and thus searching is facilitated.

Abstract: Frames of digital data each representing a single picture of a video motion picture display are handled in a computer system with an extended memory operating in parallel with a computer system instruction processor and main memory to bypass the computer system input/output processor for continuously outputting the video information on a real time basis. The outputted data may be recorded continuously at a constant data rate for an entire motion picture worth of information or actually displayed on the video display on a real time basis. The extended storage has a memory larger than the main memory, where all of the frame data is stored and read out in high speed bursts to a buffer that continuously reads the data out of the buffer for outputting.

Abstract: A 3-dimensional (3-D) Computer Aided Design (CAD) System generates a fillet surface which smoothly connects two surfaces to each other. This is accomplished by sliding a circle on a normal plane of a user-designated spine curve which is in contact with two surfaces. Then, the fillet surface is approximated by Gregory patches which are generated from trajectories of two tangent points between the circle and the two surfaces. The fillet surface thus expressed by the Gregory patches is easily and efficiently processed in computers such as those in 3D CAD systems. Because the fillet surface is generated along the spine curve, various fillet surfaces, including that generated by the conventional rolling-ball blending method, can be generated to satisfy various needs of designers of 3-D CAD Systems.

Abstract: Cone beam geometry imaging uses an area or two-dimensional array detector and a cone beam x-ray source. Image reconstruction by inverse Radon transformation is used following the calculation of planar integrals. Specifically, the integral is calculated by first changing it to a form wherein fast Fourier transforms can be used to minimize the number of operations in the calculations of the integral.

Abstract: A computer graphics system. The system includes a video memory having a shift register adapted for split shift register transfers, and digital computer for controlling the video memory and having a tap point counter clocked by a shift clock signal and also having a blanking circuit with a blanking output. Further, logic circuitry enabled by the blanking output is connected to initiate an extra shift clock pulse for the tap point counter during a blanking interval. Other systems, palette devices, and methods are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of displaying and cutting out a region of interest. Upon depicting contour lines indicating regions of interest, respectively, on a display screen, the regions of interest are displayed with contour lines differing from one region to another in accordance with the order in which the regions of interest are designated. The contour displayed is scanned in the four directions leftward, rightward, upward and downward. For the inaccessible regions which are located outside of the contour and which could not have been reached by the scanning line, one of the upward and downward scannings and one of the leftward and rightward scannings are repeated until the inaccessible regions are no longer present.

Abstract: Process for making computer-aided drawings for applications such as computer-aided engineering (CAE) and computer-aided design (CAD). A drawing is made in the form of a planar map in all steps of its implementation, and the process proceeds iteratively with insertion, erasure, or coloring operations as the drawing is made.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for merging command/data packets from a plurality of parallel processing units into a concentrated data stream, while also providing for pipeline attribute data storage, direct user access to the pipeline, redirection of the pipeline, data insertion into the pipeline and pipeline diagnostics. The data from a plurality of parallel processing units is recombined in the same order as originally transmitted and then inputted into a buffer for entry into the pipeline. Attribute switching commands are deciphered by the concentrator of the invention and selectively stored and retrieved from the pipeline. New attribute values are passed downstream on command when they are different from existing attributes, or conversely, the concentrator may be overridden by the user so that attribute values supplied by the user may be stored and passed downstream. This technique thus minimizes repetitiveness in attribute switching.

Abstract: An apparatus for displaying a plurality of two dimensional display regions includes a currently displayed display region on a surface of a visual display. A pointing device generates X and Y coordinate signals corresponding to locations on the display and a Z increment signal, and a pointer is displayed on the display at a location corresponding to a set of the X and Y coordinate signals. A sequence of two dimensional display regions is stored in a memory circuit, and a display region succeeding the currently displayed display region in the sequence or a display region preceding the currently displayed display region in the sequence is selected in response to the Z increment signal irrespective of whether the location at which the pointer is displayed coincides with the selected display region.

Abstract: A method is provided for at least partially superposing an edge of a first object with the edge of a second object in a system for displaying at least the first and second objects against a background. The objects and the background are defined by a plurality of pixels and each pixel possesses a selected one of at least a first output state and a second output state. The method includes the steps of: setting a first set of dispersed pixels disposed along the edge of the first object to the second output state; setting a second set of dispersed pixels disposed along the edge of the second graphic object to the second output state; and superposing the edge of the first object with the edge of the second object so that the first set of pixels is intermeshed with the second set of pixels to form a partial pixel boundary between the first object and the second boundary.

Abstract: A method and a system in a data processing system for differentially smoothing raw isolines containing linear segments within a triangular mesh which represents a single-valued surface. The triangulation mesh comprises a plurality of triangles. A first centroid is located for a first triangle within the triangular mesh and a second centroid is located for a second adjacent triangle within the triangular mesh which shows a common side with the first triangle. Each centroid includes three medians beginning at the centroid and terminating at one of three vertices of a triangle associated with the centroid. The common side between the two triangles has a first end point and a second end point, and an isoline which traverses the first and the second triangle traverses at least one of the three medians in each triangle. A first point is determined at an intersection of the isoline and a median within the first triangle.

Abstract: A scalar quantity distribution displaying method wherein shape information of an object to be displayed having a certain shape, and magnitudes of scalar quantities at sampling points lying on the object to be displayed are used for displaying scalar quantity magnitude distribution on the object to be displayed in terms of contour lines and/or a color map; the improvement therein comprising the fact that the distribution of the magnitudes of the scalar quantities is displayed by a graph simultaneously with the display presented in terms of the contour lines and/or the color map. Since the scalar quantity distribution is concurrently displayed, any singular value, etc. of the scalar quantity can be readily acknowledged.

Abstract: The rasterize processing for obtaining printing picture element information from a source file described in a page-description language is distributed-processed by a plurality of information processing units (6a, 6b, 6c) loose connected via a network (7). In the information processing unit (6a) which generates a printing request, a client process (210) converts a source file (19) into an intermediate code file (10) and further divides the intermediate code file into a plurality of partial files executable in the rasterize processing, independently. A part of these plural partial files is given to a rasterizer (212) of the information processing unit (6a) which generates a printing request, so as to be rasterized into picture element information. The remaining part of the plural partial files are distributed to the other information processing units (6b, 6c) via the network.