Digital controller for gas discharge tube
AssigneeBertonee Inc.
InventorsMihail Doroftei, Pat Arotta, Brian D. Green, Rastislav N. Royko, Brent M. Serbin
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Abstract
A gas discharge tube is controlled in intensity and in the length along such tube that is illuminated by providing digital control signals to an analog drive circuit connected to the high-voltage energization device for the tube. A pulse-width modulated digital control signal containing illumination length and intensity information is converted to ramp-shaped analog drive pulse that control the voltage at a high-voltage transformer secondary to which the gas discharge tube is connected. A manually actuatable keypad permits the user to enter the information that is then converted to the pulse-width modulated signal.
Claims10
A controller for a gas discharge tube, comprising:
- a source of digital control signals representing at least an illumination length along a gas discharge tube and the output intensity thereof;
- means receiving said digital control signals for providing pulse-width modulated signals therefrom;
- analog drive circuit means receiving said pulse width modulated signals and producing a ramp pulse signal at a predetermined frequency;
- energization means connected between a power source and the gas discharge tube and being controlled in response to said ramp pulse signal, whereby the length of illumination along the gas discharge tube and the output intensity thereof is controlled in response to said digital control signals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.