Abstract: An apparatus for determining the angle and height of a rotary power saw blade by sensing the angle of the saw blade from the vertical and the sine of the angle with respect to a horizontal reference as the blade height is changed. A display unit converts the sensor output to a visual indication.

Abstract: A dot character display apparatus includes a control circuit for transferring data corresponding to character body and upper and lower symbols from first to third character generators to image buffers, a drive circuit for driving a dot matrix display section on the basis of the data stored in the image buffers. The dot matrix display section has an upper display area to display the upper symbol, a central display area to display the charcter body, and a lower display area to display the lower symbol. The drive circuit has a first drive section to drive the central display area of the dot matrix display section in accordance with data indicative of the character body from the first character generator, and a secod drive section to drive the upper and lower display areas of the dot matrix display section in accordance with data representative of the upper and lower symbols from the second and third character generators.

Abstract: A display device for displaying numerical results of athletics and/or games and the like formed from a rear support panel attached to a front cover of colored transparent sheet material by a surrounding frame forming a shallow box. The transparent sheet material is removable by sliding from the overall unit to reveal the printed circuit boards laid out there below.Within the box printed circuit boards are removably secured each having mounted thereon a plurality of light emitting diodes arranged in the form of a bisected parallelogram so that by selectively energizing groups of the light emitting diodes, different sections of the bisected parallelogram can be illuminated to display different numerals in the range 0 to 9.A control unit is connected to the display unit having switching devices which can be set to cause different patterns of light emitting diodes to become illuminated.

Abstract: An optical mouse 100 wherein light emanating from the light source 106 is reflected off an optical pattern pad and is placed such tha a lens 120 at a predetermined distance from the optical pad focuses the light directly onto an inverted integrated circuit 124 mounted on and through a hole 126 in a printed wiring board 118, the integrated circuit being housed in a clear plastic package. The path from the lens to the integrated circuit package provides an optical guide 122 such that the distances from the pattern pad to the lens, and from the lens to the optical sensor 128 in the integrated circuit, is fixed upon manufacture and assembly without any further optical adjustment. The inverted state of the integrated circuit chip allows a fixed distance to be provided through the hole in the printed wiring board rather than from above it as is common in the prior art.

Abstract: A cathode ray tube for use in a touch panel system that is capable of recognizing touch positions along a coordinate axis of a touch display surface of the system has a flat glass faceplate capable of propegating surface acoustic waves. An input surface wave transducer, acoustically coupled to the touch display surface, serves to launch a burst of surface waves on that surface. At least one array of wave reflective elements are disposed in or on the touch display surface for directing the surface waves derived from the input trasnducer across the touch display surface.

Abstract: A remote control device for the joint or successive remote control of radio receivers, record players, tape recorders, television receivers and the like comprises a body having a plurality of control buttons for the items of equipment to be remotely controlled. The device further has a plurality of superimposed drop sheets each of which is associated with a specific item of equipment or function type. With the aid of a flap which is pivotally mounted on the body and a gripper provided on the flap, it is possible to raise the drop sheets, so that only that particular sheet required for the desired function type is present on the device. The drop sheets have openings through which the operating buttons can project. In the vicinity of these operating buttons a reference to a specific function is provided on each drop sheet.

Abstract: A system for measuring the relative movement of one object with respect to another, such as the movement of a slide with respect to a scale of a measuring instrument utilizes the capacitative effect of a series of electrodes associated with a slide and another series of electrodes associated with the cooperating scale, the changes in capacity caused by relative movement between the two members being analyzed by an electronic circuit.

Abstract: An addressing circuit for providing character addresses to refresh a plurality of panels arranged to display a single image and including a circuit for providing a character counter across character line and a circuit for providing a character line count for each panel. The character count across the character line and the character line count are combined in another circuit to provide an address for each character successively along a panel scan line alternating between each respective scan line of the panels. In this manner, each scan line of the panels may be addressed in an alternating fashion to provide the required refresh signal to maintain the image on the display.

Abstract: A visual display unit with character overstrike capability includes a text store in which text is stored in data stream form. A formatter formats the stored text and loads character codes into a refresh buffer which together with a character generator display the characters on a raster scanned cathode ray tube. Control logic responsive to a backspace character combines the bit patterns corresponding to the characters preceding and succeeding the backspace character in a temporary store and then stores the composite bit pattern in the character generator and a pointer thereto in the refresh buffer. The control logic can be inhibited to allow the individual characters constituting the composite character to be displayed individually for editing purposes.

Abstract: A tablet device provides a coordinate count. A link is provided for each of the coordinates, the link including a pulse signal generator for generating first and second pulse signals which have a variable phase difference and which supply an interface for a "mouse". Controlled by the second pulse signal, an up-down pulse counter counts up and down in response to the first pulse signals. By comparing the pulse count with the coordinate count, a comparator produces a result signal which is indicative of whether the pulse count is or is not less than the coordinate count. The result signal is used in adjusting the variable phase difference to make the pulse count converge on the coordinate count. The pulse signal generator may have a pulse sequence generator for generating first and second pulse sequences which are produced as the respective pulse signals and which are not produced when the result signal indicates that the pulse count is or is not equal to the coordinate count, respectively.

Abstract: A keyboard control system is comprised of a key matrix circuit and a keyboard controller. The key matrix circuit includes scanning lines and return lines, these lines being connected to keys on a keyboard, a decoder for transferring a scanning signal to each scanning line, and a receiver for receiving a return signal as a scanning signal returned through a return line and by the depressed key. The keyboard controller generates a key matrix code corresponding to the depressed key on the basis of an address of a scanning line to which the scanning signal is output and an address of a return line through which the return signal is input. The keyboard controller stores the generated key matrix code into a keyboard buffer memory. When the depressed key is a special key for display, the keyboard controller generates a key matrix code in response to the key depression and displays predetermined data on a screen.

