Patent GB-1450178-A (GB)
Title: Line by line scanning of a drawing
IPC: G06K5/00
Filed: 1973-09-21
Abstract: 1450178 Line-by-line scanning of a drawing FRANZ MORAT GmbH 21 Sept 1973 [27 Sept 1972] 44447/73 Heading G3N In method and device for the line-by-line scanning of a drawing 101, in which a property { brightness or colour } of each of a number of points comprising a line of the drawing is indicated: { automatically or by using buttons 107, or 109} ; and passed to pattern store 103, indicators LI 1-LNM each corresponding to a point of a selected line being scanned, display the property of the corresponding point when it is indicated, and retain the display until the end of the line scan, thus enabling the correctness of the scan to be visually checked. During the scan, the indicator appertaining to the next point of the scan alternates in state. As shown lamps Ll 1-LNM are connected to corresponding flip-flops, coupled to de-multiplexing units 111, 113, 117. As either of buttons 107, 109, corresponding to the presence, or absence, respectively of the property at a point whose address corresponds to the count in address writer 115, are pressed, corresponding data passes to an addressed location of random access memory store 114 and to the units 113, 111 to set the J and K inputs of a column of the flip-flops in accordance with the input property. Release switch 119 enables clockpulse generator 121, the pulses passing via unit 117, to the clock inputs of a row of the flip-flops, the single clocked flip-flop currently receiving the input property being coupled to the lamp in the display corresponding to the point addressed. As succeeding points are addressed, clockpulses appear at the outputs of unit 117 in the order C1I-C1N. The property for the first "N" points passing to the flip-flops by means of coding at the J1, K 1 outputs of 113, 111, whence the clock sequence C1I-C1N is repeated, property data appearing at points J2, K2.&c. Each lamp retains the state it attains during the line scan. After checking, and, if necessary, correction, the data of a line is fed to unit 103, which can be printing, knitting or weaving apparatus, or a punched tape or film unit making control tapes, or a pattern wheel, or disc, or the main storage unit of a data processing system. Alternative embodiments: In Fig. 2 (not shown) operation of either button (107), or (109) operates address writer { counter } (127) whose output is compared at (129) with a count from counter (131), operated by clockpulse generator (133) and controlling the addressing of random access store, or dynamic shift register (125) when addresses represented by (127) and (131) are equal, and if button (107) corresponding to the presence of the property has been pressed, corresponding data passes via AND (124) to store (125). The content of store (125) is passed, to shift register (141) whose parallel outputs operate the display lamps (L1-L128), and also to shift register (143), whence it can subsequently be passed to the unit (103). Should a line be plurally scanned, each scan for points of a given colour, then each such point may be represented as data fed to one of a plurality of shift registers (143, 149, 151) Figs. 3, 4 (not shown), each register content representing all points with a given colour. As a check, serial outputs of the registers may be coupled to their own inputs, and via exclusive OR gates (153), (155) together. If data is correctly registered, no change in value at the output of gate (155) takes place as the registers are recycled. In Fig. 5 (not shown), to each point may be assigned in a single scan one or other of properties represented by keys (107, 161, 162) or no property (109) random access memories (125, 157, 159) being assigned to the respective properties and selectively coupled via switch (163) to shift register (141) and lights (L1-L128). The lights may be replaced by slides (165) Figs. 6, 7 (not shown) moved across aperture (169) in accordance with the point property, and actuated by bi-metallic, or Piezo-electric reed elements (171).