GB1142084A - A character generation system - Google Patents

Abstract

1,142,084. Character generation system for printer. STANDARD TELEPHONES & CABLES Ltd. 12 Oct., 1967, No. 46534/67. Heading G4H. [Also in Division H4] A character generating system for printing or displaying comprises a store 2 or 3 in which a line of characters are stored in coded form, a register 5 into which the characters are entered in turn, decoding circuits 6-10 giving an output on one of 64 leads to identify the character, a translation matrix 11 in which each of 64 character wires are threaded through an appropriate pattern of cores, and an interrogation unit for applying interrogation pulses to the translation matrix in order to read out part of the character formed therein, which signals are passed to the appropriate channels of character forming means. A line consists of twenty characters and each is coded as six binary bits. The stores 2 and 3 are used alternately. At the output of register 5 the character bits are recorded in two threes and after amplification at 8 and 9 are combined at 10. Each character is to be formed by a raster of dots having 9 columns and 15 rows. The rows are read out in turn by the row counter 17 the value in which is recoded to produce marks successively on one of fifteen leads. Each lead is pulsed twenty times, once for each character in a line. After reading out the top row of dots, the next character is placed in the register 5 and the top row of this pattern is read out in the same way. When all the top rows are read out the first character re-enters register 5 and the second row is read out and so on. The contents of the rows are transmitted over nine leads via gates 19, where two blank spacing bits are added, then via stores 20 and amplifiers 21 to a diode matrix 22. Eleven of the 220 outputs of the matrix are switched to the appropriate eleven write heads of the printing machine by inputs from the character counter 24. The groups of bits representing the rows of the separate characters are applied simultaneously or successively to the diode matrix and the corresponding dots are written on the paper passing over roll 26. There may be provision for the input of facsimile signals to gates 19 from input B. Means may be provided for indicating the width of the character and a corresponding signal passed to step counter 24 so that desired spaces are left between characters as printed. The lines may be justified by suitable control of the spaces between characters.