Abstract: In a CRT display of digitized gray scale information from a diagnostic scan, an operator-selectable area of the display can be highlighted to increase the contrast and brightness of a selected portion of the image while simultaneously viewing a wide range of information levels in the background portion of the image. The highlighted area and the background may encompass different operator-selectable information level windows. To accommodate the wide dynamic range necessary for such a display, and eliminate possible contouring effects when enhancing dark areas of the image, more gray scale display levels are used than are commonly used with diagnostic scanning systems, and full black on the CRT is set to correspond to a minimum digital display level sufficiently high so that no single display step results in more than a maximum predetermined contrast ratio in the display.

Abstract: A displayable color which is the nearest to a desired display color (the synthesis of the color of an original image and an error distributed by the preceding processing) for a particular picture element which is being processed on a scan line (or the picture element which is presently the object of processing) is selected, the displayable color is supplied to a display portion, and the error between the selected displayable color and the desired display color is distributed to those picture elements which are on un-processed scan lines among the group of picture elements in the proximity of the particular picture element by assigning a suitable weight thereto. The processing of the particular picture element may be executed in parallel with a plurality of picture elements on the scan line which is being processed.

Abstract: A system for displaying a segment as applicable in particular to remote-controlled digital display. A control circuit energizes two stationary series-connected electromagnets with pulses of the same polarity so as to produce a magnetic field in each electromagnet. Under the action of the magnetic field, a single permanent magnet rigidly fixed to the segment is capable of displacement between the electromagnets in order to move the segment from a visible active position to a hidden active position.

Abstract: A drive network for a TFEL panel includes a series resonant drive circuit for producing pulses of a predetermined frequency, a transformer for coupling the drive circuit to a TFEL panel, and symmetrically driven push-pull row drivers, a plurality of which may be implemented on a single integrated circuit chip. The transformer includes switching means for alternately providing positive and negative high-voltage pulses for the row drivers on alternate frames of data. The network formed by the series resonant drive circuit and the TFEL panel is a series RLC circuit which is driven at its resonant frequency.

Abstract: An image control unit, for generating control signals corresponding to text or graphic characters, in cooperation with a video display device having an image point storage device, produces plural signals including signals for controlling horizontal and vertical synchronization, for loading of the image point storage device, and for indicating reference marks on the screen of the video display unit. The image control unit contains a programmable memory for storing control words associated with lines to be represented on the video display unit in a plurality of blocks. A plurality of lines of each block are stored as one line in the memory and each line is read out repeatedly, in accordance with the line length of its associated block. The line length of each block is set by control signals stored in the ROM for the preceeding block.

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.

Abstract: The described embodiment provides listing control on a cathode ray tube (CRT) display for simultaneously drawing horizontal and vertical grid lines within a square box displayed on the CRT screen by moving a cursor to the intersection point of these grid lines and by pressing an ENTER key.The embodiment uses a current position counter, a starting point counter and ending point counter to selectively set flag bits for horizontal and vertical grid lines stored in a logical page buffer so that the horizontal and vertical grid lines passing through the intersection point can be simultaneously displayed on the CRT screen. The embodiment uses the counters to define two end points on a diagonal line of the square box and to define the intersection point within the square box, whereby the flag bits are selectively set in accordance with the contents of these counters.

Abstract: A computer video image generating system including a computer memory having three dimensional object data stored therein employs an advanced object generator for retrieving and processing the object data for output to a span processor for controlling the pixel-by-pixel video output signal for a video display. The advanced object generator includes a translucency processor, an edge-on fading processor, a level of detail blending processor and a bilinear interpolator for texture smoothing.

Abstract: A digital display system includes a monitor arranged to receive digital display data and synchronizing signals to develop displays on a cathode ray tube. The monitor is switched between different line structure and/or color definition modes in response to the polarity of one of the vertical or horizontal synchronizing signals trains. A circuit receives this train to provide control signals to the horizontal time base and/or a color signal code converter. The time base control signal, in accordance with its binary value, controls the frequency of the time base. The color converter, in response to the control signals, either passes color signals received in parallel over six input lines without change to the cathode ray tube drive circuits or converts color signals on four of the input lines to output signals on the six lines to the drive circuits.

Abstract: A real-time video graphics system for generating solid polygons on a raster display screen from X-Y vertex coordinates of the polygons. Solid objects are defined in a host processor system as three-dimensional polygons. The host processor calculates the X-Y vertex coordinates for each polygon and deposits them, along with a corresponding instruction and pixel video data, in a shared RAM. The video graphics system obtains the instruction and data from the shared RAM and calculates from the X-Y vertex coordinates the X coordinates of the left and right edges of each solid polygon for each horizontal line of the display. The system writes pixel data for a horizontal stripe of 32 pixels into a frame buffer in one frame buffer memory write cycle of approximately 320 nanoseconds. Pixel data is periodically read out of the frame buffer, one complete stripe at a time, and shifted out serially to refresh the display screen.

