ES362346A1 - A Character Generation System - Google Patents

Abstract

A display or printer system in which corresponding portions of each character in a line of data are built up successively, that is by printing or displaying first the top row of dots for all characters and then each succeeding row of dots until a complete line of data is generated, includes at least one line store 2, 3 (Fig. 1) each of which stores a complete line of data, a character shape store 4, preset with a selected range of character shape by a line input unit, and read out under the control of an address register 5 connected to the line store(s) and pulsed by a character section counter 6 so that information representing the first row of data is fed to a matrix 11. The matrix 11 is pulsed by a character counter 14 so that the signals from the store 4 are read to the appropriate input channels of the printer or display before character section counter 6 is stepped to cause readout of the next row of data. In the embodiment described in which characters are formed on a surface of a printing drum 15 as charge patterns, the drum 15 is rotated by a motor 16 between each row of dots. Two line stores 2, 3 are used sequentially under the control of switches SW1, SW2. Line justification may be effected by including a width recorder which converts an input representing a character shape to an output representing its width, this output signal being fed to the character counter 13 to step it along the appropriate number of dot increments.