Method and apparatus for generating a stroke on a display

• US 4,686,642 A
• Filed: 10/18/1984
• Issued: 08/11/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/1984
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tele Atlas North America (TomTom NV)
• Original Assignee: Etak, Inc. (TomTom NV)
• Inventors: Honey, Stanley K., Phillips, Alan C., Buxton, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldberg, E. A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reinhart, Mark
• Application Number:
  US06/662,183
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 364/607, 364/600, 364/602, 364/800, 364/801, 364/802, 364/851, 328/180, 328/181, 328/185, 307/106, 340/347 DA, 250/374
• US Class Current: 708/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06J 1/00 Hybrid computing arrangements digitally-programmed analogue computers G06G7/06
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/08 the beam directly tracing characters, the information to be displayed controlling the deflection and the intensity as a function of time in two spatial co-ordinates, e.g. according to a cartesian co-ordinate system

Abstract

A method and apparatus for generating a stroke on a display comprising a pair of pulse train generators coupled to a pair of charge pump and integrator assemblies by means of a switch assembly. In operation, a first pulse train corresponding to the larger of the X and Y components of the stroke and a second pulse train corresponding to the ratio of the X and Y components of the stroke control the magnitude of the output of the charge pump and integrator assemblies.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a stroke having an X and a Y component on a display comprising:

means for providing a first pulse train having a first pulse rate;

means for providing a second pulse train having a second pulse rate; and

means responsive to said first and said second pulse trains for providing a first and a second output corresponding to said X and said Y components, respectively, each of whose rate of change is linearly related to a different one of said first and said second pulse rates.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first and said second outputs are subject to drifting relative to a predetermined reference potential and said means for providing said first and said second output comprises means for setting said first and said second outputs to a predetermined potential relative to said reference potential.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for providing said first and said second output comprises integrating means for providing said first and said second outputs.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said means for providing said first and said second output comprises a first and a second charge pump which are responsive to said first and said second pulse trains for providing a first and a second charge corresponding to said X and said Y components, respectively, and said integrating means is responsive to said first and said second charges for providing said first and said second outputs, respectively.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for providing said first and said second output is responsive to said first and said second pulse trains for providing a first and a second plurality of charges corresponding to said X and said Y components, respectively, wherein the number of charges in each of said plurality of charges is linearly related to the number of pulses in said first and said second pulse trains, respectively.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said means for providing said first and said second output comprises integrating means coupled to said first and said second charge providing means for providing said first and said second outputs.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and said second pulse train providing means comprises a counting means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said first and said second pulse train providing means comprises a rate generator means.

9. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first pulse train providing means comprises a counting means and said second pulse train providing means comprises a rate generator means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first pulse train providing means comprises:

a counter having an input for receiving clock pulses, an input for presetting said counter and an output for providing a gate enable signal when said counter contains other than a predetermined number; and

a gate means having an input for coupling to a source of clock pulses, an input coupled to said counter output and an output coupled to said counter clock pulse input and said selective pulse train transferring means which is responsive to said gate enable signal for transferring clock pulses from said source to said counter clock pulse input and said selective pulse train transferring means, said clock pulses forming said first pulse train.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said second pulse train providing means comprises:

a counter having an input for receiving clock pulses, an input for presetting said counter and an output for providing a gate enable signal when said counter contains other than a predetermined number;

a gate means having an input for coupling to a source of clock pulses, an input coupled to said counter output and an output coupled to said counter clock pulse input and a rate generator clock pulse input, which is responsive to said gate enable signal for transferring clock pulses from said source to said rate generator clock pulse input; and

a rate generator having said rate generator clock pulse input, an input for presetting said rate generator and an output, which is responsive to the clock pulses received from said gate means for transferring a predetermined number of said clock pulses to said selective pulse train transferring means, said predetermined number of said clock pulses forming said second pulse train.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said first and said second output providing means comprises:

a first charge pump;

a second charge pump;

means for selectively transferring said first pulse train to said first charge pump and said second pulse train to said second charge pump in response to a first control input and said first pulse train to said second charge pump and said second pulse train to said first charge pump in response to a second control input;

a first integrating means coupled to said first charge pump;

a second integrating means coupled to said second charge pump; and

means in each of said charge pumps for selectively transferring to the integrating means coupled thereto in response to a first control signal and from the integrating means coupled thereto in response to a second control signal, a predetermined charge for each pulse transferred to said charge pump from said first and said second pulse train providing means.

13. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein each of said first and said second charge pumps comprises:

a first gate;

a second gate;

a first inverter;

a second inverter;

a first capacitor;

a second capacitor;

a first diode;

a second diode;

a third diode;

a fourth diode;

means for coupling said selective pulse train transferring means to a first input of said first gate and through said first inverter to a first input of said second gate;

means for coupling a control signal to a second input of said first gate and through said second inverter to said second input of said second gate;

means for coupling an output of said first gate through said first capacitor and said first diode to one of said integrating means;

means for coupling said second diode between a node located between said first capacitor and said first diode and a reference potential, said anode of said first diode and said cathode of said second diode being coupled to said nodes;

means for coupling an output of said second gate through said second capacitor and said third diode to said one of said integrating means; and

means for coupling said fourth diode between a node located between said second capacitor and said third diode and a reference potential, said cathode of said third diode and said anode of said fourth diode being coupled to said node.

14. An apparatus according to claim 12 wherein each of said first and said second integrating means comprises:

an amplifier;

a capacitor coupled between an input and an output of said amplifier;

a resistor for coupling said input of said amplifier to one of said charge pumps; and

means coupled in parallel with said capacitor for selectively shorting said capacitor.

