DISPLAY AND RECORDING APPARATUS

Abstract: A convenient hard copy output for a cathod ray tube (CRT) display device is provided by a thermal printer which prints a line of dots equal in number to the number of dots in one raster scan or line on the CRT screen. The information is printed during one such raster scan, in each refresh cycle of the screen, until the entire screen content has been repro­ duced. Use of one line during each refresh cycle enables the reproduction of the screen content by gating the serial data from the display control circuitry without the need for a sepa­ rate character generator or related circuitry and also accom­ modates the use of an interlaced raster.

Description: DISPLAY AND RECORDING APPARATUS This invention relates to display and recording apparatus Previously when it has been desired to print the content of a display screen to provide a permanent hard copy it has been necessary to transfer the data content of the display to a memory and thereafter use the stored data as the basis for actuating a printer to generate a hard copy. This involved discrimination between displayable characters and other data, character generation and data manipulation for display or print in both devices thereby duplicating numerous functions. The printer display of the present invention provides a low cost, quiet, compact, single hard copy output of CRT displayed information. Using a line-of-dots thermal printer with a solid state print head, screen information is printed on-the-fly on thermally sensitive roll paper fed past the print head by a motor driven platen. The printer uses the same serial data that the display control circuitry transmits to the cathode ray tube for visual display. One line of data is gated to the print buffer and printed during each refresh cycle by a line of thermal print dots equal in number to the number of dots in each raster scan line of data. The printer thereby prints the content of the display screen without the necessity of duplicating the character generator circuit and other circuitry for preparation of data in serial-bit form. The printer is also insensitive to whether the scan data is from a device that scans raster lines sequentially or utilizes an interlaced raster. In addition the all points addressable characteristic of the printer affords versatile printing capability as the device is able to reproduce graphics with the same ease as characters or symbols, allowing for ease in interface and attachment. Accordingly the invention provides apparatus for displaying an image represented by a serial sequence of data, said apparatus comprising a CRT display device including control circuitry for deriving from said serial data control signals for controlling the CRT to cause the display device to display the image; dot printing means operable to print dots at selected positions in a matrix of dot positions covering an image receiving area of a record medium; and connecting circuitry connecting the printer to the display device and operative to supply the CRT control signals as control signals to the printer to cause the printer to print the image displayed by the CRT display device. Preferably the printing means is a thermal printer or an electro-erosion printer. The invention also provides in combination with a CRT display device of the type wherein serial raster data is provided on a line basis to a CRT screen, a thermal printer for printing the screen display information on a thermo graphic medium comprising thermal print means including a row of thermal print elements having a print element for each dot position of a raster scan row on said CRT screen, print control circuit means for actuating said thermal print elements of said thermal print means, and gating means interconnecting said display device and said print control circuit means for sequentially gating lines of said serial raster data to said print control circuit means in parallel with transmission to said CRT screen. The invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is an isometric view of apparatus embodying the present invention showing the apparatus frame and subassemblies mounted thereon, the view being with the cover removed. FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the platen, drive motor and paper cradle subassembly of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a section view through the axis of the helicon platen drive gear of FIG. 2 also including the overrunning clutch for one way drive of the platen shaft. FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the stiffener for mounting thepriht head card. FIG. 5 is an elevation of the print head card. FIG. 6 is'a side elevation of the print head card print head assembly showing its cooperation with the platen and thermal print media. FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram showing the printer interface logic for handling data from an associated display. FIG. 8 is an alternative embodiment for the stiffener of FIG. 4 showing the biasing structure molded as an integral part thereof. FIG. 9 is a circuit for modification of the serial output data received by the printer to selectively eliminate non character information on the display screen from the printed