US3609658A - Pilot light gas cells for gas panels - Google Patents

Pilot light gas cells for gas panels Download PDF

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Publication number
US3609658A
US3609658A US829692A US3609658DA US3609658A US 3609658 A US3609658 A US 3609658A US 829692 A US829692 A US 829692A US 3609658D A US3609658D A US 3609658DA US 3609658 A US3609658 A US 3609658A
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United States
Prior art keywords
electrodes
display
panel
matrix
gas
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US829692A
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English (en)
Inventor
Parviz Soltan
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
International Business Machines Corp
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International Business Machines Corp
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Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J17/00—Gas-filled discharge tubes with solid cathode
    • H01J17/38—Cold-cathode tubes
    • H01J17/48—Cold-cathode tubes with more than one cathode or anode, e.g. sequence-discharge tube, counting tube, dekatron
    • H01J17/49—Display panels, e.g. with crossed electrodes, e.g. making use of direct current
    • H01J17/492—Display panels, e.g. with crossed electrodes, e.g. making use of direct current with crossed electrodes
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09F—DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
    • G09F9/00—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements
    • G09F9/30—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements
    • G09F9/313—Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements being gas discharge devices
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G3/00—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
    • G09G3/20—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
    • G09G3/22—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources
    • G09G3/28—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources using luminous gas-discharge panels, e.g. plasma panels
    • G09G3/288—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources using luminous gas-discharge panels, e.g. plasma panels using AC panels
    • G09G3/291—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources using luminous gas-discharge panels, e.g. plasma panels using AC panels controlling the gas discharge to control a cell condition, e.g. by means of specific pulse shapes
    • G09G3/293—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources using luminous gas-discharge panels, e.g. plasma panels using AC panels controlling the gas discharge to control a cell condition, e.g. by means of specific pulse shapes for address discharge
    • G09G3/2932—Addressed by writing selected cells that are in an OFF state
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G3/00—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes
    • G09G3/20—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
    • G09G3/22—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources
    • G09G3/28—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources using luminous gas-discharge panels, e.g. plasma panels
    • G09G3/288—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources using luminous gas-discharge panels, e.g. plasma panels using AC panels
    • G09G3/297—Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with visual indicators other than cathode-ray tubes for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters using controlled light sources using luminous gas-discharge panels, e.g. plasma panels using AC panels using opposed discharge type panels
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
    • G09G—ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION
    • G09G2320/00—Control of display operating conditions
    • G09G2320/02—Improving the quality of display appearance
    • G09G2320/0233—Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen

