Patent US3673566A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3673566A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Use of a plurality of scanning directions for character center line determination
Assignee: US Philips Corp
•
Filing: 1970-05-05
•
Granted: 1972-06-27
•
Expires: 1990-05-05
Abstract
Abstract Device for determining the character center line i.e. the line interconnecting the centers of the line elements of a character, comprising a part for displaying a character characterized in that a scanner is provided for scanning the character throughout the character surface in at least two orthogonal directions, a detecting device is provided for determining per scan an intersection of a character line element, while by further detecting circuitry the centers of said intersections can be determined, the set of the centers thus obtained forming the character center line (FIG. 5). The device may furthermore comprise a checking device for suppressing dark signals of too long a duration and/or light and dark signals of too short a duration.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas Pieter Reede
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 22:23
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06V; G06V10/00; G06V10/10; G06V10/20; G06V30/00; G06V30/10; G06V30/16; G06V30/164; G06V30/168
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
186 words
A device for determining the line passing through the centers of line elements of a character, comprising a first sawtooth generator means for providing a repetitive output signal having a linearly increasing magnitude, display means for scanning a character in response to the magnitude of the signal from the sawtooth generator as a raster-type scan in two orthogonal directions and for providing a video output signal corresponding to said scanned character, detector means for providing separate output signals in response to light-dark and dark-light transitions of the video signal, a second sawtooth generator means for providing an output signal having a magnitude that increases linearly at a rate equal to one-half the rate of the output signal from the first sawtooth generator means in response to the output signals from the detector means, and summation means for adding the output signals from the first and the second sawtooth generator means wherein the output of the summation means at the termination of the output signal of the second sawtooth generator means corresponds to the center line of the portion of the image scanned by the scanning means.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
186 words
A device for determining the line passing through the centers of line elements of a character, comprising a first sawtooth generator means for providing a repetitive output signal having a linearly increasing magnitude, display means for scanning a character in response to the magnitude of the signal from the sawtooth generator as a raster-type scan in two orthogonal directions and for providing a video output signal corresponding to said scanned character, detector means for providing separate output signals in response to light-dark and dark-light transitions of the video signal, a second sawtooth generator means for providing an output signal having a magnitude that increases linearly at a rate equal to one-half the rate of the output signal from the first sawtooth generator means in response to the output signals from the detector means, and summation means for adding the output signals from the first and the second sawtooth generator means wherein the output of the summation means at the termination of the output signal of the second sawtooth generator means corresponds to the center line of the portion of the image scanned by the scanning means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
28 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a display device is provided on which the sum voltages representing the centers can be displayed synchronously with the scans.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
52 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein there is provided a store in which the sum voltages representing the character line element centers of a scan are stored subsequent to digitalization in an analogue-digital converter with the aid of the position of a scanning line counter in relation to said scan.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
226 words
A device as claimed in claim 1 in which the part of which a character has to be displayed in a light-sensitive element which can be scanned by an electron beam controlled by a sawtooth generator and a step generator, and wherein a video signal appears at the output during a scan, wherein the sawtooth generator and the step generator are the means for scanning in at least two transverse scanning directions, wherein the detection means comprises a detector for detecting from the video signal the light and dark signals occurring during the scan of the characters, wherein the center determining means comprises a first counter being filled with a clock pulse per scan in each of the at least two transverse scanning directions, a second counter operating in parallel with the first counter but counting on by half the clock pulse frequency under the control of the detector in response to an intersection of a character line element, whereby at the end of the intersection the position of the second counter can be read as a digital representation of the center of a character line element in a scan in the relevant scanning direction simultaneously with the counter position of a scanning line counter as center co-ordinates, the second counter taking over the counter position of the first counter at the termination of an intersection.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein two light-sensitive elEments are provided on which a character is displayed, the character being scanned simultaneously on the first light-sensitive element in a first direction and on the second light-sensitive element in a second direction transverse of the first direction.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first checking device is provided in which non-relevant light and dark signals of too short a duration for determining the center of a character line element are suppressed.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second checking device is provided in which non-relevant center data of the dark signals of too long a duration are suppressed.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-06-27 | 1975-12-27 | 1976-06-27 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-06-27 | 1979-12-27 | 1980-06-27 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-06-27 | 1983-12-27 | 1984-06-27 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |