INTRODUCTION: Information is provided to a computer in a number of ways. One way of providing information is by direct input from a user.

The most common user interface for inputting information is the keyboard. The keyboard requires the user to type information in the same manner as a typist with a typewriter. However, this is not the only way a user can provide information. Another method of providing information to the computer relies upon the relative position of a cursor to a location on a video display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT). This can be accomplished by use of a mouse, light pen or other conventional devices. A mouse is a device that rests on a pad next to the computer and generally includes a ball which responds to the movement of the mouse by the users hand in an x-y plane. This motion is translated onto the CRT by way of a cursor which points to a specific location. When positioned correctly, the user may use a button, or buttons, on the mouse to direct the computer to perform an action dictated by the cursors location. That action can take many forms. Three such options are; 1) to issue a command to perform some function, or; 2) request information, or; 3) select from a menu of available options. A light pen is similar in appearance to a pen or pencil-type writing instrument. It differs from the mouse in that the tip of the light pen when placed in close proximity with the surface of the CRT receives light signals, via a photo detector, emanating from the illumination of the phosphorous coating as the electron gun within the CRT scans the pixels on the internal surface of the CRT. Light pens interact directly with the video monitors screen like a touchscreen, in providing the absolute positioning and pen-type input of a digitizing tablet, but do not suffer from the confusion and ambiguity of a relative positioning mouse. For most operating systems light pens are used as pointing devices with the same basic functional characteristics (to the operating system) as a mouse. Special device driver software supplied by the light pen manufacturer provides the light pen with these characteristics. The light pen is typically provided with a button, or buttons, that allow the user to execute a number of options in a manner similar to the buttons on a mouse. Light pens are preferred over a mouse by many users. One reason for this is that the light pen does not require a pad and thus occupies less space on a desk. Another reason is that the use of a light pen for drawing is more comfortable as it is closely aligned with the method by which most people learn to draw. That is, with a pen, pencil, or brush. THE COMPUTER LIGHT PEN SYSTEM A computer light pen system is a man-machine interface control system. In addition to a human operator and a conventional computer, with a Cathode-Ray-Tube (CRT) display screen, the system includes a CRT light pen, light pen interface hardware, and a light pen software driver. The operator initiates functions of the control system by pointing the light pen to an area of the CRT screen, related to the functions, and depressing one of the light pen buttons. By repeating this simple, intuitive pointing to the screen and depressing buttons, the operator may control the performance of complex hardware, software, and equipment control functions determined by application software. The utility, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the computer light pen systems in many applications is well established in the industry. Most conventional computers today may be configured with CRT displays. CRT displays, or monitors, are the display of choice for most computer systems requiring high data display density. A light pen is ideally suited for pointing on high data density CRT screens because of the high accuracy and resolution attainable with light pen systems.

The CRT light pen detects light in its field-of-view on the CRT screen, and provides light and button data to the light pen interface hardware. The interface in addition receives CRT synchronization data, and provides pen position and button data to the light pen driver. The light pen driver software then provides input to the computer operating system to accomplish the desired application function. THE CRT, THE KEY ELEMENT The CRT display or monitor is the key element in the man-machine interface of the computer light pen system. The data displayed on the CRT each frame is defined by the computer video controller. The CRT receives frame video data and synchronization signals, and illuminates the CRT screen using the raster scanning method. Video frame rates are typically 60 +/- 10 Hertz. The video of each frame is raster scanned onto the CRT screen beginning in the upper left-hand corner. Video is scanned onto the screen one dot, or pixel, at a time, until the uppermost line is formed by the sequence of video dots. When the first line is completed, the raster scan then forms the next line below, again beginning at the left of the screen, but one pixel lower than the first line. This process continues down the screen until all lines of the frame are scanned, completing one frame of video data. Due to the high video frame rate of data scanned on the CRT screen, compared to the light sensing rate of the human eye, the operator sees an apparently static display which the brain interprets accordingly, and the operator uses to his end. The light pen, however, processes light data at rates exceeding the video data rate, and thus easily differentiates pixels and lines necessary to the pointing function. Rather than averaging visual CRT screen data, as the human eye does, the CRT and the lightpen function essentially upon one pixel of video at a time. The CRT illuminates a screen pixel by directing electrons to the phosphor material behind the glass of the screen. Electrons striking the phosphor produce photons of visible light. The light pen pointed at the CRT screen, detects light within its fieldof-view. CRT LIGHT PEN TECHNOLOGY CRT light pen was invented at IBM in the late 1950s. In the 1960s the founders of Interactive designed the first CRT light pen using semiconductor detectors. Since then there have been significant improvements in components and technology resulting in mature, low cost products of great utility in many applications. The light pen is more correctly called a CRT light pen. The light pen is designed specifically to detect light emanating from a CRT screen, and convert the light signals to equivalent electrical signals. The CRT light pen is not suitable for use with flat panel or LCD displays, although they are used with pulsed LED display matrices.

The key element of a light pen in the conversion of light to electrical signals is the photodetector. The photodetector is located near the tip of the pen with an aperture or other optics to receive CRT light emanations. When the light pen tip is pointed at the CRT screen, light received by the photodetector produces video current in the detector, which is proportional to the light received. The form and the timing of the photodetector current is identical with that of the CRT screen phosphor illuminance resulting from impinging CRT electrons associated with the spot of interest. The photodetector video is amplified, differentiated, and formed into a light pulse output of the pen. The light pulse so processed contains the basic light timing information used in the interface to provide precise position data to the light pen driver software, and thus to the computer OS.