Definitions

  • the light source may comprise in a preferred embodiment one or more critically placed pilot lamps or auxiliary conductors in the display matrix which are constantly energized or a plurality of light sources positioned adjacent display areas.
  • the use of such pilot lamps facilitates cell selection and firing, with uniform selection and firing potentials within all sites of the display panel.
  • the invention relates to display devices and their systems and more particularly to an improved plasma display device.
  • Plasma display devices comprising a matrix of spaced electrode pairs and. having disposed between these electrode pairs a gaseous element are known in the art.
  • Two variations of plasma display panels have been described in The Plasma Display Panel-A Digitally Addressable Display With Inherent memory," published in the Proceedings of the Fall Joint Computer Conference, 1966, and Flat Display Has lnherent Memory published in Electronics, Mar. 31, 1969, pages 133-136.
  • Such gas panels are composed of a container filled with gas which may be selectively illuminated by an ignition or firing potential applied thereacross.
  • X-drive lines in the form of a grid pattern are disposed on one side of the panel with Y-drive lines in the form of a grid located on the opposite side of the panel, the X- and Y-drive lines being orthogonally disposed.
  • the crossover regions of the X- and Y-drive lines define coordinate intersections, sometimes designated electrode pairs, and the gas between the drive lines in such regions of the gas panel constitutes gas cells or sites which may be selectively ignited by electrical firing potentials on selected X- and Y-drive lines to generate numbers, characters and the like on the display panel.
  • the voltages applied to the X- and Y- drive lines are slightly greater than one-half the voltage necessary to initiate a discharge on a selected site. Once ignited, a
  • the present invention employs a light source incident to the panel for the purpose of establishing a source of metastables, electrons, and ions to permit uniform cell ignition within sites of the panel itself.
  • a light source incident to the panel for the purpose of establishing a source of metastables, electrons, and ions to permit uniform cell ignition within sites of the panel itself.
  • Such light source may take the form of a lamp or lamps so disposed within the panel as to create a source of metastables, at all sites within the panel.
  • the preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes auxiliary pairs of electrodes having an independent power supply which when discharged provides and maintains the light source.
  • individual character display locations might have a single coordinate intersection ignited, or a controlled display symbol such as a cursor might be employed adjacent to the location for displaying incoming information.
  • the objects of this invention are met by the creation of a unifonn flux of electrons, ions, and metastable atoms between all electrode pairs.
  • the flux is created in the preferred embodiment by a plurality of critically placed continuously. discharging electrode pairs. Further, in the preferred embodiment these electrodes are differently shaped and are powered from a different electrical source than the electrode pairs forming the actual display matrix.
  • the preferred embodiment of the invention is a gas panel formed by a plurality of printed-on parallel electrodes on two insulating members, these insulating members being sandwiched together with their respective electrodes perpendicular to each other.
  • a gaseous element forming the discharge media is disposed between the two insulated me'm bers.
  • the electrodes in the preferred embodiment are on the inside of the insulating member but suitably insulated from direct contact with the gaseous element.
  • the preferred embodiment includes a plurality of electrodes on each insulating member which pair with electrodes on the other insulating member. These electrode pairs serve as pilot electrode pairs.
  • pilot electrode pairs in the preferred embodiment are continuously energized by a source of alternating current independent of the alternating current source which activates the electrode pairs forming the display matrix.
  • These pilot electrode pairs are critically located to produce a uniform flux of electrons, ions, and metastable atoms located between the electrode pairs of the display matrix. As one skilled in the art can readily see, these electrons, ions, etc. will flow from the pilot electrode discharges to the other electrode pairs of the display matrix so as to produce a steady state condition of charged particles between the electrode pairs of the display matrix.
  • the electrodes forming the pilot electrode pairs in the preferred embodiment are wider than the electrodes comprising the display electrodes to produce a higher charge particle output.
  • the insulating members are transparent in order that the gaseoiis discharges may be seen, it is important in the preferred embodiment that the pilot electrode pairs be hidden from view. In the preferred embodiment this is accomplished by making the areas in which the pilot light source is located opaque.
  • FIG. I is a top view diagrammatically illustration of the preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a side view of the invention shown in FIG. I.
  • Transparent insulating members 1 and 3 comprising opposite sides of a glass container have printed on them parallel orthogonal drive lines 5 and 7, respectively.
  • Insulating members l and 3 are sandwiched together such that parallel grids 5 and 7 lie perpendicular to each other resulting in intersecting cells or sites 9.
  • the preferred embodiment is shown as comprising a 7 X 9 matrix of cells formed by 7 parallel electrodes on one insulating member and 9 parallel orthogonal electrodes on the other insulating member.
