Display control apparatus

A display control apparatus comprising:

• a first terminal for connecting to a CRT display unit having a horizontal resolution of N dots per scanning line where N is a positive integer;
• a second terminal for connecting to a flat panel display unit having a horizontal resolution of M dots per scanning line, where M is a positive integer smaller than N;
• designating means for designating an operating one of said CRT and flat panel display units;
• generating means for generating character codes of characters having a horizontal size of 9 dots, including non-graphic characters and graphic characters to display each of said characters at a predetermined position on at least one of said CRT or flat panel display units, said generating means generating character codes of the non-graphic characters and graphic characters;
• a character code memory, connected to said generating means, for storing the character codes generated by said generating means;
• and
• converting means, connected to said first and second terminals, said designating means, and said character code memory, for converting the character code stored in said character code memory to dot pattern data having a horizontal size of 9 dots and outputting the dot pattern data to said CRT display unit through said first terminal when said CRT display unit is operating, and for converting the character code stored in said character code memory to dot pattern data having a horizontal size of 8 dots and outputting the dot pattern data to said flat panel display unit through said second terminal when said flat panel display unit is operating,
• wherein said converting means comprises:
• pattern generating means for generating and storing pattern data having a horizontal size of 8 dots based on the character codes,
• detecting means for detecting whether a character code represents a non-graphic character or a graphic character based on the character codes,
• a register, connected to said detecting means, for storing a first value as a 1-dot pattern data when said detecting means detects that the character code represents a non-graphic character and storing a second value as the 1-dot pattern data when said detecting means detects that the character code represents a graphic character,
• selecting means, connected to said designating means, said pattern generating means, and said register, for outputting the 8-dot pattern data stored by said pattern generating means and the 1-dot pattern data stored by said register when said CRT display unit is operating, and for outputting the 8-dot pattern data stored by said pattern generating means when said flat panel display unit is operating, and
• switching means, connected to said designating means and said selecting means, for supplying output data from said selecting means to one of said first and second terminals connected to an operating one of said CRT and flat panel display units.