15. A method of generating a stroke having X and Y components on a display comprising the steps of:

providing a first and a second pulse train having a first and a second pulse rate, respectively;

selectively generating and transferring a charge for each pulse in one of said first and said second pulse trains to a first analog signal generating means in response to a first control signal and from said first analog signal generating means in response to a second control signal for providing an analog signal at the output of said first analog signal generating means having a magnitude which varies linearly as a function of said pulse rate in said one pulse train; and

selectively generating and transferring a charge for each pulse in the other of said first and said second pulse trains to a second analog signal generating means in response to a third control signal and from said second analog signal generating means in response to a fourth control signal for providing an analog signal at the output of said second analog signal generating means having a magnitude which varies linearly as a function of the pulse rate in said other pulse train.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein said step of providing a first pulse train comprises the step of providing a pulse train which corresponds to the absolute value of the greater of said X and Y components and said step of providing said second pulse train comprises the step of providing a pulse train which corresponds to the ratio of the absolute value of the lesser of said X and Y components and to the absolute value of the greater of said X and Y components.

17. A method according to claim 15 comprising the steps of:

providing said first control signal when the magnitude of said X component is positive;

providing said second control signal when the magnitude of said X component is negative;

providing said third control signal when the magnitude of said Y component is positive; and

providing said fourth control signal when the magnitude of said Y component is negative.

18. An apparatus for generating a stroke between two pairs of coordinates X1, Y1 and X2, Y2 on a display comprising:

a first means responsive to a plurality of signals proportional to the magnitude and polarity of Δ

X and Δ

Y for providing an X analog output signal having a magnitude which increases at a first rate when |Δ

X|>

|Δ

Y| and Δ

X>

0;

a second means responsive to a plurality of signals proportional to the magnitude and polarity of Δ

X and Δ

Y for providing an X analog output signal having a magnitude which increases at a second rate, when |Δ

X|<

|Δ

Y| and Δ

X>

0;

a third means responsive to a plurality of signals proportional to the magnitude and polarity of Δ

X and Δ

Y for providing an X analog output signal having a magnitude which decreases at said first rate when |Δ

X|>

|Δ

Y| and Δ

X<

0;

a fourth means responsive to a plurality of signals proportional to the magnitude and polarity of Δ

X and Δ

Y for providing an X analog output signal having a magnitude which decreases at said second rate when |Δ

X|<

|Δ

Y| and Δ

X<

0;

a fifth means responsive to a plurality of signals proportional to the magnitude and polarity of Δ

X and Δ

Y for providing a Y analog output signal having a magnitude which increases at a third rate, when |Δ

X|<

|Δ

Y| and Δ

Y>

0;

a sixth means responsive to a plurality of signals proportional to the magnitude and polarity of Δ

X and Δ

Y for providing a Y analog output signal having a magnitude which increases at a fourth rate, when |Δ

X|>

|Δ

Y| and Δ

Y>

0;

a seventh means responsive to a plurality of signals proportional to the magnitude and polarity of Δ

X and Δ

Y for providing a Y analog output signal having a magnitude which decreases at said third rate when |Δ

X|<

|Δ

Y| and Y=;

an eighth means responsive to a plurality of signals proportional to the magnitude and polarity of Δ

X and Δ

Y for providing a Y analog output signal having a magnitude which decreases at said fourth rate when |Δ

X|<

|Δ

Y| and Y<

0, where Δ

X=X2-X1, Δ

Y=Y2-Y1 and |X| and |Y| are the absolute values of Δ

X and Δ

Y, respectively.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said X and Y analog output signal providing means comprises:

an X charge pump having an input and an output coupled to an input of an X integrating means, said X integrating means having an output for providing said X analog output signals

a Y charge pump having an input and an output coupled to an input of a Y integrating means, said Y integrating means having an output for providing said Y analog output signals; and

means disposed in each of said X and Y charge pumps which is responsive to a control signal and a first and a second signal applied to said inputs of said X and Y charge pumps, respectively, for selectively increasing and decreasing from a predetermined reference potential the magnitude of each of said X and Y analog output signals at a rate proportional to one of said first, said second, said third and said fourth rates.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19 comprising first and second means, each having an output for providing said first and said second signals, respectively;

and

means for selectively coupling the outputs of said first and said second signal providing means to said inputs of said X and said Y charge pumps, wherein each of said first and said second signals comprises a first and second pulse train, respectively.

21. An apparatus according to claim 20 wherein said first signal providing means comprises means responsive to a signal which is proportional to the greater of |X| and |Y| for providing said first pulse train and said second signal providing means comprises a means responsive to a signal which is proportional to the ratio of the lesser of |X| and |Y| and the greater of |X| and |Y| for providing said second pulse train.

22. An apparatus for generating a stroke having an X and a Y component on a display comprising:

means for integrating a charge;

means responsive to each pulse in a pulse train for providing a train of corresponding pulses having a pulse rate and a predetermined period; and

means responsive to a first and a second control signal and said corresponding pulses for selectively applying a first and a second predetermined potential to said charge integrating means for said predetermined period for each one of said pulses for changing said charge at a rate which is linearly related to said pulse rate.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22 wherein said charge integrating means comprises an operational amplifier having a summing input and an output and said first and said second predetermined potential applying means comprises means responsive to said first control signal for applying said first predetermined potential to said input for increasing said output and means responsive to said second control signal for applying said second predetermined potential to said input for decreasing said output.