Abstract: A trackball for controlling the motion of a video-screen cursor comprises a control ball, said control ball being held on at least two rotatable rolling bodies, said rolling bodies each touching the control ball at at least two contact points. These rolling bodies may, for example, have the shape of a double cone or of two spheres mounted on a shaft. The result is that, once imparted rotary momentum in an initial direction, the control ball retains momentum in that direction, i.e., the video-screen cursor moves in a precisely vertical or precisely horizontal direction across the video screen once it is started in such a direction. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the axial bearing arrangement of the rolling bodies is dispensed with.

Abstract: A microprocessor controlled digital engine analyzer receives analog input signals from an engine being analyzed, engine parameter data entered via a keyboard, and function data, selecting one of several operating modes for the analyzer and which information is to be displayed, entered via the keyboard, and displays on a CRT screen the selected information such as cylinder firing order, RPM, Dwell, KV and DC volts, alphanumerically, information such as primary and secondary ignition and voltage, alternator and fuel injector information through the use of continuous waveform patterns, and additional information pertaining to Dwell, KV and Cylinder Shorting through the use of bar graphs.

Abstract: A multiple display system is adapted to display data in the VIDEOTEX standard on a display formed of a plurality of display devices. The system comprises an encoder for generating a code on the basis of internal or external data supplied thereto, a plurality of decoders, each of which includes a central processing unit, successively arranged in series with respect to the encoder, and a plurality of display devices provided respectively corresponding to the plurality of decoders to thereby display a large image by the plurality of display devices. The encoder inserts an identification number in a predetermined portion of a data sequence. The plurality of decoders respectively select data with corresponding identification number, convert the selected data into a video signal, and supply respective display devices with the video signal.

Abstract: A driving method for a liquid crystal device of the type comprising a matrix electrode structure having scanning lines and data lines, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal. In the driving method, (a) in a first period, a scanning selection signal is applied to a scanning line and applying an information signal is applied to a data line in synchronism with the scanning selection signal, and (b) in a second period, an alternating auxiliary signal is applied to the data line.

Abstract: A driving apparatus for a gas discharge display panel having a plurality of cathodes and a plurality of anodes arranged in a matrix includes a cathode pulse generator and an anode pulse generator, with the anode pulse generator generating negative display anode pulses made up of auxiliary discharge pulses (width=tS) and display pulses of smaller pulse width (width=tD, tD.ltoreq.tS) corresponding to information display signals. The anode pulse generator preferably also provides positive display anode pulses so that selection between negative and positive display anode pulses is possible.

Abstract: A driving circuit for a matrix liquid crystal display device with switching transistors added to respective picture elements is divided into a plurality of blocks each of which selectively drives the switching transistors. The driving circuit is equipped with control means for actuating the blocks one by one in turn while electrically isolating the unactuated blocks from the circuit.

Abstract: In a display control apparatus wherein a picture signal of a character, a pattern or the like and a luminance signal for affording a luminance to the picture signal are synchronously derived, and a logic between the picture signal and the luminance signal is taken to control the luminance of the picture signal; a display control apparatus comprising pulse width adjusters by which, when one signal is true with the other signal being false, the true signal is put within an interval of the false signal and is held false for fixed times before and after a true signal interval thereof, and when both logics of the respective signals are true or false, true or false intervals of both the signals are adjusted so as to become equal.

Abstract: A telephone display which can be programmed from a remote site. A standard pay telephone is equipped with a modem, processor, and memory storage devices whereby it can receive a character string transmitted over telephone lines from a remote programming site. The processor displays messages embedded in the character string on a display panel attached to the telephone booth, and optionally on an interior display panel removed from the telephone booth. The character string has format controls for displaying the messages, and may also have clock commands for displaying certain messages at certain times of the day. A priority message is flashed on the display panel whenever the telephone handset is removed from its cradle.

Abstract: A position input device for a computer system, commonly referred to as a "mouse", has a resilient cushion attached to the bottom of its casing and a high-durability, low-friction slide sheet attached to the bottom of the cushion resulting in a device which easily slides on a desktop surface, resists wearing down, and does not generate noise when slid.

Abstract: A method and apparatus that employ precomputed line profiles to draw lines on a raster scan terminal with mostly horizontal or vertical "brush strokes" that develop the desired line profiles. The precomputed line profiles relate mostly to the slope of the drawn lines and to the position of the drawn lines between adjacent pixels on the raster scan terminal in the direction of the "brush strokes". A relatively small number of precomputed values is required, permitting the apparatus to operate at the low resolution of the raster scan and be driven advantageously by a look-up table. This results in a very fast operation of the system while leading to pleasing results. The method also takes into account corners and end-of-line conditions to avoid very abrupt and unnatural looking end points.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for electronically retouching an image are described. The apparatus comprises a source (1) of color component image signals representing the color component values for the picture elements of the image to enable the image to be displayed on a monitor screen (8). A source (9) of color data is provided representing the color component values of a first range of colors, adjacent colors differing from each other by more than a predetermined amount. A control device (2) such as a minicomputer causes the monitor screen (8) to display the first range of colors.