Abstract: A color selection apparatus and method wherein a color is selected on the basis of one color characteristic system for implementation in another color characteristic system. A display is generated which is indicative of possible values of one color characteristic from the first color characteristic system, from which a value is chosen. A display is generated which is indicative of a relationship between values of a second color characteristic and the first color characteristic selected. A value for the second color characteristic is selected. The color characteristics, from the first color characteristic system, that have been selected are converted to the second color characteristic system, which is then implemented.

Abstract: A leadframe for an integrated circuit includes a set of individual leads temporarily connected in an array; each lead having an exterior portion shaped in a standard form and an interior portion shaped to form a standard array of contacts and to have the same spring constant for deflections perpendicular to the plane of the leadframe.

Abstract: A process for the perspective representation of objects on the picture screen of a numerically controlled machine tool is described in which the object is resolved into a series of sections which are represented successively with a given perspective offset. In order to avoid the representation of covered edges of these sections, the contours of the individual section surfaces are checked prior to being represented in order to determine whether or not they overlap a previously represented contour. This checking occurs through a simple coordinate comparison, taking into account the actual perspective shift between sections.

Abstract: A CRT (cathode ray tube) controller for controlling one CRT device in an interlace mode has a synchronizing circuit of bi-directional construction, in order to make possible synchronous operation of the CRT controller with other circuits (other CRT controllers or a TV system). When the CRTC is used as a master circuit of a CRT display system, a synchronizing signal is derived from the synchronizing circuit in synchronization with a count signal of a vertical scanning counter and an output of an interlace controller of the CRTC, and is supplied to a synchronizing terminal of the other CRTCs. Scanning counters and a flip-flop for controlling an interlace operation of the other CRTCs are reset to their initial state in synchronization with the synchronizing signal. When the CRTC is used as a slave circuit, scanning counters and a flip-flop of the CRTC are reset to their initial state in synchronization with the external synchronizing signal.

Abstract: A document creating and editing apparatus operates in such a manner that information before editing or proofreading registered in a document memory is left at the time of the editing or proofreading, while only the area of an edited or proofread portion is registered in the document memory, that an editing or proofreading pointer is generated simultaneously with the registration of the area of the edited or proofread portion, and that the respective lines of a document before or after the editing or proofreading are chained in single memory block unit.

Abstract: A protective circuit for a sequentially selecting circuit which selects a series of circuit element electrodes one by one with signals which are generated by a shift register. The invention includes a counter for generating a count output corresponding to the total number of selections made. An input pulse of the shift register is formed according to the output from the counter and the timing pulse and the counter is reset according to the timing pulse and a clock pulse of the selection. With such arrangement when the timing pulse is not generated, the counter will not operate and an effective input pulse to the shift register will not be generated and therefore the shift register will not sequentially read erroneous inputs and a plurality of shift stage outputs will not be generated at the same time. In this manner, the selected circuits, elements, electrodes and drive circuit of power supply will be prevented from being damaged.

Abstract: Smooth scrolling is provided in a video display terminal having a cathode ray tube (CRT) controller which, by itself, is only capable of discontinuous, jump scrolling. The start-of-display address modification technique of advancing the start-of-display a single row at a time is combined with a display vertical position control normally used for changing the position of the display on the CRT faceplate. By sequentially erasing the top scan line, moving the entire display up one scan line by means of the vertical position control, erasing the second scan line, restoring the vertical position control to its original value, and advancing the CRT controller start address by two scan lines, the character rows are scrolled upward in a smooth, continuous manner. This sequence of operations is repeated a predetermined number of times for each character line with the "wrap-around" feature of a video memory used to provide new information for the bottom scan line.

Abstract: A method of, and system for, controlling a view of window information upon editing the information. The view is controlled based on mode selection. For normal information input operations, information scrolling is selected. Related existing information adjacent the newly input information will be viewable, but remote information will eventually be scrolled out of the window. For those instances where all existing information is to remain viewable upon input of additional information, border scrolling will result in a varying of the size of the window.

Abstract: A process for representing on a picture screen of a numerical control system a simulated workpiece. The workpiece is represented in several viewing planes with shaded surfaces. The viewing planes and the associated shadings are hierarchically ordered, which is achieved by synchronized shading of different density. A tool is simulated by a silhouette, which presents the shading of the momentary viewing or processing plane which is being worked. In the movement of the shaded silhouette along with the programmed tool path, higher lying viewing planes are erased (or etched) and equally high or lower lying viewing planes are not affected.

Abstract: In order to increase the light intensity and legibility of the characters displayed on the screen of a cathode-ray tube, all dots of the same vertical line of the character or even all dots of this character are simultaneously excited. This is done by means of a multiple cathode while the line is scanned, so that excitation of the dots is repeated a predetermined number of times with short time intervals. When all the dots of the character are simultaneously excited, a shift of the picture transmitted by the multiple cathode is carried out at the same time in synchronism with and in opposite direction to the line scan, to compensate for the formation of stripes in the displayed picture which would otherwise be produced by the scan.