Abstract: In a graphical display apparatus having a writing pad and a display device, X- and Y-coordinate position signals are generated by the writing pad to indicate the position of a pen on a work area on the data entry surface of the pad. A correction circuit formed by discrete components is operated in a calibration mode to calibrate correction factors in response to the X- and Y-coordinate position signals so that when the pen is located successively in a plurality of reference coordinate work positions a cursor will appear successively in a plurality of reference coordinate positions of the display. In a data entry mode, the correction circuit corrects the X- and Y-coordinate position signals in accordance with the calibrated correction factors, so that the X and Y coordinates of the work area correspond to the X and Y coordinates of said display area.

Abstract: A method of selectively displaying data, whereby the data is arranged in a consecutive series of data-blocks, each data-block being a matrix of information such as a Lofargram. The method comprises selecting an initial set of data-blocks from the series of data-blocks, wherein the initial set of data-blocks comprises an initial data-block and every following nth data-block in the series and then displaying this initial set. The method includes displaying different sets of data-blocks subsequent to the initial set. Each different set of data-blocks comprises an initial data-block, differing from the initial data-block of the preceeding set by an integer m, and every subsequent nth data-block in the series. The method further comprises, displaying a reference data-block adjacent to any one of the sets of data-blocks for comparing with any one of the data-blocks in the series.

Abstract: The present invention is a simplified membrane keyboard employing a single flexible sheet. This membrane keyboard is employed in an electronic apparatus having an external case with a nonconducting keyboard surface. This nonconducting keyboard surface has a plurality of depressions corresponding to key switch positions. The keyboard surface is covered by a keyboard sheet. This keyboard sheet has a flexible membrane with opposed first and second surfaces, the first surface disposed adjacent to and substantially covering the keyboard surface of the external case. An interconnection pattern is placed upon the first surface of the flexible membrane. This interconnection pattern has a plurality of conductors and most particularly has a pair of conductors in proximity at each key switch position. Pressure applied to the second surface of the flexible membrane causes the flexible membrane to flex until the two conductors contact a conductive layer disposed in the bottom of the corresponding depression.

Abstract: A position control apparatus comprises a pointing device for pointing a position, a microprocessor for computing a distance of movement and a velocity of movement of the pointing device controls moving the position pointed by the pointing device at a velocity corresponding to the velocity detected when the distance of movement and the velocity of movement detected exceed predetermined values.

Abstract: A display apparatus includes a document memory for storing data, a display section for displaying the data stored in a desired storage area of the document memory on a screen, and a scroll controller for designating data to be displayed on the display section and designating a cursor position to be displayed. When a cursor is located outside of a predetermined range on the screen, if a cursor-up or-down movement command is input, the displayed data is scrolled without moving the cursor position. When the cursor is located in the predetermined range on the screen, if the cursor-up or - down movement command is input, the cursor position changes in accordance with the command, and the displayed data is not scrolled.

Abstract: A pushbutton keyboard assembly has a plurality of pushbuttons mounted over a circuit board. A circuit pattern on the circuit board has a plurality of switch positions and a pushbutton is aligned with each switch position. A cap fits over each pushbutton, each cap having a clear top for viewing of an indicia printed on the top of the pushbutton. Each cap has a laterally extending flange by which it is held in position by a dial cover extending over the circuit board and having apertures for the pushbuttons and caps. By the provision of caps, the indicia can be printed using material having suitable characteristics matching the pushbutton material, without the need of also withstanding wear during use.

Abstract: A capacitance-variation-sensitive touch sensing array system includes an array of electrodes where each electrode is a connected series of conductive tabs and forms either a row or a column of the electrode array; an array of drive lines where each drive line is capacitively coupled to a plurality of the electrodes; a drive signal generator for applying alternating signal packets to the drive lines; an array of sense lines where each sense line is capacitively coupled to a plurality of the electrodes so that signals are derived from the electrodes when drive signals are applied to the drive lines. The number of electrodes is equal to the product of the number of drive lines and the number of sense lines. Based on values derived from signals on the sense lines, a microprocessor provides information associated with touch by an operator.

Abstract: A method for rapid windowing of display information in computer graphics is disclosed herein. Image display data is maintained in a hierarchical data tree structure. Small numbers of bits of data called summaries are maintained at the nodes of the tree. The large complete data image is divided into units called boxes. These boxes combine to form a master box for a particular window size. By searching the summaries for each box and locating the window within the master box, traversal of an entire subtree may be terminated quickly, proceed on only some of the subtrees, or proceed through to completion. A clipped image is rapidly generated that can be rendered to the viewer.

Abstract: An electronic matrix system and method for rapidly storing and efficiently retaining electric charge in selected ones of a plurality of storage elements are disclosed. Each storage element is addressable through a pair of parallel row select address lines and a column address line. A pair of threshold devices are coupled in nonopposing relation between the row select address lines and the storage element is coupled between the common node of the threshold devices and the column address line to which charging potential is applied. During the charging of the storage element, operating potentials which are substantially equal and opposite in polarity are applied to the row select line pair to forward bias both threshold devices and thereafter operating potentials which are also substantially equal and opposite in polarity are applied to the row select line pair to back bias both threshold devices to provide retention of the charge in the storage element.