  • Electrodes 11 and 13 designated pilot lamp electrodes intersect so as to form electrode pairs exemplified by reference numeral 15. In the preferred embodiment, there are four sets of intersecting electrodes 11 and 13, each of electrodes 11 and 13 being wider than drive lines 5 and 7. These electrode pairs form the pilot electrode pairs or cells 15.
  • the insulating members 1 and 3 in the preferred embodirnent are opaque above electrode pairs 15. Each of these electrode pairs are positioned as closely as possible to the electrode pairs 9 which form the matrix display to provide a uniform source of charged particles throughout the panel. Other arrangements wherein the pilot lamps are positioned within the outer fringes of the panel but beyond the display area could be employed.
  • the number and size of lamps required is a function of the size and intensity of the individual lamps and a greater or lesser number may be employed to enhance the efficiency of the gas discharge panel.
  • a gaseous mixture is disposed between the two insulating members 1 and 3.
  • the gas may be an inert gas such as Neon, Argon, or the like, or it may include a mixture of such gases or a mixture of inert and other gases.
  • One suitable mixture may include 90 percent Neon and percent Nitrogen, although different combinations of other gases in varying proportions may be suitably employed.
  • Parallel drive lines 5 and 7 are connected to the X-Y Display Control and Power Supply 17 so that an appropriate alternating signal can be applied to selected coordinate intersections 9. While various methods may be employed to drive the gas panel, a preferred method is shown and described in detail in the aforenoted copending application Ser. No. 785,172.
  • pilot electrode pairs are connected to opposite windings of power transformer 19.
  • their relative impedances do not effect one another and the plot lamps may be maintained ignited to permit instantaneous operation of the display device.
  • the pilot electrodes could be driven by the same source as the display electrodes, and could in fact comprise selected orthogonal intersections 9 of the display matrix.
  • This power switch 21 controls the energization of power transformer 19 in the well-known manner.
  • each of the pilot electrode pairs 15 discharges. That is, the secondary power transformer winding associated with pilot electrode pairs 15 is such that the voltage impressed across each of the pilot electrode pairs causes those pilot electrode pairs to discharge.
  • the discharge associated with each of the pilot electrode pairs causes a flux of electrons, ions, and metastable atoms to flow through the display matrix 9. Extremely rapidly a steady state is reached where a given amount of electrons, ions, and metastables are contained and relatively uniformly distributed within the gas sandwich between insulator members 1 and 3.
  • This flux of electrons, ions, and metastables has been found to produce positive ignition of selected display sites by providing the necessary charge particles, and additionally may cause a lowering of the firing potential necessary to cause a discharge in the cells or sites formed by electrode sets 5 and 7 and cause the firing potential associated with different cells or sites to be substantially uniform.
  • the electrode pairs formed by electrode sets 5 and 7 are fired through X-Y display control and power supply 17 in a well-known manner such as that shown in the above referenced copending application Ser. No. 785,172. Either through computer control or manual operation or some other well-known method (none of these are shown or considered necessary for an understanding of the subject invention), slightly greater than one-half inch the firing potential of different polarities is impressed on each of the two electrodes associated with a given intersecting point in display matrix 9. At the point where these two electrodes intersect, the applied voltages add such that the potential difference between the two electrodes exceeds the firing potential. This causes a discharge at this point. Only at this point will the potential differences between the two electrodes be great enough to initiate a discharge.
  • X-Y display 17 lowers the potential on these two electrodes forming the electrode pair to slightly greater than one-half the sustain potential.
  • a gas panel consisting of a gaseous discharge medium sealed in a fiat envelope
  • a second plurality of spaced electrical electrodes disposed on the opposite sides of said panel, said second plurality of electrodes being orthogonally related with respect to said first plurality of electrodes, the crossover regions of said first and second electrodes defining a matrix of coordinate intersections comprising individual display sites;
  • each auxiliary pair of electrodes one of each pair disposed on one side of said panel, the other of the pair disposed on the opposite side of said panel, each said pair being orthogonally positioned with respect to each other, the electrodes of each auxiliary pair being wider than the width of the electrodes comprising the first and second plurality of electrodes;
  • a source of current for discharging predetermined ones of said matrix display sites in said gaseous medium, and for discharging said auxiliary electrodes to cause a constant quantity of ions, electrons, and metastable atoms to be disposed between said display sites, thereby lowering and a comer of the matrix of the display sites.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Gas-Filled Discharge Tubes (AREA)
  • Control Of Indicators Other Than Cathode Ray Tubes (AREA)
  • Devices For Indicating Variable Information By Combining Individual Elements (AREA)
US829692A 1969-06-02 1969-06-02 Pilot light gas cells for gas panels Expired - Lifetime US3609658A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US82969269A 1969-06-02 1969-06-02