hard copy output. FIG. 10 is a schematic logic circuit showing portions of the display and associated printer circuitry. DETAILED DESCRIPTION The printer 11 includes a control panel 12, a print head card 13 mounted on a stiffener or frame 14. a paper cradle 15 that carries a platen 17 and a driving motor 19 (FIG. 2), and a power supply 20 on which is mounted an interface logic card 22. Each of these assemblies is mounted on and carried by a frame 24. The control panel 12 carries the operating switches and indicator signals. Exemplary of such would be a copy switch 26 to initiate a print cylce and indicator lights 27 indicative of operating conditions such as a data check, line sync or power on. At the rear of the printer assembly is a power supply 20 mounted on a formed metal plate 29 that provides both electrical shielding and a subframe for the power supply assembly. Secured to the plate 29 by stand off clips (not shown) is a printed circuit card 22 that carries the interface logic circuitry for printer 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper cradle 15 has side walls 32, 33 interconnected by a curved wall 34 which forms a recess for receiving and confining a roll of paper. A platen 17 has a shaft 36 extending from each axial end and is mounted on side walls 32, 33 by bearings 37, 38 respectively which receive such shaft 36. A thumb wheel 39 is secured to one end of shaft 36 for movement in unison therewith to provide for manual advance of the paper. Adjacent the opposite end of shaft 36 is mounted a helicon face gear 41 which is retained between the shoulder 42 where shaft 36 is reduced in diameter and the collar 43 which includes a set screw 44 (FIG. 3) that engages a flatted surface 45 o* the aft 36 in the assemblied condition. An overruning clutch 7 is pressed into the central bore of gear 41 and cooperates ;t shaft 36 to permit the shaft to rotate in a counter clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 2 while preventing ockwise rotation. The platen 17 can thus be rotated to advance the paper media through maipulation of thumb wheel 39 independently of the movement of gear 41. Mounted on ears 49, 50 extending from wide wall 32 and formed as an integral part thereof is a synchronous motor 9. The output shaft 51 of motor 19 carries a helicon pinion or worm gear 53 that engages face gear 41 to impart rotatary motion to platen 17. Paper cradle 15 also has formed as an integral part thereof favour apertured projections 55 which provide for mounting the paper cradle platen assembly on the pints frame 24. Projections 57 have upwardly facing U shaped openings 58 for receiving trunnions 59 of the print head card stiffener 14 (FIG. 4). Also formed as integral parts of the side walls 32, 33 are detent ridges 60. FIQ. 4 shows the print head card stiffener 14 which is molded as a single part. The print head card 13 (FIG. 5) S.-lC.E:S the side which confronts the platen and is mounted on the stiffener at the rear of the side in FIG. 4. Print head card 13 is secured to stiffener 14 by either clips or screws (not illustrated) that extend through card apertures 62 and are received in stiffener bores 63 (some of which are visible). Print head card 13 is electrically connected to logic card 22 by a flat cable 65 and to the power supply 20 by cabling which is attached to voltage connector 66. The stiffener further includes trunnions 59 which are received in paper cradle openings 58 and detent recesses 67 in arms 68 which engage the detent ridges 60. The trunions 59 and detents 67 function to retain the print head card 13 mounted on stiffener 14 in an operating position confronting platen 17. Stiffener 14 also includes an upper portion 69 of wedge shaped cross section that presents a tear edge 70 for severing a projecting length of paper from the supply roll. Mounted on stiffener 14 are a series of eight spring elements 72 which have turned lower ends 73 that are received in and positioned by stiffener slots 74 and have upper ends 75 which engage the print head card 13 at the rear of the print heads 77 to urge the print heads toward platen 17 when in the assemblied operating condition to assure conforming contact with the thermal print paper 78 trained over platen 17. Print head card 13 terminates upwardly in 4 cantilevered portions separated by slots 81. Each cantilevered portion 80 carries one of the print heads 77. Print head card 13 contains the print circuitry to actuate and control the thermal print head 77. Voltage connector 66 interconnects the printer circuits with the power supply 20. The lines of the flat cable 65 interconnect the printer circuits on the print head card 13 with the interface logic on card 22 for receipt of control and data signals. The four print heads 77 present a continuous line of thermal print dots 82 which aggregate in total the number of themal dot positions forming one line of a dot matrix print line. Each print head comprises a metalized ceramic substrate 84, the land patterns of which are connected to the conductive land patterns of the printed circuit board forming the print head card 13. Print head card 13 carries a series of large scale integration (LSI) modules 86 which contain the print head drivers and other LSI