Abstract: In an electronic apparatus made up of a main body and an external output unit to be integrally coupled with the main body and adapted such that an electric connection between the two units is provided by the coupling, an electrical control system is disclosed which comprises a control knob disposed on one side of the main body at the joining position, an adjustment knob accessible from the outside when the units are coupled and function to cause the control knob to operate in conjunction therewith, and a transmission mechanism for transmitting an operating force applied to the adjustment knob of the output unit to the control knob of the main body when these units are coupled, whereby control of the electrical connection of the main body is provided from the outside when these units are coupled.

Abstract: The device comprises a two-dimensional display panel (20) composed of interchangable unit modular (24). Each module is composed of display elements which are nematic or smectic LCD cells. Half-tones may be produced by either changing the contrast of the LCD or in subdividing each display element into several unit cells which are, as desired, switched to light or dark and thus producing the impression of a more or less dark dot. The device serves to communicate information in the form of fixed or changing images or sign groups and can also be used for advertisement.

Abstract: A signal light comprising a light source and a liquid crystal means. The liquid crystal means is disposed between the light source and a viewing area of the signal light for blocking and transmitting light according to a given electrical input. The signal light further includes means for energizing the light source when the liquid crystal means transmits light and for de-energizing the light source when the liquid crystal means blocks light.

Abstract: A digital color display device comprising a display (12) wherein display elements for displaying respective pixels of three colors are disposed as a matrix and are shifted by 1 pixel or 1.5 pixel in every row, and a driving circuit (13a, 13b) for successively switching respective chrominance signals of the three colors and supplying them to the driving electrode of each column of the display (12), the driving circuit (13a, 13b) including switching means for switching between a first supply mode for alternately supplying each of the chrominance signals of the three colors by successively switching all the signals and a second supplying mode for alternately supplying two of the chrominance signals selected from the above three chrominance signals, and further including reverse switching means (2, 3, 4, 21) for reversing the supplying order of the three or the two chrominance signals. In this arrangement, either the display (12) of 1 pixel shifting or the display (12) of 1.

Abstract: Active matrix display screen with row and column redundancy. The display screen comprises a first and second transparent plate (10, 24) between which is inserted a liquid crystal. On a first plate (10) are deposited a matrix of elements (32) each comprising a transistor (20) and a conductive block (22), lines of addressing electrodes organized in rows (14) and in columns (12). The lines of electrodes are connected together at their ends by resistances which make it possible to avoid the effects of row or column breaks.

Abstract: A document filing apparatus is provided with a main unit for outputting parallel bit data, and a display device coupled to the main unit through an interface cable having a plurality of bit transmission lines. The display device comprises a multiplier circuit for multiplying the frequency of a clock pulse at a predetermined frequency, a parallel-in/serial-out shift register for receiving an image signal obtained by finely scanning a document, via the interface cable, as parallel image data, and for converting the parallel image data into serial image data in synchronism with a multiplied clock pulse signal from the multiplifer circuit, and cathode-ray tube for displaying image data obtained from the shift register as an image.

Abstract: An assembly (10) for interfacing with a mouse (12) including a transducer (13) which controls movement of a cursor on a computer display is disclosed as including a base (14), a first member (16) having a peripheral surface (18) for interfacing with the mouse (12) mounted on the base (14) for rotary and axial movement and a second member (20) connected to the first member (16) and manually actuable for actuating driving movement of the first member (16) to thereby allow an operator to simulate control wheel movement associated with playing video games.

Abstract: A raster scan image data display controller including a means for reducing flickering comprises an image memory for storing image data items at horizontal and vertical display addresses corresponding to horizontal and vertical coordinates on an image display area, a read-out device for supplying the horizontal and vertical display addresses to the image memory and reading out the image data items from the image memory, a display device for interlaced displaying of the read-out image data on paired scanning lines of two types of fields which are to be formed by a raster scan, a timing control device for synchronizing the horizontal and vertical display addresses with the raster scan of the display device, and a timing switching device for permitting said paired scanning lines of two types of fields formed by the raster scan in association with a timing control by the timing control device, to be switched, so as to select a pair of scanning lines which are situated close to each other.

Abstract: The present invention provides apparatus and methods for determining the boundaries of arbitrarily shaped regions on a computer display system having a central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is coupled to a display having a plurality of selectively enabled and disabled display elements arranged in a matrix, whereby each display element is identified by a unique X,Y address. A memory coupled to the CPU includes a plurality of memory cells, wherein the cells correspond to a display element on the display. An initial X,Y address is selected on the display by a user employing a cursor control to identify an area on the display where the boundaries of a region are to be determined. The initial X,Y address selected by the user is defined as a seed cell.