Abstract: A railroad slack adjuster has a threaded rod, one end of which is adapted to be connected to one portion of a railroad car brake rigging and a tube telescopic with the rod and adapted to be connected to another portion of the brake rigging. A clutch member is rotatably mounted on the rod for engagement with opposing clutch surfaces on the tube. A housing is telescopicaly positioned about the rod, tube and clutch member. There are springs positioned about the tube and effective between the tube and housing to urge the tube inwardly of the housing. There are further springs positioned about the rod and urging the rod inwardly of the tube. A brake application tension applied at opposite ends of the slack adjuster to the rod and tube cause the clutch member to move between the tube opposing clutch surfaces as the slack adjuster lets out and takes up slack in the brake rigging during brake application.

Abstract: An enhanced video graphics controller for converting digital signals to a video signal is described. The controller is capable of displaying composite or analog RGB colors as well as providing shades of grey on monochrome displays. The processing of graphics information includes arranging 256 colors into 16 palettes of 16 colors each and is stored in a first memory. Pointers are assigned to each scan line of a frame of a display and these pointers are also stored in the first memory. Data fields which represent bit mapped video data are also stored in the first memory. For each scan line, a corresponding pointer is selected and this pointer selects one of the palettes to be loaded into a second memory. Then data field for that scan line address the second memory to provide color to the stored video data.

Abstract: A position and image inputting unit in accordance with the present invention is a unit in which both the position inputting function and the image inputting function are incorporated in a packing case. The unit may be used for inputting the position data, as in a mouse in the prior art, when the user presses the packing case lightly. For inputting an image, the packing case is to be pressed harder, and the packing case is moved in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the image scanner. To facilitate the motion, there is provided a guiding roller so that when the packing case is pressed hard, the case moves in a fixed direction only. Furthermore, in this state, through the operation of the image scanner, the image data is scanned and input in succession in the direction perpendicular to the direction of motion of the packing case.

Abstract: The spring core for a mattress consists of several, identically formed spring coils arranged in side by side rows with each row forming a wire piece having an upper and a lower mutually aligned end spiral in a U-shape, and having opposite legs joined together by a base webb. Adjacent coil springs are joined together at their end spirals along abutting legs by helical connecting springs. To arrange the springs at tight angles in rows and columns, a length of one leg is greater than the length of another leg and all the coil springs are oriented in the same direction, except along a edge region of the spring core.

Abstract: A vibration damper comprising; a main body which is formed from an elastic material into a substantially cubic overall form; and fixtures which are attached to each of two surfaces of the main body which are adjacent each other.

Abstract: An active matrix display device of an improved and simplified configuration and a driving method for the same are disclosed. The display device according to the present invention is characterized in that data bus lines and scan bus lines are separately formed on first and second transparent substrates respectively and the drain electrode of each TFT on the second substrate is connected to the scan bus line to be addressed next. This configuration eliminates earth bus lines of the prior art. This arrangement has effects of simplifying a bus line design and obtaining a higher yield and an increased opening rate for each display element. In order to drive the above device, an address pulse having a stepped waveform is used. Each address pulse has Vgon, Vgc, and Vgoff levels, and a width of two horizontal scan time.

Abstract: A segment constituting several points of digitized waveform data from a digitizer is stored in a pixel memory which has a number of memory locations corresponding to the number of pixels in the horizontal screen width of a raster scan video screen. As each new data point is written into a sequentially higher location in the memory, the data at the memory location a selected number of memory locations lower, constituting the desired number of pixels in the waveform segment, is erased. When a full new segment of data is in the waveform memory, the contents of the memory is provided to a raster scan graphics control unit which causes a new raster scan frame to be written on the video monitor screen. Only the portion of the waveform corresponding to the segment of waveform data in the waveform memory is illuminated on the screen. New data continues to be written into the waveform memory until another full segment of waveform data is in the memory and all previous waveform data points have been erased.

Abstract: A liquid-crystal display apparatus has liquid-crystal display panels, in which scanning and signal electrodes are arranged in a matrix, and the number of scanning electrodes in divided into 1/N. A RAM has a video data storage capacity corresponding to an (N-1)/N field of the 1/N-divided liquid-crystal display panel. An electrode drive signal for driving the scanning electrodes selects an identical scanning electrode for each 1/N field, so that video data corresponding to a 1/N image from the RAM is distributed to be displayed on divided display regions.

Abstract: A monitoring system for a serial transmission line which analyzes serial data received from a serial transmission line on the basis of a protocol or a data format for serial transmission and converts the serial data into display data, thereby monitoring the serial data. The system converts all or a portion of the data being displayed in one coding format and displays the fresh display data (for example, data displayed in HEX coding is converted and displayed in ASCII coding).

Abstract: An electrical display and method in which the least significant digit is moved or scrolled in mechanical counter fashion are disclosed. Only the least significant digit is scrolled, and the more significant digits change instantaneously when an adjacent less significant digit changes between its highest and lowest values, unlike mechanical counters. The disclosed display and method include a rounding-off feature according to which the least significant digit is rounded off when the input signal variable is unchanging and displayed in alignment with the display of the more significant digits.

