Display system for representing an array of data values in a display field

Claim 3

A method as claimed in claim 1 in which said line is plotted at appropriate locations in a display buffer.

Claim 4

A display system comprising means for representing an array of data values in a display field, said means comprising: (a) range storage for defining a range for each of a plurality of display areas within the display field, (b) ranging logic for determining, for each value of the data array, the display area within which that value should be displayed, for comparing that value to the range defined by the range storage for the area in question and for updating the range defined by the range storage to include that value if the value lies outside the range previously defined by the range storage; (c) primary plotting logic for plotting, for each said area of the display field, a line joining display screen positions defined by the range in the range storage for that area; (d) secondary plotting logic for determining whether a maximum value in the range for a first display area is lower than a minimum value in an adjacent display area and, in the case where the determination is positive, for plotting an additional line joining display screen positions defined by said maximum value for said first area and said minimum value for said adjacent area; and (e) means for comparing the ratio of data values to display areas with a predetermined threshold value and for enabling said secondary plotting logic in accordance with the result of said comparison.

Claim 5

A display system comprising means for representing an array of data values in a display field, said means comprising: (a) range storage for defining a range for each of a plurality of display areas within the display field, (b) ranging logic for determining, for each value of the data array, the display area within which that value should be displayed, for comparing that value to the range defined by the range storage for the area in question and for updating the range defined by the range storage to include that value if the value lies outside the range previously defined by the range storage; (c) primary plotting logic for plotting, for each said area of the display field, a line joining display screen positions defined by the range in the range storage for that area; (d) secondary plotting logic for determining whether a maximum value in the range for a first display area is lower than a minimum value in an adjacent display area and, in the case where the determination is positive, for plotting an additional line joining display screen positions defined by said maximum value for said first area and said minimum value for said adjacent area; and (e) means for comparing the ratio of data values to display areas with a predetermined threshold value and for enabling said secondary plotting logic in accordance with the result of said comparison.

Claim 6

A display system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the range storage for a display area comprises a maximum and a minimum register.

Claim 7

A display system as claimed in claim 3 additionally comprising initialization logic for setting the range storage to an invalid range wherein the ranging logic is responsive to an invalid range when comparing a value to the range defined by the range storage for a display area to replace the invalid range with said value.

Claim 8

A display system as claimed in claim 3 additionally comprising initialization logic for setting the range storage to an invalid range wherein the ranging logic is responsive to an invalid range when comparing a value to the range defined by the range storage for a display area to replace the invalid range with said value.

Claim 9

A display system as claimed in claim 3 additionally comprising initialization logic for setting the range storage to an invalid range wherein the ranging logic is responsive to an invalid range when comparing a value to the range defined by the range storage for a display area to replace the invalid range with said value.

Claim 10

A display system as claimed in claim 3 additionally comprising initialization logic for presetting the range storage to a predetermined value.

Claim 11

A display system as claimed in claim 3 additionally comprising initialization logic for presetting the range storage to a predetermined value.

Claim 12

A display system as claimed in claim 3 wherein each display area is a strip within the display field.

Claim 13

A display system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the display field comprises an array of pixel positions and wherein each strip is one pixel position wide.

Claim 14

A display system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the display field comprises an array of pixel positions.

Claim 15

A waveform analyzer comprising a display system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the array of data values to be displayed on a display screen represents a waveform to be analyzed.

Claim 16

A waveform analyzer as claimed in claim 13 wherein the array of data values is in the form of a data stream and wherein the display system is adapted to process the data stream serially.

Claim 17

A display system as claimed in claim 3 additionally comprising a display buffer for storing the data to be displayed, said plotting logic plotting said line at appropriate locations in the display buffer.