US3699377A - Glow discharge display device including an insulating envelope block with an array of cavities therein - Google Patents

Glow discharge display device including an insulating envelope block with an array of cavities therein Download PDF

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Publication number
US3699377A
US3699377A US101548A US3699377DA US3699377A US 3699377 A US3699377 A US 3699377A US 101548 A US101548 A US 101548A US 3699377D A US3699377D A US 3699377DA US 3699377 A US3699377 A US 3699377A
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United States
Prior art keywords
block
glow
array
cavities
cavity
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Expired - Lifetime
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US101548A
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English (en)
Inventor
Raymond Frederick Hall
Douglas Raymond Mainard
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US Philips Corp
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US Philips Corp
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    • 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

Definitions

  • each cavity so as to define an array of individually addressable glow-discharge paths.
  • the cathodes may all be electrically separated and may cooperate with a common anode, [56] References Cited or rows of cathodes may be interconnected and V cooperate with a series of strip-shaped anodes UNITED STATES PATENTS orthogonal to the cathode rows.
  • an electrical glowdischarge display device comprising a block of electrically insulating material in a face of which is provided an array of cavities at the bottom of each of which is situated a glow-discharge cathode, and an anode or anodes facing the open ends of said cavities for cooperating with said cathodes to define an array of individually addressable glow-discharge paths through a gas atmosphere contained in said device, a gap containing said atmosphere being present between said open ends and the anode or anodes.
  • the invention provides an electrical glow-discharge display device comprising a block of electrically insulatin g material in a face of which is provided an array of cavities at the bottom of each of which is situated a glow-discharge cathode, and an anode or anodes facing the open ends of said cavities for co-operating with said cathodes to define an array of individually addressable glow-discharge paths through a gas atmosphere contained in said device, a gap containing said atmosphere being present between said open ends and the anode or anodes, the open end of each cavity being completely surrounded by a recess provided in said face, which recess extends between the open end of the cor responding cavity and the open end of each other said cavity.
  • said recesses may be generated by the provision of separate ridges on said block face, said ridges completely surrounding the open end of each cavity, the recesses thus formed extending between the open end of the corresponding cavity and the open end of each other said cavity.
  • FIG. 1 shows a cutter for forming a post and a groove
  • FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an array of glowdischarge cathodes and an anode frame in the relative positions they will occupy in a completed electrical glow-discharge display device
  • FIGS. 3(a) and 3 (b) show plan and cross-sectional views respectively of the components of FIG. 2 with a block of electrically insulating material 'moulded around them, the section of FIG. 3 (b) being taken on the line (b) (b) ofFIG. 3 (a).
  • an array of cathodes I together with supply leads 2 are formed from a sheet of a glasssealing alloy such as nickel-iron, chrome-iron or nickel-cobalt-iron by photo-etching are situated in an envelope 20 containing an ionizable gas. Parts 3 of the plate interconnecting the supply leads are left in situ for the moment in order to maintain the cathodes 1 in their correct positional relationship.
  • Anode frame 4 is also made from a sheet of nickel-iron, chrome-iron or nickelcobalt-iron and a supply load 5 thereto is bent so that it terminates in the same plane as the leads 2.
  • FIG. 3 a block 6 of electrically insulating material, for example that available under the Registered Trade Mark FUSITE K, has been moulded around the cathodes 1 and anode frame 4 so that the supply leads 2 and 5 project therefrom.
  • the mould used is such that cavities 7 are formed in the top face of block 6, these cavities each terminating at anindividual cathode 1.
  • the surface of the mold corresponding to the top face of the block is provided with posts, on the tops of which rest the cathodes 1 during the moulding process.
  • the posts in the mould are surrounded by grooves with the result that a continuous ridge 8 is formed on the top face of the block 6 surrounding each cavity 7.
  • a continuous recess 9 surrounds each cavity 7.
  • the cavities 7 were approximately 1 mm deep and the recesses 9 were approximately 0.25 mm deep.
  • the ridges 8 were approximately 0.25 mm wide and the cavity diameters were approximately 1 mm.
  • the cavity spacing was approximately 2 mm between centers and the plane of the anode frame 4 was approximately 0.25 mm from the open ends of the cavities 7, i.e. from the peaks of the ridges 8.
  • the assembly of FIG. 3 also includes an additional cathode 10 situated at the bottom of a cavity 11 in the block 6. This is to serve as a full stop or decimal point in the display and, because it is a considerable distance from the cavities 7, it is not necessary to provide a recess around the cavity 11 (although of course such a recess may be provided if desired).
  • An exhaust tube 12 terminates in a hole 13 opening into the upper surface of the block 6.
  • a substantially flat anode made for example by photo-etching or by mechanically expanding a metal plate of, for example, the material available under the Registered Trade Mark KOVAR until it assumed a mesh-like structure, was then welded to the anode frame 4 so that it was supported thereby.
  • a clear or translucent viewing window plate (not shown), made for example of the material available under the Registered Trade mark KODIAL was then sealed all round to the surface 16 of the block 6 by means of a solder glass. The metal portions 3 interconnecting the cathodes were removed.
  • the device was then evacuated through the tube 12 and filled with pure neon or a neon argon mixture at a total pressure in the range 50-200 Torr.
  • the completed device was then aged by applying an operating potential of at least 280 Volts between each cathode and the anode, and continuing this application until sputtering from the cathodes due to the resulting electrical discharge caused an appreciable amount of cathode material to be deposited on the cavity walls, so
  • the dimensions and relative locations of the cathodes and anode and the gas composition and pressure were such that the application of ZOO-230V between each cathode and the anode resulted in the generation of negative-glow optical radiation in the resultant glow-discharge, the positive column part of the discharge being substantially or completely suppressed.
  • cathodes l may be electrically connected together and the anode may be replaced by a number of anode strips each for co-operating with a column or row of cathodes respectively. If this is done the anodes may conveniently be formed by conductive strips of, e.g. tin oxide, deposited on the inner surface of the window. The cathode array may then be made up of a number of parallel strips orthogonal to the anode strips. A glow discharge display device incorporating these features is described in British Patent Specification 1, 153,674.
  • An electrical glow-discharge display device comprising an envelope containing an ionizable gas, said envelope comprising a viewing window and a block of electrically insulating material sealed to said window,
  • said block having an array of cavities in the face proximate to said viewing window, a glow-discharge cathode positioned at the base of each cavity, and at least one anode facing and spaced from the open ends of said cavities for co-operating with said cathodes to define an array of individually addressable glow-discharge paths through the gas, the open end of each cavity being completely surrounded by a separate ridge and recessed portions of the block separating the ridges from each other.