Abstract: The device comprises at least one correction circuit interposed in the electroacoustic system and comprising a band-pass filter receiving an input signal, a compressor limiter circuit connected to the output of the band-pass filter, a threshold detector circuit connected to the output of the compressor-limiter circuit and looped thereon in order to allow compression, by said compressor limiter circuit, of the signal issued from the band-pass filter, only if the input signal exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a summing-inverter circuit to which is applied, on the one hand, the signal issued from said compressor limiter circuit, and on the other hand, via an inverter circuit, the input signal applied to the input of the band-pass filter. According to the invention, a plurality of correction circuits can be cascade-mounted, said circuits comprising band-pass filters of which the pass-bands are different but do not necessarily overlap.

Abstract: A method for identifying a bounded area of a graphic display. The method uses the division of the display screen into nine areas then the central square is the correlation window. This window can be small, two or three pel width, or large if the application is seeking to identify a larger area. The point indicated by the operator is in the center of the correlation window. An object (bounded area) which intersects this square will register a bit. It can be seen that a bounded area will intersect the correlation window if either: (a) any part of the boundary actually passes through the window, or (b) any arbitrary point within the window is inside the area.

Abstract: An illuminated membrane keyboard 18 includes a light beam matrix, which when broken by the shadow of a stylus, operates logic to turn on illumination for a preset time rendering a normally dead front appearing keyboard visible. This feature conserves energy required to power illumination, lengthens the life of the illuminating source and limits access to the keyboard.

Abstract: A display device comprises a display, an input and a controller. The display displays a three-dimensional image, a vector cursor and a pointing image extending in a direction of movement of the vector cursor. The controller generates a display signal to display the three-dimensional image, vector cursor and pointing image. The controller recognizes the three-dimensional image crossing to the pointing image in response to the pointing signal from the input.

Abstract: In an input control device for use with an electric typewriter, word processor or computer, provided are a special back key which inputs the command for moving a visual indicator in a direction toward the beginning of a line of data, and a special advance key which inputs the command for moving the indicator in a direction toward the end of the line. With the special back key depressed, the indicator is moved to the beginning of the line when the indicator is within a data string and to the end of data string when the indicator is outside the data string. With the special advance key depressed, the indicator is moved to the end of the data string when the indicator is positioned within the data string except at the end of the data string and to the end of the line when the indicator is outside the data string except at the end of the data string.

Abstract: A loudspeaker and enclosure assembly, comprising: a load bearing member exhibiting good thermal conductivity; at least one loudspeaker mounted on the load bearing member and in thermal engagement therewith; and, an enclosure having walls formed of rigid light-weight material mounted on the load bearing member to enclose the at least one loudspeaker, whereby the assembly is easily moved and mounted and thermal energy generated by operation of the loudspeaker is effectively dissipated through the load bearing member. The enclosure may be a rigid foam-filled member defining a generally funnel-shaped bore therein to form a horn for the loudspeaker, whereby a modular construction of interchangeable integrally formed enclosures and horns can be achieved.

Abstract: To check the signals of the electrodes of a 7-segment display, the device comprises a multiplexing assembly, a detector of the level of the signals, a generator of clock signals of different frequencies, a pulse counter, and an anomaly detector.

Abstract: A color display matrix array having parallelogram shaped display elements and the elements in one row all have a slant to the right, while the elements in the immediate adjacent row have a slant to the left.

Abstract: A flat panel VDU or TV screen has pixel elements controlled by an array of small single crystal semiconductor bars or chips. Power and information are connected directly or capacitatively to the chips; chip surfaces have pick-up pads. X-Y address lines are provided on a VDU panel substrate, and each chip has bridging links to complete continuity of the Y-line. For data address, data lines are provided on the substrate, and decoding an address recognition circuitry is incorporated in each chip. Chips may be responsive to more than one address, and may be addressed either singly or using a single code address. Each chip may control its neighboring pixels. A single crystal wafer is processed and mounted on a support. Chips are defined by back etching the wafer and separated by stretching the support prior to transfer to a substrate. Self aligned electrodes may be produced using a mask stretched on the surface of the support.

Abstract: The present invention constitutes a cursor image (36) for use in graphics imaging systems for providing images with three-dimensional qualities. The cursor indicates position within a three-dimensional space. The cursor comprises a reference symbol (38) located at a reference point (58) on a reference plane (60), a pointer symbol (40) located pointing to the position (42), and a tether symbol (44) connecting the reference symbol and the pointer symbol. The cursor image includes depth cue features which assist the observer in gauging the depth of the position being indicated. The cursor is preferably displayed with a stereoscopic imaging system (10) employing a liquid crystal stereo switch unit (16). In such a system the cursor image is displayed on a cathode-ray tube (12) in left and right perspective projections (46) and (48) of differing binocular disparity which are used by the observer to form a single three-dimensioinal image of the cursor.