Patent Document ID: 6104374
Application ID: 09026185
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for rasterization of a set of first-variable versus second-variable data-address pairs into vectors of pixels in a multi-bit raster scan display of an electronic data acquisition instrument, the method comprising the steps of: (a) supplying a series of data-address pairs to be rasterized, the address portion of each data-address pair specifying a particular column of the multi-bit raster scan display and the data portion of each data-address pair specifying a particular pixel within that column; (b) selecting a number of attacks per vector, the number of attacks per vector being the approximate number of pixel modifications that will be performed during the rasterization of each vector; (c) choosing a number of intensity units per attack, each intensity unit representing a quantum of brightness to be displayed by a pixel of the multi-bit raster scan display; (d) finding a number of pixels in each current vector, by (1) determining a first end pixel location from the current data-address pair, (2) also determining a second end pixel location from the next data-address pair, and (3) using the first end pixel location and the second end pixel location to determine the length of the current vector in pixels; and (e) if the selected number of attacks per vector is equal to or greater than the number of pixels in the current vector, applying the chosen number of intensity units per attack, or a determined multiple thereof, to each pixel in the current vector; or (f) if the selected number of attacks per vector is less than the number of pixels in the current vector, distributing the chosen number of intensity units per attack to each of a number of pixels in the current vector that is approximately equal to or less than the selected number of attacks per vector.