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  • Gas-Filled Discharge Tubes (AREA)
US101548A 1969-12-30 1970-12-28 Glow discharge display device including an insulating envelope block with an array of cavities therein Expired - Lifetime US3699377A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB63248/69A GB1244307A (en) 1969-12-30 1969-12-30 Glow-discharge display device

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3699377A true US3699377A (en) 1972-10-17

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US101548A Expired - Lifetime US3699377A (en) 1969-12-30 1970-12-28 Glow discharge display device including an insulating envelope block with an array of cavities therein

Country Status (7)

Country Link
US (1) US3699377A (de)
JP (1) JPS4828470B1 (de)
CA (1) CA928760A (de)
DE (1) DE2063296A1 (de)
FR (1) FR2074401A5 (de)
GB (1) GB1244307A (de)
NL (1) NL7018830A (de)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3896327A (en) * 1972-03-29 1975-07-22 Owens Illinois Inc Monolithic gas discharge display device
US4266224A (en) * 1979-02-26 1981-05-05 Beckman Instruments, Inc. High performance information display panel
US6642914B1 (en) * 2000-04-13 2003-11-04 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Liquid crystal display (LCD) having improved isocontrast performance and method for producing same

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5883288A (ja) * 1981-11-13 1983-05-19 Citizen Watch Co Ltd 時計の暦修正装置

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2858480A (en) * 1955-05-02 1958-10-28 Shadowitz Albert Self-luminous screen, television receiving system and display system
US3260880A (en) * 1961-06-06 1966-07-12 Burroughs Corp Electro-optical indicator devices with multiple anodes for each cell
US3334269A (en) * 1964-07-28 1967-08-01 Itt Character display panel having a plurality of glow discharge cavities including resistive ballast means exposed to the glow discharge therein
US3465194A (en) * 1966-10-07 1969-09-02 Philips Corp Cold-cathode glow-discharge tube
US3553458A (en) * 1967-01-18 1971-01-05 Philips Corp Electrical negative-glow discharge display devices
US3582979A (en) * 1969-07-07 1971-06-01 Burroughs Corp Gaseous discharge display device with interconnecting structure for the electrodes

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2858480A (en) * 1955-05-02 1958-10-28 Shadowitz Albert Self-luminous screen, television receiving system and display system
US3260880A (en) * 1961-06-06 1966-07-12 Burroughs Corp Electro-optical indicator devices with multiple anodes for each cell
US3334269A (en) * 1964-07-28 1967-08-01 Itt Character display panel having a plurality of glow discharge cavities including resistive ballast means exposed to the glow discharge therein
US3465194A (en) * 1966-10-07 1969-09-02 Philips Corp Cold-cathode glow-discharge tube
US3553458A (en) * 1967-01-18 1971-01-05 Philips Corp Electrical negative-glow discharge display devices
US3582979A (en) * 1969-07-07 1971-06-01 Burroughs Corp Gaseous discharge display device with interconnecting structure for the electrodes

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3896327A (en) * 1972-03-29 1975-07-22 Owens Illinois Inc Monolithic gas discharge display device
US4266224A (en) * 1979-02-26 1981-05-05 Beckman Instruments, Inc. High performance information display panel
US6642914B1 (en) * 2000-04-13 2003-11-04 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. Liquid crystal display (LCD) having improved isocontrast performance and method for producing same
US20040041964A1 (en) * 2000-04-13 2004-03-04 Michael Andrews Liquid crystal display (LCD) having improved isocontrast performance and method for producing same

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1244307A (en) 1971-08-25
CA928760A (en) 1973-06-19
NL7018830A (de) 1971-07-02
JPS4828470B1 (de) 1973-09-01
FR2074401A5 (de) 1971-10-01
DE2063296A1 (de) 1972-06-15

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