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3609658A true US3609658A (en) 1971-09-28

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US829692A Expired - Lifetime US3609658A (en) 1969-06-02 1969-06-02 Pilot light gas cells for gas panels

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US (1) US3609658A (de)
CA (1) CA947842A (de)
DE (1) DE2023411A1 (de)
FR (1) FR2052377A5 (de)
GB (1) GB1310248A (de)

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3720919A (en) * 1971-12-30 1973-03-13 Ibm Photonically partitioned continuous gas envelope and transiently energized pilot discharge areas used in address selection of display firing coordinates
US3728571A (en) * 1968-07-01 1973-04-17 Sony Corp Gaseous glow indicator tube formed on a substrate with a plurality of insulating layers
US3750159A (en) * 1971-12-23 1973-07-31 Owens Illinois Inc Bulk erase system for gas discharge display panels
US3786487A (en) * 1970-10-15 1974-01-15 Sony Corp Display device
US3786484A (en) * 1971-12-23 1974-01-15 Owens Illinois Inc Border control system for gas discharge display panels
JPS4922076A (de) * 1972-04-20 1974-02-27
JPS5043881A (de) * 1973-08-21 1975-04-19
US3928781A (en) * 1974-09-03 1975-12-23 Ibm Gaseous discharge display panel including pilot electrodes and radioactive wire
US3987337A (en) * 1974-02-07 1976-10-19 Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. Plasma display panel having additional discharge cells of a larger effective area and driving circuit therefor
US4236784A (en) * 1979-04-06 1980-12-02 General Dynamics Corporation Pomona Division Discretely positioned magnetic fiber optic scanner
JPS593846A (ja) * 1982-06-04 1984-01-10 インタ−ナシヨナル　ビジネス　マシ−ンズ　コ−ポレ−シヨン プラズマ表示装置
US20050103620A1 (en) * 2003-11-19 2005-05-19 Zond, Inc. Plasma source with segmented magnetron cathode
US20070018910A1 (en) * 2005-07-25 2007-01-25 Honeywell International, Inc. Method and apparatus for initiating gas discharge displays

Cited By (17)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3728571A (en) * 1968-07-01 1973-04-17 Sony Corp Gaseous glow indicator tube formed on a substrate with a plurality of insulating layers
US3786487A (en) * 1970-10-15 1974-01-15 Sony Corp Display device
US3750159A (en) * 1971-12-23 1973-07-31 Owens Illinois Inc Bulk erase system for gas discharge display panels
US3786484A (en) * 1971-12-23 1974-01-15 Owens Illinois Inc Border control system for gas discharge display panels
US3720919A (en) * 1971-12-30 1973-03-13 Ibm Photonically partitioned continuous gas envelope and transiently energized pilot discharge areas used in address selection of display firing coordinates
JPS4922076A (de) * 1972-04-20 1974-02-27
JPS5718299B2 (de) * 1972-04-20 1982-04-15
JPS5546618B2 (de) * 1973-08-21 1980-11-25
JPS5043881A (de) * 1973-08-21 1975-04-19
US3987337A (en) * 1974-02-07 1976-10-19 Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. Plasma display panel having additional discharge cells of a larger effective area and driving circuit therefor
US3928781A (en) * 1974-09-03 1975-12-23 Ibm Gaseous discharge display panel including pilot electrodes and radioactive wire
US4236784A (en) * 1979-04-06 1980-12-02 General Dynamics Corporation Pomona Division Discretely positioned magnetic fiber optic scanner
JPS593846A (ja) * 1982-06-04 1984-01-10 インタ−ナシヨナル　ビジネス　マシ−ンズ　コ−ポレ−シヨン プラズマ表示装置
US4524352A (en) * 1982-06-04 1985-06-18 International Business Machines Corporation High frequency pilot
JPH0142104B2 (de) * 1982-06-04 1989-09-11 Intaanashonaru Bijinesu Mashiinzu Corp
US20050103620A1 (en) * 2003-11-19 2005-05-19 Zond, Inc. Plasma source with segmented magnetron cathode
US20070018910A1 (en) * 2005-07-25 2007-01-25 Honeywell International, Inc. Method and apparatus for initiating gas discharge displays

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2052377A5 (de) 1971-04-09
CA947842A (en) 1974-05-21
GB1310248A (en) 1973-03-14
DE2023411A1 (de) 1970-12-10

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