Patent GB-1150853-A (GB)
Title: Pattern Generator
IPC: H03M7/30
Filed: 1967-08-11
Abstract: 1,150,853. Cathode-ray tube displays. ALPHANUMERIC Inc. 11 Aug., 1967 [15 Aug., 1966], No. 37015/67. Heading H4T. In an Alpha-Numeric character display system in which electromagnetic radiation is directed upon an electromagnetic radiationsensitive medium on which the characters are visually displayed (e.g. the screen of a cathoderay tube) each character is formed as a pattern of linear elements the addresses (in a rectangular co-ordinate system) of the " start " and " end " of the first element being specified by digital words which are then incremented or decremented or unchanged, as required to specify addresses of the " start " and " end " of the further linear elements which form the character. It is stated that with this manner of operation a reduction in the number of bits required to represent a character over that required by prior art arrangements results. Considering the display means to comprise a cathode-ray tube, the screen of the latter is scanned in a raster which may comprise either vertical or horizontal lines, and comparison means are provided for comparing the address of the instantaneous beam position in each line with the " start " and " end " addresses of the linear character element to be displayed in that line, coincidence with the " start " address resulting in the tube beam being " turned-on " so that a visible trace is produced and coincidence with the " end " address causing the beam to be " turnedoff " so that the visible trace is terminated. In the described embodiment the field of each character is considered as being divided into 100 rows and 70 columns as shown in Fig. 1 for the upper-ease letter G, the columns being scanned vertically column-by-column, commencing at the top of the character and the tube beam being " turned-on " for the duration of scan of each (black) character segment in each column. For controlling the operation, data words (specifying the addresses) and code words (specifying the requirement to increment, to decrement, leave unchanged &c.) are derived from a memory M (Fig. 2A) as 4-bit words in parallel, a single 4-bit word with the most significant bit always zero specifying an increment and two words i.e. forming an 8-bit word, being required to specify an address. A maximum of eight incremental steps per word is thus possible and it is assumed that a maximum of four segments in any one column is sufficient (e.g. columns C42 to C48 have three segments). In operation the words are transferred serially under control of a step pulse generator SPG from memory M to various function control units and to a storage switch CSS and thence, in the case of the first column of the display, to register AR. The latter comprises eight groups each of eight flip-flops and the first two groups are utilized to store the addresses of the " start " and the " end " of the first column, column 8 of Fig. 1. These address words are then transferred over output SD to a Column Element Comparator CEC (Fig. 2B) on the occurrence of a signal EVS (end vertical scan), and during the next vertical scan of the display tube CRT the words are compared with the vertical position of the beam (for each of the 100-column elements). On equality of count, CEC produces an output pulse which via a drive circuit VDC unblanks the tube beam to produce a luminous trace for the duration of such coincidence. During this scan the address words of the next column, column 9, are loaded into a register BR, which is similar to register AR. To effect this the " start " and " end " addresses of column 8, elements 31 and 46 respectively in Fig. 1, are read out non-destructively via Adder-Subtractor Switch ASS and supplied to Adder-Subtractor AS in which they are operated on (i.e. decremented and incremented, respectively), to provide the " start " and " end " addresses viz, elements 28 and 52 respectively, which are then loaded via switch CCS register BR. The contents of the latter are then transferred via Columns Segment Data Switch CSD to the Column Element Comparator CEC (Fig. 2B) and column 9 is displayed in the manner described above for column 8. The operation continues in this manner the registers AR, BR being used alternately i.e. whilst the contents of one are controlling the tube beam during one column scan the contents of the other are being " updated "-incremented or decremented or, where the pattern requires it, e.g. columns 32 to 40 and 56 to 59, left unchanged and repeatedly utilized. When, however, the incremented step exceeds 8, the maximum number which the code signals allow a new address is inserted, e.g. the first and second segments of column 18, the segment of column 42, the second segment of column 49 and the first segment of column 61. The reproduced characters are recorded on photographic film FLM.