US 3,956,667 AGranted

Luminous discharge display device

AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft

InventorWerner Veith

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A luminous discharge device having a gas filled, gas tight envelope. A cathode is disposed at one side interiorly of the envelope and a luminescent target is disposed at the opposite side of the envelope. An insulating substrate is perforated in the form of a matrix and is positioned intermediate of the cathode and the luminescent target. The insulating plate has a series of rows of anodes disposed on one side thereof and a series of columns of controlled electrodes arranged at the other side thereof in a direction which is generally perpendicular to the anodes. The spacing between the anodes and the cathode is of such a value as to induce a normal gas discharge therebetween while the spacing between the controlled electrodes and the luminescent target is arranged to be such as to prevent a normal gas discharge. By applying a suitable signal to develop a gas discharge adjacent to a given row of anodes and simultaneously applying a selected positive voltage to at least one of the control electrode columns, an electron flow can be induced through a specific one of the holes in the matrix to impinge upon a predetermined spot on the luminous target and thereby produce a video response.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A luminous discharge device comprising:

a gas-filled, gas tight envelope;
a cathode positioned at one side of the envelope;
a luminescent screen electrode positioned at an opposite side of the envelope;
an insulating plate being regularly perforated and being spaced intermediate of said cathode and said screen electrode, a series of rows of anodes being disposed on said plate in alignment with said perforations, a series of columns of control electrodes being disposed on the other side of said plate in alignment with said perforations and being at a substantial angle to said rows of anodes;
the anodes each being spaced a distance from said cathode sufficient to induce a normal gas discharge therebetween, and the control electrodes each having a distance from said screen electrode too short to allow a normal gas discharge therebetween, means for applying a relatively low voltage between said cathode and said anodes on the insulating plate to develop a gas discharge therebetween, means for developing on the other side of the insulating plate, a relatively high voltage between said control-electrodes and said luminescent screen electrode, said relatively high voltage being lower than the value required to produce a gas discharge between said control electrode of the insulating plate and said screen electrode, means for selectively triggering a gas discharge adjacent said rows of anodes, and means for selectively applying a positive potential to said control electrode columns for forming an image on said luminescent screen by extraction of electrons through said perforations in said insulating plate.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.