SYSTEM FOR TRANSLATING DATA FROM A DISPLAY INTO ELECTRICAL SIGNALS SUITABLE FOR STORAGE

• US 3,644,714 A
• Filed: 05/21/1969
• Issued: 02/22/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Donald G. Phillips, Robert J. Lubonski
• Original Assignee: Donald G. Phillips, Robert J. Lubonski
• Inventors: Phillips, Donald G., Lubonski, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US04/826,402
• Time in Patent Office: 1,007 Days
• Field of Search: 235/61.115G,198,61.6A 340/347 328/120 250/219IA
• US Class Current: 382/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/10 Image acquisition document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60

Abstract

A system for translating data from a chart into electrical signals includes means for focusing the chart on to a storage tube. The tube is electrically scanned by horizontal and vertical sweep signals. When line crossings on the chart displayed during said scanning operation are encountered output signals are produced. The output signals are compared with one of the sweep signals to obtain analog voltage signals representative of the line crossings. The analog signals may be suitably converted to digital signals for storage in a suitable storage medium.

Claims

1. A system for transferring information from a display including a chart with at least one line thereon into electrical signals, said system comprising a storage medium for receiving and storing information from said display, lens means disposed between said display and said storage medium for focusing said display on to said storage medium to produce a stored display on said storage medium, said stored display including a stored line representing said line on said chart, means for generating a pair of electrical sweep signals, said pair of sweep signals comprising linear voltages to cause an electron beam to sweep the entire area of said storage medium whereby the points of intersection of said stored line of said stored display by said sweep signals represent points along said line on said chart, one Of said sweep signals comprising a vertical sweep signal representing a range of linear voltage levels for scanning said focused stored display vertically transverse to said stored line on said stored display, with the other sweep signal comprising a horizontal sweep signal for scanning said focused stored display horizontally, means for normally generating an output signal each time one of said vertical sweep signals crosses said stored line on said stored display, means to detect the absence of an output signal during any one of said vertical sweep signals, and means for detecting the points of line crossings of said stored line by said vertical sweep signals to produce voltages representative of the locations of said line crossings.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1 wherein said output signals are direct current voltages and wherein an analog converter circuit is included to convert said voltages into binary coded signals capable of being stored on said storage medium.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 2 wherein means are provided to start said sweep signals at the beginning of said display and to discontinue said sweep signals at the end of one scanning operation.

4. The invention as set forth in claim 3 wherein an encoder circuit is provided to produce coding signals to be applied to said storage medium along with said output signals produced by said line crossings.