modules 87 which contain address counters. As seen in FIG. 6 the print head card 13 and the thermal print heads 77 are biased toward platen 17 in the operating conditon. The print head card assembly is biased toward tangency with the platen along the line of the thermal print dots 82 to hold the paper media captive therebetween causing the thermal print heads 77 to be the pressure pad that assures that the paper moves in unison with the platen surface while concurrently assuring closely conforming thermal printing contact between the print dots 82 and the thermal paper media 78. FIG. 8 shows a modified print head card stiffener 90 wherein the print head biasing elements 91 are molded as an integral part of the stiffener. Each of the elements 91 inclines slightly outward from the print head card mounting plane and includes at the distal end a semi-cylindrical projection 92 that engages the confronting thermal print head centrally at its rear surface and rockably biases the print head toward close conformity with the platen surface and thermally sensitive paper 78. Each of the thermal print heads 77 is mounted on a cantilevered projection 80 separated from the adjoining projection by a slot 81. The cantilevered projections 80 afford sufficient flexibility to enable torsional adjustment induced by the biasing elements 91 to achieve the necessary adjustment. The mode of operation of the printer in printing a sequence of lines of thermal print dots enables the device to print out the content of a CRT screen display by printing a sequence of lines on the thermal print medium 78 which reproduces the sequence of raster lines of dots on the CRT screen. This is accomplished by the printer shown and described herein by printing one raster line of data during each refresh cycle of the CRT. The use of successive refresh cycles also makes it immaterial whether the CRT refreshes successive lines or uses an interlaced raster. The printer logic circuits are also simplified in this approach to a CRT screen print application since the serial data supplied to the CRT is used concurrently by the printer eliminating the need for duplicate character generators and associated circuitry, FIG. 10 schematically illustrates the circuit relationship between a raster scan CRT display and the thermal screen printers The display controller includes row buffers 94 that are loaded from a random access memory (not shown). Serial output on line 98 from a serializer within attribute control and video 95 is generated using data from character generator 96 and control from control and timing circuits 97. The serializer output data on line 98 which goes to CRT 99 is also transmitted to the display printer data storage and control 100 from which it is multiplexed and transmitted to the thermal print circuits 101. FIG. 7 illustrates logic circuitry for adapting the printer for the output printing of the content of a raster scan CRT display. The serial data on line 98 transmitted to the CRT is also connected to a deserializer shift register 102. The serial data to the CRT is continuously received also by the shift register 102 but is gated to buffer 103 only when a print operation is occurring and the data associated with the line to be printed is being received by shift register 102. The serial data is transferred from register 102 to buffer 103 and from there is stored in the random access memory (RAM) 104 until the 800 bits for one line of thermal dot printing have been received. The line of data is transmitted to the print head 77 by the multiplexer circuits 105, The multiplexer 105 selectively gates the data to the thermal print dot drivers in accordance with the needs of the system. Although the thermal print dots 82 constitute one continuous row of dots transverse to the direction of motion of the paper media or one ratr ..:an ow the CRT screen, various blocks of print dots ar often staggered in the direction of paper travel to enable non simultaneous actuation. This is accommodated by the multi plexer to cause all dots in one line of data to appear on a single straight line on the print media. Various control signals are also received by the printer timing and control circuitry 107 from the CRT display control logic to enable the printer to coordinate the printing of the data on the CRT. In addition to receiving, selecting, storing and multiplexing the print data, the printer control logic also controls the start and stop of the platen drive motor 19. The motor speed is coordinated to the print operation to cause the paper to advance a distance between the lines of printed dots approximately equal to the distance between adjacent dots with any line of dots. Thereby the aspect ratio is maintained between characters or other information displayed on the CRT screen and printed on the thermal print medium to give a faithful reproduction. Since the printer prints all the information appearing the CRT screen on a raster dot basis, the printer is not sensitive to language, character or symbols and will also print equally accurately graphic information. In some circumstances it may be desired not to print all indicia appearing on the CRT screen. For example, displayed characters may each appear within a dot matrix