Patent · US Expired

Digitally synthesized gray scale for raster scan oscilloscope displays

US5254983A · kind A · utility

20Cited by
9References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 5, 1991
Grant dateOct 19, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 5, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01R13/0227
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A gray scale binary field corresponding to each of the pixels on a raster scan oscilloscope display. Each gray scale binary field has a portion of its bits assigned to correspond to the graphical information and a portion of its bits assigned to correspond to the sampled current and prior waveforms. A decrementing state machine, in a predetermined cycle of operation, periodically reads all of the gray scale binary fields in the display memory of the oscilloscope, decrements each value by a predetermined amount such as the binary value of one, and re-writes the decremented binary values back into the display memory. As these decremented gray scale binary fields are displayed, the older waveforms become uniformly more faded with the oldest waveform having the dimmest illumination. In a typical mode of operation, the predetermined cycle of operation corresponds to the sampling of each new waveform from the system under test so that each subsequent prior waveform is decremented by the predetermined amount. In order to minimize flicker, the first prior waveform is still illuminated at full brightness, along with the current waveform. However, the second prior waveform and all older prio…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.