Method and apparatus for creating optical displays

In a display device;

• at least one row of conductive members supported in spaced electrically insulating relation with at least one and the same end of each member exposed, light emitting means at said one end of each said member responsive to a voltage on said member for developing light adjacent said one end of the member, a plurality of wires, an impedance element connected between each member and a respective wire, each element having a high impedance when dark and going to a low impedance at the end of a predetermined delay after being illuminated, illuminating means for illuminating said elements, means for applying voltage pulses to said wires sequentially, and means for initiating illumination of each said element a period of time in advance of the application of a voltage pulse to the wire connected to the respective element which is not less than said predetermined delay whereby each said light emitting means is actuated substantially simultaneously with the application of a voltage pulse to the wire connected to the element pertaining to the respective member.

The method of controlling the supply of control pulses from a signal source to a signal receiver in which a radiation sensitive impedance element is serially connected between the source and the receiver, said impedance element going to a high impedance when the radiation thereto is interrupted and going to a low impedance after a predetermined delay when radiation is supplied thereto, said method comprising;

• placing a source of radiation adjacent said element, interrupting the supply of radiation to the impedance element to block the flow of signals from the source to the receiver, supplying radiation to the impedance element to permit the flow of signals from the source to the receiver, and establishing the said supply of radiation to said element a predetermined period of time before the supply of a control pulse from said signal source and which period of time is at least as great as said predetermined delay.

In a signal transmitting device;

• a conductive member having an electric signal emitting region and an electric signal receiving region, a source of electric signals, a radiation sensitive impedance element connecting said source to said signal receiving region and having a predetermined time constant representing the time required for the element to go to a condition of high conductivity in the presence of radiation, means for supplying chronologically spaced signals from said source to said element with each signal having a duration substantially less than the same time constant of said element, and means for intermittently supplying radiation to said element in such timed relation to the supply of said signals thereto that the element is in a condition of high conductivity when each said signal is supplied thereto.

The method of transmitting electric signals under the control of a radiation sensitive impedance element in which the time period of a said signal is substantially less than the time period required for the element to go to low impedance in the presence of radiation, said method comprising effecting the intermittent and repetitive supply of radiation to said element and the intermittent and repetitive supply of electric signals to said element in such timed relation that the element has low impedance when a said signal is supplied thereto.

The method of producing a display comprising the steps of optically scanning in groups a plurality of photoconductor elements arranged in a series of rows to produce pre-energization of such photoconductor elements, electrically addressing selected ones of the pre-energized photoconductor elements through a gray scale address system, and repeating the optical scanning and addressing through the entirety of the array of photoconductor elements to produce a display by those discharging photoconductor elements which are electrically addressed in their pre-energized condition.

The method of producing a display comprising the steps of optically scanning a plurality of photoconductor elements to produce the pre-energization thereof, superimposing in delayed sequence an electrical signal to pre-selected ones of said pre-energized photoconductor elements through a gray scale address, with a pre-select display anode to effect discharge of a particular photoconductor element.