defined within a larger matrix which also includes a character boundary or space between adjoining characters. This space or character boundary may be used for displaying prompting, field information or character position within a field. When it is not desired that such information appear in the printed record of the screen content it will be necessary to interpose a control circuit to selectively suppress the printer operation An example is shown in FIG. 9. Here AND block 110 is used to suppress the printing of data or information found in the character boundary space; however the boundary space is illuminated by satisfying AND block 11 when a reverse image signal is present to prevent a distortion of the screen image when it is desired to display dark or blanked characters on an illuminated or unblanked background. While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described in the foregoing, it is to be understood that it is not intended that the invention be limited to the precise constructions herein disclosed.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Apparatus for displaying an image represented by a serial sequence of data, said apparatus comprising a CRT display device including control circuitry for deriving from said serial data control signals for controlling the CRT to cause the display device to display the image; dot printing means operable to print dots at selected positions in a matrix of dot positions covering an image receiving area of a record medium; and connecting circuitry connecting the printer to the display device and operative to supply the CRT.control signals as control signals to the printer to cause the printer to print the image displayed by the CRT display device. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the dot printing means is a thermal printer or an electro-erosion printer. 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which said connecting circuitry comprises gating means operable to gate a block of data to the printing means at the same time as that block of data is used to control the CRT display, said gated block of data corresponding to a line or row of the CRT display. 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which said connecting circuitry comprises a deserializer circuit from which said blocks of data are transferred sequentially to a buffer store, each block being transferred in parallel, and an addressable store into which data is transferred from the buffer store and from which data is read out to control the dot printing means. 5. In combination with a CRT display device of the type wherein serial raster data is provided on a line basis to a CRT screen, a thermal printer for printing the screen display information on a thermo graphic medium comprising thermal print means including a row of thermal print elements having a print element for each dot position of a raster scan row on said CRT screen, print control circuit means for actuating said thermal print elements of said thermal print means, and gating means interconnecting said display device and said print control circuit means for sequentially gating lines of said serial raster data to said print control circuit means in parallel with transmission to said CRT screen. 6. The combination claimed in claim 5, wherein said gating means gates one line of said raster data during each refresh cycle of said CRT display device. 7. The combination claimed in claim 6, wherein said display screen includes character information for displaying characters and character boundary information defining conditions intermediate characters, and wherein said gating means includes discriminating means for excluding character boundary information, whereby only character information is printed on said thermographic medium. 8. The combination claimed in claim 5, 6 or 7 wherein said row of thermal print elements includes a plurality of offset subgroups of elements to permit non-simultaneous actuation and wherein the print control means comprises a shift register means for receiving said serial raster data, buffer means for receiving and storing in parallel form a row of raster data from said shift register means, and multiplexing means connected to said buffer means for actuating selected print elements in accordance with said serial raster data, whereby information printed in response to one row of raster data appears on said thermographic medium as an aligned row of printed dot images. 9. The combination as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 8, further comprising print medium advance means for moving paper past said thermal print means in a direction substantially at right angles to said row of thermal print dots, said print media advance means causing said paper to be moved continuously past said row of thermal print dots, during successive thermal dot row print cycles. 10. The combination as claimed in claim 9 wherein said medium advance means moves said paper a distance equal to one dot inter row spacing during each refresh cycle time.

Inventors: REGEHR, JOHN LEON
Applicants: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Application year: 1979
Main classification: G06K15
IPC codes: G01D15, G06K15, B41J3, B41J2, H04N1, H04N5